Third-Round Matchup - Salisbury University

With the NCAA's realignment of this year's playoff bracket, the Warhawks will be facing a rare east region program in the quarterfinals. Salisbury University Sea Gulls bring an 11-1 record into Whitewater, as they finished the regular season ranked 10th in the country (D3football.com). Which is the fourth highest ranking among one-loss teams. Their lone loss this year came back in week nine, when they fell on the road to Wesley, 14-23. The Sea Gulls entered the playoffs by receiving an automatic Pool A bid after running the table and winning the Empire 8 conference with a 7-0 record. This was Salisbury's inaugural season as an E8 conference member. In 2010, they were a part of the Atlantic Central Football Conference before the ACFC inevitably shut down at the end of last year (lack of participants). When they closed up shop the ACFC only had four members, which didn't meet the NCAA minimum to be awarded an automatic bid. If the ACFC still remained, and Salisbury was still a member, there would be no guarantee that the Sea Gulls would have even made the field of 32 this season. Wesley would have still received the one Pool B bid, while the Sea Gulls could do nothing but sit and pray for a Pool C at-large bid. Needless to say, the move to the E8 was in Salisbury's best interest.



Salisbury Junior QB Dan Griffin



For the third time in three playoff games this year, Whitewater will be facing a player who was a conference offensive player of the year. This time around it will be the E8's Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Dan Griffin. The junior is the cornerstone of the team's very dangerous triple-option offense. Griffin accounted for 27 touchdowns (13 passing, 14 rushing) and became the school's first 1,000-yard passer since 1998. During the regular season Griffin had a 239.77 pass efficiency rating without throwing a single interception. He also rushed for 623 yards on the year. Salisbury doesn't pass very often, in fact Griffin has only attempted 82 passes on the year (including the playoffs). That's under seven attempts per game. However, throwing the ball down field isn't what the Sea Gulls are all about. Salisbury utilizes the triple option better than just about anyone in the country, averaging over 362 yards per game. Its leading rusher is First Team All-Conference running back Randal Smedley who averages 91 ypg. Including Griffin, the Sea Gulls have three players with over 800 rushing yards on the season - all averaging over five yards per carry. After a few offensive option-running possessions, it's very easy for defenses to creep up and begin to over commit to stop the run. Once that happens, a simple play-action pass will catch defenses out of position as they become very vulnerable for a pass over the top. Including the playoffs, Griffin has only 46 completions, as 15 of those were for TDs - which is a pretty remarkable ratio. The Sea Gulls' offensive line consists of three all-conference lineman, including 6'8" 320lb left guard Alex Smith who fans will probably be able to spot from the perking lot. This is an offense that the Warhawks haven't seen in quite some time. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the abundance of miss-directions, fake hand offs, and play actions this weekend.



Sea Gulls Sophomore DB Andre Carter



With an offensive style that Salisbury brings to each game, it's easy to incorrectly over look the Sea Gulls' defense. Its 3-4 defensive scheme is centered around First Team All-Conference linebacker Jamey McClendon. The senior leads the E8 with 6.5 sacks this season, and is second on the team with 87 total tackles. The secondary is led by another First Team All-E8 player in Chris Everett. The junior defensive back leads the team with 95 total tackles and eight pass breakups. Another player that Warhawk quarterback Matt Blanchard will have to account for at all times is defensive back Andre Carter. The First Team All-Conference sophomore leads the Empire 8 with seven interceptions this year. This is a very strong defense, as six of the 11 defensive starters made either the first or second all-conference team. The Sea Gulls have been extremely stout against the run, giving up just over three yards per carry. I'm sure Salisbury's front seven will be watching plenty of film on Levell Coppage this week. If the Sea Gulls can keep Coppage in check and prevent the offense from picking up first downs, they will give themselves a great opportunity to advance to the semifinals.  

