Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
The No. 12 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team used an early surge Saturday afternoon to defeat Concordia Moorhead (Minn.) 24-6 in a non-conference affair in front of 8,168 fans at Perkins Stadium.
The Warhawks (2-0 overall) tallied 24 first-half points and didn't look back. Defensively, the team held the Cobbers (1-1) to 173 total yards, including 96 on the ground, to help avenge a loss last season against Concordia in Moorhead.
Senior quarterback Cole Wilber finish 20-of-28 passing with 223 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Mitchell Dess contributed five receptions for 77 yards and one score, and sophomore wide receiver JT Parish posted four catches for 65 yards and one touchdown.
Sophomore running back Alex Peete ran for a career-high 104 yards on 19 carries and opened scoring with a six-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.
Junior linebacker Jacob Erbs paced the defense with eight tackles, and senior linebacker Bryce Leszczynski collected seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and one forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman Harry Henschler registered five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and one forced fumble.
After UW-Whitewater forced its second straight three-and-out on defense, junior wide receiver Josh Ringelberg brought the ensuing Cobber punt back 60 yards, racing down the right sideline to the Concordia 19-yard line.
Four plays into the ensuing drive, Peete ran up the middle and pushed a defender into the end zone for his fifth touchdown of the season midway through the first quarter.
After another Cobber three-and-out, Wilber hit a wide-open Dess with a rope for a 50-yard touchdown connection and a 14-0 Warhawk lead with 4:44 to play in the period.
UW-Whitewater found the end zone again late in the second quarter as Parish made a juggling catch on a jump ball from Wilber with 19 seconds on the clock to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive and give the team a 21-0 advantage.
After a botched hook-and-ladder play by Concordia that junior defensive back Nate Tranel returned to the Cobbers' 4-yard line, sophomore kicker Wojciech Gasienica booted a 22-yard field goal to give the Warhawks a 24-0 lead into the locker room.
Concordia found the end zone with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter to account for the final margin.
UW-Whitewater held the ball for the final six minutes, 55 seconds of the fourth quarter thanks to strong running by Peete, senior Ronny Ponick and sophomore Preston Strasburg.