UW-L football coach Janus hopes to shatter attendance record again, as Eagles host playoff for 1st time since 2006
Earlier this season, 5,414 came to watch the UW-La Crosse football team beat UW-Oshkosh, setting the attendance record at Roger Harring Stadium.
Saturday, UW-L coach Matt Janus hopes they can break that record again, as the fourth-ranked Eagles host their first home playoff game since 2006.
“That would be awesome,” UW-L coach Matt Janus said Tuesday on La Crosse Talk PM. “It’s pretty special, we played in two games already this year that were record-breaking attendance numbers. And to be able to break our attendance record at home is so special.
“The biggest X-factor that we have over everyone else is the love that they (the players) have for La Crosse and what makes it so special and why it’s an X-factor because the city just loves them right back. They can feel that and they can play off that so I certainly hope that we can break that record again.”
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UW-L’s previous attendance record was set in 2016 against UW-Whitewater. The Eagles also were part of a record-breaking crowd at Whitewater this season, where over 20,000 were in the stands to see UW-L take down the powerhouse.
At noon, UW-L (9-1) hosts Minnesota-Morris (7-3) in the first round of the Division III playoffs. Pregame is set for 11:45 a.m. and will stream live on WKTY. The Eagles, who are playing in their third consecutive playoff, are one of four top seeds in the tournament.
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Looking at Minnesota-Morris, Janus said earlier this week the biggest worry is their thunder-lighting combo at running back.
“What’s scary about them is their two running backs,” Janus said. They run kind of an option — a gun-option type team. I think they have two really good running backs that are nice pieces. One’s really big and is still shifty and the other one is really fast.
“So, they do a good job with their option so it’s going to be a different look for our defense.”
That thunder-lightning pair consists of 5-foot-8, 200-pound Izayah Boss and 6-2, 220-pound Blake Johnson.
Boss has rushed for 892 yards on 126 carries (7.1 avg.), while Johnson has 697 yards on 147 carries (4.6 avg.). They’ve combined for 25 touchdowns.
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on the UW-La Crosse campus.