No. 21 Falcons face No. 10 Warhawks in Whitewater

#21 UW-River Falls (5-2, 3-1 WIAC) at #10 UW-Whitewater (5-2, 3-1 WIAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Whitewater, Wis. // Perkins Stadium

LAST TIME OUT

The Falcons defeated UW-Eau Claire 63-6 last Saturday, Oct. 22 in River Falls. UWRF compiled a season-high 683 yards of total offense (278 rushing, 405 passing) while putting up 35 points in the first quarter alone. The 35 points in one quarter is the most during the Matt Walker era of UWRF football.
UWRF scored on every one of its drives (6-for-6) in the first quarter, totaling 334 yards of total offense on 16 plays while holding the Blugolds to just four first downs. The home team led by as many as 42-0 before UWEC recorded its sole touchdown of the day in the second quarter, and the Falcons led 56-6 at halftime.
Kaleb Blaha completed 12 of 18 passes for 236 yards with three touchdowns through the air, and rushed for 79 yards with one rushing score. Tim Oeun led the Falcon ground-game with two scores of 94 yards. Mason Van Zeeland led the receiving crew two touchdowns with 138 yards.
Brayden Wolf and Cade Schmidt led the Falcon defense with a team-high seven tackles each, while Schmidt tallied a sack and two tackles for loss. Dylan Brown had a pair of pass breakups and UWRF had one interception - Michael Brown's fifth of the season.

BLAHA EARNS WIAC WEEKLY HONORS

Kaleb Blaha was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after his performance versus UW-Eau Claire.
He was also named the UWRF Male Falcon of the Week for the third time this season.

THE SERIES

The Saturday's matchup marks the 64th all-time matchup between UW-River Falls and UW-Whitewater, with the Warhawks holding a 41-20-2 series advantage.
Last season, the Falcons pushed the then-ranked No. 3 Warhawks to the edge at Ramer Field, falling 34-28.
- Down 14-0 after the first quarter, UWRF compiled a trio of touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 21-14 at halftime.
- UWW bounced back in the second half, forcing a Falcon fumble and capitalizing to tie the game at 21-21. The Warhawks then scored on their next drive to take a 28-21 lead.
- The Falcons opened the scoring in the fourth quarter after an Aaron Borgerding interception led to a 24-yard touchdown reception from Hinrichsen to Groebner - the pair's second connection of the game to tie the game at 28-28 with five and half minutes remaining.
- Warhawk kicker Matt Maldonado was successful from 28 yards out to put UWW up 31-28 and on the ensuing kickoff, the visitors forced another Falcon fumble and turnover. Maldonado and the Warhawks then converted another field goal to go up 34-28.
- During its last offensive opportunity with under two minutes remaining, Kole Hinrichsen threw an interception to seal the win for Whitewater.

IN THE POLLS

The Falcons improved from No. 22 to 21 in this week's D3football.com Top 25 Poll and No. 23 to 22 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll.
UWRF has been ranked each week by D3football.com and the AFCA Coaches' Poll, including a preseason ranking of No. 16 by Lindy's Sports.

FALCON NOTES

UWRF owns the top offense in the WIAC, averaging 527.3 yards of total offense (7th/NCAA).
- The Falcons also lead the WIAC and rank among the top-10 in NCAA DIII in rushing offense (256.4 yards per game), rushing defense (54.1 yards against per game), and total first downs (196).
Quarterback Kaleb Blaha ranks 13th nationally and leads the WIAC with 303.6 yards of total offense per game. He's also the league leader with nine touchdowns and the second-leading rusher with 105 yards per game.
Defensively, Michael Brown leads the WIAC with five interceptions, while Andrew Schumacher ranks second with seven passes defended.
- Schumacher, Caleb Johnson, and Drew Hahn all rank among the league's top 10 in tackles for loss, combining for 17.5.