UW-Eau Claire football traveled on the road to play rival UW-Stout in the war on I-94, Saturday, Oct 26. The Blugolds looked to end their 8-game losing streak in matchups against Stout.
After Stout won the toss and deferred, meaning they elected to receive the ball at the start of the second half, the Blugolds got off to a quick start, scoring on their first possession. The drive was propelled by three first downs and a six-yard touchdown pass by Harry Roubidoux to wide receiver Yaach Chuol.
Fourth-year quarterback Roubidoux expressed the team’s willingness on offense to operate with pace.
“Especially offensively, having rhythm in an offense is really important,” Roubidoux said. “When you can get the ball moving and knock plays off like that in quick succession it can really help the flow of your offense.”
After a three-minute offensive drive by the Blugolds, Stout responded with a touchdown of their own off of an Adam Moen 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Caleb Timm, evening the score at 7-7.
The momentum stayed with Stout as they held the Blugolds on fourth down on their own 36 yard-line after Roubidoux’s incomplete pass to Chuol.
With a 7-7 score at the end of the first quarter, Stout went on to score two unanswered touchdowns at the heels of a 90-yard touchdown reception by Stout’s Patrick Corcoran.
The Blugolds responded with a 30-yard field goal from Connor Radaj. After the field goal, Stout added another touchdown before halftime, making the score 28-10.
Stout pushed the ball to the Blugolds 37 yard-line in the third quarter, but their run was stopped on fourth down by the Blugolds. The team’s tackle leader Brady Hoffner talked about their relentless attitude on defense.
“What impressed me about our defense is our ability to run to the ball every play,” Hoffner said.
After the turnover on downs, the Blugolds, despite making it to Stout’s 24-yard line, failed to convert on fourth down, making it their third turnover on downs in the contest. Stout ended the third quarter with another touchdown, lengthening their lead 35-10.
Stout forced a punt early in the fourth and proceeded to throw for their fifth touchdown, bringing their lead up to 32 points.
The Blugolds ended up putting in two scoring offensive drives in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 42-20 and held Stout scoreless after their touchdown earlier in the quarter.
The Blugolds fell 42-20 in the end. Roubidoux had a busy day with 398 passing yards and a 66.7 completion percentage on 54 attempts. A target Roubidoux went to frequently Saturday was fourth-year wide receiver Isaac Garside.
Roubidoux connected with the team’s receiving yards leader for 10 catches and 168 yards. Roubidoux and Garside have played together for four years and have been able to create a dynamic on the field.
“He’s just a guy that works so hard that I can trust him on the field,” Roubidoux said. “Just knowing I have him out there somewhere he’s going to go get the ball. That’s a really nice safety blanket to have.”
Alongside Garside’s performance, the Blugolds received scoring performances from incoming transfers Chuol and Franko Williams. Roubidoux also praised the offensive line who allowed just one sack in the game.
On the defensive side moving forward, Hoffner discussed what the mindset he wanted the team to adopt.
“Always practicing with high effort no matter what the task is. There’s always room for improvement,” Hoffner said.
The Blugolds will have a chance to bounce back at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 against ranked UW-Oshkosh at home in Carson Park.
Benes can be reached at [email protected].
