PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – In a matchup between a pair of teams ranked inside the top 10, the No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team (6-0, 3-0 WIAC) put together a dominant showing on both sides of the ball to shutout No. 6 UW-River Falls (4-2, 1-2 WIAC) by a score of 42-0 on Saturday afternoon inside Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
The Pioneers outgained the Falcons 471-21 on the afternoon, the second time this season the defense has held an opponent to fewer than 25 yards of total offense. UW-River Falls were unable to move the ball on the ground or through the air, finishing with -7 rushing yards and 28 passing yards.
The defense posted its third shutout of the season as well, the most for UW-Platteville in a single season since 2016. All three of the shutouts have come at home, and the Pioneers have allowed just seven points at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium this season.
Junior
Dominic Ohlinger led a ferocious pass rush that totaled a season-high seven sacks. Ohlinger had multiple takedowns for the second straight week, while junior Asthon Honore tallied 1.5, splitting one with senior
Cormac Sammons. Senior
Martin McDonald, senior
Jake Kann, and junior
Carver Blietz-Bentien each added one sack.
Offensively, quarterback
Nathan Uselding continued to find success, throwing for three more touchdowns and a season-high 340 yards. UW-River Falls entered the week allowing opponents to complete less than 50 percent of passes, but Uselding was methodical, completing 29-of-35 passes while throwing just one interception late in the first half. Junior
Caden Casimino also threw a late touchdown pass, bringing UW-Platteville to four passing scores on the afternoon.
Seniors
Kristian Gavric and
Jaxson Garbisch both surpassed 100 receiving yards and each finished with seven receptions to share the team lead. Gavric had a season-high 120 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Garbisch hauled in two more scores and 101 yards. Sophomore
Brayden Knoll turned six catches into 57 yards, while senior
Zackary Bothun pulled down five catches for 31 yards.
Sophomore
Blake Bangtson paced the team on the ground with 65 yards on six carries, 40 of which came on a long touchdown run late in the first quarter. Bothun carried the ball 19 times for 49 yards and also found the end zone on a short plunge.
UW-River Falls got the ball first but punted it after a third-down sack by Honore. The Pioneers moved the ball into Falcons territory on their opening possession but turned the ball over on downs after a fourth-down rushing attempt by Bothun came up a couple yards short.
UW-Platteville put the first points of the game on the board on its second possession thanks to an eight-play, 77-yard touchdown drive. Gavric had a big 37-yard third down catch to keep the drive alive and later scored his first touchdown of the day on a 19-yard pass over the middle.
Junior Rodney Gavins came away with an interception on an overthrow on UW-River Falls' next possession, and the Pioneers capitalized with a touchdown two plays later as Bangtson ran up the middle for a 40-yard score.
The Falcons moved the ball just past midfield on their next drive but were forced to punt again. Both teams would punt again before UW-Platteville made it 21-0 following an 80-yard scoring drive. A 17-yard catch by Gavric and a defensive penalty put the Pioneers just outside the red zone before Uselding connected with Garbisch for a 21-yard touchdown over two defenders.
UW-Platteville had one more chance to score before halftime, but Uselding's end zone pass to Garbisch was intercepted.
In the second half, the Pioneers punted on their first possession and then gave UW-River Falls a second chance after fumbling on a punt return. The defense held strong, holding the Falcons to -12 yards over the two drives.
Midway through third, Bothun capped a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive with a one-yard score to make it 28-0 in favor of UW-Platteville. Bothun was a key piece on the drive, converting a third and short with a 17-yard reception and grinding out 14 yards with some strong running to set up the 1st-and-goal.
UW-Platteville would tack on two more scores in the fourth quarter while holding the Falcons to just three yards of offense in the frame. Uselding hit Garbisch for a 30-yard gain to get the ball in the red zone before finding the senior against for an 11-yard touchdown. On the Pioneers next possession, Casimino threw his touchdown pass and concluded the scoring in the contest when he found Gavric wide open in the back of the end zone for a two-yard score.
The Pioneers doubled up UW-River Falls in time of possession at 40:42 to 19:18. On third downs, UW-Platteville went 11-of-16 versus just 2-of-14 for the Falcons.
UW-Platteville heads to UW-Oshkosh to continue WIAC play next Saturday afternoon. Kickoff against the Titans is scheduled for 1 p.m.
