McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Unranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh continued its brief series hex of Linfield, knocking off the 16th-ranked Wildcats 31-14 on their home field Saturday to open the 2025 football season.
The visiting Titans, annual contenders in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, took a 10-0 first-quarter lead on the defending Northwest Conference champions and never trailed in the contest. The loss was Linfield's third-straight defeat at the hands of UW-Oshkosh in the brief series that began in 2012.
Titans quarterback Quentin Keene passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns to lead UW-Oshkosh (1-0) to the upset victory over Linfield, which entered the game having won six straight contests to start a season and 24 of its previous 26 campaign openers.
After falling behind 10-0 on Axel Vera Trejo's 33-yard field goal and Clayton Schwalbe's 1-yard touchdown run, the Wildcats seemingly were ready to make a game of it.
Caleb Woodcock pulled in a 1-yard pass from
Luke McNabb midway through the second quarter, giving the home fans some measure of relief.
With a chance to take the lead and 1:39 on the clock before intermission, the Wildcats couldn't seize the moment. McNabb was intercepted by Kaleb Brooks at the Linfield 36-yard line and four plays later, Keene tossed a 4-yard pass to Mella with 14 seconds left, pushing the Titans in front 21-7 heading into the halftime break.
UWO scored the only points of the third quarter when Keene and Schwalbe hooked up on a 48-yard catch at the 5:01 mark, giving the visitors a three-score advantage.
McNabb led Linfield on a 13-play, 61-yard scoring drive to slice the margin to 28-14. The fourth-year junior found
Dane Meddaugh for a 15-yard touchdown with 8:11 to play, keeping hope alive for a potential comeback.
The Titans patiently drove 10 plays to the Linfield 7, capping the drive with Vera Trejo's 25-yard field goal with 1:56 to go.
McNabb finished the day with 128 yards passing, completing 14 of 29 throws and two touchdowns. But he was sacked twice and under steady duress by the Oshkosh front seven, often overthrowing receivers downfield.
UW-Oshkosh outgained Linfield 435-162, including 134-22 on the ground.
Wildcats punter
Cade Johannsen helped keep the Wildcats in the game with four astronomical punts. He averaged 50.2 yards per attempt, including three boots that were downed inside the 20-yard line.
NEXT
Linfield (0-1) enjoys an open date on its schedule this coming Saturday before hosting the Chapman Panthers on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Maxwell Field.
