After dropping eight spots in the rankings, the 12th-ranked UW-La Crosse football team is going back to the basics.

The Eagles were upset 38-21 defeat to No. 8 UW-Platteville, which moved up five spots after the win.

The Eagles (4-1, 2-1) host No. 18 UW-Oshkosh (4-2, 2-1) with the kickoff at 2 p.m. Saturday and coverage on WKTY.

It’s unfamiliar territory for UW-L coach Matt Janus, whose only other defeat by at least 17 points was a 21-point loss in 2021 against Grand Valley State, Schick was ranked 12th in Division II.

In giving up 284 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns last week, Janus said part of the struggle could be their practice habits, which changed recently due to injuries.

“We amped it the heck up this week,” Janus said. “Over the last two or three weeks just because of injuries, we started making everything a walk thru and we started being extra cautious. We can’t stop everything. We’re trying to do less plays with higher energy.”

Janus added he believes that style gives them the best preparation.

The Pioneers scored two touchdowns on fourth and 10, with throws of 31 and 30 yards.

Janus said they weren’t that far off, but were waiting to “catch lightning in a bottle,” which never came. He’s expecting an aggressive defense right out of the gate this Saturday.

“Let’s just get back to playing UW-L football,” Janus said. “We didn’t play our best game last week. We know that.

The key will be can we get this defense ready to go and have the same swagger we saw against Week 1 and Week 2. I want to see some energy out of our defense right away.”

Some Eagles football royalty will be in attendance Saturday afternoon, as the 1985 and 1995 national championship teams will be honored.