Monday, October 31, 2011

A Rare Talent Indeed

Following the 2007 season, Whitewater parted ways with probably the best football player to ever put on a Warhawk jersey. Running back Justin Beaver (2004-2007) broke just about every rushing record the school and conference had to offer. Apart from his records and All-American recognitions, his senior year alone he won the Gagliardi Trophy, a national championship, and the Stagg Bowl MVP. Beaver accomplished everything short of preventing the BP oil-leak crises. Coaches, fans, alumni and players knew it would be a long time before a player of that caliber, would walk onto the field in Perkins Stadium again. What they didn't know was they were only nine months away Beaver's second coming.

Coppage (#20) at OPRF High School

Back in 2006, while Beaver was busy breaking records in Whitewater, a junior running back named Levell Coppage was starting to get some attention from DI programs at Oak Park-River Forest High School in Illinois. Like Beaver, Coppage was considered a small running back, which didn't exactly fit the profile of what most DI schools were looking for when recruiting. Never-the-less, his talents could not be ignored, despite his 5'8", 175lb high-school frame. Going into his senior year in 2007, Coppage was interested in the following programs (but no scholarships were offered yet): Ball State, Purdue, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, Kent State and Michigan State. Unfortunately fate gravitated him away from these scholarship-offering schools when he suffered a devastating ankle sprain, cutting his last year short at OPRF. This injury ended up being a deal breaker for most recruiters who considered offering him a scholarship. With Coppage's choices now limited, two of his coaches at OPRF (who happen to have played for the Warhawks) contacted Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold about their senior running back. After reviewing game tapes of Levell, the Whitewater coaching staff instantly knew they MUST get this gifted athlete in Warhawk jersey ASAP.

As as true freshman it didn't take long at all for Coppage to emerge as Whitewater's elite back going into the 2008 season. Even though he was a couple months removed from high school, his abilities to knife through defenses and his elusiveness were too electric for him to be standing on the sidelines. Running back coach Nelson Edmonds and coach Leipold both concurred that it's in the best interest of this year's team if Coppage was their starting running back when the season opened. I can't fathom the pressure Coppage must have felt taking the field for the first time. Especially knowing this program is fresh off a national championship, led by a former All American running back that every UWW fan, alumni and coaching staff greatly admired. Now, even before attending his first college class, Coppage is being asked to fill that void?!?! Yeesh!! After a modest 68-yard game (on 24 carries) to start the season against Saint Xavier (IL), Coppage exploded for 220 yards on 42 carries for only his second-career start, against Eau Claire. From then on the coaching staff knew the choice they made was the correct one, and this kid was a rare DIII talent.


Right around the time most students his age were deciding on a major, Coppage was already putting himself in the record books. As a sophomore he broke Greg Corning's (UWRF) WIAC career touchdown record of 51 touchdowns. I repeat...he broke this career total as a sophomore!! It only took him 27 games to surpass the milestone. It probably would have taken him less time, if he didn't miss two games his freshman year with an injury. Also as a sophomore, he broke Chad Hoisk's (UWEC) WIAC single-season touchdown record (26). Coppage blew it out of the Horicon Marsh by finishing with 35 that year. Hell, the only thing I accomplished my sophomore year was how to drink in the dorms without getting caught.

After taking the hand off, followed by a ever-so-slight hesitation to briefly survey the line, Coppage has an uncanny ability to run between the tackles and seemingly evaporate into the line. At least it must seem that way for defensive lineman, because that's how it looks from my vantage point in the stands. To the D-lineman, finding a 5'9" 190lb aberration mixed in with at least ten 300lb, 6'3" lineman is like trying to spot a designated driver in Miller Park during the playoffs. As quickly as he disappears into the line, he seems to just as quickly explode through the other side glancing up field looking to make a cut. His running style has unmistakable smoothness to it, as he almost seems to glide effortlessly around the field avoiding linebackers trying to square him up. I've been watching him for four years now, I don't think anyone has yet to get a solid hit on him. Coppage's ability to maintain his balance while spinning, juking and side-stepping would-be tacklers is just something you don't see at this level. His go-to move, which is witnessed by Warhawk fans (and frustrated defensive coordinators) on weakly basis, is his Tasmanian Devil cartoon-like spin move. This usually leaves defensive backs flat on their face wonder "what the hell just happened there?" I remember listening to the Whitewater/River Falls game earlier this season, and the River Falls' color guy said what everyone is thinking, "Wow....Levell Coppage should be playing at a higher level. If you could have just seen the move he just made." If you don't believe me.....just ask Trine's defense about the second round of the 2010 playoffs.

Coppage seems to have a knack for playing clutch in important games. He's anything but the athlete who only plays good against lesser teams, then fade away when the defense becomes better in quality. In his first three seasons, Coppage has averaged better than 141 yards per post-season game. Which is 11 yards better per game than his career average. His sophomore year, in the 2009 Stagg Bowl, Coppage gashed Mount Union's defense for 111 yards on 22 carries, and three touchdowns. Earning himself Stagg Bowl MVP 
2009 Stagg Bowl
honors. Just to give you an idea on how good (which is an understatement) Mount's defense was that season, the Purple Raiders' rush defense only surrendered 46 yards per game leading up to the Stagg Bowl (best in all of DIII). As hard as it might be to imagine, Coppage surpassed these numbers in the 2010 Stagg Bowl. The junior rushed for 299 yards (Stagg Bowl record) and tacked on another three TDs. Whitewater fans everywhere will never forget his game-clinching 75-yard touchdown dash to giving the 'Hawks their third Stagg Bowl win in four years. Oh yea....he won the MVP in that Stagg Bowl too. Here's one more nugget before I wrap this up, Mount Union had the ninth best run defense in the country going into the 2010 Stagg Bowl. After the game....they slid down to 16th.

