The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater surrendered only 170 total yards and scored two second-half touchdowns Saturday to defeat host UW-River Falls 20-7 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match-up at Smith Stadium.
 
The Warhawks (4-3 overall, 3-1 WIAC) totaled 449 yards of offense, including 231 through the air, and held the ball for more than 35 minutes.
 
The defense turned in a third consecutive strong performance, surrendering only 75 yards on the ground and forcing 10 punts.
 
Senior wide receiver Marcus Hudson (Delavan, Wis./Delavan-Darien) collected nine receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense. Junior quarterback Cole Wilber (Dana Point, Calif./Dana Hills) finished 16-of-20 passing for 231 yards and two scores, and junior running back Drew Patterson (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) led the rushing attack with 16 carries for 88 yards.
 
Junior linebacker Bryce Leszczynski (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) registered a team-high nine tackles, and junior linebacker Beau Martin (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton North) added six stops. Junior defensive lineman Harry Henschler (Janesville, Wis./Craig) increased his conference-leading sack total to 10.5 with a fourth-quarter sack for a loss of six yards.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, an interception by sophomore defensive back Luke Tegtman (Woodstock, Ill./Marian Central Catholic) set up UW-Whitewater's first score. A 17-yard run by Wilber followed by a 10-yard scamper by Patterson put the Warhawks into field goal range, where freshman Wojciech Gasienica (Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood) knocked a 28-yard field goal through the uprights with 1:16 to play in the first half.
 
UW-Whitewater doubled its lead with 6:23 left in the third quarter on a season-long field goal of 42 yards by Gasienica.
 
After a punt by the Falcons (3-4, 1-3), the Warhawks added to their lead on a 14-yard strike from Wilber to Hudson with 34 seconds on the clock. The score was set up by a 20-yard reception by Hudson earlier in the drive and a 23-yard catch by sophomore running back Ronny Ponick (Stanley, Wis./Stanley-Boyd) one play later.
 
After UW-River Falls drew to within one possession early in the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged punts before Wilber found Hudson again, this time on third-and-18, for a 40-yard touchdown with 4:08 to play.
 
UW-Whitewater plays its final road game of the regular season next Saturday, Oct. 28, at UW-Stevens Point. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

Head Coach Kevin Bullis Post-Game Quotes:

Opening Statement:

"I coached here for 15 years, and this is a tough place to play. We've really got them back-to-back here with this game and the UW-Stevens Point game. Tough, tough places to play. Today, the kids came ready to play. We shot ourselves in the foot offensively, but ultimately, they never stopped us. We stopped ourselves offensively. We've got to get that corrected. That's been a correction all year, to be honest with you. Defensively, I'm really proud of our kids. Other than one drive, it was solid, shut-down defense. That's what we're going to have to play next week as well."

On the lack of offense from both teams in the first half:

"I'm really proud of our offense. That defense they run is called the 'flex defense', which I actually ran. It is really, really hard to run the football against. I told (offensive coordinator) Craig (Smith) and (offensive line coach Brent) Allen that I didn't know how we'd be able to run the ball, as tough as that scheme is. In the end, we were running the ball on them pretty well. It's a credit to our offensive line, Coach Allen, Coach Smith and those running backs. Ronny Ponick (Stanley, Wis./Stanley-Boyd) got some hard-earned yardage and so did Drew (Patterson). Alex Peete (Ringwood, Ill./Johnsburg) knocked off that big one at the end."

On the play of Marcus Hudson (Delavan, Wis./Delavan-Darien):

"We talked about guys running the football, and we were handing it off to him. Marcus hit the spot. We moved him around in the slot. He was playing the 'split' and the 'X' and the 'R'. He was all over the place, and he kept on playing in those spots. He was in that mode. It was kind of a 'feed the beast' mentality. Once he becomes a beast, you keep on feeding him. Coach Smith and Cole (Wilber) did a good job feeding him."

On the play of the defense:

"Any run scheme puts a stress on linemen and linebackers, but especially the schemes they run, which put a lot of stress on the outside linebackers and your middle linebacker. Those guys answered the bell. They answered the challenge. Coach (Jace) Rindahl does a great job getting them prepared. When we can make a team be one-dimensional, our defensive linemen are drooling. They can't wait. Obviously, Harry Henschler (Janesville, Wis./Craig), Cal Durni (Brookfield, Wis./East), David O'Gorman (Watertown, Wis./Watertown), Justin Hansen (Beloit, Wis./Turner) and Jordan Brand (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) took advantage of that."

On the Warhawks' next game at UW-Stevens Point:

"If I had to pick one place, between these two places, that's the toughest to play at, it's there (in Stevens Point). We just have to stay focused on our game and get some things cleaned up."