UW-W news: newly promoted Blake Smithback (offensive line coach) has accepted an assistant coach position at the University of Illinois.  Congratulations Coach Smithback! I've not confirmed, but I'm hearing that newly hired Miles Hookstead (Most recently the offensive coordinator at Dubuque) will take over as the O-Line coach.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 02, 2025, 06:52:17 PM

Quote from: KitchenSink on January 02, 2025, 05:43:37 PMHate to say it, but the WIAC has been trending down for some years now. Other conferences have soared beyond, at least the conference leaders.

I think the talent in the league is spread among more schools. When the WI D-III type talent was concentrated more at UWL in the 90s, UWL was hard to beat. Same with when it was concentrated at UWW.

Agreed. And I can't tell you how annoying that is. 

Quote from: Kira & Jaxon's Dad on January 03, 2025, 08:11:48 AM

Quote from: raiderguy on January 02, 2025, 11:12:31 PMJust read an article about a transfer to Whitewater from D1 Pitt. QB Jake Frantl from Erin, Wisconsin originally. Was part of the 2021 recruiting class. All state accolades in 2019. But it said he never played at Pitt. Had 2900 yds passing and 35 tds his senior year. 6' 0" 205.Just an FYI for next year.

Four seasons at Pitt as a walk-on and never saw the field. Meh

C'mon man, don't stomp out our hope. Don't you miss purple on the other side of the field at the Stagg Bowl?

Love ya' BW, but agree with BDB on this one. In fact I'm picking them to get the win today against river falls.

Quote from: Dr. Acula on October 17, 2024, 10:15:51 AMRaider tidbit from the Berg two deep...one of their starting WR is Cole Poorman.  Looked it up and he is Luke's brother.  As is, I'm assuming, the other Poorman on the Berg roster who is a backup QB also from University HS in Orlando.  Those poor parents have seen more of Ohio than I'm sure they ever cared to.

They are brothers.  Both transferred from UW-W. Cole transferred after switching positions from linebacker to wide receiver. So we didn't have him around as long.  Ty was in the program several years. Great kid and excellent QB. Very athletic. He is really well liked by our players and coaches. Everyone was bummed when he left, but he left on great terms. Wish them both the best!

Don't love the trend. Feels lazy to me. First downs are so crucial. Why would they stop making every effort to get it right? Does anyone know the "why" behind the trend?

Kind of a standings oddity in the WIAC. After this week, no matter the outcomes, the WIAC will have exactly:

Two teams tied for first at 2-0
Four teams tied for third at 1-1
Two teams tied for last at 0-2

Only two unbeaten teams after two weeks! Yikes! The gauntlet has begun!

Quote from: emma17 on October 09, 2024, 12:47:50 PM

Quote from: bleedpurple on October 08, 2024, 11:11:09 PM

Quote from: emma17 on October 08, 2024, 06:47:26 PM

Quote from: cubs on October 08, 2024, 04:00:19 PMI think it's safe to say the La Crosse vs UWO game is a de facto Pool C elimination game this weekend.  The loser will be at three losses at the end of the day which likely ends any Pool C chances regardless if one of the losses was against a D2 team.

Now this is where I'd jump on board w bofadeeznuts if he were to say UWL will easily handle UWO.
If UWL doesn't take UWO to the woodshed (say 17 point min victory), they aren't who I thought they were.

Nothing is guaranteed in the WIAC. UW-L lost at home to Platteville. Who do you think they are?

It's very plausible that UW-L is not as good as they were in 2023 with Helterbrand. And after watching both teams, I believe the 2024 version of Oshkosh is superior to the 2023 version, especially defensively.  Last year La Crosse beat Oshkosh by 3 points at home.  This year they travel to Oshkosh. Curious why you are expecting a UW-L blowout?

Agreed, nothing is guaranteed in the WIAC. This season in particular should be exceptionally exciting.

Before I answer your question on who I think UWL is, I'll comment on UWP.
UWP has been a passing team/relied on passing as far back as I remember. Live by the sword, die by the sword. It simply hasn't got them very far, however, like most dynamic passing teams, they will have their share of victories when they are hot. Priami has been the QB for UWP for at least 10 years now, it doesn't surprise me in the least bit that he'll have a great game, probably more often than not. He hit some deep balls last week as well, where they didn't rely on bubble screen left, bubble screen right all day.

As for UWL. From what I've seen (including games from last year), their players remind me of the neighborhood kids that were always making the toughest plays. They can grind it out and they can go to the air, and they have multiple guys that play.

UWO, well, speed of the leader, speed of the team. I'm still struggling with emotional damage caused when he was the OC for UWW.

It sounds to me like you are having a hard time seeing what can be, unburdened by what has been.

