Box Score: UW-Stevens Point 19, UW-Stout 9
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MENOMONIE - UW-Stout shot themselves in the foot too many times with penalties and lost, 19-9, to UW-Stevens Point in the Blue Devils' homecoming, Saturday at Don & Nona Williams Stadium.
The Blue Devils (3-3, 1-2) were whistled 14 times for 147 yards worth of penalties. The Pointers (5-1, 2-1) also drew their share of yellow flags, getting whistled 13 times for 107 yards.
Stout dodged a bullet early, on Point's first drive down the field. The Pointers' offense drove from their own 28 yard line into the red zone, fueled by two third down conversions and back-to-back 11-yard passes. Their drive stalled on the 18, however, and Point's Ryan Graboski missed the 35-yard field goal.
On Stout's ensuing drive, the penalty flags started flying. A false start and an encroachment were called during Stout's three-and-out, and Kyle Martin (Jr, Hubertus) punted his first of seven punts on the day.
The teams then exchanged punts, and the Pointers took over on their own 41-yard line. The drive rolled into the second quarter, and ended in the game's first points, a 38-yard field goal by Graboski.
The Blue Devils' offensive struggles continued on their next drive as they were forced to punt. The Pointers then drove from their own 20 yard line into Stout territory. When faced with a fourth-and-eight from the 31, they elected to go for it, and failed due to a pass break up by Jake Pomputis (Sr, Owen).
Three plays later, the Blue Devils had moved the ball three yards and were forced into their fifth consecutive punt.
On the following drive, the Pointers were flagged on three consecutive plays for 25 yards, setting up a first-and-35. This led to a punt that let Stout set up shop in Pointer territory.
They went seven yards before attempting what would have been a school record 56-yard field goal. Martin's missed field goal marked Stout's second straight game with no first half points.
The second half's opening drive started with a 44-yard run by Stevens Point's Mike Ferron, and ended with a 9-yard touchdown reception by Brad Kalsow, one of his 9 catches for a game-high 110 yards.
The teams exchanged punts once again, but Luke Fisch pinned the Blue Devils on their own two yard line after a 63-yard punt. After an incompletion and a run for no gain, Kyle Provos (Jr, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) dropped back into the end zone, and the defensive pressure forced him to throw the ball away. He was flagged with intentional grounding, resulting in a safety, giving Stevens Point a 12-0 lead.
Martin's free kick gave the Pointers a short field, which they took advantage of, going 66 yards on nine plays, ending the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass on third-and-seven.
Stout's offense then took advantage of some Pointer penalties and some key offensive plays to make their only visit to the red zone. Provos threw completions of 19, 16, and 11 yards, combined with a roughing the passer penalty and two defensive pass interference calls. This set up first and goal from the two, but Stout could not punch it in, and gave the ball back to the Pointers trailing 19-0.
The Blue Devils' defense forced a three-and-out, which set up a Fisch punt attempt from the back of his own end zone. On the punt, Trevor Fiege (Fr, Menomonie) pushed his man into the ball, sending it out the back of the end zone, putting two points on the board for the Blue Devils on the second safety of the game.
Stout wasted no time getting back into the end zone, as Provos hooked up with Eric Cieslak (Sr, Rochester, Minn.) on the first play of their ensuing drive for a 38-yard touchdown connection, pulling the Blue Devils within 10 points with 12 minutes to play.
A 15-yard penalty committed by Stout after the touchdown was assessed on the kickoff, and another 15-yard personal foul penalty was dealt to Stout on the kickoff, giving Stevens Point's offense the ball on their own 47. After a 12-yard gain on first down, Stout forced a punt. They could not take advantage of it, however, and punted the ball right back to Stevens Point.
Stout's defense then made their third straight defensive stop and gave the offense the ball on their own 30 yard line. On a fourth-and-five, Provos' pass was intercepted by Tyler Florczak.
The defensive then came up with another three-and-out, but a roughing the punter penalty renewed Point's drive and ended all hope for a comeback.
Stout's 207 offensive yards eclipsed their penalty yards by just 60 yards. They ran the ball 13 times for 13 yards in the first half, and finished the game with only 26 rushing yards on 21 carries. Provos threw 19-41 and a pick to accompany his touchdown.
