Pioneers dig deep, but fall just short to No. 11 UW-La Crosse

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team came up just short Saturday with a tough 24-23 loss to UW-La Crosse, ranked No. 11 by D3football.com. The Pioneers piled up 469 total yards while holding the Eagles to a season low 276 in Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.

UW-Platteville (1-5, 0-3 WIAC) accumulated almost all its offense in the air with Colin Schuetz passing for a career high 453 yards. The senior's tally puts him third all-time in the Pioneers' record book for most passing yards in a single game.  

The Eagles (5-1, 3-0 WIAC) entered Saturday's game averaging 439.6 yards per game but were stifled to 171 yards on the ground and 105 passing. UW-La Crosse managed to pull way with as much as a 10-point lead early in the back-and-forth battle before the Pioneers' chase was ultimately cut just short.

Schuetz was 36-of-59 passing with two touchdowns and a 71-yard long to junior Austin Guy who caught 10 passes for a career high 190 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Ben Wilson pulled in eight for 99 yards.

Junior Tyler Bacon registered five tackles for a loss of 40 yards including three sacks for 32 yards. Sophomore Sam Smith registered a game high eight solo tackles.

After having back-to-back early deficits the previous two weekends, the Pioneers jumped to an early 7-0 lead with a 71-yard reception from Schuetz to Guy on the second play of the opening drive. The teams swapped drives before the Eagles went 61 yards in seven plays to even the game 7-7 with 4:39 left in the first quarter.

UW-Platteville punted the next drive, but junior Michael Griffin intercepted Jakob Parks the very next play to reclaim possession. Momentum swiftly changed again with a UW-Platteville fumble and Eagle recovery at UW-Platteville's 23-yard line. UW-La Crosse wasted no time and pulled away two plays later with a 15-yard rush and touchdown with 00:38 on the clock.

The Eagles' largest lead of 17-7 fell at 10:59 in the second quarter with a 48-yard field goal. The Pioneers narrowed the gap to 17-14 going 80 yards in 11 plays and a one-yard touchdown run by senior Evan Gates.

UW-La Crosse held the three-point lead through the half, but a 37-yard field goal by junior Andrew Schweigert locked the game 17-17 with 10:56 remaining in the third quarter.

The tie did not last long as Jake Simuncak returned Schweigert's very next kickoff 100 yards for a UW-La Crosse touchdown and a 24-17 lead.  The Eagle's advantage stayed unchanged following a failed 43-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Beirne. The teams exchanged punts before Schuetz was intercepted for the third time on the day which allowed the Eagles to pick things up on the Pioneer's 47-yard line with 9:27 remaining in the game.

Two huge stops by the Pioneer defense and a broken-up pass forced the Eagles to punt on 4^th and seven. UW-Platteville took over with 7:58 remaining and the Pioneers went 85 yards on 10 plays in 4:09. A false start against the Pioneers on the extra point attempt pushed the team back and the tying play went wide.

Leading 24-23, the Eagles took over at their own 37-yard line with 3:49 remaining. UW-La Crosse tallied three first downs, but could not move the chains closer than the 50 and were forced to punt on 4th and eight. UW-Platteville took over with 1:10 on the clock and exploded down the field, moving 60 yards off three receptions and a 13-yard carry by Schuetz. The final 19-yard pass to Wilson put the Pioneers at the Eagles' 14-yard line with the final seconds ticking away. The Pioneers went to spike the ball to bring out the field goal unit, but were unable to set up the final play and a kneel and loss of yard allowed time to expire and UW-La Crosse to escape with the win.

After the game head coach Mike Emendorfer said, "I'm incredibly proud of how our team played today against another nationally ranked opponent. Obviously, the end was a moment we wish we could have another chance at, but we played as a team today and we will get back at it next week and prepare as a team. Colin has led this program to many great moments during his time here, and we look forward to him and all of his teammates returning next week with the same drive that we saw today."

The Pioneers will make their return to Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium next Saturday for the annual UW-Platteville Homecoming game. They will host UW-Stevens Point on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m.