UW-L can’t complete comeback in season opener
Dubuque beats the Eagles 35-24
21836236LA CROSSE, WI — Only one coach picked UW-La Crosse to win the WIAC this season: Joel Dettwiler. Despite a 35-24 loss in the season opener, he’s not changing his vote.
“I’m still going to pick us first in the conference,” Dettwiler said. “The rest of the league isn’t exactly looking good either. They’re not setting the world on fire. People will criticize. You’ll have people on the internet, in town, everything else, but my response is if they want to grab a whistle, they can. Come on down and see if you can do better.”
Dubuque took a quick 21-0 lead, but the Eagles then scored 17 of the next 24 points in the game.
“That first quarter, it definitely hurt us,” Dettwiler said. “I thought we played well and came back in the second half but then they had big plays again. That was our big problem.”
The Eagles outgained Dubuque in terms of total yardage, 472-455. However, Andy Sires was intercepted four times. He was sacked five times.
“Consistency is a big thing with the offense in terms of unforced errors,” said Dettwiler. “Unforced errors just can’t happen.
I’m pleased with how they played a couple times. They’re capable of playing better.”
The Eagles host North Central next Saturday at 1 p.m.
