2000 Review

Week #10 - Mustangs' tricks no treat for Pioneers

MINNEAPOLIS --Southwest State celebrated Halloween two weeks late by pulling out all the tricks to build an early lead against UW-Platteville Saturday and held on for a 52-30 victory at the HHH Metrodome.

After a first-drive score, the Mustangs recovered an on-sides kick. When the Pioneers held in three plays, SSU threw a 44-yard touchdown off a fake punt, making the score 14-0 less than 5 minutes into the contest.

"Early in the game they made some crucial plays on special teams that put us in a hole," Pioneer Coach Mike Emendofer said.

When the offense finally got the ball, it immediately put points on the board. Freshman quarterback Tom Stetzer directed a nine-play, 71-yard drive, capped by an 8-yard scoring pass to Eric Bunner.

The Mustangs, however, stayed ahead in the track meet on the Dome's articifial turf, extending their lead to 24-7.

The Pioneers scored twice more in the first half, on a fingertip grab by Jim Richardson on a 19-yard fourth-down pass from Stetzer, and by Ryan Oliverson on a 67-yard bomb from Stetzer. Still, Southwest State led 38-21 at the half.

"Southwest State is an excellent team," Emendorfer said. "They're (NCAA) Division II, a scholarship team."

The Pioneers battled back in the third quarter. After having one touchdown called back, and then fumbling on the three, the Pioneers' defense recorded the next points. A blitzing Tony Lewis planted the Mustang quarterback into the middle of the "K" in the Vikings-painted end zone. The safety, one of Lewis's 14 tackles on the day, cut the margin to 38-23.

UWP took the ensuing kickoff and drove back down the field in five plays. Troy Gagner, who extended his season record for receiving yards to 887, caught a 4-yard slant pass for another score, cutting the lead to 38-30.

"I thought we held in well," Emenendofer. "We had chances to tie, but couldn't make the key plays."

The defense held the Mustangs on their next two possessions, but the SSU defense also stiffened. Finally, Southwest State put together a 96-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter, making the score 45-30. The Pioneers, down two touchdowns, drove to the 24, but lost the ball on downs.

Southwest State held the ball for more than 4 minutes after taking over, then felt the need to throw a 12-yard TD pass with 26 seconds remaining to run up the final score to 52-30.

Stetzer led the offensive charge with 276 passing yards and 4 scores. Oliverson caught 7 passes for 124 yards, and Richardson 6 for 109.

"Tom, for a freshman, has come a long way," Emendorfer said. "A lot of our freshman have improved, like Jimmy Richardson, who had a big game."

The Pioneers, who played with 59 freshmen on their 100-man roster, look forward to the 2001 season after the 2-8 campaign.

"As the season comes to an end, the next important seasons come up: recruiting and the off-season weight programs," Emendorfer said. "We felt we made some strides last year in recruiting. Now we have to add more pieces to the puzzle."

The coach also complimented his departing seniors.

"I'd like to thank the 15 seniors for their hard work and commitment to the Pioneer football program," Emendorfer said. "Although they won't leave with a championship, they played like champions."

Week #9 - Falcons' ground game too much

UW-River Falls, who had averaged 575 yards and 48 points during the month of October, kept up its red-hot attack into November Saturday in beating host UW-Platteville 52-7.

The Falcons (6-3 overall, 5-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) rolled up 616 yards of offense, including 605 on the ground. Five different players scored rushing touchdowns, including two each by Nick Scribner, Mark Shepherdson and Billy Lowe. Scribner led all rushers with 182 yards, while Andrew Kruger added 111.

UWRF led 24-0 after one quarter and made it 31-0 one play into the second. The Pioneers (2-7, 1-6) then went 61 yards in seven plays, capped by Aaron Mack's three-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Davis for the only UWP score of the day.

The brightest note for UW-Platteville was that Troy Gagner caught 9 passes for 123 yards and in the process broke the school record for receiving yards in a season. The senior from Rice Lake now has 50 catches for 859 yards, surpassing the 782 yards Jerry Schliem gained in 1966 on 53 receptions.

