UW-Whitewater got off to a good start in its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule, defeating UW-La Crosse 38-7 in front of 10,890 fans at Perkins Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles won the toss but elected to defer so the
Warhawks started the game with the ball. Nick
Patterson (Sussex/Hamilton) carried the ball six
times on the ten-play drive including a one-yard touchdown run to
give UW-Whitewater a 6-0 lead. Will
Meyer(Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) tacked
on the extra point to make it 7-0.
After a healthy kickoff return the Eagles stalled after four
plays and were forced to punt. UW-La Crosse pinned the Warhawks
down at their own one-yard line.
Several rushes later the Warhawks were out of the shadow of
their own end zone. The Warhawks continued to move the ball
including two Matt
Behrendt (Westchester, IL/Nazareth Academy)tosses
for 10 yards and 19 yards to reach midfield. After a Ryan Givens
(Milwaukee/Milwaukee Riverside) carry that gained three
yards, Behrendt went to the air, connecting with three different
receivers on the next three plays to get down to the La Crosse 17.
Givens carried for seven yards on the next play and Behrendt
followed with an 8 yard scramble before Patterson punched it in
from the two to give UW-Whitewater a 13-0 lead. Meyer added the
extra point to give the Warhawks a 14-0 lead with 1:55 to go in the
quarter.
Eagle quarterback Trent Cummings connected with Tony
Bilderback for 17 yards to open their drive. After a six yard rush
by Ben Hertrampf, the Warhawk offense buckled down and forced
incompletions on Cummings' next two pass attempts. A 36 yard punt
and two yard return gave UW-Whitewater the ball on their own 28
yard line with 41 seconds left in the half.
Givens went up the middle for five yards to the quarter. The
Warhawks controlled the ball in the first quarter with a time of
possession of 10:49 including 11 first downs and a perfect 4-4 on
third down conversions.
Behrendt found Logan Solano
(Dousman/Kettle Moraine) for 14 yards to open the
second quarter. Later in the drive, a 21 yard pass play from
Behrendt to Joe
Worth (Hartford/Hartford Union) was called back due
to penalty and faced with a fourth and 23, the Warhawks punted for
the first time in the game.
UW-Whitewater's defense allowed less than 20 yards in 3:39
in the Eagles' next possession to get the ball back courtesy of a
La Crosse punt.
On the opening play of the drive, Behrendt went for the long
ball connecting with Justin
Howard(West Bend/Homestead) for 52 yards to bring
the Warhawks to the UW-L 28 yard line. Five plays later, Behrendt
found Jake
Kumerow (Bartlett, IL/South Elgin) in the endzone
from four yards out for the score at 7:27. Meyer's PAT made it
21-0.
UW-Whitewater forced a three-and-out on La Crosse's ensuing
possession tagging the Eagles for minus four yards in the drive
that last less than two minutes. A 33-yard punt was fair caught by
Howard at the Warhawks' 25 yard line.
UW-Whitewater drove 70 yards in 11 plays capped by a Meyer
field goal from 22 yards out to take a 24-0 lead heading into the
locker rooms at the half.
On the fourth drive of the second half, the Warhawks added
to their total. Dennis Moore
(Elgin, IL/Elgin) and Jordan
Ratliffe (Milwaukee/Milwaukee Vincent) carried the
ball six times on the drive totaling 31 yards. Behrendt completed
four passes, two to Howard for 18 yards, and two to Kumerow
including the three yard scoring strike. Once again, Meyer tacked
on the extra point and the Warhawk lead ballooned to
31-0.
The UW-Whitewater defense held their ground forcing another
three-and-out to give the ball back to the rolling offense.
Ratliffe rushed for four yards to start the drive for the last play
of the third quarter.
Similar to the first quarter, the Warhawks dominated the
time of possession holding the ball for 11:56 in the
quarter.
The first four plays of the fourth quarter stayed on the
ground with Ratliffe highlighting the drive with a 27 yard scamper.
Behrendt put the finishing touches on the drive for the Warhawks
with a completion to Ratliffe for five yards, then to
Coleton
Hrgich (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton North) for seven yards
and finally to Kumerow from 17 yards out for the touchdown. After
Meyer's kick UW-Whitewater led 38-0.
The Eagles went to the air on their next possession.
Cummings completed seven of nine pass attempts taking La Crosse 53
yards in nine plays capped by a six yard scoring strike to
Bilderback to put the Eagles on the board with the score
38-7.
UW-Whitewater held La Crosse to minus six yards in their
final possession of the game and ran out the final 6:04 on the
clock to seal the win.
The Warhawks recorded 32 first downs in the game totaling
619 yards including 315 on the ground. The Eagles notched seven
first downs, 155 yards and just 11 from the run game.
Behrendt was 23-27 with 300 yards and three touchdowns in
the game. Kumerow caught 10 Behrendt passes for 143 and three
touchdowns, tying his career high.
Ratliffe registered nine rushes for 76 yards, an average of
8.4 per carry, and Patterson added 61 yards on 12 carries with two
touchdowns.