UW-Whitewater, ranked second in the D3football.com and AFCA Division III polls, extended its record to 34-1 at Perkins Stadium since the start of the 2005 season with a 38-14 win over UW-River Falls Saturday afternoon in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

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For the seventh time this season UW-W did not allow an opponent to score in the first quarter.  For just the second time, the first since the season opener at Dickinson State, UW-W also did not score in the first fifteen minutes.

Whitewater broke the drought with a touchdown on its second possesion of the second quarter.  UW-W went 72 yards in eight plays, beginning the drive with a 28-yard Jeff Donovan (Wauwatosa/East) to Aaron Rusch (Hartford/Hartford) pass.  Levell Coppage (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park) finished the drive with a four yard run at 6:44.

Whitewater's next drive finished the same way, with Coppage scoring from five yards out at 1:33 on the seventh play of the drive.

The Warhawk defense forced RF into a three and out, with UW-W taking over at the Whitewater 40.  With the clock winding down and no timeouts remaining, facing a third and ten at the RF 36, Donovan hooked up with Jordan Wells (Elgin, IL/Elgin) to make the margin 21-0 going in to the locker rooms.

Whitewater managed just 61 yards in the first quarter, but rolled up 200 in the second.  

UW-W kept the momentum coming out of the locker room, scoring on a the first drive of the second half.  Donovan spread the ball to take UW-W down the field.  He connected for 15 with Rusch, then Adam Brandes (Burlington/Catholic Central) for 24, and got the score on a 35-yard hookup with Jordan Wells (Elgin, IL/Elgin).  Whitewater 28-0 with 13:03.

The homestanding defense gave RF just three plays again, with the Warhawk offense taking over on its 43.  Coppage ran for nine yards, and Donovan and Rusch paired up again, this time for a 48-yard score as Whitewater upped the margin to 35-0 with 11:15 left in the third.

Later in the quarter Whitewater took advantage of an eight yard Falcon punt to take possesion at the RF 24.  Jeff Schebler (Davenport, IA/Assumption), the all-time kick scoring leader in NCAA Division III history, added a 35 yard field goal to make the spread 38-0.

The Falcons got on the board in fourth.  Ryan Luessenheide tossed a 28 yard pass to Ryan Hansen to give UW-RF their first points at 11:44.  Later in the fourth quarter RF had a foruth and goal from the Whitewater one, and Ahmad Palmer took it in with 1:27 remaining  for the final score of the day.

Rusch, who had seven receptions for 127 yards, broke the career reception mark formerly held by Jim Leszczynski  (2002-2005).  Rusch has 163 catches, Leszczynski had 162.  Rusch also moved in to third place on the school's career receiving yardage list, with 2,291 to pass Joe Gerlach (1979-82, 2,250).  With his three touchdowns in the game, Whitewater's Coppage upped his career total to 37, tied for second in the UW-Whitewater record book.  He is tied with Chad Wurth (2000-2003), with Justin Beaver (2004-2007) in the top spot with 44.

UW-Whitewater is 7-0 overall, 4-0 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  UW-RF is 2-5 and 0-4 in league play.

Whitewater will travel to UW-Stevens Point October 31.  The Pointers, 4-0 in conference play after a win over UW-La Crosse today, gave UW-W their only loss last year, and broke Whitewater's win streak at Perkins Stadium.  The Warhawks will conclude the regular season home schedule November 7 with a 1:00pm kickoff versus UW-Oshkosh.  Tickets are sold at the University Center ticket office Monday through Friday during normal business hours and at Perkins Stadium on game day.  Call 262-472-2222 for ticket information.