Football loses opening conference game
Turnovers prove costly for Blugolds
McLean Bennett
Issue date: 10/1/09 Section: Sports
Even with scoring 20 unanswered points late in the game, the UW-Eau Claire football team fell to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent UW-Stevens Point Saturday.
The Blugolds dropped to .500 this weekend after losing 48-33 against Stevens Point on the road. The defeat brings Eau Claire to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the WIAC.
The first half belonged to the Pointers as they scored 14 points in the first quarter before adding seven more points early in the second quarter to jump out to a 21-0 lead.
Senior running back Cory Sartorelli finally put Eau Claire on the board midway through the second period with a two-yard touchdown run.
Sartorelli finished the game with two touchdowns and 52 yards rushing. But the team racked up just 68 rushing yards on the afternoon - marking the team's least-productive rushing performance so far this season.
"They were putting more people in the box to stop the run," head coach Todd Glaser said about the Pointers' defense.
Both teams traded scores throughout the second quarter. By halftime, the Pointers had amassed a 35-13 advantage.
The Blugolds roared back in the second half, though, scoring 20 points in the third and early fourth quarter to bring the score to 35-33.
"I thought our kids at halftime came in and were calm and knew they could fix the mistakes they were making in the first half," Glaser said.
Stevens Point came back with a 13-point streak of its own to send the score to 48-33, closing the door on the Blugolds.
Senior quarterback Kyle Paulson threw for 320 yards on 38-of-59 passing. Paulson threw one touchdown - a five-yarder to senior wide receiver Spencer Kehoe late in the third quarter - but also recorded two interceptions. Paulson also finished the day with one rushing touchdown.
Kehoe finished with 84 receiving yards and nine catches. But it was sophomore wide receiver David Goodman who led the team in receiving, catching 10 passes for 103 yards.
But Glaser said turnovers proved costly for the team. Aside from Paulson's two interceptions, the Blugolds also coughed up two lost fumbles Saturday.
"…We can't do that - especially when you're on the road," Glaser said.
The Pointers gave up two interceptions, one which was returned 49 yards for a Blugold touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Eau Claire will play at UW-Whitewater Oct. 10. Whitewater was ranked second nationally in a d3football.com poll released prior to Whitewater's most recent game, a 35-3 win over UW-Platteville on Saturday.
"They're a good football team like everyone else in this league," Glaser said, noting that his own team will have to improve on turnovers and special-teams play before heading to Whitewater this Saturday.
The Blugolds will play their next home game Oct. 17 against UW-Platteville. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. at Carson Park.
The Blugolds dropped to .500 this weekend after losing 48-33 against Stevens Point on the road. The defeat brings Eau Claire to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the WIAC.
The first half belonged to the Pointers as they scored 14 points in the first quarter before adding seven more points early in the second quarter to jump out to a 21-0 lead.
Senior running back Cory Sartorelli finally put Eau Claire on the board midway through the second period with a two-yard touchdown run.
Sartorelli finished the game with two touchdowns and 52 yards rushing. But the team racked up just 68 rushing yards on the afternoon - marking the team's least-productive rushing performance so far this season.
"They were putting more people in the box to stop the run," head coach Todd Glaser said about the Pointers' defense.
Both teams traded scores throughout the second quarter. By halftime, the Pointers had amassed a 35-13 advantage.
The Blugolds roared back in the second half, though, scoring 20 points in the third and early fourth quarter to bring the score to 35-33.
"I thought our kids at halftime came in and were calm and knew they could fix the mistakes they were making in the first half," Glaser said.
Stevens Point came back with a 13-point streak of its own to send the score to 48-33, closing the door on the Blugolds.
Senior quarterback Kyle Paulson threw for 320 yards on 38-of-59 passing. Paulson threw one touchdown - a five-yarder to senior wide receiver Spencer Kehoe late in the third quarter - but also recorded two interceptions. Paulson also finished the day with one rushing touchdown.
Kehoe finished with 84 receiving yards and nine catches. But it was sophomore wide receiver David Goodman who led the team in receiving, catching 10 passes for 103 yards.
But Glaser said turnovers proved costly for the team. Aside from Paulson's two interceptions, the Blugolds also coughed up two lost fumbles Saturday.
"…We can't do that - especially when you're on the road," Glaser said.
The Pointers gave up two interceptions, one which was returned 49 yards for a Blugold touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Eau Claire will play at UW-Whitewater Oct. 10. Whitewater was ranked second nationally in a d3football.com poll released prior to Whitewater's most recent game, a 35-3 win over UW-Platteville on Saturday.
"They're a good football team like everyone else in this league," Glaser said, noting that his own team will have to improve on turnovers and special-teams play before heading to Whitewater this Saturday.
The Blugolds will play their next home game Oct. 17 against UW-Platteville. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. at Carson Park.
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