One interesting stat that stands out to me is Salisbury's special teams, specifically its field goal unit. They are 3 for 7 on the year in field goals, with a long of only 30 yards and are 0-3 beyond 30 yards. I suppose if you average more than 40 points per game, and over seven yards per play, who needs a field goal unit....right? If the Sea Gulls find themselves in a 4th down situation, with the ball between Whitewater's 20-35 yard line, I would look for Salisbury to go for it just about every time. Especially with this game being played in late November in the state of Wisconsin - not exactly field-goal friendly weather. An early look at the forecast indicates a high in the mid 30s with a 30 percent chance of a rain/snow mixture in Whitewater, WI. It wouldn't be playoff time in Whitewater without some extreme weather conditions. I am right?!

2011 Statistics (National Rank)

Salisbury Rushing Offense: 364.8 ypg (2)
Whitewater Rushing Defense: 72.8 ypg (4)

Salisbury Passing Offense: 101.2 ypg (226)
Whitewater Passing Defense: 180.8 ypg (86)

Salisbury Total Offense: 466.0 ypg (12)
Whitewater Total Defense: 253.7 ypg (14)

Salisbury Rushing Defense: 135.4 ypg (75)
Whitewater Rushing Offense: 230.0 ypg (25)

Salisbury Passing Defense: 169.3 ypg (57)
Whitewater Passing Offense: 214.9 ypg (85)

Salisbury Total Defense: 304.7 ypg (45)
Whitewater Total Offense: 444.9 ypg (24)

Whitewater's Third-Round Games (Since 2005)
2005 - UWW over Linfield, 44-41
2006 - UWW over St. John's, 17-14
2007 - UWW over Wabash, 47-7
2008 - UWW over Wartburg, 34-17
2009 - UWW over Wittenberg, 31-13
2010 - UWW over North Central, 20-10

What interests me the most is Salisbury's number two nationally-ranked rushing offense going up against Whitewater's number four ranked rushing defense - needless to say something must give this Saturday. For the hell of it I took a closer look at Salisbury's October loss against Wesley. Similar to Whitewater, Wesley has the sixth ranked rushing defense, and gave up 14 points and only 226 rushing yards to the Sea Gulls that Saturday afternoon. That's 140 fewer yards than Salisbury's season average. On paper, it's easy to say Whitewater is more than capable of replicating that defensive effort. Then again, many didn't give Wabash a chance against North Central last week (including myself), and the Little Giants proved many wrong. That's why we play the game, you never know what's going to happen. If I had to guess, I think this quarter-final game will have a similar outcome to the Wartburg game in 2008...in Whitewater's favor.

Second Round Matchup - Franklin College

Looking back over the past 12 months there isn't a team that's more familiar with Whitewater than the Franklin College Grizzlies. This will be the third time the Warhawks have faced Franklin in the past 17 games. The first of the three meetings was in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, when Whitewater won 52-21 in Whitewater. Then in the Warhawks' second game of this season UWW won, at Franklin, 45-0. However, after the huge defeat earlier this year the Grizzlies have went on to win nine straight, including last week's first-round playoff win over Thomas More, 24-21. Franklin finished the regular season with a 10-1 record, and was a perfect 8-0 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. By winning the HCAC, Franklin was awarded the automatic Pool A playoff bid to get into the postseason. During this nine-game win streak Franklin has been on a tear, outscoring its opponents by an average of 26 points. A lot of people will just say, "Yea, but look who its competition is (or lack there of)...especially playing in the HCAC." Which is true, but good teams are suppose to destroy lesser opponents, which is exactly what the Grizzlies have been doing.




