On a cold and snowy day in Sun Prairie, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls defense put together its best performance of the year en route to a 31-24 victory over the Washington University St. Louis Bears, which secured the Falcons’ second consecutive Culver’s Isthmus Bowl Championship on Saturday, Nov. 19.

The Falcons’ defense forced four turnovers and tallied five sacks against the Bears on Saturday afternoon, the second most in a game this season in those respective categories. On a day when the River Falls offense didn’t score in the first, third and fourth quarters, the defensive unit propelled the team to victory.

“I think it was a whole year of great defense,” UWRF head coach Matt Walker said after the game. “You could argue it was the best defense in a league of the best defenses in the country. Coach (Jake) Wissing (defensive coordinator), he does everything with those guys and gets them ready to play.”

With approximately nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, River Falls clung to a 2417 lead. However, after another stalled offensive drive, the Falcons punted the ball back to the Bears who could tie the game with a touchdown or take the lead with a two-point conversion.

Instead, River Falls’ defense made a game-changing play when sophomore defensive back Aaron Borgerding picked off a tipped pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to make it a two-possession game, 31-17, favoring the Falcons. The huge swing in momentum helped River Falls seal the 31-24 victory and the second consecutive Culver’s Isthmus Bowl Championship.

“I’m so happy for the seniors, these players, these coaches, everybody that gives all their time, energy and effort to make this possible. We’ve got a pretty unique culture going right now,” Walker said of the second consecutive title. “We had higher expectations and loftier goals than this, but this is awfully sweet and I can’t thank the bowl people enough for letting us play an 11th game.”

The River Falls defense proved to be the difference in the game against Washington University St. Louis, but it was sophomore quarterback Kaleb Blaha who earned Culver’s Isthmus Bowl MVP honors after the game, as voted on by event staff and media in attendance. Blaha finished the game with 265 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception on 21 completions. He also led all rushers with 83 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.

After River Falls fell behind 7-0 midway through the opening frame, the Falcons responded with 24 unanswered points, all of which came in that pivotal second quarter against the Bears. Blaha got River Falls on the board with a one-yard touchdown rush on the first play of the second quarter to tie the game 7-7.

Four minutes later, Blaha connected with sophomore wide receiver Mason Van Zeeland on a 36-yard touchdown pass to give the Falcons their first lead of the game, 14-7. River Falls’ defense forced another turnover on the ensuing possession which gave Blaha and the offense a prime scoring opportunity.

After three plays, River Falls found itself at the Bears’ one-yard line. That’s when senior defensive lineman Frank Hartman came into the game at fullback, got the ball, and dove over the pile for a touchdown to give River Falls a commanding 21-7 lead with 10 minutes to play in the first half.

The Falcons added another three points with under 30 seconds remaining in the first half when freshman kicker Justin Scheberl made a 36-yard field goal to give River Falls a three-score lead, 24-7, going into halftime.

The lead proved to be too much for the Bears to overcome. When the game went final, the Falcons stormed the field looking for the Isthmus Bowl trophy and championship apparel. Blaha spoke about being named Culver’s Isthmus Bowl MVP and ending the season with a win.

“It feels great to win MVP. Anyone on our team could have been MVP, everyone played great and it took all of us, but it does feel really good and I’m super happy,” Blaha said after the game. “We went through a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and a bowl game was just a great way to end it. It all starts with our leadership and it was a great way to send off our seniors.”

Coach Walker knows how much he and the offensive staff ask of Blaha when it comes to operating the Top Gun system. Blaha never failed to produce solid numbers on the ground and through the air throughout the year, especially in the bowl game on Saturday. Walker spoke about Blaha.

“We ask an awful lot of that kid and at times you could argue it’s too much, I’m sure there’s criticism out there that we do too much with him and put too much on his shoulders,” Walker said of the sophomore QB. “But he answers the call, who else do you want carrying that football or throwing it? He’s as good as I’ve ever been around athletically and I’ve got two years left with him. It’s an exciting future for that kid.”

With the win, River Falls improved its overall record to 7-4 with three of the four losses occurring against teams ranked top-ten in the country at the time of the game including St. John’s University, UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse.

Coach Walker calls the 2021 season the “Big Year” and rightfully so, the Falcons’ 9-2 record last season was the winningest campaign since 1998. The Falcons followed it up with a successful 7-4 season, especially given the tough schedule. Walker spoke about the program’s outlook heading into the offseason.

“I think 2021 was a case of ‘River Falls might be for real’ and 2022 is a case of ‘Boy, these guys are here to stay for a while,’” Walker said. “That’s what I would like to think. We know the hard work and effort it’s going to take. We’re going to enjoy it for the weekend and honestly, we’ll get back after it on Monday to start trying to win this league next year.”

UWRF head coach Matt Walker raises the 2022 Culver’s Isthmus Bowl Championship trophy while the team begins its celebration. UWRF earned the title after defeating Washington University St. Louis 31-24 in Sun Prairie on Saturday, Nov. 19. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

UWRF sophomore quarterback Kaleb Blaha drops back to pass during the Falcons’ Culver’s Isthmus Bowl Championship game on Saturday afternoon. Blaha earned MVP honors in the 31-24 win as he tallied more than 300 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. Photo by Reagan Hoverman