Blugolds blast Carthage 40-0, improve to 3-0

The UW-Eau Claire Blugolds dominated the visting Carthage Firebirds in every phase of the football game. And in every way.

The Blugolds rolled up 409 yards, held the Firebirds to 89 yards and excelled on special teams in a 40-0 rout on a rainy Saturday afternoon at historic Carson Park.

UWEC pitched its first shutout in two years with a masterful performance.

UW-Eau Claire went 3-0 in its non-conference schedule for the second straight year, but its coaches and players are convinced this team is much better than the one that went winless in the WIAC last year.

“Last year, our non-conference games maybe weren’t the best competition and gave us false hope,” UWEC coach Rob Erickson said. “This year, we played three really good teams. We scheduled some better teams to set us up for WIAC competition.

“To come out 3-0 with this schedule gives us a lot more confidence. Those games set us up well for conference play.”

UW-Eau Claire quarterback Ayden Helder has a similar view.

“We have a lot more confidence and experience than we did last year,” he said. “There is a level of maturity this team has. We just have to keep doing what we are good at and keep trusting each other. We just need to keep it rolling.”

The Blugolds were simply fantastic Saturday, bolting to a 23-0 halftime advantage where they actually could have led by more.

Helder ran for two short touchdowns while also connecting with teammate Levi Pooley on a 52-yard scoring strike.

“Their defense went to a man look and Pooley ended up being uncovered,” Helder said. “The offensive line did a great job protecting me and gave me just enough time to get the pass off. And we made a big play.”

Leading 16-0, Erickson called for a fake punt on fourth-and-8 from the UWEC 49. The play worked beautifully as Vince Hanz took a short snap and darted through a big opening for a 31-yard run.

“They are pretty aggressive,” Erickson said. “With the formation we had, we had them outnumbered on one side. We decided to run the fake and there was a huge hole. I wish we would have scored on that play.”

The Blugolds cashed in three plays later when Helder scored from 4 yards out.

Any thoughts Carthage had of staging a second half rally were extinguished on the first drive after the break.

UW-Eau Claire embarked on an efficient, clock-consuming 72-yard march, capped by running back Paxton Rothmeier’s 2-yard TD plunge.

The drive took more than half of the quarter as the Blugolds grabbed a 30-0 lead on the run-heavy 7 minute, 34 second march.

Rothmeier delivered a 33-yard run during the drive and junior tight end Jayce Kolinski caught a 7-yard pass in the red zone on fourth-and-3.

Kolinski had a big day, hauling in five passes for 58 yards.

UWEC totally shut down Carthage with a smothering defensive performance, putting pressure on the quarterback and holding the Firebirds to just 10 yards rushing.

“The game plan was to stop the run and we did that,” Blugold junior linebacker Jack Scheldroup said. “We really wanted that shutout. It was great seeing everyone succeed.”

“Our defense played very confident and very aggressive,” Erickson said. “We shut down their running game and controlled the line of scrimmage.”

Nobody appreciates the contributions of the UWEC defense more than the Blugold offense.

“Our defense has been lights out all season,” Helder said. “They are doing an absolutely great job. It has made a huge difference. The defense has been phenomenal.”

The Blugolds will have next weekend off before starting WIAC play Oct. 3 at home against UW-Stevens Point.

“We are excited to see what we can do in the WIAC,” Erickson said. “If we play good football, we know we can play with any team in the country.”

Erickson said his team will follow its regular practice routine despite not having a game next Saturday.

Scheldroup said his team is prepared to tackle league play in one of the nation’s best conferences.

“There are some great teams in the WIAC,” he said. “They will be ready to play and we have to be ready to play. We just have to keep working hard and rise to the occasion.

“The first thing we say before every drive is let’s go out and have fun.

Blugold players have the word “CLIMB” on the back of their helmets.

“We just have to keep climbing the mountain,” Scheldroup said. “That’s our motto and that’s what we live by. There are peaks and there are valleys. We just have to keep climbing.”

Source link