Franklin's sophomore QB Johnny West



Like usual, the Grizzlies' offensive is led by its quarterback. After Franklin's All-American QBs Chad Rupp and Kyle Ray, Johnny West seems to be filling in perfectly as the "next great Franklin quarterback." At only a sophomore, West was selected as the 2011 HCAC Offensive MVP for throwing for 3,144 yards and 30 touchdowns during the regular season. West had a 152.3 passing efficiency rating along with a HCAC-best 314.4 passing yards per game (6th best in Division III) in the regular season. One area of concern for the Grizzlies' QB has been his 14 interceptions this year. Only five quarterbacks in the country have thrown more INTs than West. I guess that comes with the territory when you attempt the fifth most passes in DIII (421 total attempts). West has a pair of First-Team All HCAC receivers in his arsenal that he's been using to burn teams down field with. Kyle Linville has been averaging over 100 receiving yards per game along with 11 touchdowns during the regular. The junior lead the HCAC in both categories. West's second option has been Logan Worley, averaging over 63 ypg and was second in the HCAC with 10 touchdowns. Considering how frequent Franklin drops back to pass this year, the offensive line has been doing a fairly descent job protecting its QB. The Grizzlies rank 49th in the country in Sacks Allowed with 1.18 per game. The line has been led by Nick Shultz and Colin Gallagher, both First Team All-HCAC. Being a predominate passing team, senior running back Reece Craig is only getting about 12 rushes per game, and has 694 yards in the regular season. I would believe Craig's running lanes are opened up with the constant threat of Franklin's aerial attack this year.



Grizzlies' senior defensive lineman David O'Rourke (43)



Franklin's 3-4 defensive scheme is centered around this season's HCAC Defensive MVP, David O'Rourke. The senior 6'2" 240lb defensive lineman led his conference with nine sacks, and finished fourth in the HCAC with 11 tackles for loss. As a team, Franklin is ranked fifth in the conference in total defense (359.3 ypg) and second in scoring defense (22.3 ppg). Along with O'Rourke, there are six other Grizzlies that made All-HCAC including Wes Kaminski (DL), Zach Ruark (DB), Zack Corpe (DB), Jordan Segner (LB), Scott Moore (LB) and Tyler Huls (DB). Both Ruark and Huls lead the team with three interceptions a piece. The 6'0" 205lb sophomore Moore leads the team with 86 total tackles (60 solo) and seven pass break-ups. Along with O'Rourke, Moore has spent a good deal of time in the opponents' backfield this year with 10 tackles for loss. Despite the inundation of individual awards on defense, I was surprised by the Grizzlies' fifth-ranked defense (out of nine) in its conference. However, that might have something to do with Franklin playing Whitewater earlier in the season where they gave up 473 yards. But still, I expected better defensive numbers from Franklin.



One thing that impressed me about the Grizzlies' fans is that they don't mess around when it comes to tailgating. You know you're serious about pregame parking lot festivities when you have your own T-shirts. I remember last season in the 2010 playoffs when the Grizzlies came to Whitewater. There were one or two huge custom-made grills that had to have been towed all the way from Franklin, IN. That's over 300 miles with grill attached to you trailer hitch!!!! Until that day I thought I had a sweet gas grill that folds up and stows nicely in my trunk. That was until I saw this beastly thing from Franklin that looks like it cooked those ribs that Fred Flintstone ordered at the Bedrock Drive-In. One of those grills was painted blue with a sweet Franklin symbol on the side of it. After gawking at this thing for what seemed like an hour, I sheepishly looked down at my grill which, in comparison, now looked like I was cooking my burgers in glofied pizza oven.

2011 Statistics (National Rank)

Franklin Rushing Offense: 157.0 ypg (102)
Whitewater Rushing Defense: 79.9 ypg (9)

Franklin Passing Offense: 314.3 ypg (7)
Whitewater Passing Defense: 178.3 ypg (81)

Franklin Total Offense: 471.3 ypg (11)
Whitewater Total Defense: 258.2 ypg (15)

Franklin Rushing Defense: 142.2 ypg (97)
Whitewater Rushing Offense: 231.7 ypg (23)

Franklin Passing Defense: 206.7 ypg (157)
Whitewater Passing Offense: 221.4 ypg (76)

