Falcons drop three of the last four WIAC games

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons’ 24-17 loss on the road against UWLa Crosse on Saturday, Nov. 5, marked the third time in four weeks that River Falls had a WIAC game come down to the final play – all three of those last-second contests ended in defeat.

While the River Falls offense racked up 350 total yards of offense and 20 first downs – both better than the Eagles’ 350 yards and 18 first downs – it was four Falcon turnovers that proved to be the difference in Saturday’s rain-riddled matchup between the thenranked No. 23 Falcons and the No. 7 Eagles.

Despite the UWRF turnovers, three of which came through the air via sophomore quarterback Kaleb Blaha, the Falcons still had a chance to force overtime late in the fourth quarter. After kicking a 23-yard field goal to cut the La Crosse lead to seven, 2417, River Falls recovered an onside kick and gave the Falcons a chance to force overtime.

One first down and a couple of misfired shots to the endzone ended the Falcons’ hopes of reaching overtime and instead resulted in the aforementioned 24-17 defeat. UWRF head coach Matt Walker spoke about having a chance to stay alive late in that fourth quarter.

“All day (our defense) was giving us a chance to win the football game,” Walker said. “Both offenses struggled, conditions were hard, moving it was hard today. What our defense did to keep us in it all day was incredible. Late we finally got loose on some big plays we know we can cash in on. We can score fast enough that we always know we’re in the football game.”

Going into the game against La Crosse, River Falls averaged nearly four yards per carry for the season. The Eagles’ defense limited the Falcons to 73 yards on 37 carries for an average of just under two yards per attempt.

Not having an effective run game, especially in an offense that likes to utilize a lot of run/pass options (RPO), contributed to getting behind the sticks and having to throw downfield, which led to some of Blaha’s interceptions. Walker spoke about the rushing attack.

“It’s hard to tell and I’ve got to watch the tape, but I felt like they were run pressuring us and we had trouble handing some of those,” Walker said. “I don’t think a yard was easy today for anybody.”

While River Falls’ offense ultimately ended up struggling against La Crosse, the game didn’t begin that way. After forcing a threeand-out on the opening possession, River Falls fielded the punt and began its day at midfield.

Later in the drive, the Falcons faced a crucial fourth-and-six at the LAX 36-yard line. That’s when Blaha connected with sophomore wide receiver Luke Kush on a 24-yard pitch and catch that got the Falcons into the red zone.

Four plays later, sophomore running back Michael Krueger scampered into the endzone on a two-yard rushing touchdown to give River Falls a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. The La Crosse Eagles responded by scoring 24 unanswered points spanning from late in the first quarter until the nine-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

Then with seven minutes remaining and trailing by three scores, 24-7, River Falls began to rally. Blaha led the Falcons down the field on a two-minute, 75-yard drive that he capped off with a five-yard rushing touchdown to make it 24-14, still favoring the Eagles with seven minutes left in regulation.

River Falls ultimately came up short, but once again played a top-ten team in the country down to the wire, as the Falcons did last week in a walk-off defeat at the hands of Whitewater kicker Jeffery Isotalo-McGuire, who won the game with a 49-yard field goal as time expired.

Last-second losses include the Falcons’ defeat in a 21-14 game on the road against UW-Platteville in week six where they had a chance to tie with a hail mary, a similar scenario played out against La Crosse and the aforementioned loss at the buzzer to Whitewater makes it a trio of heartbreaking defeats. Walker spoke about playing three competitive teams down to the wire.

“I think it’s a testament to how tough our kids are and how they continue to play for each other,” Walker said. “You go to Whitewater and are down three scores at the half, that’s an easy place to just shut it down. On a day when conditions were hard (La Crosse) and we were having trouble moving it, we continued to fight and I think it says a lot about the kids we have and the character they have. I’m proud of our kids, they’re incredible.”

With the loss, River Falls drops to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the WIAC. The Falcons finish the regular season with a home game against UW-Stout on Saturday, Nov. 12. Walker spoke about next week as senior day and what to expect against the Blue Devils.

“I’m a huge believer in what it takes to commit four years of your life to college football,” Walker said. “It’s a special week to honor those guys the right way and do everything for those guys whether you’re in a hunt to play an 11th game or not. You better do what’s right as hard as you can do it or you’re going to be in trouble with me on senior week.”

River Falls and Stout are slated to begin action at David Smith Stadium and Ramer Field in River Falls on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m.

River Falls freshman defensive back Mandrel Butler breaks up a UW-La Crosse pass early in the game against the Eagles on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Roger Harring Stadium in La Crosse. Photo by Reagan Hoverman