So far this year Levell Coppage and the 'Hawks are looking to make another deep playoff run. I can't guarantee Whitewater will make it seven Stagg Bowls in a row, but I can promise you this: Coppage will be making the most of his senior year as a Warhawk, considering he wasn't able to do so his senior year at OPRF.

On a side note:
I pondered saving this article until the season was over, so I could post his career stats. However, given that he just became the all-time WIAC rushing leader I thought the timing was good now. If you wish to take a further detailed look at his career numbers, the NCAA does a great job of keeping his stats up to-date....as well as other players and teams. When breaking the WIAC rushing record this past weekend, Coppage is the only running back in WIAC history to rush for 1000 yards in each of his four seasons. Also, the senior holds the DIII record for most 100-yard rushing games in a career.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

WIAC Matchups

Last Week's Wrap-Up

Week 8 of the season consisted of four outstanding games in the WIAC, as each game was decided by 10 points or less. In my opinion, this was probably the best week of football in WIAC thus far, with three of the four games coming down to a team's final drive. Whitewater's Eric Kindler drove home a game-winning 17-yard field goal (which I didn't think was mathematically possible, but oh well) with 1:18 left in the game. The Titans got the ball back with a little more than a minute to go, and was able to drive down to the Warhawks' 40-yard line. However, a Nate Wara Hail-Mary attempt came up short and the Warhawks extended its winning streak to 37 games with that 20-17 win. The Stevens Point/Eau Claire game had concluded in similar fashion. Points' QB Mitch Beau punched it in from one-yard out to give Stevens Point a four-point lead with 14 seconds left. That proved to be too little time for the Blugolds to construct a game-winning drive. Eau Claire's Austin Neu was able to lead his team down to Points' 15-yard line, but then time had expired on his game-winning attempt. Point held on for the heart-pounding 28-24 win. Over in River Falls, the Falcons' Chad Blair drilled a 21-yard field goal with 1:18 left to tie the game. Only needing a field goal for the win, the Pioneers were able to drive down to the Falcons' seven-yard line and perfectly setup Zach Litchfield's game-winning field goal, as Platteville won a barn burner 34-31. That brings us to the Stout/La Crosse game. This game wasn't quite decided on the game's final drive, but the outcome was still in-doubt late in the fourth quarter. With 5:44 left, Stout's Eric Brown scored the game's first touchdown from three yards out. The Eagle's couldn't get anything going offensively as the Blue Devils won, 10-0.



Game of The Week

Platteville Pioneers (4-3, 2-2)                                                        Eau Claire Blugolds (4-3, 2-2)
                                                             
                                 VS     





Platteville
The Pioneers narrowly escaped being "that" team that gives River Falls its first win of the season last Saturday. Head Coach Mike Emendorfer will attempt to feed off of the win to finish off the season strong for his seniors. Personally, I really thought Platteville was going to be a stronger team that their 4-3 record indicates (but injuries have been playing a big reason for that). While undermanned, I thought they played a very talented Whitewater team extremely tough a few weeks ago on the road before heading into its bye week. Then with two weeks to prepare (and nurse some injuries) for the Oshkosh game, they seemed anything but prepared as they lost their homecoming 24-3. The season almost nearly took a turn for the worst last week, as they barely snuck by a weak River Falls team 34-31. The win mainly was attributed to the play of wide receiver Aaron Loferski. The sophomore was named WIAC's Offensive Athlete of the Week, catching six passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Those 31 points was the most River Falls scored all season long in a game. This is a trend Platteville doesn't want to continue considering Eau Claire is one of the better scoring offenses in the conference. With UWRF being one of the worst. Platteville now comes home to face a very frustrated (and dangerous) Eau Claire team. The Pioneers are still hobbled by injuries with back up QB John Kelly suffering an ankle injury late in the game at River Falls. This forced Nick Anderson to come in for their final (game winning) drive, even though he wasn't 100%. Even with their injuries the Pioneers have been holding its own offensively. They are ranked fourth in the conference scoring nearly 21 points per game. That's mainly credited to their passing attack that ranks third in the WIAC with 205.3 ypg. On defense, the Pioneers have done an excellent job against the run giving up only 139.4 ypg, good enough for second in the conference. Coach Emendorfer will be facing a Blugold team that converts 46.3% of its third downs, which ranks second in the WIAC. This will be something to keep an eye on, b/c the Pioneers are allowing the opposition to convert 43.6% of its third downs this season (second worst in the WIAC). The last thing Platteville wants to do is have UWEC sustain long drives and control the clock, especially with Austin Neu taking the snaps for the Blugolds.

