1999 UW-Platteville Review

Week #10 - Pioneers finish strong, beat Morris 46-15

The Pioneers exploded for 29 fourth-quarter points to rout Minnesota-Morris 46-15 in the HHH Metrodome. The 8 a.m. game was one of five played Sunday and one of seven over the weekend which pitted the NCAA Division III Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference against the Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Leading just 17-15 after three quarters, the Pioneers put everything together in the passing attack first-year Coach Mike Emendorfer installed. Quarterbacks Joel Beard and Aaron Mack threw for 214 yards in the final 15 minutes alone, and Beard just missed the school records for completions and yards in a game.

Brian Childs started the fourth-quarter avalanche by turning momentum the Pioneers way. He blocked a potential Cougar go-ahead field-goal attempt on the second play of the quarter. On the very next play, the Pioneers seized the momentum for good as Beard hit John Weaver on a sideline pass that Weaver turned into an 80-yard scoring play.

From then on, it was bombs away, as the Pioneers took advantage of several size differences between the UWP receivers and the Morris defensive backs. A scrambling Beard threw 52 yards to Jason Leonard, bringing the ball to the Morris 12. Beard then lateralled to all-America candidate Ryan Radue, the 6-4, 295-pound tackle who was split wide. Although the play gained just inches, it set up the next play. Morris spread out its defense to cover the same formation, leaving the middle wide open for Mike Loveland to find the Metrodome's gold-and maroon-painted end zone. Beard lofted a 12-yard scoring pass to Loveland, making the count 31-15.

Three plays later, freshman Jesse Nelson intercepted a Morris pass and brought it back 36 yards to the Cougar one. Chad Nate banged over on the next play, and Beard threw to Reggie Davis for the two-point conversion.

The 39-15 score enabled the Pioneers to play plenty of people, and with the same results. On the next UWP possession, Mack hit Leonard with a 53-yard bomb, and then connected with all-America defensive back Brian Childs for a 17-yard touchdown pass, making the final score 46-15.

The 46 points were the most scored by a UWP team since a 57-14 win over UW-Superior in 1989 and the most scored on the road since 1972 in a 51-0 win at UW-Stevens Point.

More importantly, though, the victory gave the Pioneers a .500 record for the first time since 1995 at 5-5.

Much of the credit to the UW-Platteville turnaround goes to Coach Emendorfer and his staff, whose team lived up to the slogan "The Thrill is in the Air."

Beard filled the air with 382 passes this season, a new school record, as are his 188 completions and 2,227 yards. Sunday, Beard completed 28 of 55 passes for 374 yards, including 4 of 6 for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter.

Three Pioneer receivers topped the century mark in yards Sunday. Eric Bunner caught 10 passes for 124 yards, Lenoard 9 for 146, and Weaver 5 for 128. Weaver (10 yards) and Bunner (48) both caught first-half scoring passes, and Brad Abraham nailed a 37-yard field goal, the Pioneers' first of the season, to give UWP a 17-8 halftime lead.

The Pioneer defense played well throughout the game as they recorded six quarterback sacks and forced five turnovers. Jeremy Leifker led the charge with 9 tackles and 2 sacks, bringing the Pioneer total to 27 sacks for the year. Tony Lewis and Rob Erickson each had interceptions in the end zone to stop Cougar drives, and Dirk Rudolf and Ryan Martin pounced on fumbles.

Week #9 - Pioneers settle for fourth

UW-River Falls beat UW-Platteville 31-14 Saturday, as the Pioneers finished in fourth place in the WIAC, their best placing since a similar finish in 1992.

The Pioneers fell to 3-4 in the WIAC and 4-5 overall. They will conclude their season next Sunday (Nov. 14) at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome against Minnesota-Morris at 8 a.m. Tickets are still available at the UWP athletic department or by ordering on-line. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the Metrodome gates.

The Falcons jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Pioneers tied the score on Chad Nate's one-yard run early in the second quarter. That capped one of the Pioneers' most impressive drives of the year, a 19-play, 72-yard drive that consumed 7:12.

UW-River Falls scored 17 unanswered points to take a 24-7 halftime lead. Still, the Pioneers refused to fold. Reserve quarterback Aaron Mack started the second half and led the Pioneers on a 10-play, 60-yard drive. He finished the drive with a 3-yard scoring run, making the score 24-14.

