http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/12/03/sports/local/10815757.txt

Pretty telling quote from Jason Lansing:
"This is the best team we've seen in the four years I've been here," Wartburg safety Jason Lansing said of Whitewater. "We're going to have to play our 'A' game and then some to have a chance to win."

Looks like a trip to Whitewater next week. Whitewater up 21-0 at half on Willamette. Tough, tough matchup but more managable for the Wartburg fans. It's like 3 1/2 hours to Whitewater.

Monmouth 28,
Wartburg 24, 13 1/2 minutes left

It would be a record if they win today. They were in the quarterfinals in 1994, but it was only a 16-team field then. They have never won consecutive postseason games in the same season.
A win today and consecutive quarterfinal trips for the IIAC. That has to help the reputation of the IIAC a little bit.

For those who didn't have a chance to read it, here's the Courier's game story from Saturday's Wartburg playoff game.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/23/sports/local/10789996.txt

Wartburg was very, very solid Saturday. You can tell the offensive line is starting to come around. Even though they couldn't run the ball a lick for 3 1/2 quarters, when they needed to to milk the clock on the final drive, they really stepped up.
Bauder had his best game as a Knight with 9 catches for 138 yards.
As many mentioned, defensively they gave up some yards in the running game, but you never got the sense that Stevens Point was ever comfortable with its offense.
Wartburg coaches did an excellent job in prep work for this game. With the amount of blitzing Stevens Point does, they really made them pay with the rocket screens. Defensively, they flustered Stevens Point's big offensive line with its stunts and movement. Eight false starts/illegal procedure penalties for Stevens Point in the game.

The game will be at Monmouth. Kickoff at noon. This is accoridng to several members of the Wartburg staff.
The UNI-Dome isn't available because UNI will probably need it for an FCS playoff game next Saturday.

Wartburg relishes underdog role

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/21/sports/local/10784036.txt

Story on Wartburg's playoff assignment

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/17/sports/local/10772563.txt

So, where do the Knights get shipped today?

Oxy? Williamette? Whitewater? Monmouth? Or somewhere else?

If travel is the committee's first priority, here's my West bracket:
Oxy at Williamette
Aurora at Monmouth
Wartburg at UW-Whitewater
St. John's at UW-Stevens Point

If the committee doesn't make it a priority, I have:
Wartburg at Williamette
Aurora at Oxy
Monmouth at UW-Stevens Point
St. John's at UW-Whitewater

I think losses by Cortland and Wabash on Saturday will send Mt. Union to East Bracket and keep North Central in the North.

Boy, Wartburg dodged a big-time bullet Saturday. In terms of the positives for the Knights, the crummy conditions allowed them to get Ryan Hoerner (tight end) involved in the passing game. He had like 5 or 6 catches for 66 yards -- something that hasn't happened too much this season. Also, Harvey's TD run in overtime was impressive with his ability to spin off a defender. The kid has shown a lot the past two weeks, and the line has played much better of late. At 5-7 and 165 pounds, I'm not sure his body is durable for 40 carries every week, but the conditions called for it Saturday.

On the flip side, the defense struggled mightily against the quarterback draw. If Wartburg sees an athletic quarterback, they're in trouble. Guys like Jermar Jackson, Dallas Bush, Chris Reynolds (to an extent) and now Hansen have given them fits the past couple of years.

It will be interesting to see how this team responds after an off week.   

The freshman tailback from Wartburg (Lamar Harvey) has a promising future in this league. He's only 5-7 and 165 pounds, but he's elusive and was just bouncing off Luther defenders. He was in the training room afterward getting a lot of treatment on his back -- it's some type of contusion. He had like seven runs for 7 yards or more -- something Wartburg hasn't had at all this season. It definitely takes a lot of pressure off Yordi.

Vetter continues to have a great senior year -- 10 receptions for 96 yards.

It could be a strange ending for the Wartburg seniors. They've talked all along about winning a conference title. Well, they may get a share of the league title, and they still might not make the playoffs. I wouldn't count on Central going to Storm Lake and winning. Once again, 8-2 may not be good enough for the Knights.

Luther, meanwhile, continues to be a work in progress, but the program is headed in the right direction. If the Norse can find a couple playmakers to complement Reynolds, this team could be a threat to make a strong run in '09.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/10/31/sports/local/10727258.txt

Here's a preview story of Saturday's Wartburg-Luther game. No. 1 offense statistically vs. No. 1 defense. Should be fun to watch!