UW-La Crosse 29, UW-Stout 23
MENOMONIE (October 6, 2018) - After UW-Stout came back from a 14-point deficit with five minutes to go to force overtime, UW-La Crosse's Ryan Flaherty recorded a strip sack of Stout quarterback
Sean Borgerding and Rusty Murphy picked up the fumble and raced 57 yards for the winning score on the third play of overtime to give the Eagles a 29-23 WIAC win at Williams Stadium Saturday.
Trailing 23-9 with nearly eight minutes remaining, the Blue Devil (3-2, 1-1 WIAC) stopped Eagles on the Stout 25.
Borgerding drove the Blue Devils 75 yards in nine plays that took just over three minutes. Borgerding hit four consecutive first dow pass plays, a 13-yard pass to
Parker Fossum, an 11-yard toss to Noel Gonzales to mid-field, a 12-yard pass to running back
Rayshawn Graham and an 18-yard strike to
Levy Hamer and Stout was at the La Crosse 21.
Graham rushed for a yard and Borgerding hit Fossum for the second time in the drive, this time on a 16-yard pass to the La Crosse 4. Borgerding ran for a yard, Graham ran to the 1-yard line and Borgerding scored on a QB keeper from 1-yard out at 4:45 of the final quarter.
The Blue Devil defense rose to the occasion again on the next drive, but not initially. Eagles' running back Austin Mancosky ripped off a 47-yard run on first down to the Stout 28. Three plays later, Mancosky fumbled and Stout's
Jed Schlegel recovered at the Stout 21.
Borgerding needed only three plays - two to
Tyler Seymour - to drive the 79 yards. Following a lost yard on first down, Borgerding hit Seymour for a 63-yard pass play, then found Seymour at the front of the end zone for a 17-yard score and, following a
Drew Pearson extra-point, a tied game at 2:09.
The Eagles threatened again when quarterback Ben Schranski connected with Cole Spieker for a 46-yard pass play to the Stout 40. The Blue Devils forced a punt on a short run and two incomplete passes and Stout ran the clock out.
The Eagles won the toss and deferred to defense and the ball was placed on the 25. Three plays later, the Blue Devils fumbled and Murphy rumbled to the win.
The Eagles drove 82 yards on the opening drive and Schramski called his own number from one yard out five minutes into the game.
The Blue Devils pulled to within 7-6 in the second period. After a missed field goal by the Eagles, Stout went 69 yards over five plays, aided by an Eagles personal foul penalty after a 10-yard run by Borgerding to the 50. Graham carried three straight times, 14-yards, 5-yard and 16-yards to score. The extra point was blocked.
After stopping the Eagles on a three-and-out, with back-to-back sacks, including a strip sack by
Dylan Peterson and
Aaron Wisecup recovered the ball. The Blue Devils could not garner a TD, but did get a 26-yard field goal and a 9-7 lead at 7:24 of the second period. The Eagles took the lead at 14-9 on a Schramski 27-yard TD pass to Dominic Labellarte with three minutes left in the period.
The Eagles added a field goal early in the fourth period, the jumped out to a 14 point lead when Schramski and Spieker connected for a 39-yard score at 10:41 of the fourth quarter.
The teams combined for more than 800 yards of total offense.
La Crosse finished the game with 418 yards of total offense, while Stout piled up 408 yards of total offense. La Crosse had 282 yards in passing, 136 yards on the ground. Stout had 311 total yards passing and 97 yards on the ground.
Borgerding threw for 315 yards, going 23-of-37, but was intercepted twice and was sacked seven times. Seymour had three catches for 102 yards and Hamer had nine receptions for 89 yards. Graham carried the ball 19 times for 91 yards and a TD.
For the Eagles, Schramski completed 17-of-39 passes for 282 yards and two TDs. Cole Spieker hauled in four passes for 135 yards and a score and Dominic Labellarte had four receptions for 54 yards and a TD. Austin Mancosky carried the ball 22 times for 111 yards.
Stout committed five turnovers, three fumbles lost and two interceptions. La Crosse lost two fumbles.
Stout will be on the road for the first time in three weeks when they travel to UW-River Falls, Saturday, Oct. 13.
