Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire football team secured a 35-6 win over Kenyon College at McBride Field in Gambier, Ohio. The Blugolds' defense was key, recording four interceptions and holding the Owls to just 119 total yards.

In the first quarter, Paxton Rothmeier put UW-Eau Claire on the scoreboard with a 36-yard touchdown run. The defense limited Kenyon to only 11 rushing yards and applied pressure to quarterback Ryan Dean. By the end of the quarter, UW-Eau Claire maintained its lead while advancing downfield.

The second quarter saw Kenyon briefly tie the game after returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown. However, an interception by Brady Hoffner set up a four-yard touchdown pass from Ayden Helder to Yaach Chuol, giving UW-Eau Claire a 13-6 halftime lead. During this period, the Blugolds converted five of seven third-down attempts and posted 70 passing yards along with 52 rushing yards.

UW-Eau Claire extended its advantage in the third quarter when Helder connected with Matt Kuczaj for a 54-yard touchdown pass. The Blugolds controlled possession, gaining nine first downs and converting three out of four third downs. On defense, Nate Majewski returned an interception for 21 yards as UWEC closed out the period leading 19-6.

In the fourth quarter, Helder threw another touchdown pass to Chuol early on, followed by Perry's extra point and a successful field goal from 20 yards out. KJ Obikwelu intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, while Max Marty added another interception for UW-Eau Claire. The defense forced multiple turnovers on downs and continued to limit Kenyon’s offense.

Quarterback Ayden Helder finished with 20 completions on 26 attempts for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Yaach Chuol caught two touchdowns among his five receptions for 32 yards. Kuczaj led all receivers with five catches for 92 yards and one score. On defense, Hoffner had an interception return of 56 yards; Marty contributed an interception as well.

Following this result, UW-Eau Claire moves to a record of 2-0 this season while Kenyon falls to 0-2 overall.

UW-Eau Claire will play Martin Luther College next Saturday at Carson Park with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.