The UW-Eau Claire football team wrapped up its best statistical season since 2012 with a home loss to UW-La Crosse Saturday at Carson Park.

The Blugolds were defeated 42-0 and fell to a season record of 4-6, however the score of the game was not an accurate representation of how well the Blugolds played against a solid UW-La Crosse team that finished at 7-3.

Although they didn’t score any points, the Blugolds performed well offensively, Head Coach Dan Larson said. They collected 191 yards through the air and 123 total rushing yards.

Scott Procter, a fourth-year quarterback, completed 11 of his 23 pass attempts for 155 yards while throwing many of these passes to Leeshaun Evans, who had 99 receiving yards that day. Brian Kulaga, fourth-year running back, had a solid rushing game, racking 76 yards on the ground on 20 carries and averaging 3.5 yards per carry.

The Blugolds had at least four trips to the red zone that came up empty due to turnovers on the goal line and a failed fourth-down conversion attempt. Larson explained that these problems were not common throughout the season.

“We’ve actually been one of the best teams in the WIAC in terms of converting in the red zone,” Larson said, “so it was just unfortunate that we struggled with it so much on Saturday.”

Despite a tough season finale, the Blugolds have taken serious strides as a team and have shown improvement in many areas, Procter said.

“When you have the right group of guys, you can turn things around,” Procter said. “This is just the start for this program.”

A relatively young roster along with a good recruiting class is the key for the Blugolds moving forward, Larson said.

“We have the athletes and the players to do it,” Larson said. “The seniors set a great example for the young guys with how hard they worked, so as long as they follow in their footsteps we will be in a good position to win.”

After the final whistle, it was a seemingly emotional scene for many of the fourth-year students who had played their last game together. Some fourth-year students shed a few tears at the passing of their final season.

“I don’t have any specific favorite memories, I’m just gonna miss playing with my boys,” Kulaga said.

Fourth-year students believe they have paved the way for successful season to come for the Blugolds, Procter said. They feel through their examples and coaches’ leadership, the team can be a dominating force in the WIAC in upcoming years.

“The underclassmen are next up; they have the blueprint right now,” Procter said. “This team is gonna bring a lot of fun times to Carson park in the next couple of years.”

Alex can be reached at [email protected].