UW-L coach Schmidt: "If you wanna be a ranked team, then you gotta beat a ranked team."

After a blowout victory to open the season, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse heads back on the road to face the No. 18 team in Division III.
Putting Illinois Wesleyan on the schedule wasn’t by accident, according to UW-L coach Mike Schmidt.
“We scheduled this thing so our guys have a sense of urgency to get ready to play in conference,” Schmidt said. “If you wanna be a ranked team, you wanna be a playoff team, then you gotta beat a ranked team and you gotta beat a playoff team.”
This will be the season-opener for Wesleyan, which returns a potent passing attack, led by quarterback Brandon Bauer.
“This will be his third year starting,” Schmidt said. “He’s a stud. All of their wide receivers are back. All of them.”
The 5-foot-11 junior threw for 2,066 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. He had a 57.8 completion percentage. His top target was 6-foot-5, 225-pound receiver Jack Healy, who had 40 receptions for 524 yards and 8 TDs last season.
Listen to the game at 1 p.m. Saturday on WKTY 96.7 FM / 580 AM.
Next week, the Eagles play at home against Dickinson State (N.D.) before beginning conference play.