The Pioneers close the 2000 season in the HHH Metrodome Saturday at 8 a.m. against Southwest State. That is one of five games that day and seven over Friday and Saturday pitting the WIAC against the NCAA Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Week #8 - Late TD spells UWP defeat

Quarterback Scott Krause scored on a one-yard sneak with 26 seconds remaining, lifting host UW-Stevens Point to a 14-7 victory over UW-Platteville.

The Pointers drove 77 yards on 13 plays, aided by a hands-to-the-face call against Platteville that negated a third-and-10 incompletion from the UWP 36.

The Pointers improved to 1-7 overall and 1-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Pioneers fell to 2-6, 1-5.

The teams played a scoreless first half, although the Pioneers were stopped on the UWSP 2 and 30 on their second and third drives of the game. The fourth drive resulted in a missed field goal. The Pioneer defense forced fumbles on the first two Pointer drives and then forced punts on the next three in the first half.

Early in the third quarter, the Pointers recovered a fumble on the Pioneer 5. One play later, Todd Goodman ran in for a score.

The Pioneers answered back with a 78-yard drive, capped by a 32-yard pass from Dave Rakow to Ryan Oliverson. Brad Abraham's extra point tied the score at 7-7.

UWP lined up for a potential go-ahead field goal with 2:04 left, but an errant snap and hold left Abraham trying a pass, which was incomplete. The home team then took the ball over and put together its winning drive.

With Tom Stetzer, who threw for a school-record 483 yards in last week's game against UW-Stout, out with an injury, the Pioneers used a trio of quarterbacks. Don Lackey completed 8 of 13 passes for 82 yards, while Rakow throew for 73 and Aaron Mack 48. Rakow added 63 yards rushing, while Greg Siebers ran for 82, including a UWP season-best 38-yard run. Troy Gagner caught 5 passes for 65 yards before leaving with an injury, and Oliverson caught 4 for 55.

Dave McGraw led a strong defensive effort with 11 tackles. Dave Cochenet, Scott Power and Jesse Nelson each recovered fumbles, while Tony Lewis intercepted a pass.

Week #7 - Stetzer, Pioneers fall in spectacular shootout

School records flew almost as often as the ball flew from Pioneer freshman quarterback Tom Stetzer's hand in UW-Stout's wild 43-35 come-from-behind win Saturday at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.

The contest was the second highest-scoring game in the 28-year Stadium history, surpassed only be the Pioneers' 52-43 victory over UW-Eau Claire in 1980.

The eighth-ranked Blue Devils scored 19 points in the final 8:54 to remain unbeaten at 7-0 and 5-0 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Pioneers slipped to 2-5, 1-4.

UW-Stout brought in the seventh-ranked defense in all of NCAA III. The Blue Devils were allowing just 191.8 yards per game, including 125.2 through the air.

Stetzer, however, shredded Stout for 483 yards and 5 scores. The freshman from Black River Falls set new Pioneer standards with his yardage and his 63 attempts. Stetzer (pictured left) averaged 22 yards per completion, as he and the Pioneers played bombs away.

Stetzer threw for 379 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half alone, as the Pioneers built a 28-24 lead. Stetzer connected with Troy Gagner for 3 touchdowns in the game's first 28 minutes. The duo hooked up for scoring plays of 20, 6 and 78 yards. Freshman Jim Richardson was on the receiving end of a 36-yard score in the first quarter and just missed another when his toes were ruled on the end-line on the Pioneers' opening drive.

The Pioneers stretched their lead to 35-24 early in the second half on a 12-yard pass from Stetzer to Reggie Davis.

The Blue Devils began their fourth-quarter comeback behind some big defensive plays and a record-setting day from running back Luke Bundgaard.

Stout's Chad Riechelt helped turn the tide with a sack of Stetzer on the Blue Devils' 16. The blind-sight hit caused a fumble, and the Blue Devils receovered to stop the drive and prevent a three-touchdown margin. Although the Blue Devils missed a field-goal attempt on their next drive, two plays later Eric Lund intercepted a tipped Stetzer pass at the line, the Pioneers' 11. The UWP defense stiffened, forcing another field goal attempt, this one which was good.

