No. 24 Pioneers Rally to Upset No. 3 UW-La Crosse in Overtime

Photo by: Jim Lund
LA CROSSE, Wis. – A trick double pass touchdown in overtime clinched the University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team's stunning 30-27 upset victory over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (2-2, 0-1 WIAC) on Saturday afternoon. With time dwindling in the Eagles' homecoming game, the Pioneers (4-0, 1-0 WIAC) put up 15 unanswered points in five minutes to tie the game 24-24 with 1:18 left in regulation at Roger Harring Stadium. 

Senior Michael Priami's pair of 40+ yard touchdown passes in the fourth quarter put the Pioneers (ranked 20^th by AFCA and 24^th by D3football.com) in position to tie the game after trailing the Eagles (ranked 5^th by AFCA and 3^rd by D3football.com) 24-9 midway through the fourth quarter. Priami found senior Brandt Stare for the two-point conversion to tie the game and the Eagles got to work with just over a minute left to try to get within field goal range. UW-La Crosse was forced to attempt a 58-yard field goal, but the kick with a strong wind behind it fell short, and the conference opener went to overtime.

UW-Platteville won the toss and chose to go second. The Pioneers allowed a six-yard gain, but senior Nicholas Alberico's pass breakup on third and four forced the Eagles to kick a 37-yard field goal. Coach Munz's red-hot offense returned to the field and on the first snap, Priami passed it back to Stare on the right side and Stare's perfect pass found a wide-open senior Ryan Doherty in the corner of the endzone to close the game and the Pioneers' sideline rushed onto the field. 

Stare finished not only with a season-high, but career-high 189 receiving yards. The senior's stat line also featured two touchdowns, including a 78-yard bomb from Priami, in addition to passing the game-winning 25-yard touchdown.  

The Pioneers held the advantage in total offense yards, 421-340. Sticking to their roots, the Eagles found 168 yards with their run game while the Pioneers sent 383 yards through the air. 

UW-La Cross held possession for 37:33 compared to the Pioneers' 22:27, but the Pioneers were also just 1-1 in the red-zone as they found most of their scoring opportunities from deep down field. The Eagles were solid in the red-zone and finished 4-5. UW-Platteville continued to be a threat in their opponent's backfields as they tallied three sacks for a loss of 22 yards, while the Pioneers shielded Priami from being sacked once.

Priami was 28-of-43 for 358 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Kyle Haas and Zach Weir combined for 172 passing yards off 32 attempts for UW-La Crosse  

Sophomore Zackary Bothun finished with 26 net rushing yards off 11 carries while the Eagles were led by Gabe Lynch who netted 120 yards on 24 carries for two touchdowns. 

Junior Will Straka paced the Pioneers with 11 total tackles, including one sack for a loss of 10 yards and two tackles for a loss of 11. Junior Logan Drone also finished with 11 tackles and one tackle for a loss of two yards. Senior Aidan Sproule was a nuisance in La Crosse' backfield all day and finished with two tackles for a loss of nine yards and a sack for a loss of six yards. Ryan Daines paced the Eagles with nine tackles, including three for a loss of three yards and one interception for a 22-yard return.

Fans who tuned into the game late may have been surprised to see it took almost the entire first half for either team to get on the board thanks to defensive showcases from both teams. 

In the first quarter, UW-Platteville totaled 45 yards off 12 plays while holding UW-La Crosse to just 15 yards on 19 plays. Sophomore Ollie Hughes' interception highlighted the quarter, but both teams struggled to get things moving on offense. 

With 3:17 left in the first half, a 24-yard field goal by sophomore Trevor Schulz put the Pioneers ahead 3-0, but the Eagles ran in for a touchdown with just seconds remaining in the half. UW-La Crosse used that energy of that scoring drive just before the break to fuel a push early in the second half. The Eagles intercepted Priami and needed just one play to go up 14-3 less than two minutes into the second half.  

Following a turnover on downs and with 4:47 left in the third quarter, Priami hit Stare for a 78-yard touchdown to narrow the Eagles' lead to 14-9. UW-La Crosse ate six minutes off the clock in their next drive which ended with a 26-yard field goal. The Pioneers were forced to punt and UW-La Crosse's Lynch broke through for a 47-yard touchdown and the Eagles led 24-9 with 9:58 left in regulation. The Pioneers started to make their way down field, but another interception handed the ball back to UW-La Crosse with 9:12 left in the game. The Pioneers forced a three and out and the Eagles resorted to punting again. 

UW-Platteville got the ball back with 8:00 on the clock and went 85 yards in five plays, finishing with Stare running all the way for a touchdown following a short pass from Priami back at the Eagles' 42-yard line. 

The Eagles shaved three minutes off the clock on their next drive but were once again forced to punt. The Pioneers' rally continued and they went 85 yards in nine plays. Priami connected this time with sophomore Carter Olson for a 40-yard touchdown and a successful two-point conversion left the Eagles' fans stunned as the game was tied 24-24 with 1:18 left in the game. The trick play in overtime sent UW-Platteville home with the team's first victory over UW-La Crosse since 2019.

UW-Platteville's triumph also handed the Eagles their first WIAC loss since the 2022 WIAC opener against UW-Whitewater.

The Pioneers will return to action and Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium when they host No. 6 UW-River Falls at 1 p.m. in the 100^th UW-Platteville Homecoming game.

*As with every UW-Platteville win this year, the Platteville A&W will be offering a $3 Pioneer burger the day after the win and the Platteville Taco John's will be offering 10 tacos for $10 the day after each Pioneer win.