WAVERLY, Iowa — The No. 4-ranked UW-River Falls football team earned a statement victory over No. 6 Wartburg College in a top-10 showdown, defeating the Knights 31-14 Saturday afternoon at Walston-Hoover Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Falcons head into WIAC play with an undefeated 3-0 non-conference record, headlined by a pair of wins over nationally ranked opponents. UWRF will take a week off before opening conference play at UW-Whitewater on Saturday, Oct. 3.
UWRF jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Trevor Asher capped the Falcons' opening 47-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run before Cade Fitzgerald connected with Ben Wesolowski on a 10-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter.
Wartburg answered with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, but UWRF responded with another extended scoring drive to open the second quarter. Fitzgerald finished the 63-yard, 13-play drive with a five-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-7.
Johnny Figgins added a 29-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining in the first half, giving the Falcons a 24-7 advantage at the break. Wartburg scored on a 20-yard pass late in the half to make it 24-14, but the Falcons held the Knights scoreless over the final two quarters.
Asher provided the game's final points with a 67-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon. He led the Falcons' ground attack with a career-high 164 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, averaging 8.6 yards per attempt. Fitzgerald added 46 rushing yards and a touchdown while completing 22 of 28 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown.
Austin Rush was Fitzgerald's leading receiving target with eight catches for 82 yards, while Stephen Reifenberger added four receptions for 24 yards. Wesolowski caught three passes for 20 yards and a touchdown.
UWRF finished with 429 total yards, including 239 on the ground, while limiting Wartburg to 212 total yards and just 35 rushing yards. The Falcons also held a 25-12 advantage in first downs and controlled the clock for 37:09.
The Falcon defense recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers, led by Taylor Sussner, Nolan Israelson, and Jared Schultz with six tackles apiece. Sussner added a sack, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble, while Israelson had a pair of quarterback hurries. Schultz added an interception and a pass breakup.
UW-River Falls' defense kept Wartburg out of the end zone throughout the second half, while the Falcons' offense converted 5-of-14 third downs and remained perfect on its lone fourth-down attempt.