Franklin Total Defense: 349.0 ypg (123)
Whitewater Total Offense: 453.4 ypg (21)

Whitewater's Second-Round Games (Since 2005)
2005 - UWW over St. John's, 34-7
2006 - UWW over La Crosse, 24-21
2007 - UWW over North Central, 59-28
2008 - UWW over Willamette, 30-27
2009 - UWW over Illinois Wesleyan, 45-7
2010 - UWW over Trine, 45-31

If the Warhawks can keep this high-powered Franklin offense in check - like they did earlier in the season - Whitewater should find themselves moving on to the next round. Considering how mediocre the Grizzlies' defense has been this year, I don't see how they are going to slow down Levell Coppage and Matt Blanchard on Saturday. Pound the rock, eat up the clock, keep West off the field, then onto the third round the Warhawks go. I believe this game should play out similar to the 2007 second-round game against NCC.

2011 All WIAC Team

Player of the Year: Levell Coppage of Whitewater
George Chryst Coach of the Year: Lance Leipold of Whitewater
Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete: Greg Klingelhutz of River Falls
First Team Offense
Name, School, Year, Position, Height, Weight, Hometown (High School)
Jake Wiederholt, Platteville, Senior, Tight End, 6-6, 266, Fennimore, Wis.
Matt Blanchard, Whitewater, Senior, Quarterback, 6-3, 225, Lake Zurich, Ill.
Levell Coppage, Whitewater, Senior, Running Back, 5-9, 190, Oak Park, Ill.
Taylor Edwards, River Falls, Senior, Running Back, 6-1, 208, Janesville, Wis. (Parker)
Ben Hertrampf, La Crosse, Sophomore, Running Back, 5-11, 210, Fennimore, Wis.
Garrie Fox, Oshkosh, Senior, Wide Receiver, 5-11, 185, Madison, Wis. (Edgewood)
Tyler Huber, Whitewater, Junior, Wide Receiver, 6-2, 195, Mukwonago, Wis. (North Prairie)
Joel Yogerst, River Falls, Senior, All-Purpose, 5-11, 223, Richfield, Wis. (Slinger)
Logan Allemand, Whitewater, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-3, 311, Kenosha, Wis. (Tremper)
Tyler Butzler, Stout, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-5, 310, Tomah, Wis.
Grant Malmquist, Stevens Point, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-6, 295, Middleton, Wis.
John Nicholas, Oshkosh, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-5, 285, Oneida, Wis. (Seymour)
Matt Withrow, Eau Claire, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-4, 281, Platteville, Wis.
Eric Allen, Oshkosh, Senior, Center, 5-10, 285, Markesan, Wis.
Christian Hallingstad, La Crosse, Junior, Punter, 5-10, 170, Cumberland, Wis. (Rice Lake)
Eric Kindler, Whitewater, Sophomore, Kicker, 6-0, 179, Germantown, Wis.
Greg Klingelhutz, River Falls, Senior, Return Specialist, 5-9, 188, Chanhassen, Minn. (Holy Family)

Second Team Offense
Austin Goetsch, Eau Claire, Junior, Tight End, 6-1, 227, Waunakee, Wis.
Nate Wara, Oshkosh, Junior, Quarterback, 6-2, 205, Oshkosh, Wis. (North)
Eric Brown, Stout, Junior, Running Back, 5-10, 195, St. Paul, Minn. (Arlington)
Cole Myhra, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Running Back, 5-11, 205, Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Darin Blaser, Platteville, Senior, Wide Receiver, 6-3, 197, Aledo, Ill.
David Goodman, Eau Claire, Senior, Wide Receiver, 6-1, 182, Neenah, Wis.
Justin Budiac, Oshkosh, Senior, All-Purpose, 5-8, 190, Mukwonago, Wis.
Adam Cook, Platteville, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-2, 260, Morrison, Ill.
Colton Friemuth, Platteville, Junior, Offensive Line, 6-4, 248, South Beloit, Ill. (North Boone)
Joe Gottmer, River Falls, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-1, 270, Hayward, Wis.
Ryan Olson, Whitewater, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-3, 294, Stoughton, Wis.
Ben Pagel, La Crosse, Junior, Offensive Line, 5-11, 270, Appleton, Wis. (East)
Grant Weltzin, Stout, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-2, 260, Cadott, Wis.
Paul Santi, Eau Claire, Junior, Center, 6-1, 282, Kingsford, Mich.
Zak Brinkman, Platteville, Senior, Punter, 6-2, 214, Cassville, Wis.
Zach Litchfield, Platteville, Sophomore, Kicker, 6-1, 206, Waupaca, Wis.
Charlie Weissman, Oshkosh, Senior, Return Specialist, 6-0, 205, Colgate (Hartford)

