Peterson steps in with Cummings injured

UW-La Crosse freshman set to make first college start vs. #11 St. Thomas

LA CROSSE, Wis. — The season opener for UW-La Crosse went about as well as head coach Joel Dettwiler could hope for. The Eagles won 24-8 at the University of Dubuque behind strong showings by both the offense and defense.

However starting quarterback Trent Cummings suffered a rib injury that evening.

“It’s kind of interesting, we didn’t give up any sacks but yet we had our quarterback get hurt. It was a combination of getting hit hard and also hitting the turf hard,” said Dettwiler following Wednesday’s practice.

Cummings has been ruled out by the Eagles for this Saturday’s game against the University of St. Thomas, the number-11 ranked team in the nation according to the latest D3Football.com Top 25 Poll.

“It’s going to be week-to-week. He’s pretty flared up right now and that’s probably our biggest issue. We just have to get him to the point where he can throw a little bit and move around. He’s pretty sore right now.”

While the hope is to get Cummings back on the field next week, the attention this week turns to Colton Peterson who is set to make his first college start.

“We feel very good about the backup situation with Colton going in there, he’s had a number of reps and he finished the game for us on Saturday.”

Dettwiler feels the offensive production won’t drop with the freshman taking over for Cummings.

“Very similar arm talent. He probably has a little less game experience. But I think both guys are relatively mobile, both guys are calm in the pocket, both guys are guys that can run the show. So besides their height, Colton is a little skinnier, other than that there’s not a lot different.

“It’s a combination of making sure we can keep Trent for the rest of the year and have him back. And then also that we trust our backup and that we think he’s a guy that can make some plays.”