UW-La Crosse tailspin continues

What has happened to the mystique surrounding the UW-La Crosse football program? The Eagles won WIAC titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and have a league leading 33 championships overall.

UWL had been a thorn in the side of UW-Whitewater with archrivals often playing with the road to the conference title going to the winner.

The genesis of UW-Whitewater’s current five-year run of WIAC Championships began in La Crosse on October, 15, 2005.

A memorable goal-line stand by the UWW defense and a Justin Beaver touchdown with 46 seconds left broke the hex, giving the Warhawks a 29-23 win spring boarding UW-Whitewater to a 10-0 regular season and playoff run to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

The mystique was broken.

The Warhawks next trip to La Crosse proved even more devastating for the Eagles.

Both teams entered the game ranked in the Top 10 in three national polls.

The Warhawks trailed 21-7 at halftime and 28-10 in the 3rd quarter prior to scoring the 25 consecutive points in the 4th quarter, handing the conference-favorite Eagles its first loss of the season. Late in the game UW-Whitewater’s AJ Raebel knocked UW-L quarterback Griffin Moe out of the game with a ferocious sideline hit.

Three plays later replacement Gus Almonroeder's pass was picked off by UW-W’s Ben Farley at the La Crosse 46, and returned to the 18 with 2:14 left in the game.

Three plays later Jake Andersen, filling in because Beaver had left the game with a shin injury midway through the third quarter, punched it in from one yard out to give the pulsating come-from-behind victory.

The UWL-UWW rivalry bottomed out for the Eagles in last year’s 58-21 loss to the Warhawks in the regular season finale in front of the home crowd at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.

The 58 points allowed by UW-L are the second-most in school history. UW-Whitewater scored 60 points in a victory (60-32) n 1987.

For the first time since 1972, the UW-La Crosse football team lost to UW-Oshkosh last weekend.

The Titans ended a 37-game winless streak (35 losses, two ties) that included 24 wins in a row by the Eagles with a 28-17 victory at J.J. Keller Field at Titans Stadium.

The loss was La Crosse's eighth in a row dating to last year - the most in school history - and fourth to start the season.

Since the loss to Whitewater in 2007 UW-La Crosse has struggled to an 8 & 14 conference record and 11 & 20 overall.