Honorable Mention Offense
Jason Ford, Whitewater, Senior, Tight End, 6-2, 245, Palatine, Ill. (Fremd)
Mike Mullins, Stevens Point, Senior, Tight End, 6-4, 230, Appleton, Wis. (East)
Josh Peterson, Stout, Junior, Tight End, 6-3, 225, Cedar Grove, Wis. (Cedar Grove-Belgium)
Austin Neu, Eau Claire, Junior, Quarterback, 6-1, 200, Iron Ridge, Wis. (Hustisford)
Tony Bilderback, La Crosse, Sophomore, Wide Receiver, 6-3, 195, Whitewater, Wis.
Mike O’Connell, Eau Claire, Junior, Wide Receiver, 5-10, 168, Eau Claire, Wis. (Regis)
John Wahlstrom, River Falls, Junior, Wide Receiver, 5-11, 177, Hastings, Minn.
Caleb Voss, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Wide Receiver, 6-2, 195, Van Dyne, Wis. (Winnebago Lutheran)
David Goebel, Stout, Sophomore, All-Purpose, 6-2, 230, Minnetonka, Minn.
Bernie Tamsett, Whitewater, Junior, All-Purpose, 6-0, 225, Waterford, Wis. (Union)
Lee Vlasak, Platteville, Junior, All-Purpose, 5-11, 212, Blanchardville, Wis. (Pecatonica)
Brandon Peter, Oshkosh, Junior, Offensive Line, 6-2, 275, Allenton, Wis. (Kewaskum)
Ross Schulz, La Crosse, Junior, Offensive Line, 6-5, 300, Bloomington, Minn. (Kennedy)
Joe Gerber, Stout, Junior, Center, 6-2, 255, Minneapolis, Minn. (Totino-Grace)
Kris Rosholt, Whitewater, Senior, Punter, 6-4, 231, Reedsburg, Wis.
Jered Fohrman, Stevens Point, Senior, Kicker, 5-10, 185, Stevens Point, Wis. (SPASH)
Chad Roscoe, Platteville, Senior, Return Specialist, 5-6, 170, Aurora, Ill. (Central Catholic)

First Team Defense
Casey Casper, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Line, 6-3, 250, Dousman, Wis. (Kettle Moraine)
Jimmy Hall, Eau Claire, Junior, Defensive Line, 6-4, 268, Howards Grove, Wis.
Ryan Immel, La Crosse, Senior, Defensive Line, 6-4, 225, Lomira, Wis.
Corey Marks, Platteville, Junior, Defensive Line, 6-3, 240, New Lenox, Ill. (Lincoln-Way Central)
Vince Sciano, Oshkosh, Senior, Defensive Line, 6-5, 235, Greendale, Wis.
Greg Arnold, Whitewater, Senior, Linebacker, 6-1, 240, Big Bend, Wis. (Mukwonago)
Taylor Goodman, Oshkosh, Junior, Linebacker, 6-0, 220, South Wayne, Wis. (Black Hawk)
Ryan Pearcy, Stout, Senior, Linebacker, 5-11, 205, Plover, Wis. (SPASH)
Nick Snyder, Platteville, Junior, Linebacker, 6-1, 220, Mt. Morris, Ill. (Oregon)
Derek Dreher, La Crosse, Senior, Defensive Back, 6-2, 205, Verona, Wis.
Ryan McWethy, Platteville, Junior, Defensive Back, 6-1, 215, Oregon, Ill.
Joe Mleziva, Stevens Point, Senior, Defensive Back, 6-0, 205, Casco (Luxemburg-Casco)
Noah Timm, Whitewater, Junior, Defensive Back, 5-11, 177, Two Rivers, Wis.

