EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire football team hosted their final regular season home game on Saturday during the annual "War on 94" rivalry game against UW-Stout. Despite multiple Blugolds holding game highs on the day, the rivalry trophy stayed in the hands of UW-Stout as Eau Claire fell 38-13 at home.
With the intensity of a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) game and the "War on 94" trophy at stake, both teams kept the energy high in front of the 1,235 fans out at Carson Park.
After a Stout touchdown on the opening drive, the Blugolds answered three drives later after the UWEC defense forced Stout into a turnover on downs at the Eau Claire 26-yard line.
Harry Roubidoux (Jr. – Winneconne, Wis.) started the drive with a 36-yard completion to
Isaac Garside (Jr. – Bonduel, Wis.).
Trey Fitzgerald (Jr. – Mosinee, Wis.) continued the momentum of the offense with a trio of rushes to earn a first down. After a Stout penalty put the Blugolds inside the 10-yard line, Colin Beaudette (So. – Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) recorded his first touchdown of the season and put UWEC on the board. A failed two-point conversion kept the Blugolds with a one-point deficit after their initial score.
UW-Stout kept the Blugolds quiet the rest of the first half, forcing them to punt on their remaining three drives before halftime. The Blue Devils added a touchdown and a field before the end of the second quarter as Eau Claire trailed 21-6 at halftime.
After the break, UW-Eau Claire came out with fire as
Harry Roubidoux and the Blugolds offense marched 74 yards down the field. Isaac Garsdie capped off the third quarter opening drive with a toe tapping touchdown reception to cut the deficit to 21-13. The Blugold defense kept the intensity going as
Malik Johnson (Sr. – Lomira, Wis.) and
Liam Enright (Jr. – Elmhurst, Ill./York) forced a Stout three-and-out with a sack on third down. The following Stout drive,
Caden Tonsager (Fr. – Eagan, Minn.) and Evan Rettowski (So. – McFarland, Wis.) came up big with a pair of tackles for loss to force another Blue Devils' punt. UWEC controlled the third quarter and outscored Stout 7-0 as both teams went into the fourth quarter with a one score game.
The fourth quarter held momentum for Stout as they kept the Blugolds off the board and added 17 points to their total to hand UWEC their seventh loss of the year, 38-13.
Blugold offensive leaders included
Harry Roubidoux with 23 completions, 223 yards, and one passing touchdown on 38 attempts.
Isaac Garside led the receiving core with 12 receptions, 146 yards, and one receiving touchdown. Colin Beaudette finished with 16 carries for 33 yards and one rushing touchdown. Defensively,
Gyanni Kanellakis (Jr. – Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove) led UWEC with ten tackles on the day.
Peyton Erikson (So. – Rhinelander, Wis.),
Isaac Runstrom (Fr. – Cumberland, Wis.), and
Caden Tonsager (Fr. – Eagan, Minn.) each totaled six tackles. Tonsager included one sack and two and a half tackles for a loss during the afternoon.
Marcus Banks (Jr. – Cannon Falls, Minn.) also had a solo sack and one and a half tackles for loss.
The Blugolds (2-7, WIAC 1-5) will hit the road for their season finale on Saturday, November 11
th when they travel to UW-Whitewater to take on the #5 ranked Warhawks. Kickoff from Perkins Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