Mack and the Pioneers had a good chance to cut the lead even further in the fourth quarter, as they drove to the goal-line. However, Mack's pass was intercepted in the end zone. The Falcons took over possession on their 20 and responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive, making the score 31-14.

Turnovers again hurt the Pioneers, as they lost four interceptions and one fumble. The Falcons fumbled four times but managed to recover each one.

The Pioneers gained 167 yards passing, while the Falcons rolled up 336 rushing yards. Jason Leonard caught 6 passes for 80 yards, and John Weaver had 5 for 47. Leading receiver Troy Gagner, thought lost for the season with a knee injury, returned and caught 2 passes for 33 yards.

Week #8 - Pioneers fall to #18 Point

UW-Stevens Point intercepted Joel Beard a Pioneer-record seven times and posted a 27-16 win at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium Saturday.

The 18th-ranked Pointers improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in league play. They remained tied atop the WIAC with UW-La Crosse, who beat UW-Eau Claire in three overtimes Saturday. The Pioneers suffered their first home loss of the year and fell to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in league play.

UW-Stevens Point scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions to take a 21-7 lead. The Pioneers answered the first score with a 72-yard drive, capped by Chad Nate's 3-yard scoring run.

The Pioneers cut the lead to 21-16 by halftime. Tim Duffy started the comeback when he refused to be fooled by a reverse and tackled Chad Valentyne in the end zone. After holding the Pointers, UWP drove down the field, and Beard hit John Weaver over the middle for a 40-yard touchdown run.

Both teams had chances to score in the second half. The best Pioneer opportunity came when they drove to the Point 37, but Beards' quarterback draw on 4th and 5 gained 4 yards and 11 inches. That inch proved to be pivotal, as the Pointers put the game away with a 67-yard drive. The big blow came when a scrambling Dave Berghuis hit Valentyne for a 43-yard gain, down to the Pioneer 9. Wally Schmitt scored on the next play for the final 27-16 score.

The Pioneers gained 276 yards of offense, but were hampered by eight turnovers, including the seven interceptions. Beard threw for 264 yards, with Jason Leonard catching 9 for 92 yards. Tony Lewis and Brian Childs were all over the field on defense, registering 13 and 12 tackles, respectively.

Schmitt's 132 rushing yards paced the Pointer offense, which gained 414 yards.

Week #7 - Pioneers pick off Blue Devils

Cory Thomson returned a fourth-quarter interception 87 yards for the go-ahead score, lifting UW-Platteville to a 14-9 win over host UW-Stout Saturday.

Thomson's interception set a new school standard, topping the 86-yard returns Guy Nelson had in 1970 and 1972. It came with 10:45 remaining in the game and was one of five interceptions for the Pioneers. Thomson had two thefts, while Brian Childs, Rob Erickson and Jon Rodriguez each had one.

The Pioneers, playing without leading receiver Troy Gagner and leading rusher Eric Bunner, scored on their first possession, a 23-yard pass from Joel Beard to Jason Leonard.

The Blue Devils cut the lead to 7-6 by the half and took a 9-7 lead with 11:55 remaining on Kevin McCulley's third field goal. After a Pioneer turnover, Stout looked to put the game away, but instead Thomson made the big interception and touchdown. The Pioneers turned back all Blue Devil attempts to re-take the lead, including a scary moment at the end of the game. After Rodriguez's interception appeared to seal the win in the final minute, the Pioneers fumbled while taking a knee. The Blue Devils sent two linebackers diving at center Chad Keppy, courageously playing with a broken wrist. The snap was fumbled, and Stout recovered on the Pioneers' 13. Two pass plays were unsuccessful, however, as the Pioneers held on for the win.

Both teams gained exactly 267 yards on the day, with the Pioneers throwing for 254. Beard completed 20 of 40 for 220 yards. Leonard was the top receiver with 8 caatches for 75 yards, while John Weaver added 4 for 58 amnd Greg Siegert 4 for 27. Tim Duffy, Justin Ebert and Childs all had 10 tackles, with Duffy recording two quarterback sacks.

