Just when you think you have La Crosse figured out, something like this happens. After winning in Oshkosh two weeks ago, you think it would be safe to assume they could handle a winless River Falls team at home, right? WRONG!!! The Eagles now becomes "that" team, like Eau Claire was last season, in giving the Falcons it first win of the season. You have to give River Falls' coach Matt Walker and his boys a lot of credit though. With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, they put together an epic 96-yard touchdown drive to tie the game to force overtime. The Falcons won in OT, 28-21. In Eau Claire, Whitewater won an out-right WIAC title beating the Blugolds, 37-22. The Warhawks' Levell Coppage rushed for 236 yards in the game, giving him over 1000 yards rushing against Eau Claire in his career. Platteville won in Menomonie, 27-17, which I dubbed the Game of the Week this time a week ago. The Pioneers scored three touchdowns on its first four possessions, which was more than enough to beat Stout. Finally, in Stevens Point, Oshkosh's offense took two-weeks worth of frustration out on the Pointers. The Titans unleashed 684 yards of total offense, while scoring 38 point as they won, 38-24. On a side note, all WIAC road teams won last week for the first time all season.
Game of the Week
River Falls Falcons (1-8, 1-5) Eau Claire Blugolds (4-5, 2-2)
VS
Falcons
River Falls played, far and away, it best game of the season last week. I'm not just saying that because they won, but that definitely helped. The Falcons' quarterback B.J. Letourneau (WIAC's Offensive Player of the Week) had career highs in passing yards (257) and touchdowns thrown (3) Saturday against La Crosse. Including a HUGE 96-yard touchdown drive to tie up the game and force over time. That game-winning drive came out of nowhere considering the Falcons rank just about last in all most all offensive categories. I had no idea coach Walker had it in his team to accomplish that - on the road, no less. We all know about Taylor Edwards and their running game, as the senior has been one of the premier backs in the WIAC this season. But, in fact, it's been River Falls' passing game thats gaining confidence late in the season. Letourneau has now thrown for over 220 yards in each of the last three games. Which is a definite improvement, considering he only threw for over 160 yards
once in his first five games. Also, during this three-game stretch, the senior has thrown for five touchdowns, compared to only three over his first five games. Other than Letourneau, cornerback Mike Cano and kicker Chad Blair were also named WIAC Players of the Week (defense and special teams). Cano had two picks and eight tackles (seven solo). His second interception came in overtime to seal the win. Blair earned his honors by kicking four extra points. Four extra points? Must have been a slow day for special teams around the WIAC. That's like me being named employee of the week because I showed up to work on time. Moving on......If coach Walker can continue with his program's new-found success in the passing game, then that will make it that much easier for Edwards to tear apart the defense. I expect Edwards to have a big Senior Day this weekend. The Blugolds come to River Falls with the third worst rushing defense in the WIAC, giving up over 173 yards per game. On defense, despite giving up the second most rushing yards, River Falls might be able to slow down the Blugolds' ground game as Eau Claire ranks dead last in rushing in the WIAC. The bad news is River Falls is at the bottom of the conference in defensive passing yards. Which could be a disaster considering the Blugolds offer up the best passing offense in the WIAC. If the Falcons want to make it two in a row, they must get Edwards going with the rushing attack, eat up the clock, and keep Eau Claire's high-powered passing offense on the sideline - where they can't score.
once in his first five games. Also, during this three-game stretch, the senior has thrown for five touchdowns, compared to only three over his first five games. Other than Letourneau, cornerback Mike Cano and kicker Chad Blair were also named WIAC Players of the Week (defense and special teams). Cano had two picks and eight tackles (seven solo). His second interception came in overtime to seal the win. Blair earned his honors by kicking four extra points. Four extra points? Must have been a slow day for special teams around the WIAC. That's like me being named employee of the week because I showed up to work on time. Moving on......If coach Walker can continue with his program's new-found success in the passing game, then that will make it that much easier for Edwards to tear apart the defense. I expect Edwards to have a big Senior Day this weekend. The Blugolds come to River Falls with the third worst rushing defense in the WIAC, giving up over 173 yards per game. On defense, despite giving up the second most rushing yards, River Falls might be able to slow down the Blugolds' ground game as Eau Claire ranks dead last in rushing in the WIAC. The bad news is River Falls is at the bottom of the conference in defensive passing yards. Which could be a disaster considering the Blugolds offer up the best passing offense in the WIAC. If the Falcons want to make it two in a row, they must get Edwards going with the rushing attack, eat up the clock, and keep Eau Claire's high-powered passing offense on the sideline - where they can't score.Blugolds
I really expected Eau Claire to finish towards the top of the WIAC this season. I knew they had the capability with their passing attack, however its running game really underachieved this season. Maybe they are a year away from putting it all together and making a run at a conference title, as many of their key offensive position players will be returning next season. After starting the season winning three of its first four, they have now dropped four of its last five games. I would think they have a good chance at finishing the year as a .500 team, considering they already beat River Falls 38-17 earlier in the season. It was Senior Day last season in River Falls when the Blugolds handed River Falls it first, and only, win of the year in 2010. I highly doubt coach Todd Glaser will let his seniors down on Eau Claire's Senior Day this year. As long as he has
Austin Neu slinging the ball down the field, Glaser should win this game Saturday. Neu is finishing up a great junior season, he leads the WIAC in passing with almost 250 yards per game. The Blugolds also have three different players in the top 10 in receptions per game: Mike O'Connell (4.4), David Goodman (3.89) and Austin Goetsch (3.78). Unfortunately, this has been an extremely one-dimensional offense all season long. A part from being the top passing offense in the conference, Glaser's team ranks in the WIAC cellar in rushing. However, this week they might find that passing the ball may open up running lanes for big Joel Sweeney and Matt Olson. Plus, it certainly helps that River Falls gives up over 183 rushing yards per game. For a team that passes the ball with such efficiency, it's no wonder that Eau Claire is second in the conference in converting third downs. They do so at a rate of 45.4 percent per game. Although, on defense, they haven't been fairing quite as well. The defense has been allowing opposing offensives to pick up 47.5 percent of its third downs, worst among WIAC teams. This game consists of two of the worst scoring defenses in the conference this season, which could make for a high-scoring affair. River Falls gives up over 34 ppg, while Eau Claire has been allowing over 23 ppg. If this game comes down to a shoot out, it could play right into the hands of Eau Claire. Coach Glaser has the sort of offense that can advance the ball down the field with ease, and strike quickly.
