Waverly, Iowa - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse football team, ranked seventh on D3football.com, fell 14-6 at 12th-ranked Wartburg College (Iowa) Saturday afternoon at Walston-Hoover Stadium in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships. The Eagles finish the season at 9-2 overall while the Knights improve to 11-0 and will face Saint John's University (Minn.) in the second round Saturday, November 26. 

The teams traded punts on the first four possessions of the game as neither team recorded a first down. UWL took over at its own four-yard line after a Owen Grover 59-yard punt. Joey Stutzman rushed for the initial first down of the game on third-and-three. On the next play Cade Garcia hit Jack Studer with a completion, but Studer fumbled with Grover recovering at UWL's five-yard line. Parker Rochford forced the fumble. Two plays later, Nile McLaughlin scored on a two-yard run with 7:07 left in the first quarter. Cael O'Neill's extra-point was good. Wartburg (Iowa) maintained its 7-0 lead after the first quarter. 

The Knights drove to the Eagles' 18-yard line in the second quarter, but Ben Bryant was stopped on fourth-and-fourth by Ryan Daines for a one-yard loss on a completion with UWL taking over at the 19-yard line. UWL was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, but Wartburg (Iowa) turned the ball over on Hunter Clasen's fumble with Cade Osborn recovering the ball at UWL's 49-yard line. The Eagles drove to the Knights' 36-yard line, but Garcia was intercepted by Drew Wyffeis. Wartburg (Iowa) was forced to punt with McLaughlin's attempt only going nine yards with UWL taking over at its own 39-yard line. 

UWL converted a third-and-four on Garcia's five-yard completion to Max Stubbendick. Wartburg (Iowa) was later called for a personal foul on Garcia putting the ball at the Knights' 21-yard line. After an incompletion, Garcia connected with Studer with a 21-yard touchdown pass with :38 left to cut the lead to 7-6. The drive went 61 yards in eight plays and 2:59. A bad snap on the extra-point kept it a one-point game. 

Wartburg (Iowa) threw a 44-yard completion to Bricen White on the final play of the second quarter, but he was down at UWL's one-yard line as time expired to keep it 7-6 at halftime.

The Knights only needed two plays from scrimmage in the third quarter to take a 14-6 lead. Clasen rushed for four yards on the first play and followed with a 57-yard touchdown run to give Wartburg (Iowa) a 14-6 lead with 14:09 left in the third quarter. UWL responded with a drive to the Wartburg (Iowa) 11-yard line, but Ryan Beirne missed a 28-yard field goal with 9:22 remaining. Wartburg (Iowa) turned the ball over on downs on its next drive, ending at UWL's 29-yard line. Garcia was intercepted by Dylan Steen two plays later at the Knights' 36-yard line. Wartburg (Iowa) turned the ball over again on downs as McLaughlin's pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-five at UWL's 32-yard line. The Knights led, 14-6, after three quarters. 

UWL and Wartburg (Iowa) traded punts to start the fourth quarter. UWL took over at its own four-yard line with 9:05 left and went 57 yards in 13 plays to the Wartburg (Iowa) 39-yard line. Garcia's fourth-down pass was incomplete with the Knights taking over possession with 4:07 remaining. Wartburg (Iowa) was able to run out the clock, recording three first downs, including a pair on third-down. 

UWL finished with 216 yards on Saturday, including 81 rushing and 135 passing. The Eagles had 14 first downs in the game while going five-of-15 on third-down and missing their only fourth-down attempt. UWL won the time of possession, 31:13 to 28:47. 

Garcia went 17-of-29 for 135 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Stutzman had 91 yards rushing on 29 carries while Studer finished with four receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown. Stubbendick had three catches for 50 yards. 

Wartburg (Iowa) totaled 398 yards with 243 rushing and 155 passing. The Knights had 20 first downs and went five-of-13 on third-down. Wartburg (Iowa) missed on its three fourth-down conversions. McLaughlin finished 14-of-29 for 155 yards while Clasen had 222 yards rushing and one touchdown on 31 attempts. Drake George caught seven passes for 56 yards. 

Daines led UWL 16 tackles while Adam Quam finished with 11. Elijah Alt, AJ Spychala, Josh Dorschner and Aaron Schmitz each had six tackles. 

Preston Rochford led Wartburg (Iowa) with 12 tackles with Grover finishing with 10.