FIRST AND SHORT

Weekend Warriors: More Bellore, defenders shine for UW

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com
Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) is hit by San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Nick Bellore (50) as he throws a pass during the first quarter at New Era Field.

A look at area alumni competing on Saturdays and Sundays, starting with a big showdown between Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Wisconsin very nearly pulled the upset over Ohio State on Saturday, losing in overtime at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Area players again played key roles on defense.

Alec James (Brookfield East) racked up eight tackles, and Zack Baun (Brown Deer) had his biggest game thus far with six tackles (one for loss). Chikwe Obasih (Brookfield Central) was credited with three tackles and a quarterback hurry, and T.J. Watt (Pewaukee) had five tackles. Sports Illustrated put Watt on its second team in its Midseason All-American list.

For the second week in a row, Nick Bellore (Whitefish Bay) led the San Francisco 49ers in tackles. The new starting linebacker picked up 12 stops (nine solo) and also recovered a fumble in his team's 45-16 loss to Buffalo. He saw the field for all 79 snaps.

Once again, trade rumblings are swirling around Cleveland Browns superstar tackle Joe Thomas (Brookfield Central).

In Illinois State's 31-28 win over Southern Illinois, Mitchell Brees (Greendale) had a huge game, logging 11 tackles, including two for loss. Alec Kocour (Catholic Memorial) added nine tackles in the victory.

Conor Blount (Waukesha West) could theoretically see more time at quarterback at Oregon State after starter Darell Garretson was ruled out for the year with an ankle injury, but Blount himself is also injured at out this week against No. 5 Washington.

Alex Romenesko (Arrowhead) saw the field for South Dakota State, which stunned North Dakota State to hand the top-ranked (FCS) Bison their first loss of the year, 19-17.

Next up for NDSU is Western Illinois, which won a 38-35 shootout with Missouri State on Saturday to move to 5-1. Sean McGuire (Franklin) completed 24 passes for 323 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and he also ran for 57 yards. Jordan Veloz (Oak Creek) had a tackle for loss in the game.

Levon Myers (Franklin) and Northern Illinois lost in triple overtime to Central Michigan, 34-28. The second-team All-MAC choice in 2015 is a starting tackle for the Huskies. Josh Ruka (Greenfield) was also in the starting lineup at guard.

UW-Whitewater followed up its thrilling win over Oshkosh last week with a 32-22 win over UW-LaCrosse. Drew Patterson (Sussex Hamilton) ran for 155 yards and two scores and also caught two passes for 60 yards, which was key when UWL pulled to within 22-21 with 1:55 left in the third quarter. Patterson scored on the next possession, and his old high-school teammate Tony Gumina caught the 2-point conversion.

Oshkosh bounced back to down Stevens Point, 13-3. Dallis Ramos Deleon (Waukesha West) had eight tackles, and Branden Lloyd (Mukwonago) had a sack and tackle for loss among his six stops.