College football: UW-Stout offense in top form as WIAC play heats up

Spencer Flaten, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·3 min read

Oct. 7—It would be difficult for the UW-Stout football team to be doing better on offense than the Blue Devils already are. With a total of 139 points and 1,195 yards across their last two games, they've broken school records in back-to-back weeks.

The Blue Devils' offense found the end zone nine times in a 73-29 win against rival UW-Eau Claire last week. They did the same against Crown College the week prior. Their 66 points against Crown were a new program best, but it lasted only a week before being broken again.

"We're feeling really good," quarterback Sean Borgerding said after the victory against Eau Claire. "O-line's playing great, running backs are running hard, we're making plays on the edge. That's really good, because we've got some tough teams coming up in the conference. We feel like we've got a lot of things going for us, we've just got to clean up the little things."

That's where Stout wants its offense to be as it welcomes ninth-ranked UW-La Crosse to Williams Stadium on Saturday. Last year's meeting between the Eagles and Blue Devils — a 44-38 La Crosse victory — was a shootout, and many of the same players are still around for both teams.

The Blue Devils have shown they can beat teams on the ground or through the air. They ran for eight touchdowns against Crown, and found the end zone five times through the air against the Blugolds.

Borgerding has thrown for 859 yards and 10 touchdowns while only being intercepted three times. Carter Fonger leads the team in rushing despite only receiving eight carries this season. They've gone for four touchdowns and 204 yards.

Blugolds face tough follow-up

Last week's rivalry rout was tough to swallow for UW-Eau Claire, but the Blugolds had to move on quickly. They face another huge challenge this week when UW-Whitewater visits Carson Park.

The Warhawks, perennially a national power, are ranked No. 3 in the country by D3Football.com. Whitewater is 3-1 this season, and two of their wins came against teams currently ranked within the top 10 in Division III. Their only loss was against St. John's, which also resides in the top 10.

The Blugolds' defense will need to find a way to slow down an offense that put up 34 points against ninth-ranked La Crosse last week. Warhawks quarterback Evan Lewandowski is a WIAC veteran, having earned first-team all-conference honors at La Crosse in 2019 before transferring to Whitewater. He's thrown for 1,125 yards and nine scores this year.

Tackling was a focus this week. Stout broke off several huge plays last week, and the Blugolds don't want that to happen again.

"The biggest part is using our eyes and trusting our technique," cornerback Sam Schradle said this week. "We've got to trust our technique and trust what we're being taught. We just try to execute on that and hope for the best."