STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Two lightning delays and nearly six hours from kickoff to the final whistle saw the UW-Stevens Point football team (1-2) fall to visiting Gustavus Adolphus (1-1) in the home opener and annual Pink Game for Cancer.
Miles Gallagher (Racine, Wis./William Horlick) racked up a game-high 108 receiving yards, including a 72-yard touchdown catch, to account for more than half the UWSP total offense.
Quarterback Jake Leair completed 10 passes for 186 yards.
Brycen Cashin (Plover, Wis./Pacelli) was bottled up to a team-high seven rushing yards.
Defensively,
Jack Luedtke (Plymouth, Wis./Plymouth) racked up 15 tackles.
Carson Van Ess (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers) and
Joe Berens (Wausau, Wis./West) had eight each.
Sawyer Stuczynski (Amherst, Wis./Amherst) had 1.5 sacks.
The Gusties got on the board first with a touchdown drive on the visitor's second possession of the game.
In the second quarter, Leair hit Gallagher for a 36-yard completion to put UWSP at first and goal. Three plays later,
Aleks Sauer-Milli (Whitefish Bay, Wis./Whitefish Bay) converted a 29-yard field goal to get the Pointers on the board.
The teams traded touchdowns on the next two drives with Leair and Gallagher accounting for all 72 yards on the one-play UWSP drive to get within 14-10 at the half.
GAC scored on its first two possessions in the second half to push the UWSP deficit to 24-10. With 31 seconds left in the third quarter, the teams waited out a two hour and twenty-three minute lightning delay.
Upon resumption of play, the Pointers got their first first down of the second half, but UWSP was forced to punt. The Gusties took their first drive of the fourth quarter in for a touchdown and the eventual final of 31-10.
With 4:01 left in the game, the teams endured another lightning delay for a length of 55 minutes. Six plays after the resumption of play, the game was called with 2:39 left in regulation as a third stoppage loomed.
The Pointers will host UW-Stout on Oct. 5 after a bye week to open league play. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
