UW-La Crosse dropped its second straight game of WIAC conference play Saturday afternoon to the Titans of UW-Oshkosh.  Leading the majority of the game, a few questionable calls and a defensive lapse allowed the Titans to steal one from UW-L during homecoming weekend.
UW-L opened the game as well as one could hope, having decent success moving the football coupled with an opportunistic defense that was hungry for turnovers.  The first turnover, an interception by junior Josh Huempfner, was returned all the way down to UW-O’s eight-yard line, which led to a touchdown pass by junior Trent Cummings to senior Tony Favre on the next play.  The pass by Favre was caught on a deflection with 1:50 left in the first quarter, which drew a loud roar from the near packed UW-L student section.
On the following UW-O possession, a UW-L defender made a perfect hit on the Titan’s ball carrier, forcing a fumble in UW-L territory, recovered by senior Drew Graf.  Riding the momentum from the turnover, UW-L’s offense was able to drive down the field and set up a field goal for sophomore Joshua Fischer, scoring from 32 yards out.
UW-O came out running the next drive, cutting into the UW-L lead on a seven-yard touchdown run. UW-L responded, and responded quickly, as the UW-L offense went 61 yards in just under four minutes. The drive ended on Cummings’ second touchdown pass of the day, this time to senior Chris Stackhouse.  UW-L would ride its 15-7 victory into halftime.
UW-O received the opening kickoff and drove deep into UW-L territory before the UW-L defense came up with a big play courtesy of senior Jacob Flegner, who intercepted the pass at UW-L’s own three-yard line. UW-L was unable to capitalize on the turnover and was forced to punt.
UW-L would add another field goal to give UW-L a somewhat comfortable fourth quarter lead of 18-7.
UW-O would get a onside kick, which instantly created a feeling of unease for all UW-L supporters as they watched a comfortable 18-7 lead fall away in a matter of minutes.  UW-O would then march the ball down the field in a methodical fashion, picking apart UW-L’s defense, whose “bend but not break” defense that relied on four Titan turnovers to build their lead.  UW-O’s short touchdown run left UW-L with 37 seconds left and a whole lot of field to go.
Cummings found a wide open senior Jared Stan for a 41 yard completion that drew a roar from the now standing crowd cheering on UW-L. The very next play, Cummings threw a pass into the end zone which was caught by senior Tony Bilderback, who was ruled out of bounds by the official. The call that upset many caused Bilderback to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his reaction which would drive UW-L back even further for one last play.
Cummings threw a deep pass which was briefly held in the end zone before being dropped and ending the game and completing the UW-O comeback.
UW-L has to feel like they let a great opportunity slip away on their home field.  Many fans, including those close to the team were questioning the ability of coach Joel Dettwiler to lead UW-L and if he can build the team into a constant contender.    UW-L gets a shot at redemption coming Friday, Oct. 17, at home, once again, versus the Blue Devils of UW-Stout at 1 p.m.