By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding, UW-W
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Statistics: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/uwwsports.com/documents/2021/10/30/27597.pdf
The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team swung the momentum early Saturday with a big defensive play and piled up 517 yards of total offense in a 48-6 victory against UW-Eau Claire in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in front of 11,248 fans at Perkins Stadium.
The Warhawks (8-0 overall, 5-0 WIAC) rushed for 204 yards and added 313 yards through the air, while the defense forced four turnovers and held the Blugolds to 319 total yards, including 75 on the ground.
Alex Peete posted 116 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Max Meylor threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns, and Ryan Wisniewski tallied eight receptions for 120 yards and three scores.
Mark McGrath paced the defense with nine tackles, while Kyle Koelblinger contributed six stops, one forced fumble and one pass breakup.
UW-Eau Claire (3-5, 1-4) drove deep into UW-W territory on the first drive of the game, but Koelblinger stripped the ball carrier at the 25-yard line, and Thomas Wojnowski picked it up and ran 75 yards for a touchdown with 13:47 on the clock.
Meylor pinned the Blugolds at their own 1-yard line with a 44-yard punt midway through the quarter, and after UW-Eau Claire was forced to punt, Meylor hit Wisniewski on a shovel pass from 7 yards out to make it 14-0 with 2:51 remaining in the first quarter.
Tegan Christiansen posted an interception on the next drive on a long pass attempt by the Blugolds, and UW-Whitewater turned it around for a nine-play, 95-yard drive, capped by a 15-yard pass from Meylor to Tyler Holte that made it 21-0 with 10:46 to play in the second quarter.
The defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and the Warhawks pushed their lead to 28 thanks to a 14-yard pass from Meylor to Wisniewski with 4:44 remaining.
UW-Eau Claire drove to the UW-W 12-yard line late in the half, but Wojnowski picked off Harry Roubidoux at the goal line to keep the UW-Whitewater lead at 28-0 into halftime.
Holte started the second half with a 72-yard kickoff return to the Blugolds’ 23-yard line, and Matt Maldonado kicked a 24-yard field goal to increase the lead to 31-0 with 12:06 to go in the third quarter.
After UW-Eau Claire got on the board with a touchdown, Meylor hit Wisniewski deep down the middle of the field for a 64-yard score and a 38-6 advantage at the 9:01 mark.
The Warhawks added to their lead later in the quarter as Peete bounced a run to the outside for a 24-yard touchdown with 51 seconds left in the period.
Maldonado capped the scoring with a career-long 45-yard field goal with 4:51 on the clock.
On the next drive, Nehemiah Lomax recovered a UW-Eau Claire fumble, and the Warhawks ran out the clock on the final possession.
UW-Whitewater hosts nationally-ranked UW-La Crosse for a showdown of the league’s unbeatens next Saturday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. at Perkins Stadium.
