Photo by Ian Berry, DSM Employee
By: Klarysa Saldana
UIW hosted their first home game of the Fall 2025 Football season! If you weren’t out there showing your RED pride, here’s what you missed.
The Tailgate zone was jam packed with Student organizations, Alumni Relations, and other vendors! Campus Activities Board hosted their own booth at the tailgate calling it: CAB’s Backyard BBQ. They had free food, prizes, t-shirts, and even a dunking booth! UIW’s very own Eric Booth, Dean of Campus Life, took part in the event as the “dunk-ee.”
Students loved to see an administrator up there with so much enthusiasm to be dunked. Eric Booth, Dean of Campus life said “I think participating in the tailgate is a great way to connect with student, faculty, and staff outside the office or classroom. Getting to see everyone show their school spirit in support of the Cardinals is a great way to build a sense of community on campus.”
Students loved the dunking booth and overall vibe of the tailgate. What a great way to get vamped up before the main event!
When it came to the game, the football team was just as vamped as the fans were.
The UIW Cardinals did not hold back when it came to bringing their all at the first home game of the season. Bouncing back from a 6-20 lost against Nicholls State from the previous week, UIW defeated EWU 31-21 improving their record to 1-1.
The game started off with the Eagles driving the ball to the Cardinals 22 yard line following a pass interference call on UIW. As people are at the edge of their seats, the Eagles QB, Nate Bell, passed the ball into the end zone to be picked off by our very own Barry Dillion for a touchback. UIW’s QB, Richard Torres, leads an 80-yard drive to set up a rushing touchdown from Dixion to put the Cards up 7-0.
To kick off the second quarter, back-to-back plays were made starting with a 29-yard punt return from Josh Lorick and a pass from Torres to the player of the game, Jameson Gacia, which put the Cardinals on the Eagles’ 30-yard line.
The UIW Cardinals surged to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, but the eagles bounced back to tie the game just before the half. Will Fairs swooped in to kick a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter, giving the Cardinals a leg up with a 24-21 lead into halftime.
The final 15 were competitive as each team was in it to win it. However, UIW rose to the top after EWU fumbled, ending their opportunity to take the lead. As UIW recovered and used it to their advantage. Using that momentum, UIW executed a 12-play, 74-yard drive to consume 5 ½ minutes, strategically eating up the time and the field.
UIW faced a nail biting 4th-and-1 but Isaish Champagne turned a screen pass into a 17-yard gain keeping the drive alive. Harlan Dixon secured his second touchdown of the game as he completed a 1-yard rushing touchdown giving UIW a 31-21 lead with 2:48 minutes remaining.
Locking in the score, UIW held on to win 31-21 giving them a record of 1-1. Key moments were made in this game; An explosive 75-yard touchdown, Clutch 4th-and-1 conversion, and an extended home win streak for UIW!
Make sure to keep up with this season and to continue to support our amazing cardinals!
