OSHKOSH, Wis. – The No. 11-ranked UW-River Falls football team lost a heart breaker at No. 15-ranked UW-Oshkosh Saturday afternoon during the WIAC opener, conceding the game-winning score with 10 seconds left in regulation to fall by a score of 21-17.
The Falcons, now 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the WIAC, battled back from a 14-7 halftime deficit to take the lead at 17-14 after a
Kaleb Blaha rushing touchdown with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, but the Titans didn't quit and converted on a eight-play drive that lasted just over a minute to win 21-17.
Despite the outcome, a highlight was
Kaleb Blaha's 203 passing yards to become the UWRF all-time leader with 7,282 career passing yards. He passed Ryan Kusilek's previous record total of 7,149 (2012-15).
After a scoreless first 15 minutes, the Falcons opened the scoring in the second quarter with the first of two Blaha rushing touchdowns on the day, giving UWRF a 7-0 lead early in the second. UWO answered with a pair of Ben Vallasfskey rushing scores to give the home team a 14-7 lead at halftime.
During UWRF's first drive of the second half,
Justin Scheberl converted on a 37-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10. The Falcon defense then stepped up, turning away the Titans on their next four offensive drives to set up a comeback. With just over five minutes left in regulation starting on their own eight-yard line, UWRF marched down the field and scored to take the 17-14 lead before the Titans' finale-minute rally.
Blaha completed 29-of-47 pass attempts and finished with 331 yards of total offense, passing for 203 and rushing for 128.
Austin Rush and
Jonah Mallberg led the receiving core, combining for 14 receptions while while
Gage Timm led the defense with eight tackles.
Riley Ashburn followed with five tackles, one forced fumble, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries.
Up next, the Falcons host UW-Platteville on Saturday, Oct. 11 during Homecoming at Ramer Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