Eau Claire
There's only one word that describes the Blugold's game last Saturday: Heartbreaking. I know I wasn't the only one that fully expected Eau Claire to just light-up La Crosse. UWEC was in full control and never trailed in the game....that is until the final 15 seconds in the fourth quarter. After winning three of its first four, Eau Claire has now dropped two of its last three games, taking itself out of playoff contention. It's remaining schedule doesn't get any easier to coach Todd Glaser's squad as two of its three remaining games will be on the road. With their lone remaining home game being against nationally top-ranked Whitewater next Saturday. Despite its recent struggles Glaser's QB Austin Neu is having an outstanding season. The junior is leading the WIAC in passing yards per game with 230.4, and second in touchdown with 10. Neu leads a team that averages 28.7 points per game, which ranks third in the WIAC. The junior QB has a pair of very reliable receivers to choose between in David Goodman and Mike O'Connell. Goodman is second in the WIAC in receiving yards per game with 70.7, while O'Connell is fifth in conference in receptions with 4.43 per game. However, the team goes only as far as their passing game will take them. Their rushing game will need to improve upon their 133.9 ypg (third worst in conference). They might have a tough time getting RB Joel Sweeney into a rhythm, as the Pioneers have been doing an excellent job defending the run this season. Sweeney has been very good in goal-line situations, with seven rushing TDs on the season. But the sophomore RB is only averaging 3.9 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball, the Blugolds haven't had a stellar season stopping the run, giving up over 163 ypg (second worst in the WIAC). However, fans might want to pay attention to the fact that Platteville doesn't bring a whole lot to the table as far as a rushing attack. This can be a golden opportunity for the Blugold's defense to plug up the running lanes. The one thing that the Eau Claire defense has been excelling at this season is its pass rush. The Blugolds have 20 QB sacks, which is best in the WIAC. Juniors Jimmy Hall and Pat Hendricks have been both been wreaking havoc on opposing QB's season. They are leading the conference in sacks with 4.5 (Hall) and 4.0 (Hendricks) for the year.

Stevens Point Pointers (4-3, 2-2) @ Whitewater Warhawks (7-0, 4-0)
The Pointers looks like they are hitting their stride offensively for the first time this season. I don't think it's a coincidence that they have been averaging over 30 points per game since back-up QB Mitch Beau took over as the signal caller. In the closing minutes of last week's game, Beau led his down field and scored the game-winning touchdown with seconds to go at Eau Claire. After losing three of four earlier in the year, the Pointers have now won two straight. They are showing glimpses of a team that most of us expected when they started off the season ranked 23rd in the country. Whitewater's Levell Coppage is just 53 yards shy from tying Justin Beaver as the team's (and conference's) all-time leading rusher. I have a hunch that he'll surpass that this game. This homecoming game for Whitewater always reminds Warhawk fans of the 2008 homecoming when Point came into Perkins Stadium and upset the Warhawks. The 'Hawks are slowly becoming bitten by the injury bug, but I still don't think that'll be enough to slow down Whitewater this game.

Stout Blue Devils (4-3, 2-2) @ River Falls Falcons (0-7, -04)
Last week the Blue Devils showed what we're used to seeing from its defense, as Stout posted the first shutout this season, 10-0, in WIAC play - for any team. Stout held La Crosse to only 232 yards of total offense last Saturday (3.3 yards per play). So far this year Stout has been holding opponents to just a 30% success rate on 3rd downs, best in the WIAC. However, on the other side of the ball, the offense has had trouble finding the endzone. On the season the Devils are averaging just 16.0 points per game (dead last in the conference). Despite the low-scoring output, Stout has had success moving the ball on the ground as they rank third in the WIAC with 149.1 ypg. That will be a big concern for the Falcons if they wish to win its first game of the year. So far River Falls has been surrendering almost 195 ypg rushing (over five yards per  carry) this year. Coach Matt Walker's boys probably played their best game of the year last weekend, but unfortunately lost on the final drive to Platteville. With two of their three remaining games at home, I believe they have a good chance to avoid getting skunked this season.

La Crosse Eagles (2-5, 1-3) @ Oshkosh Titans (5-2, 3-1)
Oshkosh seems to the WIAC's lone hope in being awarded a Pool C bid (assuming that Whitewater doesn't collapse). All Oshkosh has to do is win its remaining three games, then heavily pray that its two loses against the top two teams in the nation is good enough in the playoff committee's eyes to get in. Given how close they played the two-time defending national champs last weekend, they should have little problems finishing the season 8-2. The Titans rank second in just about every offensive category in the WIAC, which could throw fits for La Crosse's third-to-last ranked defense. I imagine La Crosse is very eager to take the field and prove to everyone they're better than its 10-0 shout-out loss last weekend. The Eagles will enjoy nothing more than spoiling any playoff hopes that the Titans might have. Looking at how these two teams have been playing lately, it will take a terrific effort for Joel Dettwiler's Eagles to pull off this huge upset.

Here's to another great week of WIAC football, and hope everyone stays healthy....Cheers!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

WIAC Matchups

Last week contained a WIAC game that seemed surprisingly close, as well as a match-up that was expected to be close - but wasn't. After being down 7-28 at the half, Stout rallied to within seven points of Whitewater when the fourth quarter began in Whitewater. After two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and a pair of late interceptions, UWW extended its winning streak to 36 games, winning 42-21. Considering it being a home game for the Warhawks, and how Stout has been playing lately, many didn't expect the game to come down to the last quarter. Congrats for Stout for not giving in, despite the big half-time deficit. I read tons of opinions that a strong Platteville team will win its homecoming and stun a very good Oshkosh program. Having two weeks to game plan, and heal up some key injuries, the Pioneers still got trounced by the Titans, 24-3. After losing to Oshkosh in the previous week, Eau Claire bounced back and knocked off La Crosse 31-21. The Blugolds took an early 14-0 in the first quarter, then controlled the clock (which is an understatement) the rest of the game. In Stevens Point, the Pointers were finally able to obtain it first conference win this year against River Falls, 31-10. First-time starter QB Mitch Beau seemed to spark the offense to a season-high 31 points (however, the defense did account for seven of them, as they returned an INT for a TD).


