The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles defeated the UW-Whitewater Warhawks at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on Saturday, Nov. 9 with a score of 24-21. UW-La Crosse is ranked 20th in the nation according to the latest D3Football.com poll.
The Warhawks are outside of the top-25 teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, (D3), but received the most top-25 votes for any team outside of the ranking (46).
The Eagles opened the game on defense, forcing a 34 yard punt on 4th-and-8, after the Warhawks managed to drive only 13 yards down the field from where their first drive began on the 13-yard line.
The Eagles began their drive down the field on their own 40-yard line, with a 9-yard gain from Gabe Lynch. Jack Janke had two catches on the drive for a total of 24 yards, but the Eagles fell short after Kyle Haas was sacked by Kamrin Hutt, and fumbled. The ball was recovered by UWW.
The Warhawks next drive ended with a failed 24 yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by Austin Knade.
The game was scoreless until the second quarter, when Haas rushed 1 yard for a touchdown. Maddox Pratt converted the extra point attempt to make the score 7-0. The Eagles defense then forced a four-and-out and regained possession at their own 45-yard line.
Wyatt LeMoine kept the Eagles’ drive alive on 3rd-and-6, with a 15 yard reception. From the 36-yard line, Head Coach Matt Janus made the decision to go for it on 4th-and-1. Janus’s decision paid off, as the Eagles converted for a new set of downs.
The Eagles scored on a 26 yard field goal from Pratt five plays later to make the score 10-0 with 7:09 to go in the first half.
The first half concluded with a score of 10-0 favoring UWL. The Eagles received the ball at the beginning of the second half and after a 52 yard punt on 4th-and-12 from Ethan Tranel, the Warhawks drove down the field and scored on a 4 yard pass from Jackson Chryst to make the score 10-7.
Neither team would score again until The Eagles found the end zone with ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Jack Studer caught a 13 yard pass to put the Eagles up 17-7.
The Warhawks responded with a score of their own in three plays. The drive was highlighted by a 43 yard reception from Brian Wilterdink, and a rushing touchdown from Noah Battle to make the score 17-14.
The Eagles took over on their own 21-yard line and after a 79 yard reception from Studer, UWL scored a touchdown in 48 seconds to make the score 24-14.
For the Warhawks, Chryst threw a pair of passes, one for 33 yards to Nick Wind and the second for 18 yards to Tyler Vasey before a 21 yard pass to Wilterdink for a touchdown. The score narrowed the Eagles’ lead over the Warhawks down to three points, making the score 24-21 with 7:07 left to play.
Neither team was able to score in the last 7:07 of the game, and the Eagles went on to be victorious over Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) rival UW-Whitewater by a score of 24-21.
For the Eagles, Haas threw for 217 passing yards. Lynch led the game with 15 carries and 71 rushing yards. Studer caught five passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Studer’s receptions took his career total to 3,008, breaking the school record Scott Burnoski set from 2001-04 of 3,004 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ryan Daines had 11 total tackles, including a 5 yard sack. Trent Mullen also had an interception.
With one week left of regular season play, UWL is ranked second behind UW-Platteville in the WIAC standings.
The Eagles will play their final game of the season versus UW-Stevens Point at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m.
