The Eau Claire football team has faced many challenges this season, surviving a schedule loaded with road games and tough non-conference opponents.
The Blugolds have stood up to nearly every challenge they’ve faced this year on their way to the top of the WIAC, with their only loss coming in double overtime to UW-River Falls.
On Saturday, the Blugolds, ranked 11th in this week’s American Football Coaches Association Div. III poll, will travel to UW-Stevens Point for the regular-season finale. The winner of the game will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III playoffs.
Junior receiver Jason Foemmel said the team is a little more excited for this game than the previous games.
“We’re treating this game like a playoff game,” he said. “If we win we move on, and if we lose we’re most likely done, so our playoffs are starting a week early.”
The recent history between these two schools suggests that it could be an interesting game. Eau Claire beat the Pointers last season 38-17, ending a 12-game losing streak to Stevens Point. Eau Claire has not won in Stevens Point since 1987.
The game also features a homecoming of sorts for Blugolds head coach Todd Hoffner, who served as an assistant to Stevens Point coach John Miech for eight years.
Despite the fact that Hoffner is going up against his old boss, he says that isn’t that big of a deal.
“Every game in this conference is a big game,” he said. “(But) this game does hold a lot of weight because we haven’t won there since the 80s.”
Stevens Point has used a balanced running attack to climb to second in the WIAC. Its top three rushers each have gained between 433 and 446 yards this season. Hoffner said that Stevens Point quarterback Scott Krause is also a threat to run, and is a very good athlete.
“We need to play mistake-free football,” Hoffner said. “We need to pursue well, because all their backs have tremendous speed.”
Among the players who will be called upon to help stop the Pointers will be senior Jay Hoyord and sophomore Austin Crow.
Hoyord leads the team with 82 tackles, followed by sophomore Mike Lansing with 81. Crow also has 12 sacks on the season. Hoyord also leads the team with six interceptions, while junior Brad Gawronski has five.
Hoffner said that it will also be important that the Blugolds get off to a quick start against Stevens Point, something they have been doing well this season.
The Blugolds have outscored their opponents 63-0 in the first quarter.
A big question mark for Eau Claire going into the game will be who is starting at quarterback. Senior Brian Rasmussen missed the game against La Crosse with a knee injury, and was replaced by freshman Nels Fredrickson.
Hoffner said that Rasmussen’s status for Saturday is still up in the air. If he is unable to play, Fredrickson would get the nod again. Rasmussen and Fredrickson have been getting equal reps in practice.
In the La Crosse game, Eau Claire ran some new plays to take advantage of Fredrickson’s agility, including a couple of quarterback draws.
Another Blugold who will play a big role against Stevens Point is senior running back Darrell Souhrada. He ran for a season-high 178 yards against La Crosse, which carried him to the top of Eau Claire’s career rushing list.
Souhrada’s performance led him to be named the Athlete of the Week for both the WIAC and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
The Blugolds had trouble scoring against the Eagles last week, and they face another tough defense Saturday in Stevens Point, which leads the WIAC in rushing defense. The Pointers are third overall in team defense in the conference, while Eau Claire is first.
If Eau Claire wins, it will be its second trip to the NCAA playoffs. The Blugolds previous appearance came in 1998, when they advanced to the semifinals.