Football

UW-River Falls Wins Football Championship; Secures Automatic NCAA Bid

RIVER FALLS, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-River Falls secured a least a share of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) football championship with a 41-7 victory over UW-La Crosse at Ramer Field on Nov. 8.
 
The conference title is the 19th in program history and first since 1998. UW-River Falls (8-1 overall, 5-1 WIAC) will be making its first NCAA appearance since 1996. The Falcons can secure the WIAC championship outright with a win over UW-Stout on Nov. 15. UW-La Crosse (6-2, 4-2), UW-Platteville (7-2, 4-2) and UW-Whitewater (7-2, 4-2) can each claim a share of the title with a victory in their respective contest and a loss by UW-River Falls.

Against UW-La Crosse, the Falcons set the tone early when Trevor Asher broke free for a 54-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage. After UW-La Crosse answered with a short touchdown run by Gabe Lynch, the Falcons responded with two scoring strikes from quarterback Kaleb Blaha to Austin Rush, covering 18 and 20 yards, to take a 21-7 lead after the first quarter.
 
UW-River Falls controlled the game from there, adding a 24-yard field goal by Justin Scheberl in the second quarter and a two-yard touchdown run by Asher midway through the third. Scheberl later connected from 35 yards in the fourth quarter, and the defense capped the day when Taylor Sussner returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown.
 
The Falcons piled up 534 yards of total offense compared to just 201 for UW-La Crosse. Blaha completed 35-of-50 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 90 yards. Asher led the ground attack with 128 yards and two scores on 18 carries, averaging more than seven yards per attempt. Rush finished with nine receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns, while Blake Rohrer and Stephen Reifenberger combined for 120 receiving yards.
 
Defensively, the Falcons held UW-La Crosse to a season-low point total, and recorded a season-high five sacks and three interceptions. Sussner had two picks, including the fourth-quarter touchdown, while Noah Nusbaum and Gage Timm combined for three sacks and multiple tackles for loss. The Eagles managed only 42 rushing yards on 30 attempts and threw three interceptions under heavy pressure.
 
Scheberl was perfect on special teams, hitting both field goal attempts and all five extra points, while averaging over 54 yards on eight kickoffs.
 
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