NCAA Div. III: No. 6 UW-Whitewater stuns No. 2 UW-River Falls in WIAC showdown

The UW-Whitewater Warhawks (4-0, 1-0) made an early statement in the WIAC title race Saturday, using three touchdowns from freshman Tommy Novotny and a relentless defensive performance to knock off the No. 2 UW-River Falls Falcons (3-1, 0-1) 24-16 in front of 20,118 fans at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

The sixth-ranked Warhawks managed only 228 yards of offense and 38 through the air, but they didn’t need much more. Novotny ran for a career-high 192 yards and three touchdowns while the Whitewater defense intercepted Cade Fitzgerald three times, recorded five sacks and shut out the high-powered Falcons in the second half.

Novotny breaks loose

Whitewater showed exactly how it planned to attack the game on its second possession.

Facing third-and-17, Novotny bounced outside, broke a tackle and exploded down the sideline for a 69-yard touchdown. A bad snap through the end zone gave River Falls a safety late in the first quarter, but Novotny struck again moments later.

His second touchdown was even more emphatic. The freshman made a defender miss with a sharp cut and raced 65 yards down the sideline, pushing the Warhawks ahead 14-2.

Two carries had suddenly produced 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Falcons turn the game around

The Falcons weren’t going quietly.

Fitzgerald hit Jaylen Johnson for 53 yards before finding Ben Wesolowski for a 20-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-9. Less than a minute later, Beau Schrot intercepted Justin Klinkner at the Whitewater five and returned it for a touchdown.

Just like that, River Falls led 16-14.

Hunter Liszka answered with a career-long 45-yard field goal to put the Warhawks back in front 17-16, and Drew Kortz intercepted Fitzgerald in the end zone later in the quarter to preserve the lead.

Warhawks slam the door

After a scoreless third quarter, Novotny delivered again, scoring from 11 yards out early in the fourth to give Whitewater a 24-16 cushion.

Then the defense took over.

The Falcons drove to the Whitewater 35 before being stopped on downs. Given one final opportunity, Fitzgerald moved River Falls all the way to the four-yard line, setting up a dramatic final stand.

The Warhawks refused to budge.

Five plays inside the red zone produced nothing, and Whitewater stopped the Falcons on fourth down with 19 seconds remaining.

Kortz finished with two interceptions, while Jace Chamberlain recorded two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Jayden Fowler added a career-high 12 tackles.

River Falls actually outgained Whitewater 289-228 and held a 17-9 advantage in first downs. None of it mattered.

On an afternoon when two top-six teams brought completely different styles into a packed Perkins Stadium, the Warhawks ran the football, protected their end zone and walked away with the WIAC’s first major statement of the season.