JACKSON, Miss. – The No. 12-ranked UW-River Falls football team rolled to a 65-0 shutout win at Belhaven University on Saturday afternoon at Belhaven Bowl Stadium.
The Falcons, now having wrapped up non-conference play with a 3-0 record, outmatched the Blazers in all phases of the game, compiling 615 yards of total offense while holding Belhaven to just 123 total yards, including 35 rushing yards on 20 attempts. The Falcon defense also allowed only seven first downs and held the Blazers to 1-of-13 on third down conversions. The shutout victory was UWRF's largest since a 63-0 win at Elmhurst University in 2022.
Led by quarterback Kaleb Blaha, the offense totaled 341 yards through the air and 274 on the ground. Blaha completed 23-of-33 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 62 rushing yards. Backup quarterback Cade Fitzgerald added to the offensive fireworks with 69 passing yards, a touchdown pass, and 95 rushing yards with a score of his own.
After the home team held the Falcons scoreless on their first few offensive drives, UWRF scored on its fourth drive of the game with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Blaha to Adam Johnstone. From there, the offense found its rhythm, scoring 28 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 35-0 lead into halftime.
The defense was equally impressive, forcing five turnovers including four interceptions. Taylor Sussner returned one of those picks 20 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. Peter Ladu added two interceptions, while Jared Schultz had a 23-yard return on his pick. Additionally, the defense totaled nine tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
The Falcons added a safety in the third quarter and tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth, including a 7-yard run by Jake Barnard and an 11-yard touchdown pass from Fitzgerald to Daniel Stokes.
Kicker Justin Scheberl was perfect on the day, going 9-for-9 on extra points and booming 10 kickoffs for 546 yards.
UW-River Falls held Belhaven to just 123 total yards, including 35 rushing yards on 20 attempts. The Falcons defense allowed only seven first downs and held the Blazers to 1-of-13 on third down conversions.
UWRF (3-0, 0-0 WIAC) has a bye next weekend before heading into conference play on Oct. 4 at UW-Oshkosh.
