Tommies commit five turnovers, trail UW-Oshkosh at halftime

St. Thomas defensive back Chris Fondakowski tackles University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh running back Devon Linzenmeyer. The Tommies trailed behind Oshkosh 24-10 at halftime. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas defensive back Chris Fondakowski tackles University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh running back Devon Linzenmeyer. The Tommies trailed behind Oshkosh 24-10 at halftime. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)

Wisconsin-Oshkosh defensive back Johnny Eagan intercepted two passes from St. Thomas quarterback Alex Fenske, and the Titans forced three more turnovers in the first half Saturday to forge a 24-10 lead over the Tommies in an NCAA Division III quarterfinal game at Palmer Field.

Fenske threw two interceptions in the first quarter and fumbled a high snap in the second. All three of the turnovers led to scoring drives by Oshkosh. The Titans had no turnovers throughout the half. Oshkosh also recovered a fumble by Tommie running back Tucker Trettel and intercepted Fenske again late in the second quarter.

The Tommies’ lone touchdown came on their opening drive. Tight end Matt Christiansen caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Fenske to tie the game 7-7.

The Titans’ offense was as efficient as it has been all season, led by wide receiver Sam Mentkowski, who caught touchdowns passes of 48 yards and 38 yards from quarterback Brett Kasper.

The lone bright spot for the Tommies has been the defense, who have held the the Titans to 24 points despite being on the field for over fifteen minutes of play and eight drives.

This was only the second game all season in which the Tommies went into halftime without a lead. They trailed Concordia-Moorhead by four at halftime when they played in October. The Tommies won that game 23-20.

Noah Brown can be reached at brow7736@stthomas.edu.