EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - The No. 5-ranked UW-River Falls football team opened its WIAC road schedule on Saturday with a 49-7 win at UW-Eau Claire.
With the win, UWRF's overall record improves to 5-0. The Falcons' 5-0 start to the season is the strongest since 1993.
Quarterback
Kaleb Blaha led the Falcon offense that tallied a season-high 34 first downs, accounting for 387 of UWRF's 514 yards of total offense. Blaha completed 27 of 37 passes for 288 yards along with 99 rushing yards, tying a career-high for the second consecutive game with four touchdown passes while adding one rushing score.
UWRF compiled 328 yards of total offense in the first half alone, scoring 14 points in both the first and second quarters. The Falcons conceded the only Blugold touchdown in the first quarter, taking a 28-7 lead into halftime.
The Falcon defense shutout the home team in the second half while the offense added three more touchdowns to secure the win.
Blaha and the Falcon offense spread the ball efficiently in a collective effort, with six different Falcons finding the end zone. Blaha completed touchdown passes to
Jake Hilton,
Jager Reissmann,
Tim Oeun, and
Brody McKnight. Blaha and fellow quarterback
Cade Fitzgerald had rushing touchdowns.
Defensively,
Cade Schmidt had a 54-yard 'pick-six' interception return for a touchdown, along with another interception from
Dylan Brown.
Andrew Schumacher stood out, sharing the team-high with six tackles to go with a 16-yard sack and two pass breakups.
UWRF's special teams also had a successful day.
Crede Timm recorded a season-high 148 punting yards while
Justin Scheberl was 7-for-7 on PATs.
Up next, the Falcons return to River Falls to host No. 3-ranked UW-Whitewater next Saturday.