Game of the Week

Whitewater Warhawks (6-0, 3-0)                                                        Oshkosh Titans (5-1, 3-0)
                                 VS
Whitewater
The nationally top-ranked Warhawks will have its toughest challenge of the season this Saturday on the road. The 'Hawks had a key injury last week in preseason All-American LB Greg Arnold. The senior team captain left last week's game with a sprained ankle, and time will tell if he's able to go this Saturday. In my opinion, the Warhawks not only need Arnold's skill set, but also his leadership to slow down this very effective Titans offense. Without Arnold, the outcome of this game will be even closer than it's already expected to be. The Warhawks rank at the top in just about every offensive and defensive category in the WIAC. Statistically, this program has very little to offer up as far as weaknesses (except penalties). It's suggested that the offensive line isn't as good as last season. However, that's not really going out on a limb considering last year's o-line consisted of two All-Americans. Even though Coppage is still leading the WIAC in rushing, he still isn't putting up the gaudy numbers as he did in previous  years. Also, teams seem to have been applying more pressure on QB Matt Blanchard this year. However, based on Blanchard's uncanny athletic abilities to elude would-be tacklers, he's only been sacked three times this season (lowest in conference among starters). As you're probably noticing I'm having a tough time finding areas of concern for Whitewater, as I'm splitting hairs here. As far as on-field play, the main reason why I think Whitewater walks away each game with a win is because of their ability to execute. On numerous occasions, I witnessed many Whitewater opponents over shoot open receivers, drop balls and miss tackles. After instances like those I think to myself, "Wow, if they would have hit that open receiver, or not dropped that ball, this game will be a lot closer." On the flip side, the Warhawks rarely pass on opportunities to make a play. Their ability to execute and NOT miss opportunities is what makes Whitewater such a great team. Apart from that the 'Hawks just flat out wear teams down. Its games might be close in the first half, or even through the third quarter, but the 'Hawks o-line just grinds down opposing defenses which ultimately leads to a multi-touchdown win. I would look for Whitewater, who's tied for second in the WIAC with 12 sacks, to get after Oshkosh's quarterback throughout the afternoon. The Titans have surrendered 15 sacks this season, second most in conference. On a side note, even though it'll be tough to achieve this week, RB Levell Coppage is 184 yards shy of becoming the WIAC's all-time leading rusher. The record is currently held by Warhawk great Justin Beaver (2004-2007) at 6,584 yards. There's one other interesting stat I wanted to point out. The Warhawks have yet to allow a field goal ATTEMPT this season. Only three times have the opposition been in the red zone this year, with all three resulting in TDs.


Oshkosh
Like Whitewater, Oshkosh has a concerning injury of its own to deal with. Quarterback Nate Wara, who's also the team's leading rusher, left last week's game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and never returned. Backup Nick Olla will be taking the snaps if Wara is unable to go this Saturday. Filling in for Wara, Olla finished last week's game 7 of 12 passing for a 100 yards, while rushing for 27 yards on 10 carries. I believe the Titans have the best chance to put an end to Whitewater's winning streak this regular season. Given the fact that the game is at Oshkosh AND it being the Titans' homecoming, the 20th nationally-ranked team has those few important intangibles going for them. From what I hear, there's efforts going into making this game the biggest crowd J.J. Keller Field has ever seen. The Titan's faithful have definitely circled this game on their calendar and rightfully so. A win here would put Oshkosh in control of the WIAC and make them the conference front-runner for the Pool A (automatic) playoff bid. Defensive end Andrew Thompson will need to contain Blanchard in the pocket and keep him from throwing down field. The junior leads the WIAC with four solo sacks this season. Oshkosh's offense has been very effective this season and keeping defenses off balance. Wara has been very efficient in running Oshkosh's read-option offense. This where Wara will read the defense coming off the ball and quickly decides to either hand it off to the RB or fake the hand off and keep it himself using the RB as a decoy/blocker. This offensive attack has worked great for them this season, in forcing the opposition to guess on where the ball going to go. This offensive style only works with a quick/athletic QB, which Wara is. Also, I would anticipate the Titans using that to setup its pass. Instead of Wara taking off with the ball, he'll catch the DBs cheating then drop back and burn them down field. On top of being a threat with his legs as the WIAC's third leading rusher, Wara leads an offense that ranks third in the conference in passing with 198.2 ypg. Early on, I believe Whitewater may have a tough time adjusting to this style of play. It's up to the offense to keep the Warhawks' defense off balance as Whitewater makes adjustments in the second half. One aspect of the game that might give Oshkosh an advantage is the penalties. Whitewater enters this game as the most frequent penalized team in the WIAC (42 penalties at 79.8 ypg). While Oshkosh has only committed 26 penalties at 36.7 ypg....which is the fewest in the WIAC. If Whitewater continues to shoot themselves in the foot (like turning a 3rd and three into a third and 13) that might play right into the Titans plan on stealing this homecoming game.
Platteville Pioneers (3-3, 1-2) at River Falls Falcons (0-6, 0-3)
Coming off a by week and putting up just three points isn't exactly what Platteville coach Mike Emendorfer had in mind when hosting Oshkosh last weekend on homecoming. The Pioneers are too talented of a team, especially with a healthy Nick Anderson behind center, to continue its sputtering offense. I would fully expect Platteville to take its frustrations out on a very passive River Falls defense. The Falcons have been giving up 40 points per game, which seems very inviting for Anderson and company to rack-up the yards. River Falls has three of its remaining four games at home, and still looking for coach Matt Walker's first win as head coach at UWRF. River Falls running back Taylor Edwards still has a strong hold as the WIAC's second leading rusher. The senior is averaging 96.0 rushing ypg with 576 yards total.