Kind of an odd time of the year for a player to be putting his name in the transfer portal. He started several games last year as a sophomore, including the UW-W game.

https://x.com/marquis_cagle/status/1843762370977599812

Quote from: emma17 on October 08, 2024, 06:47:26 PM

Quote from: cubs on October 08, 2024, 04:00:19 PMI think it's safe to say the La Crosse vs UWO game is a de facto Pool C elimination game this weekend.  The loser will be at three losses at the end of the day which likely ends any Pool C chances regardless if one of the losses was against a D2 team.

Now this is where I'd jump on board w bofadeeznuts if he were to say UWL will easily handle UWO.
If UWL doesn't take UWO to the woodshed (say 17 point min victory), they aren't who I thought they were.

Nothing is guaranteed in the WIAC. UW-L lost at home to Platteville. Who do you think they are?

It's very plausible that UW-L is not as good as they were in 2023 with Helterbrand. And after watching both teams, I believe the 2024 version of Oshkosh is superior to the 2023 version, especially defensively.  Last year La Crosse beat Oshkosh by 3 points at home.  This year they travel to Oshkosh. Curious why you are expecting a UW-L blowout?

Quote from: cubs on October 08, 2024, 04:00:19 PMI think it's safe to say the La Crosse vs UWO game is a de facto Pool C elimination game this weekend.  The loser will be at three losses at the end of the day which likely ends any Pool C chances regardless if one of the losses was against a D2 team.

Others who know more please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding of the new criteria is that there is no longer any real subjectivity in the selections and out of Division contests don't count. So the optics of a three loss season won't be a factor like it may have in the past.

However, in listening to the two major D-III podcasts, it seems like the new criteria gives a heavy lean to one loss teams over stronger two loss teams. So in that respect, the game may very well turn out to be a "Pool C" elimination game. But...maybe not. It seems like a two loss WIAC team may have a slightly better chance than others based on their success in non-conference games.

Quote from: fredfalcon on October 07, 2024, 11:49:55 AM5 WIAC teams ranked in top 20 in latest d3 rankings

WIAC fans should take a picture of that poll because it isn't long lasting. Those 5 teams will have to absorb at least 8 more losses this year. And that's if all of them sweep Eau Claire, Stevens Point, and Stout. Definitely no guarantee of that. Will each of them still be among the best 20 teams in the nation? IMO, absolutely. But polls understandably have to be data driven. But this week's poll is a very accurate snapshot of WIAC strength IMO.

Games remaining against "The Gauntlet" teams:
UW-W- 3
UW-O- 3
UW-LC- 3
UW-RF- 4

Quote from: emma17 on October 06, 2024, 05:04:02 PM

Quote from: bleedpurple on October 06, 2024, 09:18:48 AMGreat win for the Hawks yesterday. The depth of the defensive line showed up huge with three senior "starters" (yes, I'm including Reed Farrington as a starter because he is flat out dominant) out with injuries, the other guys showed up big allowing UW-O 9 yards rushing. And how about Paul Kim! Replacing our starting corner, who is injured, he led the team in tackles including two tackles for losses and a crucial second half strip sack. Not bad for a freshman making his first start!

Offensively, we rushed for over 200 yards even though we couldn't quite pop a big one. Passing game still needs to come together. Hopefully that will happen over the next couple of weeks.

The bottom line is we went 1-0 this week. That's all that matters.

Some big short yardage plays by UWW- what a gutsy call by Coach Rindahl on fourth down in their own territory.

Disappointed in the last offensive drive before half- seemed they couldn't decide if they were going for points or not. A curl/hitch route resulting in a diving catch is the last play you want to run when trying to save time. Ceniti seems to flow from soft arm to strong arm. 8 of 18 for 119 yards is concerning to say the least for a team with playoff hopes. The Hawks will need both the run and pass working to have any real success this season.

Agreed. I'm hoping these next couple of weeks can be used to get the passing game untracked. One dimensional is never the plan.

Great win for the Hawks yesterday. The depth of the defensive line showed up huge with three senior "starters" (yes, I'm including Reed Farrington as a starter because he is flat out dominant) out with injuries, the other guys showed up big allowing UW-O 9 yards rushing. And how about Paul Kim! Replacing our starting corner, who is injured, he led the team in tackles including two tackles for losses and a crucial second half strip sack. Not bad for a freshman making his first start!

Offensively, we rushed for over 200 yards even though we couldn't quite pop a big one. Passing game still needs to come together. Hopefully that will happen over the next couple of weeks.

The bottom line is we went 1-0 this week. That's all that matters.

Congrats to the CRU on a great win. Very humbling for the Hawks. How we respond to this will determine our fate this year. Good luck the rest of the way.