By: Justin Dade – UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin Eau Claire football team will try and capture their first conference win of the season as they take on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons at Carson Park on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
The Blugolds will be celebrating their homecoming this weekend, so the atmosphere should be a big help for the team at home. Last week, the Blugolds were defeated by the Pointers of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in a close game, 38-28.
It was easily the best complete game the team has put together all season, and that means big things for the rest of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) schedule. The tough tests the Blugolds faced to begin the season are beginning to show their impact as the team keeps improving every time they hit the field.
The Falcons are giving up an average of 260 yards a game through the air this season, and gave up three passing touchdowns to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse last week. The Blugolds will likely lean on running back Toure Wallace (Fr. – Chicago, IL) once again, but don't be surprised to see the team let JT Denhartog (Fr. – Hopkins, MN) test the secondary with throws down the field. DenHartog had his best game of the season last week, as he was able to pick apart the Pointers secondary with 286 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
The Falcons have registered 11 sacks on the year so far, so offensive line play led by left tackle Isiah Cage (Sr. – Chicago, IL) will be crucial to success. If the offensive line can give DenHartog time to throw, the offense will have a very good chance of being successful through the air. Watch for wide receiver Matthew Knapp (Jr. Eau Claire, WI) to have a big day in the passing game and improve on his impressive 79 receiving yards per game average.
The biggest key on defense for the Blugolds on Saturday will be stopping the run. River Falls ran the football 60 times last week in their overtime win over UW-La Crosse, and it was very effective in the second half. The Falcons will likely be trying to run the ball on early downs to try and make third down more manageable to keep the chains moving.
Look for the Blugolds to keep more defenders in the box than normal on occasion to force the Falcons into some longer passing situations. The front seven led by defensive end Jayden Dobbs (Sr. – Athens, WI), defensive tackle Jason Faanes (Sr. – Eau Claire, WI), and nose tackle Terron Bell (Fr. – Chicago, IL) will be key in clogging up holes at the line of scrimmage.
Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. with a tailgate beginning at 11 a.m.
