http://cslab.uwlax.edu/~ander_rj/foot/plat.html (Internet on a CD, 07/1998)Perhaps, but there is still plenty of work to do.
Saturday the Eagles punched in with a job at hand, and punched out the Platteville Pioneers 31-12 in a workmanlike performance. UW-L, with River Falls looming on the horizon, improved to 2-0 in the WSUC, 4-0 overall.
The Eagles, ranked second by the Columbus Multi-media national poll, enter a critical portion of their regular season with games against River Falls and Stevens Point in the next two weeks.
``We are starting to find out what our roles are,'' said Eagle receiver Troy Harcey, who caught six passes, including a 28-yard scoring strike against Platteville. ``For the first few weeks, we were trying to figure out what we are supposed to be doing.''
UW-L did what was expected in the first half, rolling to a 31-6 lead as the Eagles used a strong ground attack and precision passing by Jeff Baker to shred the Pioneers' defense. Baker, coming off two lackluster performances, was razor-sharp against the Pioneers.
The junior quarterback connected on his first seven passes, and 11 of 12 in the first half for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Baker's first scoring pass came on a roll out as he found sophomore tight end Jeff Peterson wide open in the flat.
Peterson grabbed the ball and rambled in from 26 yards out to give UW-L a 17-0 lead with 14 minutes, 24 seconds left in the first half.
``I think we are all just learning what we are supposed to do, and we are all getting better at it,'' Baker said. ``I am still getting used to the whole playing thing. I was relaxed and played my kind of game.''
So did two-time first-team WSUC return specialist John Barrett.
Barrett, who missed all of fall practice and the first two games with a hamstring injury, looked in prime form against the Pioneers. Barrett returned Platteville's first punt 33 yards to give UW-L great field position at the Pioneers' 16-yard line.
Two plays later fullback Brian Steines bulldozed his way in from 1-yard out for a 7-0 Eagle lead.
``He gives us that spark that we need on special teams,'' UW-L coach Roger Harring said. ``He looked really quick today. He's got the quickness to make people miss.''
UW-L's defense turned in one of its best halves of the season, too. Besides holding Platteville to 89 total yards in the first half, cornerback Todd Goldbeck intercepted a Forrest Paul pass with 11:45 left in the first quarter.
UW-L took advantage when Thad Dugan booted a 25-yard field goal for a 10-0 UW-L lead. Then it was the Baker-to-Peterson combination, which clicked 26 seconds into the second quarter.
That play appeared to take much of the steam out of the Pioneers.
``We narrowed our calls down for him,'' Harring said of the pass plays available for Baker. ``We fooled them with our running game a few times, too. With the draws and the counters, Larry (Terry) had some good calls that kept some drives going.''
Platteville got on the board with a 15-yard scoring pass from Paul to Matt Beaver, who ignored tight coverage and made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone with 7:59 left in the first half.
``Our concept is good and our coverage is getting better,'' said UW-L secondary coach Barry Schockmel. ``It was a step in the right direction today.''
UW-L answered the Pioneers' score with a 13-play, 70-yard drive which included two third-down conversions, and a fourth-down conversion. Baker completed an 11-yard pass to Jeremy Earp on third-and-nine, a four-yard pass to Harcey on fourth-and-three. UW-L converted four of seven third-down attempts in the first half.
Barrett capped the drive by stretching the ball over the goal line to complete a 1-yard scoring run, and increased the Eagles' lead to 24-6. Barrett, who was knocked woozy after a first-half hit, finished with 41 yards on 11 carries.
UW-L put the game out of reach with 47 seconds left in the first half when Baker hit Harcey with a 28-yard strike. Harcey ran a corner route, and Baker's pass was right on target.
The score came after the Eagles' defense came up big, forcing Paul to fumble. A fumble John Wilson recovered with 53 seconds left in the first half.
``I am getting more confident in the pocket,'' Baker said. ``I don't worry about what people or the media are saying. I just try to block it out. I tend not to pay attention to that.''