Pioneers, Johnnies square off in playoff game

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team makes its second voyage into the NCAA Division III playoffs when the Pioneers face St. John’s Saturday at noon in Collegeville, Minn.

Pioneers, Johnnies square off in playoff game
November 16, 2016

 

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team makes its second voyage into the NCAA Division III playoffs when the Pioneers face St. John's Saturday at noon in Collegeville, Minn.

How they got in: The 8-2 Pioneers and the 9-1 Johnnies earned two of the six at-large berths into the NCAA III field of 32.

The rankings: UW-Platteville is 12th in this week's D3football.com poll and 16th in the American Football Coaches Association poll. St. John's is 9th in both polls.

Series history: UW-Platteville and St. John's have never met on a football field. In fact, UW-Platteville has not ventured into Minnesota for a contest since 1999 and 2000 when the Pioneers faced Minnesota-Morris and Southwest State, respectively, in the Border Battle series pitting the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference against the NCAA II Northern Sun Conference in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Pioneers beat Minnesota-Morris 46-15 and lost to Southwest State 52-30. The last true road game UW-Platteville played in the Gopher state was in 1990, beating host Carleton 24-16.

Against the playoff field: The Pioneers played three regular season games against teams in the tournament. UW-Platteville lost close contests to second-ranked UW-Whitewater (30-24) and fourth-ranked UW-Oshkosh (22-13) while registering a 56-0 win at Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion Lakeland. Like the Pioneers, the Johnnies lost a tight contest to a higher ranked conference foe, falling 33-21 to third-ranked St. Thomas.

Playoff history: Saturday marks UW-Platteville's third NCAA III playoff game, all contested in different states. The Pioneers earned an at-large berth in 2013 and beat Concordia (Wisconsin) 52-20 at home before falling at North Central (Illinois) 52-24. St. John's will be playing in the NCAA III playoffs for the 23rd time since 1985, having qualified for a third straight year. The Johnnies won the NCAA III title in 2003 to go along with three NAIA titles.

Pioneer notes

  • Mike Emendorfer became the winningest coach in UW-Platteville history Saturday after a 63-45 win at UW-La Crosse. In his 18th year, Emendorfer is 90-91. More than half of those wins have come over the last six years, as the Pioneers are 48-14 since the beginning of the 2011 season.
  • The Pioneers ranked first in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in scoring at 42.0 ppg and total offense at 496.7 ppg. The Pioneers were second in rushing offense (198.9) and passing offense (297.8). UW-Platteville finished second in total defense at 340.7 ypg.
  • UW-Platteville finished atop the WIAC first-down category with 252, thanks in part to converting 52.4 percent of its third-down attempts. The percentage not only led the WIAC but was fifth-best in the NCAA III.
  • Tom Kelly has 36 touchdown passes, which ties the school record set by his brother John, the 2013 team MVP. The current Pioneer QB has a 9:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.
  • Dan Arnold broke the Pioneer record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 15 and is one shy of the school overall single-season touchdown record. With 1,108 yards, he became just the fourth Pioneer to surpass 1,000 yards in a season.
  • Quinn Buschbacher led the WIAC in receptions with 73, gaining 688 yards and scoring eight times. Patrick Sheehan added six receiving TDs for the Pioneers, who had 15 different players catch passes and seven score receiving touchdowns.
  • Wyatt Thompson broke the Pioneer single-game rushing record Saturday at UW-La Crosse, gaining 316 yards on 30 carries, with four of those carries going for scores. The sophomore entered the game with 266 career yards.
  • Brandon Johnson led the WIAC with 12 passes defended, intercepting two and knocking down 10. Leading tackler Marty McGrail ranks third in the WIAC with 73 total tackles.

All-WIAC honors

Players of the Year

First Team - Offense

  • Brett Jerdee, Senior, Offensive Line, Mount Horeb, Wis.
  • Tom Kelly, Senior, Quarterback, Chicago, Ill. (Guerin College Prep)
  • Dan Arnold, Senior, Wide Receiver, Fargo, N.D. (Shanley)

First Team - Defense

Second Team - Offense

  • Sean Studer, Sophomore, Running Back, Manhattan, Ill. (Lincoln Way Central)
  • Quinn Buschbacher, Senior, Wide Receiver, Sugar Grove, Ill. (Kaneland)

Second Team - Defense

  • Chandler Crary, Junior, Linebacker, St. Charles, Ill. (Burlington Central)

Honorable Mention - Offense

  • Ryan Gaul, Platteville, Junior, Center, Aurora, Ill. (Oswego East)
  • Pat Sheehan, Senior, Wide Receiver, Floosmoor, Ill. (Homewood)
  • Quinn Buschbacher, Platteville, Senior, All-Purpose Back, Sugar Grove, Ill. (Kaneland)

Honorable Mention - Defense

Honorable Mention - Special Teams

All-Sportsmanship Team

  • Justin Johnson, Platteville, Senior, Defensive Back, Menomonee Falls, Wis.

Playoff Links

 

By Paul Erickson, Director, Communications, 608.342.1194, pr@uwplatt.edu