STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point football team (1-2) opened up a 21-0 first-quarter lead and held off visiting Dakota State (1-3) in a 51-28 win in the Spud Bowl.
 
Sophomore running back Zach Bosek (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich Community) ran for 150 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. As a team, UWSP picked up 254 yards on the ground in the game.
 
Junior quarterback Matt Urmanski (Edgar, Wis./Edgar) completed 15 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns.  He hit Steve Herra (Rockford, Ill./Boylan) seven times for 145 yards and a touchdown.
 
Senior defensive back Omarri Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis./Riverside) sealed the win with interceptions on consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter.  He returned the second pick to the end zone for a touchdown.
 
On the first offensive play of the game for UWSP, Bosek took the ball 43 yards to the house for an early 7-0 lead.  On the next possession, Urmanski hit Herra for a 63-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the drive to put the Pointers up 14-0.
 
Two plays later, James Fay (Elgin, Ill./Central) intercepted a pass and put the Pointers back on offense.  Eight plays later, ShamaJ Williams (Racine, Wis./Lutheran) punched in a two-yard run to finish the drive for a 21-0 lead.
 
The Trojans got on the board early in the second quarter. Two big plays allowed DSU to go 87 yards in just four plays to make it 21-7.  Later in the quarter another big play and a fourth down conversion got the Trojans within 21-14.
 
UWSP drove 70 yards on 10 plays in the ensuing drive and freshman Victor Ponterio (Melrose, Wis./Melrose-Mindoro) converted a 19-yard field goal for a 24-14 halftime lead.
 
Early in the third quarter, Collin Hawkins (Milladore, Wis./Auburndale) forced and recovered a fumble to give the Pointers the ball deep in DSU territory.  Urmanski hit Jahi Stigall (Chicago, Ill./DePaul College Prep) on the next play for a 14-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 31-14.
 
Midway through the third, DSU drove 76 yards on five plays to pull within 10 points.  The Trojans again found the end zone on their next possession going 75 yards on nine plays to make it 31-28.
On UWSP's first possession of the fourth quarter, Stigall scored on the ground from nine yards out to push the lead back to 10 points. 
 
Later in the quarter following Johnson's first interception, Urmanski hit Alex Adams (Wheaton, Ill./North) for a 34-yard touchdown.   Johnson followed up with a pick six on the next DSU possession to put away the game.
 
UWSP will enjoy a bye week before opening conference play against UW-Platteville on Sept. 29.  The game against the Pioneers is the annual Pink Game.