The victory gave UWP its first three-game winning streak since 1994 and was its first WIAC road win since winning at Stout in 1995.

The Pioneers, who had not won a conference game in the previous three seasons, find themselves in second-place at 3-2 and trail first-place UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point by one game. The Pioneers have already defeated La Crosse and play host to Stevens Point Saturday in a huge game. Kickoff at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium, where the Pioneers are 3-0 this year, is at 2 p.m.

Week #6 - Pioneers topple Titans

UW-Platteville held UW-Oshkosh to minus-3 yards rushing in posting a 25-20 victory at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium to give UWP back-to-back wins for the first time in five seasons.

The Pioneers improved to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. With the win, Platteville surged into a third-place league tie. (1999 WIAC Standings)

Joel Beard threw three second-quarter touchdown passes, giving the Pioneers a 19-3 halftime lead. He found Troy Gagner for 7 yards, Jason Leonard for 10 and Gagner again for 33. The game remained 19-3 until 10:53 remaining, when Beard tossed his fourth score. He threw a quick out to Eric Bunner, who faked out a Titan back and turned the play into a 27-yard TD.

The Titans came back on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Alan Beversdorf to Kyle Mayhugh. Beversdorf also converted a Pioneer fumble into a 5-yard TD pass to Mike Vielehr with 2:32 remaining. The Pioneers then ran the clock down and took a safety with 50 seconds left. Brian Childs batted away Oshkosh's fourth-down pass with 27 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Platteville rolled up 444 yards of offense, including 305 via the air. Beard was 27 of 45 for 284 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 57 yards. Bunner added 62 yards rushing. Gagner, the WIAC leader, had 13 catches for 155 yards and the two scores. One of his catches came on a 21-yard pass from punter Brad Abraham that led to the Pioneers' third score on the day, right before halftime.

The Pioneer defense held the Titans to the minus-3 yards on 25 rushing attempts. Oshkosh was forced to go to the air 56 times. Childs was the top tackler with 9, while Tim Duffy had 4 tackles for losses, including 2 sacks. Dirk Rudolf also added a sack.

Week #5 - THE STREAK IS OVER!

When Mike Emendorfer was hired as the UW-Platteville head football coach in January, he often envisioned what it would be like when the Pioneers would earn their first league win since 1995. None of his dreams, however, topped the reality.

The Pioneers stunned league-leading UW-La Crosse 27-14 to snap a 24-game Wisconsin Intecollegiate Athletic Conference losing streak.

"I have had some low points in the last few weeks, and I think everyone could see I was struggling having come from a very successful program (at Hanover College), thinking what could I do to make a difference. Winning the season opener (against Lakeland Sept. 9), and then winning Homecoming, I couldn't write a better script. Yes, we would have liked to win those three road games in between, but this is just super. Words can't describe it."

The Pioneers spotted the Eagles a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on two scoring runs by John Rivard. In fact, the Pioneers did not record a first down and had minus-4 yards in the opening 15 minutes.

"In the beginning of the game, I was afraid it was going to be a very similar game to Whitewater (a 55-20 loss), and we might get blown out," Emendorfer said. "I was disappointed in the way we started. But I was very happy with the fan support. They helped keep us in in."

In the second quarter, the four-and five-wideout sets that Emendorfer brought with him from Indiana began to cause the Eagles problems.

Senior quarterback Joel Beard, who has not played football in five years as he played guard for the Pioneers' national championship basketball team, hit Troy Gagner with a 31-yard scoring and led the team on a 52-yard drive that ended with Chad Nate's one-yard scoring plunge. A blocked extra point made the halftime score 14-13.

Offensively, we got a spark from Joel," Emendorfer said. "All of a sudden that light switch came on and we got a rhythm. We put in a few new wrinkles against the blitz that they hadn't seen before, and we were able to execute it."

Senior center Chad Keppy could feel things beginning to happen.

"We knew we could mesh together someday," he said. "We had a rough start, but once we got rolling, we saw good things could happen." Defensive coordinator Rich Duncan's unit also meshed and held the powerful Eagle offense out of the end zone the rest of the day.

"Defensely, we held them in the second quarter and in the third quarter we created some turnovers," Emendorfer said.