The Blue Devils further cut the lead when an errant shot-gun snap sailed into the end zone for a safety, making the score 35-29. Stout took the lead for good on a 15-yard pass play, and then Bundgaard put things away with a 71-yard scoring romp with 1:58 remaining.

Bundgaard set new UWS standards with 45 carries for 335 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Gagner (pictured at right) had the second-most prolific receiving day in Pioneer history. The senior from Rice Lake caught 7 passes for 190 yards and the 3 touchdowns. Richardson added 5 catches for 167 yards, and Davis caught 5 for 69 yards.

Defensively, Dennis Banks was specatular for UWP with 16 solo tackles, including 3 for losses. David Cochenet and Dave McGraw each had 10 solo tackles, with McGraw recording a 16-yard sack.

Lund led UW-Stout with 3 interceptions, while Rob Weinstein added 8 tackles and a pass breakup.

Week #6 - Pioneers pass test at Oshkosh

Oshkosh is the site of the EAA Fly-In, one of the largest air shows in the country. It was quite an appropriate place, then, for UW-Platteville to get its air game untracked in a 28-24 football victory at UW-Oshkosh Saturday.

Quarterbacks Tom Stetzer and Aaron Mack combined to throw for 393 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Pioneers to their first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory of the year. Both teams now have identical 2-4 overall marks and 1-3 WIAC records.

Stetzer, a freshman from Black River Falls, completed 19 of 38 passes for 281 yards and his first two collegiate scores, while Mack, a junior from Madison (East), hit on 8 of 13 for 118 yards and one TD.

Mack, playing for the first time since Sept. 16, threw a 55-yard pass to freshman wideout Ryan Oliverson from Middleton. That brought the ball deep into Titan territory, and Mack connected with his former high school teammate Reggie Davis for an 8-yard score and a 7-3 lead.

The Titans, whose first field goal was set up by a fumble recovery, blocked a punt and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown and a 10-7 halftime lead.

Dennis Banks (Jr., Quincy, Fla.) recovered a fumble on the Oshkosh 29 in the third quarter, and on fourth-and-four, Stetzer hit Troy Gagner, and the senior from Rice Lake carried the ball into the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. Quarterback Dave Rakow (Fr., Batavia, Ill.) then ran in for the two-point conversion and a 15-10 lead.

Jim Feldhacker (So., Fennimore) set up the next score, intercepting a pass at the Platteville 28. Five plays later, Stetzer and Gagner hooked up on a 58-yard bomb and a 21-10 Pioneer advantage. Michael Hudson (Sr., Winslow, Ill.) added a 10-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter for a 28-10 Pioneer lead.

The Titans' Shannon King returned the kickoff after Hudson's touchdown for 94 yards and a score, but the Titans didn't score again until 6 seconds remained. Gagner recovered the onside kick with 5 seconds left, and Stetzer took a knee to preserve the win.

Dave McGraw, who played his high school ball in Oshkosh, was all over the field defensively with 13 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. Freshman Brad Koehler (Fowler, Ind.) picked off 2 passes, and Ryan Streets (Sr., Wyoming, Iowa) recovered a fumble inside the Pioneers' 5 in the first quarter. Jonas Wik, a senior from Sweden, also recovered a fumble, as the defense forced 6 UWO turnovers.

The Pioneers welcome undefeated UW-Stout to Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils came from behind to beat UW-La Crosse 27-23, improving to 6-0. In other league action, UW-River Falls outlasted UW-Eau Claire 65-44, and UW-Whitewater shut out UW-Stevens Point 9-0.

Week #5 - Pioneers lose at UW-La Crosse

All season long, UW-Platteville Coach Mike Emendorfer has stressed that a few key plays decide a football game. Saturday in La Crosse, that fact was proven true.

