UW-Eau Claire (6-1) vs UW-Whitewater (4-3)
Saturday, November 2, 1:00 PM
Carson Park, Eau Claire, WI

Series History: Saturday’s match-up between UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater marks the 53rd meeting between both schools with the Warhawks holding a 30-22 advantage. The Blugolds have won the previous four contests-two of those victories coming in overtime. In last year’s 31-18 Blugold victory at Perkins Stadium Brian Rasmussen completed 21-of-31 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Jason Foemmel caught seven passes for 99 yards and a touchdown while Jeremy Bergeron hauled in five receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Darrell Souhrada rushed for 135 yards on 28 carries.

Radio: WBIZ-AM Sportsradio 1400 will cover the game for the Blugolds with Mike Sullivan performing the play-by-play duties.

For Whitewater WKCH-Kool FM 106.5 will broadcast the contest with Bob Pattison covering the game.

UW-Eau Claire Coach Todd Hoffner: Coach Hoffner enters his fourth season with the Blugolds. Hoffner holds a 21-15 career mark. Last season the Blugolds were WIAC co-champions.

UW-Whitewater Coach Bob Berezowitz: Coach Berezowitz is in his 18th season with the Warhawks. Berezowitz owns a 116-62-4 record at Whitewater.

Up Next: The Blugolds travel to Veterans Memorial Stadium to face UW-La Crosse in a key WIAC match-up. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 A.M.

Whitewater returns to Perkins Stadium in their home finale as the Blue Devils of UW-Stout to town. Game time is set for 1:00 P.M.

Last Week’s Action: Holding off a pesky UW-Platteville squad, the UW-Eau Claire men’s football made the plays down the stretch to defeat the Pioneers 42-35 here today at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.

Dave Garrison got the Blugolds on the score board first with an eight-yard touchdown run with 6:31 remaining in the first quarter to give the Blugolds an early 7-0 lead.

The offense picked up in the second quarter with the Blugolds scoring three touchdowns. Dan Lyrenmann picked off a Platteville pass that set up a 16-yard touchdown drive capped off Garrison’s one-yard touchdown plunge at 12:44. Three minutes later the Blugold aerial game go going when Nels Fredrickson connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass with Erik Ferguson to make the score 21-0.

The Blugolds answered a Pioneer touchdown with an 11-play, 58 yard drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown run by Luke Kedrowski to give the Blugolds a 28-7 lead heading into halftime.

Platteville blocked the opening punt of the second half and returned the play for a 36-yard touchdown to make the score 28-14 but the Blugolds soon made back the score with a 30-yard touchdown reception by Jason Foemmel put the lead back to 35-14.

With 6:33 remaining in the game, the Blugolds marched 80 yards on 15 plays taking 5:22 off the clock to regain the lead at 42-35 when Fredrickson and Ferguson hooked up once again, this time on a game-winning 31-yard touchdown pass.

Fredrickson completed 18-of-31 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Joe Gast led the ground game with 88 yards on 23 carries. Foemmel took team-high honors with eight receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown as Ferguson ended the game with four receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

The Blugold defense forced the Pioneers into three interceptions and one fumble recovery. Justin Miller and Pat Cummings recorded their third and second interceptions of the season, respectively as Lyrenmann made his first career pick. Andrew Jones led the Blugolds with seven tackles, all solo.

Only the Strong Survive: With three weeks left in the regular season, all five teams tied for first place will take part in a three-week sprint to the final to claim the conference title and an automatic NCAA bid. After La Crosse was the bumped from the ranks of the unbeaten by Whitewater, five teams now share a 3-1 conference mark to set the stage for an exciting finish to the regular season. Ranked 16th and 17th in the latest AFCA poll, Eau Claire and Stout will host co-conference leaders Whitewater and Stevens Point with the winners trying to get an upper hand on a conference ring. With three losses apiece, La Crosse and Whitewater need to win out in order to gain entry into the NCAA playoffs while Stevens Point faces a similar situation with two setbacks. Eau Claire and Stout may have the toughest road left to travel as each school will face La Crosse, Stevens Point and Whitewater to close out the regular season.

About the Warhawks: Saying the Warhawks faced a difficult non-conference slate is an understatement. In three straight weeks the Warhawks hosted defending NCAA Division III national champion Mount Union College, went over two time zones to face Eastern Oregon then traveled to Collegeville, Minnesota to face the 2000 national runner-up St. John’s.

Since a 17-14 setback at home to Stevens Point, the Warhawks have ran off two-straight wins against bitter rivals Platteville and La Crosse to claw their into the thick of the WIAC race. With battles against 6-1 Eau Claire and Stout in the next two weeks, the Warhawks will feature a punishing ground game and a defense that has surrrendered 20-plus points only once in its last four games.

The success of the Warhawk offense rest squarely on the shoulders of junior tailback Chad Wurth. A two-time All-Conference performer, Wurth leads the conference with 902 yards on 194 carries. Wurth leads the league with 4.6 yards per carry while ranking second in scoring with 9.1 points per game. Attempting to go over the 1,000-yard mark for the third consecutive season, Wurth also acts as the Warhawks’ placekicker and punt returner.

The Warhawk defense will rely on the strength of its front seven to help slow down a Blugold offense that has posted 30-plus points in its last three games, going over 40 points twice during that stretch. Despite missing a game early in the season, linebacker Derek Bergum leads the defensive with 46 tackles in addition to totaling three tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Defensive lineman Mike Saddy and Dan Flanagan rank second and third on the team with 45 and 43 tackles, respectively. Flanagan also leads the team with three sacks. Cornerback Fulton Bell has picked off a team-high three interceptions while Eric Salopek has collected 42 tackles and four pass breakups at safety.

Last Week’s Results: Eau Claire 42, Platteville 35; Stevens Point 12, Oshkosh 10; Stout 21, River Falls 7; Whitewater 23, La Crosse 20 OT.

This Week’s Games: Platteville at Oshkosh, 1:00 PM; River Falls at La Crosse, 1:00 P.M.; Stevens Point at Stout, 1:00 PM; Whitewater at Eau Claire, 1:00 PM.