SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. – UW-Stout made history Saturday afternoon at Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium, earning the program's first-ever postseason victory with a 31-23 win over Washington University (WashU) in the Culver's Isthmus Bowl.
After falling behind 17-0 early in the second quarter, the Blue Devils responded with 31 unanswered points to take control of the game and never relinquished the lead again.
WashU struck first with a 20-yard field goal midway through the first quarter and added two quick passing touchdowns, including a 71-yard strike, to build a 17-0 advantage.
Stout began its comeback with a six-play, 71-yard drive capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Moen to Davonte Evans to make it 17-7 with 9:05 left in the first half. Moen later added a 26-yard rushing score with 1:53 remaining, sending the Blue Devils into halftime down just 17-14.
Stout grabbed its first lead on the opening scoring drive of the third quarter. Chandler Ross finished off a seven-play, 53-yard drive with a 9-yard rushing touchdown to put the Blue Devils ahead 21-17. Later in the quarter, Garrison Jackman knocked through a 20-yard field goal, extending the lead to 24-17 heading to the fourth.
WashU pulled within 24-23 early in the fourth, but Stout answered immediately. On just the third play of the drive, Moen found Evans deep down the sideline for a 38-yard touchdown, giving Stout a 31-23 lead with 11:19 to play. The Blue Devil defense came up clutch down the stretch, twice stopping WashU drives in the red zone — first on downs at the eight, and later with an interception in the final minute to seal the victory.
Moen finished with 150 yards passing and two touchdowns while rushing for 78 yards and another score and was named the game's MVP. Ross powered the ground game with 118 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Evans led all receivers with three catches for 59 yards and two scores.
Defensively, Blaine Seidl and Drew Schneider each intercepted passes, while Seidl added seven tackles. Gabe Kramer and Jesse Ellis both recorded six tackles to lead a Blue Devil defense that held WashU to just six points over the final 27 minutes.
UW-Stout finishes the season 6-5 for their second straight winning seasonm