In the third period, Jon Rodriguez intercepted an Eagle pass on La Crosse's 38. After the Pioneers were held on fourth down, Cory Thomson got the ball right back with another interception, this one at the UWP 46.

This time, the Pioneers cashed in. Beard capped off the 54-yard drive with some razzle dazzle, faking in the middle to Eric Bunner and faking a reverse to Mike Loveland. He took off around the left end and dove into the end zone for a nine-yard score. The Pioneers suddenly found themselves up 19-14.

Once again, the Plattevile defense came up big and forced a La Crosse punt. The Pioneer offense took over on its own 46. Beard sprayed the ball around, hitting four consecutive passes to different receivers. He found Jason Leonard for 19 yards, Shawn Vanderwall for 11, John Weaver for 16 and finally Reggie Davis for 11 and a touchdown. The Beard-to-Davis connection worked again for the two-point conversion and a 27-14 lead.

UWP snuffed out the last La Crosse threat when Brian Childs forced a fumble, and Thomson pounced on the ball in the end zone with 5:37 remaining. It was somewhat fitting that Childs, who had 13 tackles and a 54-yard interception return at the goal line in the first half, would come up with the big play. The senior all-conference back is the heart-and-soul of the team but had missed two games with an injury and played sparingly in last week's loss at Eau Claire.

"Too much credit is given a coach after a win, and likewise too much blame is given one after a loss," Emendorfer said. "Who I am happy for are the seniors who have stuck together through the tough losses and were able to perservere."

Keppy is one of those seniors who had yet to experience a WIAC win.

"Winning Homecoming and beating La Crosse means everything," he said. "It's so hard to describe."

"To tell you the truth, this feels better than winning a national championship right now," said senior defensive end Tim Duffy, who had three tackles for losses and one quarterback sack. "It's a real good victory for our team."

Beard finished the day with 17 of 34 passing for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Gagner was the top receiver with 6 catches for 91 yards. Bunner gained 46 rushing yards to keep the Eagles off balance.

The coach said the victory was a testament to never giving up and hopes it is the foundation upon which the program will be rebuilt.

"They might have more talent, but we came out with more emotion," Emendorfer said. "If we can do that week after week, we will continue to grow as a program."

Week #4 - Blugolds force 6 turnovers, block 3 punts

UW-Eau Claire staged a block party Saturday during a 28-13 football victory over UW-Platteville.

The Blugolds blocked the Pioneers' first three punt attempts to forge a 21-6 lead, then intercepted 5 passes to thwart every UW-Platteville comeback attempt.

Eau Claire blocked Brad Abraham's first two punts and recovered the ball on the Pioneers' 8 and the 22, leading to short touchdown drives. Platteville cut the lead to 14-6 by halftime on a 29-yard fourth-down scoring pass from Joel Beard to Eric Bunner down the sideline. The touchdown capped a 12-play, 70-yard drive that consumed more than 5 minutes.

The Pioneers were stopped on their initial third-quarter possession, and the Blugolds blocked the punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a score and a 21-6 lead.

UW-Platteville then got the offense cranking, but the five interceptions halted drives. The Pioneers were also turned away on downs on the Eau Claire 5 and lost a fumble on the Blugolds' 3. They finally scored again on a pass from Aaron Mack to John Weaver with 5 seconds remaining.

The Pionner defense was paced by true freshman Dave McGraw, who had 8 tackles, and Tony Lewis and Rob Erickson, who each had six. Erickson also returned an interception 64 yards. Cory Thomson added an 11-yard interception return.

Eau Claire improved to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in WIAC play. The Pioneers fell to 1-3, 0-2.

UW-Platteville returns to Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium for the first time in a month on Saturday, when the Pioneers play host to UW-La Crosse. The Homecoming contest begins at 2:00.

Week #3 - Pioneers lose WIAC opener

All week long, Coach Mike Emendorfer stressed to his UW-Platteville football team the importance of getting off to a quick start against a UW-Whitewater club that began the season with losses to three ranked teams.

That mission was accomplished, as the defense held the Warhawks on three downs and forced a punt. Tim Duffy blocked the punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.