Stevens Point Pointers (3-3, 1-2) at Eau Claire Blugolds (4-2, 2-1)
If Stevens Point wants to avoid falling under .500 the Pointers must establish a ground game this Saturday. The Pointers enter this game with the fewest passing yards per game (128.8). But to make matters worse, Eau Claire has the WIAC's top pass defense, only giving up 143.8 ypg. The good news for Point is that the Blugolds have been vulnerable against the run this season, giving up an excess of 175 ypg (third worst in the WIAC). This will give Stevens Point a great opportunity to improve upon its conference worst 132.3 ypg on the ground. Eau Claire does have the luxury of bringing QB Austin Neu to the party. WIAC's leading passer has been throwing for over 236 ypg, along with 10 touchdowns and just two INTs. I'm still waiting on UWEC running back Joel Sweeney to play a bigger roll in the offense this year. He's been slightly disappointing, as the big sophomore has been only averaging 3.9 yards per carry, and just over 68 ypg. Also, here's a little nugget that UWSP's coach John Meich put in place last week: Coach Meich started reducing practices and lifting sessions in an attempt to keep his team fresh. He felt his squad was getting tired towards the end of games. In other words, he thought they might be overworked.

La Crosse Eagles (2-4, 2-1) at Stout Blue Devils (3-3, 1-2)
La Crosse's RB Ben Hertampf had his coming out party last week as he rushed for 206 yards, along with three touchdowns. Needless to say Hertampf won himself WIAC's Offensive Player of the Week. This potentially could be bad news for the Blue Devils as they give up over 176 ypg, second worst in conference this season. Stout's head coach Clayt Birmingham can't be pleased team's inability to protect the ball. The Blue Devils have given up the ball a conference leading 11 times, 10 coming from INTs. They're the only team with a negative turnover margin in the conference (-3). Stout's Ross Carey must do a better job not trying to force his passes, the Eagles have a very solid set of defensive backs led by shut-down corner Derek Dreher. Dreher leads the WIAC is pass breakups with 10.

Best of luck to all teams, and here's to four hard-fought games and everyone staying healthy.....Cheers!!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Powers That Be

Over the past few years, D3football.com has ranked the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as the best football conference in DIII. They mentioned the fact that the WIAC never shies away from scheduling powerful football programs to fill out its schedule. In fact, this season, I think the WIAC is the only conference in recent history to play the top four teams in the country as part of its non-conference schedule. These are the top four teams according to D3football.com.
  1. Whitewater - La Crosse hosted the Warhawks in a non-conference game and lost 7-26.
  2. Mount Union - Oshkosh hit the road in a losing effort against the Purple Raiders, in Alliance, 17-41.
  3. St. Thomas - River Falls hosted the Tommies but lost 22-45.
  4. Mary Harden-Baylor - La Crosse made the long road trip down to Texas and lost 20-27.
In addition to playing these purple monsters, the WIAC scheduled five teams from the NAIA, which offers up football scholarship to its athletes. Of course there's more to being the best DIII conference than just scheduling prominent teams. With being said, I wanted to analyze the foundation of the WIAC to see why its football programs are so competitive, even more so other programs around Division III. What does the WIAC have (or doesn't have) to offer that other conferences don't, and where does its success stem from? So, I started researching this topic by sending out emails to different personnel associated with WIAC football, asking why they thought the WIAC is so strong year after year.

In my opinion, it starts with having Whitewater at the top of your conference. The Warhawks have been to six consecutive Stagg Bowls, winning it three of the last four years. Also, Whitewater has the longest current winning streak in all of college football with 35 wins (regardless of division). Their last lost was dated back on December 20, 2008 (Stagg Bowl against Mount Union). It's safe to say Whitewater can match up against any other conference's number one team, and mostly likely be the favorite to win. However, what I think is the defining factor in what separates the WIAC from the rest of DIII is, in fact, the bottom of the conference. I'm willing to bet the bottom third of the WIAC will find a lot of success against other conference's lower-tiered programs. These games are rarely scheduled, because other football programs are apprehensive to the play any WIAC team, hence the conference playing a lot of top-ranked DIII and NAIA teams.

