Pioneers Punch Ticket to NCAA Playoffs

MENOMONIE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team put all tiebreaker scenarios aside as the Pioneers defeated UW-Stout 46-38 to clinch the outright WIAC Title and earn the conference's automatic qualifier to the 2024 NCAA DIII Championships. UW-Platteville will be making its third appearance in the NCAA Playoffs and first since 2016. Having secured at least a share of the conference's title last weekend, it is the Pioneers third outright championship in program history and first since 1970. 

Asked after the game to describe the feeling of clinching a playoff berth, head coach Ryan Munz simply said, "I love this team. Words can't describe this."

The No. 9 nationally ranked Pioneers (9-1, 6-1 WIAC) crushed numerous team's hopes of a potential four-way tie for the WIAC Championship by defeating UW-Stout (6-4, 4-3 WIAC) at Don and Nana Williams Stadium. Had the day gone a different direction, the Blue Devils held the advantage in a majority of the tiebreakers and could have instead earned the automatic playoff bid.

Both offenses went back and forth all day and it began to look like it could come down to who simply scored last in the game. The Pioneers held a slim 19-17 lead at the half, but the Blue Devils outscored UW-Platteville 14-6 in the third quarter. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, senior Michael Priami hit junior Garrett Stare for a 12-yard touchdown pass. An extra point by sophomore Benjamin Younker returned the lead to the Pioneers, 32-31 with 13:30 to go in the game. 

The momentum stuck with UW-Platteville and a fumble on the very next play and kickoff kept possession with the Pioneers at the UW-Stout 23-yard line. UW-Platteville cashed in on the fumble and Priami found Stare once again six plays later to extend the lead to 39-31.  

UW-Platteville's defense came up big on the following Blue Devil possession and forced a three-and-out situation with a big-play hurry by junior Logan Drone on third-and-two.

The Pioneers got possession back with 9:04 on the clock and used seven of those minutes to go all the way to the house as Priami threw for his fifth touchdown of the day, this time a short one-yard pass to senior Brandt Stare. 

With two minutes left on the clock, the Blue Devils kept their playoff hopes alive as they went 76 yards on nine plays in just over a minute to cut the Pioneers lead to 46-38. However, their onside kick attempt failed and UW-Platteville was able to kneel out the rest of the game to capture the win and playoff berth.

The Pioneers held advantages over UW-Stout in total yards (456-402), passing yards (336-302) and rushing yards (120-100). 

Priami passed for a second consecutive five-touchdown game and ran in a sixth. Priami completed 34-of-41 attempts for 336 yards and threw one interception.

Garrett Stare finished with 11 receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Brother Brandt Stare also had two touchdowns and 55 yards on seven receptions.  Senior Ryan Doherty caught the fifth touchdown pass and tallied 86 yards on six receptions. 

Senior Tag Habedank rushed for 45 yards on 14 carries while sophomore Zackary Bothun rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries. 

On defense, sophomore Harrison Meyer led the Pioneers with nine tackles while senior Andrey Denson registered two pass breakups while adding five tackles. 

The Pioneers will find out who they will face in the NCAA Championships along with where and when on Sunday night at 4 p.m. CST when the NCAA bracket is released during the 2024 selection show.

*As with every UW-Platteville win this year, the Platteville A&W will be offering a $3 Pioneer burger the day after the win and the Platteville Taco John's will be offering 10 tacos for $10 the day after each Pioneer win.