That, however, was about the only goal the Pioneers met and exceeded. The host Warhawks rebounded to pile on 42 first-half points and rolled to a 55-20 victory in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Whitewater held a 42-6 advantage in points and 280-41 at the half, holding the Pioneers to three first downs.

The Warhawks increased the lead to 55-6 before the Pioneers got on the board again. Joel Beard hit Troy Gagner with a 31-yard scoring pass with 6:32 remaining, and connected with Reggie Davis on a 19-yard TD. The latter was set up on a 55-yard pass to Eric Bunner.

Whitewater improved to 1-3, while the Pioneers fell to 1-2. This was the seventh annual George Chryst Memorial Bowl, played in memory of the late UWP coach who compiled a 79-60 record from 1979 until his suddent death in December, 1992.

As part of the Chryst Bowl, the media selects offensive and defensive players of the game for each team. Defensive player of the game Duffy made six tackles, blocked the punt and scored and stripped a Warhawk runner of the ball and recovered the fumble. Gagner, who caught 4 passes for 51 yards, was named the Pioneers' offensive player of the game.

Week #2 - Augustana runs over Pioneers

Twenty-first ranked Augustana set the tone early with long scoring drives on its first two possessions and went on to beat UW-Platteville 31-6 in a non-conference football game Saturday in Rock Island, Ill.

Bart Reed capped off a 77-yard opening drive with a 15-yard run, then scored on a 21-yard pass from Joe Schmulbach on a 4th and 12 play, ending an 89-yard drive. Jon Phillips added a 35-yard field goal 22 seconds before halftime for a 17-0 advantage.

The Vikings (2-0) increased the lead to 24-0 on Ben Nelson's two-yard run, before the Pioneers (1-1) reached the end zone on Reggie Davis' 38-yard scoring pass from Joel Beard. The Vikings added one more score with 1:54 remaining for the final 31-6 margin.

Augustana held the ball for 37:47 as its traditional power running game rolled up 389 yards on the ground and added 67 yards through the air. The Pioneers had 284 yards of offense, 199 by way of the pass.

Platteville had four drives end in Augustana territory and lost five turnovers. Joel Beard completed 14 of 33 passes for 181 yards, but was picked off four times. Troy Gagner was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 61 yards. Eric Bunner ran 10 times for 65 yards. One of the bright spots was again the punting of Brad Abraham, who averaged 47.2 yards per punt with a long of 64 yards. Jim Feldhacker led the defensive charge with 12 tackles, while Rob Erickson and Bret Wojcik each had 11.

The Pioneers were forced to play without WIAC and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Player of the Week Brian Childs, who injured his ankle during practice midway through the week.

Week #1 - Pioneers beat Lakeland in opener!

Never has a slogan so aptly fit a football team.

"The Thrill is in the Air" for UW-Platteville, as the Pioneers scored twice within a 22-second span late in the game to beat Lakeland College 20-17 in the season opener and head coach Mike Emendorfer's debut Thursday night.

Sophomore quarterback John Jacobs came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes to help the Pioneers to the win. Jacobs connected with a diving Eric Bunner on a 22-yard score with 6:45 remaining. Linebacker Brian Huiting then grabbed a tipped Lakeland pass on the play after the touchdown. Jacobs went right to the end zone, and Brian Childs hauled in a 29-yard pass.

It was appropriate that Childs made the game-winner as the Pioneers' Mr. Everything was all over the field. The all-league defensive back made 15 tackles on the night, including 12 solos. He was inserted into the game for the one play, which turned out to be the game-winner.

The victory snapped the Pioneers' eight-game losing streak.

Platteville, which changed from a traditional running team to a passing team when Emendorfer came aboard, completed 24 of 41 passes for 287 yards. Starting quarterback Joel Beard hit on 20 of 35 for 225 yards, but was intercepted four times. Jacobs completed 4 of 6 for 62 yards and the 2 touchdowns. Troy Gagner caught 8 passes for 65 yards, while 29-year-old freshman Corey Jenkins and Bunner each caught 5 passes. Chad Nate led the ground game with 46 yards on 9 carries and a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Lakeland quarterback Kevin Fix put the ball up 52 times himself, completing 27 for 283 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted by Huiting,. Justin Ebert and Rob Erickson.