The Snowball Effect
The reputation of the WIAC as a powerful conference has been well established over the years. But I wanted to look at why that is, and how that came to be. I believe the number one reason is the lack of scholarship-offering football programs in the state of Wisconsin, which gives WIAC coaches more breathing room to recruit. Wisconsin (Madison) is the only football program which offers up scholarships to its football athletes in the state. So if you're looking to play college football in the state of Wisconsin and don't make the Badgers roster (walk-on or scholarship), there's only one place to look: Division III. Many Wisconsin resident high school athletes choose to stay in state for number of reasons. One being, they (and their families) want to take advantage of in-state tuition. Just about every year the cost for higher education has been steadily increasing. My dad once jokingly told me, "I can't imagine what the cost of college will be once your daughter hits 18." Frankly, I don't want even want to think about that right now, that's a-whole-nother blog post for another day. Secondly, most students enjoy the proximity of WIAC schools in relation to their home town. It's nice to go away for college and enjoy the freedom of living on your own, but at the same time it's nice to have a manageable trip back to see old friends and family once in a while for the holidays. Finally, if you come up short on getting offered a scholarship at Madison, the idea of being a big fish in a little pond gravitates athletes to the WIAC. This sounds much more enticing compared to taking your chances trying to walk-on at a DI school. Even if you do make the squad, odds are you won't play a snap in your four years. Or, you can do your student debt a favor, enroll in a WIAC program where you can possibly make much more of a name for yourself on the football field and still receive a degree from the University of Wisconsin system.

Of course there are other DIII football programs in Wisconsin that aren't associated with the WIAC....Ten schools in fact. These ten programs are spread out over three other conferences: Midwest Conference, Northern Athletics Conference, and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The big difference between the WIAC and these three conference is that the WIAC is the only one where ALL of its schools are within the Wisconsin state boarder. The other conferences have schools that reside in Illinois and Iowa. So, why haven't these conferences enjoyed the fruits of Wisconsin having only one scholarship football team, like the WIAC has?  That's a question that has been wracking my brain for some time now. The only thing I can come up with is these schools haven't fully committed to improving its program like the WIAC has. One example of this is, check out the facilities around the WIAC. This conference has some very impressive stadiumsweight rooms and other athletic complexes (i.e. film rooms, training centers, etc.). This by itself is a huge recruiting tool when coaches can offer up state-of-the-art facilities to woo high schoolers. One other reason why the WIAC may have an advantage over other local DIII conference is that success breads success. Quality recruits come to the WIAC for one reason: to win. The more a team wins, the more that school gains name recognition, which leads to a higher quality of recruits. Then things just snowball from there. A perfect example is Whitewater. As soon as they started making annual trips to the Stagg Bowl in 2005, and playing games on ESPN, the more undecided high school (and some college transfer minded) recruits wanted to be a part of that experience....who could blame them?

The coaches in the WIAC, in my opinion, are under-appreciated. They should be getting majority of the credit, more so than the athletes, for a school's success. Even though it's easy for recruits to admire a program's trophy case, and as well as facilities, it still boils down to the coaching staff's ability to recruit and develop these players. As well as teaching them the X's and O's and keeping them focused each week. The success of a school's program relies squarely on the coach's shoulders, and it's up to them to get that "snowball" rolling to build off its success. A prime example of legendary WIAC coaching was La Crosse's own Roger Harring. From 1969 -1999 coach Harring acheivements include:
  • 15 conference championships
  • Seven-time WIAC Coach of the Year (the award came into existence in 1980)
  • Three national championships ('85, '92 and '95) 
  • All-time WIAC leader in wins (261-75-7) 
  • 1995 AFCA National Coach of the Year
  • Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Other great coaches that made WIAC (formerly the WSUC) so special include Whitewater's Forrest Perkins ('56-84), Bob Berezowitz ('85-'06), Lance Leipold (07-present); Steven Point's John Miech ('88-present); River Falls' Mike Falrey ('70-'88), John O'Grady ('89-'10). On a side note, O'Grady is now an assistant at Oshkosh. I'm sure there are other coaches worth mentioning, but in an effort to keep this column short enough to keep everyone's attention span, I kept the list relatively small. Sorry for any omissions, but this list can probably go on and on.

Common Misconception: Size Doesn't Matter  
It's VERY easy to take a look at the WIAC's enrollment and say No sh*t they're good....look at the size of these schools!!! I've heard comments like this one many of times. Those people have to be reminded that this isn't high school. Coaches don't recruit within the student body, they recruit before they enroll (while they're still in high school). There's a big difference. Athletes come to the WIAC because of the great coaches and the winning traditions....not because the quantity of coeds. The fact is the size of the school doesn't equate to successful football (and athletic) programs. You may get a slight edge in the attrition process but there's way too many other significant variables that makes a football program successful. A perfect example, take Duke University in college basketball and Notre Dame in college football. Duke has under 8000 undergrads, while Notre Dame enrolls a little over 8000. To put that into perspective, both of those DI schools are comparable in enrollment to most WIAC schools. Each season those two programs have to play against other schools that have an enrollment two to three times the size of theirs. Given that "hurdle", both Duke and Notre Dame are two of the most storied programs in college basketball and college football. If size of the school mattered Duke and Notre Dame would be irrelevant in collegiate athletics. Besides, it's not like the WIAC is the only DIII conference to have enrollments over 5000. In fact, the schools belonging to the New Jersey Athletic Conference have almost identical enrollments as the WIAC. Yet a team from the NJAC hasn't been involved in Stagg Bowl discussions since the 90's, when Rowan made it there five times in seven years. They actually lost the Stagg Bowls regularly to a little private school from Alliance, Ohio that's a quarter its size. So why can't the NJAC share the success of the WIAC? Besides the reasons I stated in the first three to four paragraphs above, take a look at the sheer number of DIII schools out east. It must be a recruiting nightmare for DIII coaches out there. The football programs seem to be a stones-throw away form each other (not to mention all the DI and DII football programs to compete with). There are more DIII schools out east than Wisconsin cities named after an Indian tribe....and that's saying something. All anyone has to look at is the history books. The two most successful football programs in the history of DIII are St. Johns and Mount Union. Those two enrollments combined is only half of any most NJAC and WIAC schools. Whitewater had relatively the same size student population as far back as I can remember, but nobody was bringing up these arguments when the Warhawks couldn't finish above .500 during the late 90s through the early 2000s. As for the rest of the conference goes, from 1983 till 2004, only four times has a WIAC school made it out of the second round of the playoffs, with similar enrollments as they do now.

