On Nov. 1 at Roger Harring Stadium, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles football team faced off against the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils. Besides being a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) matchup, this would also be a nationally ranked battle with the Eagles sitting at five and the Blue Devils behind at fifteen.
Despite facing a challenging opponent, the Eagles were looking to continue their solid team performance following a 44-13 win against the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh on Oct. 25.
Fourth-year tight end Marko Rajkovic said prior to the game, “I think that was our most complete game we played, offense, defense, and special teams…But having a complete game like that makes us realize how good we can be and what we should continue doing for the rest of the season.”
The last home game of the regular season also marked senior day. Seniors on the UWL football team, along with their parents, were honored on the field before the game kicked off. The day carried extra weight for players closing in on the end of their collegiate careers.
“It’s unbelievable, man. I remember the seniors during my freshman year saying it flies by, it flies by, but for it to be me, it doesn’t really feel real, so it’s special…so I think it means a lot,” commented fourth-year receiver Tyler Bowman before the game.
The Stout Blue Devils received the game’s opening kickoff and began marching down the field. After driving inside the UWL 30-yard line, the defense held firm, keeping UW-Stout to a missed 40-yard field goal.
Eagles third-year quarterback Kyle Haas followed by leading a lengthy 14-play and 77-yard touchdown drive. Haas showcased not only his arm but his legs, converting two third downs on the ground, including an 18-yard scramble to the Stout 21-yard line. Haas then found third-year receiver Jack Janke in the endzone for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Fourth-year kicker Michael Stack would drill the extra point, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 1:06 remaining in the opening quarter.
With the Blue Devils back on offense, they would be looking to even the score entering the second quarter. After a one-yard touchdown run, the score would be tied at 7-7 with 11 minutes remaining in the half.
UWL would attempt to drive down the field; however, the offense would stall out around the Eagles’ 39-yard bringing out the punt team. Despite the punt unit out on the field, the team would stick together and find unique ways to score. The Blue Devils muffed the punt on the one-yard line, leading to second-year defensive back Sal Balistrieri recovering the ball in the endzone to put UWL in the lead 14-7 with nine minutes left in the half.
Both teams were unrelenting on defense as the rest of the half would go scoreless. The Eagles would open the second half with second-year player Nolan Mosier in at Quarterback. Mosier led UWL downfield with some key plays, finding Janke on a fourth-down conversion before using his legs on an eight-yard touchdown run.
With the Eagles leading 21-7, the Blue Devils went on a 75-yard drive ending in another one-yard touchdown run to close the gap 21-14 with around three minutes left in the third.
Entering the fourth, fourth-year Jacob Huber became the third Eagles quarterback to lead a touchdown drive running into the endzone for a 12-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 28-14. UWL kept the pressure on, as after a UW-Stout punt, Stack drilled a 47-yard field goal, extending the lead 31-14 with 7 minutes in the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils would have one more chance with the football but were stopped on the 6-yard line after fourth-year safety Sam Baumgard broke up a pass on fourth down. The 31-14 win brings the record Eagles to 6-1. The Eagles will travel to face the 7-1 University of Wisconsin River Falls on Nov. 8 in a pivotal WIAC matchup.
“We’ve got ourselves in a position to get into the playoffs and make a run for it. So, you know I’m just excited to see what this team does,” said Bowman.
More stats and information can be found on the UWL Athletics website.
