RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The No. 14-ranked UW-River Falls football team delivered a statement win over No. 6-ranked UW-Platteville during Homecoming at Ramer Field on Saturday, Oct. 11, defeating the Pioneers by a score of 31-21.
The Falcons, now 4-1 overall and 1-1 in WIAC play, bounced back from a tough road loss at UW-Oshkosh in the conference opener with a season-high 476 passing yards while forcing four Pioneer turnovers.
Senior quarterback
Kaleb Blaha, who in last game broke the UWRF program record for all-time passing yards, followed up with a single-game career-high with 443 passing yards while adding a rushing score as the Falcons racked up 631 yards of total offense. Junior wide receiver
Blake Rohrer also had a career day, highlighting the offense with a career-high 167 receiving yards including an 84-yard touchdown on the game's very first play to set the tone for the Falcons.
A Blaha two-yard rushing score late in the first quarter put UWRF up 14-0. Platteville briefly closed the gap in the second, but
Justin Scheberl connected on a 24-yard field goal and
Cade Fitzgerald found
Jake Hilton for a 24-yard pass and score just before halftime, extending the UWRF lead to 24-7.
The Falcons' defense forced four turnovers on the day, including three interceptions (two from
Andre Hall, one from
Peter Ladu) along with three sacks and a fumble recovery.
After the Pioneers blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown early in the third quarter,
Jaylen Reed immediately answered with a 64-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead back to 31-14. Platteville added a late score, but UWRF controlled possession and closed out the win.
Blaha finished 37-of-55 passing for 443 yards, while
Ben Wesolowski (9 catches, 111 yards) and
Austin Rush (9 for 57) joined Rohrer to pace the receiving core.
UWRF hits the road to face UW-Stevens Point next Saturday, Oct. 18.