Second Team Defense
Brent Aaron, Oshkosh, Senior, Defensive Line, 6-3, 285, Sussex, Wis. (Hamilton)
Jake Hohlstein, Whitewater, Junior, Defensive Line, 6-1, 280, Portage, Wis.
Jake Keeser, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Line, 6-0, 240, Fort Atkinson, Wis.
Nicholas Matthews, La Crosse, Senior, Defensive Line, 6-3, 290, Brookfield, Wis. (Central)
Andrew Thompson, Oshkosh, Junior, Defensive Line, 6-3, 240, Greendale, Wis.
Ryan Cortez, Whitewater, Sophomore, Linebacker, 6-0, 210, Palatine, Ill.
Trevor Fiege, Stout, Senior, Linebacker, 5-10, 215, Menomonie, Wis.
Jack Leahy, La Crosse, Junior, Linebacker, 6-0, 210, Hartland, Wis. (Arrowhead)
Andy Neumann, Eau Claire, Senior, Linebacker, 6-1, 228, Germantown, Wis.
Jack Breese, Oshkosh, Senior, Defensive Back, 6-0, 200, Kewaskum, Wis.
Aaron Kobes, Stout, Senior, Defensive Back, 6-1, 210, Two Rivers, Wis. (Mishicot)
Charlie Stueck, Oshkosh, Senior, Defensive Back, 5-9, 185, Clintonville, Wis.
Ryan Wenkman, Whitewater, Junior, Defensive Back, 5-10, 184, Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

Honorable Mention Defense
Ryan Bartsch, River Falls, Senior, Defensive Line, 6-0, 230, Cameron, Wis.
Sean Graham, Eau Claire, Sophomore, Linebacker, 6-0, 207, Hales Corners, Wis. (Whitnall)
Curtis Krump, Stevens Point, Senior, Linebacker, 6-0, 225, Hankinson, N.D.
Nate Smits, River Falls, Junior, Linebacker, 6-2, 208, Hudson, Wis.
Jacob Zilbar, Platteville, Freshman, Linebacker, 6-0, 208, Tampa, Fla. (Armwood)
Matt Ainsworth, River Falls, Senior, Defensive Back, 6-1, 175, Maple Grove, Minn. (Osseo)
Jason Brenner, Stout, Senior, Defensive Back, 6-0, 190, Menomonie, Wis.
Colton Zimmerman, Stevens Point, Junior, Defensive Back, 5-10, 185, Iola, Wis. (Iola-Scandinavia)

All-Sportsmanship Team
Ben Van Geffen, Eau Claire, Senior, Offensive Line, 5-10, 273, Shiocton, Wis.
Bret Galligan, La Crosse, Senior, Defensive Line, 5-11, 250, Campbellsport, Wis.
Wesley Price, Oshkosh, Senior, Wide Receiver, 5-11, 185, San Mateo, Calif. (Hillsdale)
Nick Anderson, Platteville, Junior, Quarterback, 6-4, 208, Sycamore, Ill.
John Schimenz, River Falls, Junior, Running Back, 5-8, 192, Brown Deer, Wis.
Mahamdou Barti, Stevens Point, Senior, Offensive Line, 6-3, 290, Oshkosh, Wis. (North)
Jason Brenner, Stout, Senior, Defensive Back, 6-0, 190, Menomonie, Wis.
Jared Kiesow, Whitewater, Senior, Defensive Back, 5-10, 186, Horicon, Wis.

