LA CROSSE, Wis. – The No. 14-ranked UW-River Falls football team built an early two-touchdown lead and later regained the advantage in the fourth quarter, but UW-La Crosse scored the game's final 12 points to hand the Falcons a 41-30 setback Saturday afternoon at Roger Harring Stadium.
UWRF falls to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in WIAC play.
The Falcons struck quickly in the opening quarter, needing just three plays on each of their first two possessions to build a 14-0 lead.
Frank Daniels connected with
Austin Rush on a 38-yard touchdown pass before
Peter McDevitt found Rush for a 40-yard scoring strike less than two minutes later.
Rush enjoyed a career day, hauling in eight receptions for 160 yards and three touchdowns. McDevitt finished 14-of-28 passing for 252 yards and two scores, while Daniels completed his lone pass attempt for a 38-yard touchdown.
UWL answered with 13 consecutive points to pull within one heading into halftime, but the Falcons responded midway through the third quarter. McDevitt capped an 11-play, 64-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Rush, and after the Eagles scored twice in a span of 75 seconds to take a 26-21 lead,
Trevor Asher powered in a three-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds remaining in the period to put UWRF back on top, 27-26.
Asher carried the load offensively for the Falcons, rushing 37 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. He helped UWRF rack up 458 yards of total offense, including 168 on the ground.
Trailing 29-27 early in the fourth quarter, the Falcons marched 87 yards on a 10-play drive before
Johnny Figgins connected on a 22-yard field goal to give UWRF a 30-29 advantage with 4:17 remaining.
La Crosse answered on its ensuing possession, using a pair of explosive runs to set up Brady Kuhn's nine-yard touchdown run with 2:39 remaining. An interception on the Falcons' next possession helped the Eagles drain the clock before UWRF forced a turnover on downs with 12 seconds left. A fumble on the game's final lateral play was returned for a touchdown as time expired, producing the final margin.
Ben Wesolowski added five receptions for 148 yards for the Falcons, giving UWRF two receivers over 140 yards in the contest.
Defensively,
Jared Schultz led the Falcons with 11 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup.
Taylor Sussner added eight tackles and a tackle for loss, while
Noah Nusbaum totaled seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery after a goal-line takeaway forced by
Cayden Kershaw. The Falcons finished with six tackles for loss and held the Eagles to 4.9 yards per play.
UW-River Falls concludes the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 14, hosting UW-Stevens Point at Ramer Field.
