Defensive slugfests are the most interesting games to watch in any sport, especially football. When two stubborn, hard-nosed defenses duke it out on the gridiron, even the smallest bit of yardage gained becomes crucial for either offense.
Against UW-Oshkosh on Saturday, UW-Whitewater punted six times, fumbled three times, kicked a field goal, and scored one touchdown after three quarters of play. The Titans had fared slightly better with two touchdowns, one coming off a fumble at the start of the fourth period.
Then, with 55 seconds left on the clock, down 14-10 in front of a record crowd of 17,535, the Warhawks desperately needed a score to keep their perfect season alive.
After a lengthy, 7-minute drive that started at their own 28, Whitewater found itself facing a 3rd-and-14 at the Oshkosh 16. Incredibly, the coaching staff called a running play and handed the ball off to running back Drew Patterson (pictured left).
The 5-foot-11 sophomore, in the middle of his first stint with the Warhawks after transferring from Western Illinois University, clutched the rock and drove left to the sideline. On the replay it looks as though Patterson’s run might gain about five yards or so. A congregation of white and purple jerseys seemed to block any attempt the young RB might have to get across the goal line. Yet, miraculously, Patterson fights his way through the skirmish and, with a few nimble jumps and some pretty wicked acrobatics, managed to stay inbounds all the way to the end zone.
“It was a good game,” said Patterson. “It came down to the wire. The offensive line gave a good push. I was able to cut back up and our wide receivers and tight ends held their blocks long enough for me to finish the play.”
A game that appeared futile for Whitewater a few short moments ago morphed into one of the great wins the team will likely see this season — a 17-14 victory over a division foe.
Offensive lineman and team captain Austin Jones was down in the trenches when Drew broke free.
“We ran an outside zone and got people up the field vertically,” Jones (pictured right) explained. “And then Drew blasted to the end zone. I’m glad it ended like that — excited it ended on a run play. We pride ourselves on our run game, so it was good to get in a big play at the end like that.”
Jones admits to initially feeling surprised by the play call.
“That was an interesting call,” he said. “You don’t typically run the ball on 3rd-and-long. But they just trusted Drew and the O-line to get the job done. We do what we do really well.”
Patterson, who finished with a game high 90 rushing yards on 20 attempts, was nonchalant about his big play — just another day at the office — but gave plenty of credit to his teammates and coaching staff.
“Oshkosh is a good team,” he said. “They have a good defense and constantly showed different stuff at front and moved guys around. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times, but we were able to recover. The offensive line did a good job all day and really helped the run game, especially at the end.”
As for the crowd — which set a D3 football record for the largest crowd to ever attend a game — Patterson wasn’t surprised.
“Our fans are great,” he said. “We expect that. They’re there every week. It’s a loud environment for anyone to play in.”
Added Jones: “We always have a great crowd at home. What an honor to have all of those people come to watch us do what we do.”
Whitewater is now 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the WIAC. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as the squad now travels to 5-0 UW-La Crosse before returning home to take on 4-1 UW-Stevens Point.
“It was a good win,” Patterson said. “It’s always good to get a win in conference play. But now we have another tough team to face. We just have to keep going.”