Another reason haters think the WIAC has a significant advantage is the whole public verses private school debate. Majority of DIII football programs stem from private schools, so when a public school starts to gain any notoriety many private-school fans just roll their and say something stupid like: Private schools' tuition is more expensive, and it's harder to get in, academically, than public schools. So this limits our recruiting because we can only recruit athletes who are good in football, have an outstanding academic standing and have to money to spend on a quality education. Where public schools can let just anyone in. I say, as long as Mount Union is, well, Mount Union, this is a moot point. In fact, Stevens Points head coach John Miech disagrees with this theory of public schools getting recruiting advantages based on academic standards and tuition. "Most private school kids get excellent AID packages. An out-of-state athlete pays $18,000 to go to Stevens Point, [compared to] $4,000 to go to St. Thomas," says Miech. "At UWSP, if a [high school] athlete has an 18 ACT, we cannot touch him. [However] private schools can get 14-15 ACT kids in, if they are good in athletics."

So if you want to look at why the WIAC is on top of the DIII football world, don't kid yourself and think it has anything to do with enrollment size or tuition costs. That assumption is just disrespectful to the time and effort the coaching staff and athletes put into the program each year. In fact, look no further than the coaches themselves and his stuff. They are the real driving force behind WIAC football, and they're why the WIAC is what it is today.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

WIAC Matchups

It's only a couple of games into each teams' conference schedule and we're beginning to see the WIAC take shape for the 2011 season. Whitewater and Oshkosh have established themselves as conference contenders as they improved their WIAC record to 2-0. Then there's four other programs log jammed with a 1-1 record hoping that the Warhawks and Titans slip up. La Crosse finished up its non-conference schedule with a win over Jamestown (ND) of the NAIA. The WIAC has now completed all non-conference games with a conference record of 10-6 (3-1 against the NAIA). 

Game of the Week

Stevens Point Pointers (2-3, 0-2)                                                River Falls Falcons (0-5, 0-2)
                             vs
                         




Stevens Point
Last weeks Point homecoming didn't go according to how coach John Miech probably envisioned it. After jumping out to a 10-0 lead over Stout, the Pointers gave up 16 second-half points to lose 19-22. Adding insult to injury, Point's starting QB, Casey Barnes, went out with an ankle injury late in the first half. Time will tell if he'll be able to suit up this Saturday against River Falls. If he's unable to go, backup sophomore Mitch Beau will be under center for his first career start. Filling in last week, Beau finished throwing for 73 yards on 6-of-9 passing with one TD and one INT. It's clear for Stevens Point that a 15th WIAC title is probably out of reach at this point, even though it's only two games into its conference schedule. Which seems very disappointing considering they started the season ranked 23rd in the country. The only thing that is on the line now is this team's pride - especially the seniors. Nobody wants to be "that team" that hands River Falls its first win of the season. I certainly wish Barnes all the best with his recovery but a new QB under center may be just what the Pointers need to jump start this stagnant offense, which ranks last in the WIAC in scoring (14.4 ppg). Beau could provide  that spark that the Pointers desperately need to rally around. He's extremely athletic and is very mobile in the pocket, along with having the capability of creating plays with his feet. The Pointers' defense has been able to hold its own considering the amount of time they've been on the field, as they rank  third in the conference in scoring defense (17.6 ppg). Unfortunately, a lot of pressure is placed on the defense's shoulders as the offense is only converting under 24% of its third downs, good enough for last in the WIAC. While its defense is forcing opposing offenses to a 34% success rate on 3rd downs (third best in conference). Giving the defense some much needed breathing room, in regards to field position, has been the punting of Brandon Matznick. The junior is second in the WIAC in punting, averaging a hair under 40 yards per punt. As I stated before about the pride of this football team, the last thing coach Miech wants to happen is see his program be the lone win-less team in the WIAC. Although I don't see them losing this game, I did notice a River Falls team play the number one team in the nation pretty tough last week. A win at home will be what the Pointers need to restore its confidence.

