UW-La Crosse, ranked 12th in the D3football.com poll, outscored UW-Platteville 45-27 Saturday at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
Eagles quarterback John Schumann completed 20 of 34 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Eric Kettenhofen. Corey Geldernick added 108 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Eagles, who improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Pioneer sophomore quarterback Michael Schmidt completed 26 of 41 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns in his first start in place of injured Brent Nelson.
Schmidt, who had appeared in just 48 UWP plays coming into the contest, completed his first five passes and led the Pioneers on a 61-yard drive on their initial possession. His seven-yard scoring pass to Derek Hoff gave the Pioneers a lead that stood up until the second quarter.
UW-La Crosse, who cut the lead to 7-3 with 31 seconds left in the first period, scored 22 points in the second quarter. Schumann tossed TD passes of 14 and 64 yards to Kettenhofen and and 17-yard scoring strike to Dan Hall.
In the third quarter, Schmidt threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Brian Gallick, the WIAC's leading receiver who reached the end zone for the first time this year, cutting the lead to 25-14.
The Eagles matched the Pioneers' 80-yard drive, with Geldnerick finishing the Eagles' march with a 3-yard scoring run.
UW-Platteville again cut the margin to 11 at 31-20, when short-yardage QB Ryan Munz tossed a three-yard TD pass to Gallick, finishing off a 67-yard yard drive.
The Eagles responded one more time, with John Soli's one-yard run making the count 38-20. UWL salted the game away on their next possession, as Schuman somehow found Paul Killoren, with Julius Davis draped all over him, for an 18-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-three play.
Mike Haynes scored the final touchdown for the Pioneers (1-4, 0-2) on a nifty cutback move from 18 yards away.
Haynes finished with 70 yards rushing and seven catches for 56 yards for the Pioneers, while Gallick had 10 receptions for 79 yards.
Linebackers Adam Neitzel and Gene Janke each totalled 13 tackles for the Eagles, while Davis had 10 stops for the Pioneers, and running back Damian Droessler made five solo stops on special teams.
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