First-Round Matchup - Albion College

Albion College

The Albion Britons finished its regular season with a 6-4 record, while going 6-0 in the MIAA. The Britons put an end to Trine's three-year conference championship run, dating back to 2008. Albion's last trip to the post season was back in 2005 after they won the MIAA. However, they lost in the first round to Wabash (20-38). I was interested to learn that Albion has a Stagg Bowl victory under its belt when they beat Washington and Jefferson (38-15) in 1994 for the national championship. To get to the Stagg Bowl they knocked off defending national champs Mount Union in the semifinals.

This season Albion ran the table in its conference, but failed to record a win against non-conference opponents. This was partly because the Britons filled out its 2011 schedule by booking matchups against competitive programs in Wheaton, Stevens Point and DePauw. I was very impressed they went down that road rather than scheduling "cream puff" programs to enhance its win total. Their other remaining non conference game was at a Division I FCS Butler team - which is a non-scholarship team in case you're wondering. Butler football is a member of the Pioneer Football League, which doesn't offer up scholarships. For WIAC fans it's easy to spot the common opponent that Albion and Whitewater shared this year. When Stevens Point traveled to Albion earlier in the season, the Britons lost to the Pointers 14-3, while the Warhawks beat them 31-16 in Whitewater.



Clinton Orr #30

What Levell Coppage is to Whitewater, Clinton Orr has been the same to Albion the past couple of seasons. The Britons are a team that's led by their All-American running back in Orr. In 2010, the sophomore was named Third Team All American with an impressive 1396 yards rushing and scoring 16 total touchdowns. Going into the 2011 season he, along with Coppage, was as a preseason First Team All American. Orr went on to finish this regular season rushing for 1000 yards, scoring seven total touchdowns and was named the MIAA Offensive MVP. However, against Stevens Point, Orr was held to just 19 yards on 15 carries, while Coppage had 245 yards on 29 carries against the same defense. This should put things in perspective for you on the level of competition Orr faces in the MIAA, compared to what Coppage deals with in the WIAC.

Lorenzo Reese

On defense, the Britons have two very talented and athletic corners that have given the MIAA fits all season long. The secondary is led by another All American in cornerback Chris Greenwood. Last year, as a junior, Greenwood was named Second Team All American. At the start of the 2011 season the senior was named preseason First Team All American. During the regular season this year Greenwood accumulated 26.5 total tackles, two interceptions (one returned for a TD), six pass deflections and was name the MIAA Defensive MVP. Greenwood's counterpart at the other cornerback position is Lorenzo Reese, who has been having an outstanding season of his own. He leads the team with five interceptions and seven pass deflections. Reese was named second team all-MIAA.

2011 Statistics (National Rank)
Albion Rushing Offense: 138.2 ypg (143)
Whitewater Rushing Defense: 82.9 ypg (10)

Albion Passing Offense: 226.3 ypg (71)
Whitewater Passing Defense: 176.5 ypg (80)

Albion Total Offense: 364.5 ypg (99)
Whitewater Total Defense: 259.4 ypg (18)

Albion Rushing Defense: 101 ypg (25)
Whitewater Rushing Offense: 228.9 ypg (24)

Albion Passing Defense: 199.9 ypg (141)
Whitewater Passing Offense: 222.3 ypg (75)

Albion Total Defense: 300.9 ypg (43)
Whitewater Total Offense: 451.2 ypg (24)

Whitewater's First-Round Games (Since 2005)
2005 - UWW over Central, 34-14
2006 - UWW over St. Norbert, 59-17
2007 - UWW over Capital, 34-14
2008 - UWW over St. John's, 37-7
2009 - UWW over Lakeland, 70-7
2010 - UWW over Franklin, 52-21

When this is all said and done, I believe this 2011 First-round game will fall into the St. John's category as far as margin of win.