The No. 7-ranked UW-River Falls football team closes out its nonconference schedule this Saturday at the University of Northwestern.

UW-RIVER FALLS (2-0, 0-0 WIAC) AT NORTHWESTERN (1-1, 0-0 UMAC)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: St. Paul, Minn. // Reynolds Field


 
AGAINST THE EAGLES

• Saturday's matchup marks the fifth meeting between the Falcons and Eagles, with the Falcons holding a 3-1 series advantage.
  • Last season, UWRF hosted UNW for its home opener, prevailing 63-27.
  • The two teams met in 2021 St. Paul, with UWRF scoring a school record with 71 points scored and the 732 yards of total offense was the most since the year 2000.

IN THE RANKINGS

• After soaring from No. 23 to No. 9 in the Week 1 D3football.com Top 25 poll, marking the highest ranking in program history by a national media outlet, the Falcons moved up from No. 9 to No. 7 in this week's rankings.
  • Last season, the Falcons were ranked No. 18 in D3football.com's Preseason Poll, and were ranked nationally by D3football.com Top 25 Poll and the AFCA Coaches' Poll for all but one week throughout the 2022 season. 
  • UWRF was tabbed fourth in the 2023 WIAC Preseason Poll. UW-Whitewater, the defending league co-champions, has been picked to capture the 2023 WIAC Championship.

BLAHA EARNS BACK-TO-BACK NATIONAL HONORS

• Kaleb Blaha was named to the D3football.com Team of Week for a second consecutive week.
  • Blaha earned a spot on the opening D3football.com Team of the Week last week after leading the Falcons to an upset win over No. 3-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor, and followed up in week two with a UWRF single-game record 566 yards of total offense during the 37-10 road win at Ohio Wesleyan on Sept. 9 in Delaware, Ohio.
  • It marks Blaha's third career nod on the D3football.com Team of the Week. The junior quarterback and native of Coon Rapids, Minn., accounted for four of UWRF's five touchdowns against OWU while accumulating a career-high 420 passing yards and 146 rushing yards for the single-game record 566 yards of total offense to break former Falcon Ben Beckman's previous record of 547 yards versus UW-La Crosse in 2019.

FALCON NOTES

• Kaleb Blaha moved into fourth all-time at UWRF in career total offense with 4,238 career yards after week one against UMHB, passing Nathan Anderson's total of 4,220 (2004-07).
  • Blaha leads the MIAC and ranks second nationally with an average of 439 yards of total offense through two games.
• Dylan Brown recorded one pass breakup at Ohio Wesleyan, tying Kyle Narges and Alex Wood for the UWRF career pass breakups record with 27.
• UWRF is the Division III and WIAC leader with 11 total sacks while ranking tied for fourth with 22 tackles for loss.