UW-Eau Claire 24, UW-Stout 10 |
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MENOMONIE, Wis. (October 1, 2011) - UW-Stout's defense forced UW-Eau Claire into three turnovers, but their own mistakes in the red zone proved to be the determining factor, as the Blue Devils dropped their conference opener, 24-10, Saturday afternoon at Don and Nona Williams Stadium.
The Blue Devils' (2-2, 0-1 WIAC) defense forced three Blugold (3-1, 1-0) fumbles, and capitalized by falling on all three of them. However, two interceptions thrown in the red zone, combined with eight penalties for 90 yards allowed Eau Claire to capture the I-94 Battle trophy for the first time since its existence.
The first major hiccup came near the end of the first half as the Blue Devils were driving deep into Blugold territory in a 7-7 tie. On a second-and-goal from the three yard line with under four minutes remaining in the second quarter, quarterback #
Ross Carey# (Sr, Little Suamico) casually attempted to throw away a pass on a broken play, but Tyler Janus reached out while dragging his foot in the end zone to pick off the pass, resulting in a touchback.
The Blugolds offense then drove 60 yards in three and a half minutes to kick a field goal, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker rooms. The Blue Devils received the second half opening kickoff, and put together a 57-yard drive, ending in a #
Ricky Marteney# (So, Greenfield) field goal to knot the game at 10.
On Eau Claire's ensuing possession, after they drove all the way to the Stout 13, #
Kyle Ahrens# (Fr, Menomonie) and #
Ryan Ericksen# (Jr, Stanley) teamed up for a sack, forcing a 3rd-and-18. However, the big defensive play did little to help, as Joel Sweeney took a screen pass 23 yards on the next play for a go-ahead touchdown.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Eau Claire held the ball at Stout's 23 yard line and also held a seven point lead. #
Trevor Fiege# (Sr, Menomonie) did his team a huge favor on the first play of the quarter. After an eight yard catch and run by Josh Metzger, Fiege stripped the receiver of the ball, and the Blue Devils took over on their own one yard line, narrowly avoiding a two-posession deficit.
The turnover gave Stout some momentum as their offense put together their best drive of the half. Carey converted a third-and-one and a fourth-and-one, both on quarterback keepers. Then Carey hit #
Josh Peterson# (Jr, Cedar Grove) for 10 yards on a third-and-eight to extend the drive again. Two plays later, the Blugolds delivered what turned out to be the play of the game, when Chad Samuelson picked off a tipped ball at the Eau Claire 10 yard line.
With under three minutes remaining, Blugold quarterback Austin Neu hit David Goodman for a 29-yard touchdown to take a 24-10 lead that would stand. Goodman caught five balls from Neu, collecting 113 yards.
In a game dominated by big defensive plays, Sweeney and Neu stood out as the top offensive performers of the game. Sweeney covered 79 yards on the ground, and caught four balls for 60 yards. Neu efficiently used his 24 pass attempts to complete 19 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
Stout's offense was a bit sluggish, collecting only 264 total yards. #
Eric Brown# (Jr, St. Paul, Minn.), who scored Stout's only touchdown, was the team's leading rusher with 39 yards. #Mike Gervanek# (Jr, Baxter, Minn.) was the leading Blue Devil receiver, catching three balls for 66 yards, including a 30 yard reception.
The Blue Devils will have a tough task over the next two weeks, as they will face UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater on the road.
