The No. 9/10-ranked UWRF football team is set to hit the road for a WIAC matchup at No. 22/25-ranked UW-La Crosse this Saturday.

UW-RIVER FALLS (5-1, 2-1 WIAC) AT UW-LA CROSSE (3-3, 1-2 WIAC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: La Crosse, Wis. // Veterans Memorial Field


 
AGAINST THE EAGLES

• Saturday's matchup marks the 107th all-time meeting between UW-River Falls and UW-La Crosse, with the Eagles holding a 67-32-7 series advantage.
• Last season, the Falcons fell by a score of 31-28 in River Falls as UWL secured a share of the WIAC title and a bid to the NCAA tournament. 
  • UWRF trailed by as many as 31-7 before responding with three touchdowns in the second half to cut the Eagle lead to 31-28 with seconds remaining in regulation. The Falcons had a chance to tie the game with a field goal, but it was blocked by UWL.

IN THE RANKINGS

• UWRF moved up from No. 11 to No. 9 in this week's AFCA Coaches' Poll, and remained ranked No. 10 in this week's D3football.com top 25 poll for the second week in a row.
• The Falcons were ranked as high as No. 4 after the Oct. 5 win over UW-Eau Claire, tying the program's highest national ranking by a media outlet.
• UWRF was tabbed to finish third in the 2024 WIAC Preseason Poll. UW-La Crosse, the defending league co-champions, has been picked to capture the 2024 WIAC Championship.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Falcons are coming off a dramatic 40-37 overtime win over UW-Stout last Saturday, Oct. 19 in River Falls.
• UWRF was down by a score of 27-6 at halftime before rallying with 28 points in the second half to force overtime. After the Blue Devils opened the extra period with a successful field goal to lead 37-34, the Falcons answered with a Cade Fitzgerald rushing touchdown to secure the win. It marked UWRF's first overtime game since 2016, and the program's first overtime victory since the Falcons defeated UW-La Crosse 21-20 on Oct. 3, 2015, in River Falls.
  • UWRF completed a season-high 33 passes, led by the quarterback tandem of Cade Fitzgerald and Riley Warzynski. Warzynski passed for 193 yards while Fitzgerald had 272 yards of total offense, including a career-high 150 rushing yards. Austin Rush led the receiving core with 10 catches for 108 yards.
  • Defensively, Aaron Borgerding led the Falcons with 11 tackles (8 solo), including a pair of tackles for loss, an interception, a sack, and one pass breakup. Gage Timm also guided the defense with nine tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

FALCON NOTES

• UWRF leads the WIAC and ranks fifth in Division III with 173 total first downs.
  • The Falcons are tied for sixth nationally with a 1.5 turnover margin, rank 11th with 48.8 points per game, and 15th with 488.7 yards of total offense per game.
• Junior linebacker Gage Timm ranks fourth in the WIAC with 51 total tackles and second with nine tackles for loss. He had 20 tackles at Alma College on Sept. 7 and was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week.
  • Michael Brown is tied for the lead league with 10 passes defended having totaled eight pass breakups and two interceptions. 
  • Quarterback Cade Fitzgerald is the WIAC leader with nine touchdowns and ranks second with 469 rushing yards.
  • Austin Rush is tied for second in the WIAC with five receiving touchdowns.
• Senior defensive back Aaron Borgerding was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy, an award that recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.