River Falls
In 2009, the Falcons lost to Whitewater 14-63. Heading into last week's contest against the Warhawks many assumed, including myself, a similar outcome in-which the Levell Coppage would gain 200 yards....at the half. However, the Falcons held the All American to just 74 yards on the ground this time around, and found themselves only down by a touch down midway through the second quarter. I know its not that impressivee but the game seemed much closer than its 28-7 half-time score. Partly because River Falls was able to accomplish something few have done against the Warhawks: contain Coppage (for the most part) and apply pressure to its quarterback. Point being is coach Matt Walker, despite being win-less, has been putting a very competitive team on the field this season. I think the Falcons have a solid chance against a very vulnerable Stevens Point team, that as a few injury concerns this week. If they apply the same defensive scheme to the Pointers (as they did to Whitewater), I think they can get coach Walker his much-deserved first win. There's a chance Stevens Point starts an inexperienced QB on Saturday, so blitzing and applying constant pressure might force him in making some bad decisions and force turnovers. I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying Taylor Edwards will have a better week rushing the ball. Whitewater held the talented RB to just one yard on 13 carries. Stevens Point defense does mediocre - at best - against the run, giving up a little over 156 yards per game. Taylor should experience little more room to maneuver against the Pointers front seven. Unfortunately, outside of Edwards, the team really struggles moving the ball. The Falcons only put up 15.2 points per game (second worst in the WIAC). They have a very young and inexperienced offensive line, consisting of one senior, one junior, two sophomores and a freshman. I can't imagine how much better of a season Edwards would be having with a more jelled front five. Despite being a struggling offense, junior John Wahlstrom is leading the WIAC in receptions with 30. However, the 5'11' junior is still waiting for his first touch trip to the endzone this season, which is a bit surprising for me considering he's averaging six receptions per game. Apart from its current losing streak, the Falcons have another streak in mind they would like to end Saturday. River Falls hasn't won in Stevens Point since 1997.

Stout Blue Devils (3-2, 1-1) at Whitewater Warhawks (5-0, 2-0)
So you want stop Whitewater's Levell Coppage? Try placing eight to nine guys in the box just like River Falls did last week, who held Coppage to a season-low 74 yards. However, there's a downside. The coaching will make adjustments and QB Matt Blanchard will just pick apart the secondary. Against the blitzing Falcons, Blanchard threw for touchdown plays of 45 yards and 60 yards. So pick your poison: Blanchard or Coppage. I can run down the stats of the Warhawks this season, but there's nothing new I can offer that hasn't been said about the number one team in the country already. If you must know, be my guest. As for Stout, a late touchdown by Clayt Birmingham's Blue Devils was the difference maker as they ambushed Point's homecoming last week 22-19. Tight End Josh Peterson (offensive player of the week) had himself a day with five catches for 110 yards and touchdown. However, Peterson and Stout don't really match up too well against the Warhawks this week. Stout surrenders the second most points in the WIAC, while Whitewater scores the most. The Blue Devils defense will need to channel its inner 2009 and 2010 season to slow down the Warhawks offense Friday night. The worst thing Whitewaer can do is look ahead to next week's monster game against at Oshkosh. ******SPOILER ALERT****** Which might just be next week's Game of the Week.

Eau Claire Blugolds (3-2, 1-1) at La Crosse Eagles (2-3, 1-1)
Despite a "gutsy" performance from quarterback Austin Neu, Eau Claire dropped its homecoming game last week 16-23, even though they lead 16-7 at the half. During the game reports indicated that Neu received an elbow to the stomach when diving out of bounds to pick up a first down. Shortly after, the junior QB "lost his breakfast" on the field. Neu stayed in the game and still threw for 210 yards on 19-35 passing. A rejuvenated La Crosse team will try to make it three straight this week, after dropping its first three of the season. The Eagles looked great in a win against the NAIA team Jamestown (ND), 42-6. Through five games this season, the Eagles have given up the most passing yards in the WIAC. This is not a good sign as the Blugolds come into La Crosse with the best passing offense in the conference. However, the Blugolds are very suspect against the run surrendering over 170 yards per game. If La Crosse can get its ground game going, then they will be able to control the clock and keep this high-powered Blugolds passing attacked off the field. Unfortunately the Eagles haven't found much success running of late, they average only 130 ypg (second to last in the WIAC). As far as intangibles go, this is La Crosse's Family/Friends & Alumni Weekend (homecoming?). So a good-sized crowd should be expected on hand this Saturday at Veterans Memorial Field.

Oshkosh Titans (4-1, 2-0) at Platteville Pioneers (3-2, 1-1)
This game was a very strong contender for Game of the Week. Especially if Platteville is fully healed coming off the bye week. The Pioneers were inundated with injuries following (and going into) the Whitewater game two weeks ago. When healthy, Platteville has a very strong team and can contend with just about anyone. Outside of Whitewater, its only loss came against nationally ranked Wheaton College. If QB Nick Anderson can go, this will give the Pioneers a huge boost on the offensive side of the ball. Anderson is very athletic and poses as a dual threat passing the ball or tucking it in and running with it. A part from being its homecoming, Platteville had two weeks to prepare for a very good Oshkosh program. The Titans are coming off a very pivotal victory on the road against a good Eau Claire team last week. The victory catapulted them into the top 25 for the first time in the D3football.com poll's nine-year history. Even a healthy Platteville defense will have its hands full against a very dangerous quarterback in Oshkosh's Nate Wara. Wara remains the conference's third leading passer AND rusher in yards per game. The junior has accounted for 12 touchdowns this season (throwing for nine, and rushing for three) for the Titans. However, the Blugolds did show the WIAC that Wara can be controlled, as he only threw 68 yards on 6-12 passing, with one pick (and sacked SIX times) last week. On the ground he only averaged 2.7 yards per carry that game. That's down from his 4.9 season average. So, if Platteville can come back healthy, and apply similar style defense that Eau Claire did to Oshkosh last week, it just might be a happy homecoming for UWP alumnus attending.


Best of luck to all teams, and here's to everyone staying healthy......Cheers!