Austin Neu slinging the ball down the field, Glaser should win this game Saturday. Neu is finishing up a great junior season, he leads the WIAC in passing with almost 250 yards per game. The Blugolds also have three different players in the top 10 in receptions per game: Mike O'Connell (4.4), David Goodman (3.89) and Austin Goetsch (3.78). Unfortunately, this has been an extremely one-dimensional offense all season long. A part from being the top passing offense in the conference, Glaser's team ranks in the WIAC cellar in rushing. However, this week they might find that passing the ball may open up running lanes for big Joel Sweeney and Matt Olson. Plus, it certainly helps that River Falls gives up over 183 rushing yards per game. For a team that passes the ball with such efficiency, it's no wonder that Eau Claire is second in the conference in converting third downs. They do so at a rate of 45.4 percent per game. Although, on defense, they haven't been fairing quite as well. The defense has been allowing opposing offensives to pick up 47.5 percent of its third downs, worst among WIAC teams. This game consists of two of the worst scoring defenses in the conference this season, which could make for a high-scoring affair. River Falls gives up over 34 ppg, while Eau Claire has been allowing over 23 ppg. If this game comes down to a shoot out, it could play right into the hands of Eau Claire. Coach Glaser has the sort of offense that can advance the ball down the field with ease, and strike quickly.The Pioneers have a great opportunity to solidify itself as the number two team in the conference. This program has shown, when healthy, they can put a very strong football team onto the field each Saturday. Platteville can close out its season with four consecutive wins against a Stevens Point team that desperately would like to finish .500 on the year. As I mentioned numerous times previously on my blog, the Pointers started out the year with high expectations, as they were ranked 23rd in the country in week one. With a loss last week against Oshkosh, they guaranteed themselves a losing conference record. One interesting aspect of the game will be how Platteville responds if Stevens Point enters it red zone. The Pioneers own the WIAC's best red zone defense. They allow teams to only score 68 percent of the time when opponents cross its 20-yard line. However, the Pointers bring the conference's best red zone offense to the game, as they score 87 percent of the time. I'll be interested to see which side gives.
La Crosse Eagles (3-6, 3-4) @ Whitewater Wisconsin (9-0, 6-0)
To start the season it was interesting to see that these two programs were selected to play each other twice. Of course, that was based on the effort to save on traveling costs, as each WIAC team would have to play a conference opponent as a non-conference game. It's interesting because these two are considered each other's rival. Coincidence that these two were scheduled to play twice? Probably not. The Warhawks won the first meeting to start the season, 26-7 in La Crosse. It's tough to tell which Jekyll and Hyde football team will show up in Whitewater. The La Crosse team that won at Oshkosh, or the La Crosse team that lost at home against winless River Falls? Regardless, Eagles running back Ben Hertrampf will be suited up as he's slowly been climbing the rushing leaderboard. The sophomore is now third in the WIAC, averaging over 102 yards per game. It'll be an intriguing matchup against a Warhawk team that gives up only 84 yards per game on the ground - best in the WIAC. Even though the Warhawks already have the outright conference title in hand, they prefer to finish the regular season undefeated to possibly ensure themselves home field throughout the playoffs.
Stout Blue Devils (5-4, 3-3) @ Oshkosh Titans (6-3, 4-2)
Even though over the past few weeks the Blue Devils' defense has come to life, they are going to have its hands full against a dangerous Oshkosh offense Saturday. Titans' quarterback Nate Wara is third in the WIAC with 13 touchdowns thrown, as well as fourth in the conference in rushing with 63.8 yards per game. Wara's favorite target has been the athletic wide receiver Garrie Fox. The senior is second in the conference averaging close to 62 yards per game. Stout relies heavily on it defense to win games, as the offense has scored the least amount of points in the WIAC (16.1 ppg). When the defense is on its game its tough for opponents to get on the scoreboard this season. However, this year Clayt Birmingham's defense has been a little inconsistent. They show glimpses of greatness at times, as well as being very passive. The program currently ranks third-to-last in total defense giving up almost 371 yards per game. Birmingham's boys will need to play their best defense game of the year to knock the Titans this weekend.
Here's to the final week of WIAC football, hope it's a good one....Cheers!
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