The No. 6 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team totaled 494 yards of offense and made several timely defensive stops Saturday in a 42-6 victory at UW-River Falls in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in River Falls, Wis.
 
The Warhawks (8-1 overall, 5-1 WIAC) registered four sacks defensively and tallied 28 unanswered points after the Falcons (4-5, 3-3) closed to within 14-6 in the first half.
 
Junior quarterback Chris Nelson (Twin Lakes/Wilmot Union) finished 19-of-24 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Senior running back Jordan Ratliffe (Milwaukee/Milwaukee Vincent) led the rushing attack with 49 yards and a pair of touchdowns, increasing his league-leading total to 15 for the season.
 
Junior wide receiver Marcus Hudson (Delavan, Wis./Delavan-Darien) enjoyed a career day with 10 receptions for 159 yards and a score. Senior wide receiver Joe Worth (Hartford/Hartford Union) registered four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.
 
Senior linebacker Justin Dischler (Milwaukee/Pius XI) posted a team-best 10 tackles and forced a fumble to lead the defense. Junior linebacker Kyle Schiedemeyer (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) contributed nine tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, while senior defensive back Ryan Winske (Omro/Omro) collected eight stops, including one for a loss.
 
Freshman Canton Larson (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc) started the game with a 54-yard kickoff return to give the Warhawks field position in UW-River Falls territory. On the seventh play of the drive, Ratliffe plunged in from three yards out to give UW-Whitewater a 7-0 advantage at the 12:20 mark of the first quarter.
 
After a punt by the Falcons, Nelson hit junior wide receiver Marcus Hudson (Delavan, Wis./Delavan-Darien) for 40 yards to bring the Warhawks inside the UW-River Falls 5-yard line. Two plays later, Nelson found senior wide receiver Joe Worth (Hartford/Hartford Union) for a two-yard score to make it 14-0 with 5:10 left in the first.
 
In the second quarter, following a defensive stand on fourth down in UW-Whitewater territory, the Warhawks needed just four plays to go 76 yards to make it 21-6 in the waning moments of the first half. Two plays after a 50-yard catch-and-run by Ratliffe, Nelson hit sophomore tight end Tony Gumina (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) for a 9-yard scoring strike with 13 second on the clock.
 
UW-Whitewater made a defensive stop to start the third quarter. Following UW-River Falls' punt, the Warhawks surged into Falcons territory with the help of a 25-yard screen to Gumina and a 26-yard run by Ratliffe, who completed the drive with a four-yard touchdown run with 9:30 to play in the quarter.
 
After another defensive stand – this time at its own 1-yard line – UW-Whitewater went 99 yards in nine plays to increase its advantage to 35-6 just under a minute into the fourth quarter. On an option play, Gumina hit Hudson from 43 yards out for his first career passing touchdown and Hudson's team-leading fourth scoring catch of the year.
 
Freshman running back Tyler Glass (Lancaster, Wis./Lancaster) capped the scoring for the Warhawks with a 9-yard touchdown run with 6:34 to play in the contest. Larson helped set up the score with a 29-yard run.
 
UW-Whitewater closes the regular season next Saturday at 2 p.m. against UW-Stout at Perkins Stadium. The Warhawks will recognize their 17 seniors prior to kickoff on Senior Day, Shriners' Day and Veteran/Military Service Member Recognition Day in Whitewater.