Two turnovers inside the UW-La Crosse 5 proved costly to the Pioneers, as their comeback efforts were thwarted in a 30-0 loss Saturday.

The visiting Pioneers fell behind 17-0 at the half, but on their second possession of the second half, stormed down the field. A 53-yard completion from Tom Stetzer to Troy Gagner brought the ball to the Eagle 5. Stetzer then ran for 5 yards to the 3, but a fumble on the next play gave the ball to the Eagles. An interception in the end zone snuffed out a fourth-quarter drive and all comeback hopes.

The Pioneers fell to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the Wisconson Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Eagles improved to 3-2, 3-0.

The UWP offense had its second -highest production of the year with 341 yards. Stetzer threw for 239 yards, and Gagner caught 5 passes for 110 yards. Greg Siebers ran 14 times for 161 yards. Tim Polfer, seeing his first extended action in place of the injured Dennis Banks, made 9 tackles, while Brian Huiting, Bret Wocjik and Justin Dahlberg each had 7.

The Eagles totalled 478 yards, including almost 300 in the first half when the Pioneers managed just 4 first-downs, and the home team held the ball for 18:36. Andrew Mocadlo ran for 146 yards, and fullback Mike Smith scored on two short runs. Andrew Youngbauer threw for 238 yards and two scores.

The Pioneers play at UW-Oshkosh next Saturday. The Titans are coming off a one-point loss to UW-Whitewater in which the Warhawks blocked a field-goal attempt in the finals seconds.

Week #4 - Pioneers fall to record-breaking Souhrada, EC

UW-Eau Claire's Darrell Souhrada broke an 18-year-old Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record for carries, and the Blugolds scored two long defensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter to spoil UW-Platteville's Homecoming with a 30-6 win.

Souhrada carried the ball 51 times, breaking the 1982 record set by the Blugolds' Bill Schmitz against UW-Stout.

Souhrada gained 303 rushing yards and scored twice in the third quarter, erasing a 6-3 Pioneer halftime lead. UWEC's Austin Crow scored on a 45-yard fumble return, and Jay Hoyard returned an interception 81 yards in the final period.

After a scoreless first period, the Pioneers came up huge on defense. Strong safety Dennis Banks jarred the ball loose from Souhrada, and Brian Huiting recovered the fumble on the Blugolds' 15. On the next play, quarterback Don Lackey threw to Troy Gagner in the right side of the end zone for a score. Gagner curled in at the sideline, and Lackey threw a perfect low-ball where only Gagner could catch it. The extra point was blocked, however, keeping the score 6-3.

The Pioneers made the lead stand up through the rest of the half, holding Eau Claire to one field goal.

The Blugolds received the second-half kickoff and scored on the opening drive. A Pioneer interception gave them the ball back on the 26, and on the next play, Souhrada burst up the middle for a score and a 16-6 lead.

The Pioneers had plenty of bright spots in the game. Freshman quarterbacks Lackey and Tom Stetzer combined for 23 of 57 passes for 220 yards. Gagner caught 8 passes for 101 yards, and Bryan Hammes caught 8 as well. Freshman Greg Siebers, seeing his first action at running back, carried the ball 11 times for 73 yards.

Defensively, Tony Lewis had a game-high 13 tackles, Banks made 9, and Kevin Mijal added 8 tackles, two for losses and a forced fumble.

On special teams, punter Brad Abraham averaged 48.3 yards on 8 punts, and Matt Kent had a 40-yard kickoff return.

The Blugolds improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the WIAC. The Pioneers, who fell to 1-3, 0-2, play at UW-La Crosse Saturday at 1 p.m.

Week #3 - Pioneers fall to Warhawks

UW-Whitewater's fast start was too much for UW-Platteville to overcome, as the visiting Warhawks posted a 26-6 victory in the eighth annual George Chryst Memorial Bowl.

The Warhawks scored on their first three possessions, on drives of 80, 49 and 51 yards. After the third score, the Pioneers responded with an impressive 70-yard drive, capped off Michael Hudson's two-yard scoring run.

The Pioneers had chances to cut into the lead again on their next possession, but UW-Whitewater's Peter Katz intercepted a pass on his team's 26.

UWP held the Warhawks on their next possession, but a roughing the kicker penalty kept alive the drive. Given new life, the Warhawks finished their drive in the end zone, taking a 26-6 lead with 1:17 remaining in the first half.

The Pioneers reached the Warhawk 14 at the end of the half, but a pass into the end zone just missed at the gun. In the second half, both teams had drives stall deep in the other's territory without scoring.

The game is played in honor of the late Pioneer coach, who died suddenly in 1992. The media select players of the game and this year chose the Pioneers' Jesse Nelson, who had an interception and three tackles, and Tom Stetzer, a true freshman making his first start at quarterback. He completed 17 of 41 passes for 198 yards and ran for 21 more yards. For the Warhawks, Katz and running back Chad Wurth were selected. Wurth rushed for 216 yards and two scores, while fellow tailback Justin Warren added 114 yards and another pair of touchdowns.

The Warhawks gained 335 rushing and 448 total yards. Of the Pioneers' 246 yards, 203 came through the air. Troy Gagner caught four passes for 51 yards, while Reggie Davis, Jim Richardson and Dan Mueller each had three. Dennis Banks's 11 tackles led the defensive charge.

Week #2 - Augie overruns UWP

Many changes were in store for the 2000 UW-Platteville home opener, including new white game pants, a blue "UWP" across midfield, and orange "Pioneers" painted in the end zone.

Unfortunately for UWP, those bright letters were the only Pioneers to reach the end zone, as 10-ranked Augustana won 32-3 in front of a large Student-Appreciation Night crowd.

The Pioneers struck first, holding the Vikings to three plays and out on their first possession, and then marching down the field. Quarterback Aaron Mack completed his first six passes, bringing the ball into Augustana territory. The Pioneers reached the two-yard line, but could not get the ball in the end zone and settled for a Brad Abraham 21-yard field goal.

The Pioneers held that 3-0 lead until early in the second quarter, when Corey Ungaro scored the first of his three touchdowns. The Vikings added a defensive touchdown following a sack and a fumble recovery in the end zone, and a field goal with 28 seconds left in the half for a 17-3 advantage at the break.

Ungaro scored short TDs in both the third and fourth quarters, and a bad snap on a punt gave Augustana a third-quarter safety.

The Vikings (2-0) rushed for 294 yards, including 125 by David Chorney and 81 by Ungaro. The Pioneers were held to 183 yards and were down in by five turnovers.

The Pioneers open the WIAC season Saturday vs. UW-Whitewater in the annual George Chryst Memorial Bowl. Kickoff time at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium is 1 p.m.

Week #1 - Big plays key victory

Jesse Nelson scored on both kickoff and interception returns, and Bryan Hammes caught two touchdown passes as UW-Platteville beat host Mount Senario 26-19 Saturday in the football season opener.

After the Fighting Saints scored five minutes into the contest, Nelson returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards, and Brad Abraham's extra point tied the score at 7-7.

Hammes then gave the Pioneers a 14-7 lead, when he took a screen pass from Aaron Mack and turned it into a 45-yard touchdown play.

The Saints (now 1-1) used a fumble return and a short pass on fourth down to take a 19-14 halftime lead, but the Pioneers shut them out the rest of the way. Hammes scored on a 53-yard pass from Dave Rakow halfway through the third quarter, and Nelson returned an interception 66 yards in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.

The Pioneers passed for 363 yards, completing 22 of 45 passes. Mack averaged 21.4 yards per completion, hitting on 10 of 20 passes. Rakow completed 12 of 23 passes for 149 yards.

Three receivers gained more than 100 yards, including Eric Bunner, who had 9 catches for 127 yards. The senior running back has 19 catches in his last two games. Reggie Davis caught 5 passes for 104 yards, and Hammes added 4 for 107.

Dennis Banks added two interceptions on defense, and linebackers Tony Lewis and Dave McGraw combined for 21 tackles.