FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[badgerwarhawk]

WW clearly had the upper hand against RF as I think we all knew they would.  However I was very impressed with the way RF played defensively.  Yes they did give up points, and several big plays including Coppage's 37-yard TD run and Huber 46-yard TD catch.  But they also did a fairly impressive job, at least compared to what I expected, of bottling up the WW offense. 

The Falcon defense stopped Coppage short of the line of scrimmage several times as well as putting some decent pressure on Blanchard including a sack or two.  The offense didn't do a whole lot, but well the defense remains under the same coaching the offense is learning a new system. 

This game showed me there is definitely a light a few years out for this program as the offense improves under new coaching and recruiting. 

River Falls must have blitzed a linebacker(s) on nearly every play and it was relatively effective in controling the WARHAWKS' ground attack though we did still manage 157 yards rushing.  It did however leave them vulnerable to passes in the middle of the defense and Blanchard exploited that at times. 

I wanted to clear up one misunderstanding.  Atleast I misunderstood and I think some of those sitting around me did as well.  There was a situation where RF ran the ball and an injury timeout was taken when one of their players was injured with 7.4 seconds left in the first half.  Many of us thought the new 10 second runoff rule should have been applied and the half should have ended.  There was an extended delay and after a measurement determined the Falcons had not gained a first down play was allowed to continue with RF attempting a field goal.  Many of us, myself included, thought the officials had blown the call.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to discuss this with a WIAC official and learned that the 10 second runoff only applies if the trailing team commits a penalty that creates a dead ball in the final minute of either half.  It does not apply if there is an injury.  In this instance the officials were spot on with the noncall.  You learn something new every day.

[02 Warhawk]

I think the WIAC board is pretty tame when it comes to trash talking. Take a look at the MIAC (St. Thomas vs. St. Johns) or the ASC (MHB vs. HS) boards, there's tons of bantering and trash talking between posters. They don't take it personally and run from the message boards, they give it right back. I don't think anyone means any REAL harm...it's just being playful.


On a side note, I submitted my weekly Inside the Box Scores posts in the WIAC football blog.

Thanks

[Raider 68]

I think the WIAC board is pretty tame when it comes to trash talking. Take a look at the MIAC (St. Thomas vs. St. Johns) or the ASC (MHB vs. HS) boards, there's tons of bantering and trash talking between posters. They don't take it personally and run from the message boards, they give it right back. I don't think anyone means any REAL harm...it's just being playful.


On a side note, I submitted my weekly Inside the Box Scores posts in the WIAC football blog.

Thanks

O2,

One more post and you reach All-American status. Well done and keep it going! +k

[oshfb]

Listening to the EC vs Oshkosh game it was clearly a game of two halves.  While the
Titans did forge back in the second, the fumble by the Blugolds at the end of the first clearly hurt.  This Blugold team has been so determined this year.  They are a multi faceted team.  Oshkosh's QB came on in the second....and it's clear he's an amazing athlete.  However the single mindedness of the Titan offense is predictable. Yes hard to stop.  But predictable.  then again you cannot argue against their win.  I think there is still plenty of game left in the Blugolds. And this was an exciting game right up to the last tick of the clock.  My hat's off to Austin Neu he gave it his all today. Congrats to Oshkosh.

I was not at the game but I did see the UWO defense came up big by keeping UWEC out of the end zone for 4 consecutive plays from the 5 yd line as time expired. As the Titan D hasn't received much love on this board I felt compelled to share that they stepped up when the W was on the line in this one. Best of luck to the Blugolds the reast of the way.

[02 Warhawk]

I think the WIAC board is pretty tame when it comes to trash talking. Take a look at the MIAC (St. Thomas vs. St. Johns) or the ASC (MHB vs. HS) boards, there's tons of bantering and trash talking between posters. They don't take it personally and run from the message boards, they give it right back. I don't think anyone means any REAL harm...it's just being playful.


On a side note, I submitted my weekly Inside the Box Scores posts in the WIAC football blog.

Thanks

O2,

One more post and you reach All-American status. Well done and keep it going! +k

I guess I better make it a good one then....

[MasterJedi]

Just a thought here, but at some point in the near future Stout should schedule Eureka. That way we can see who is better, the Blue Devils, or the Red Devils! 

[02 Warhawk]

Was Nue sick on Saturday...or was it just nerves that got him sick?

[Pat Coleman]

Just a thought here, but at some point in the near future Stout should schedule Eureka. That way we can see who is better, the Blue Devils, or the Red Devils! 

It's been done, in the near past. No contest:

http://www.d3football.com/teams/UW-Stout/2010/index
http://www.d3football.com/teams/UW-Stout/2009/index

[fballfan]

Was Nue sick on Saturday...or was it just nerves that got him sick?

I don't know why anyone would think or say it was nerves?
I heard he had stomach issues but he was OK.  (Saying I heard means I heard - don't know for sure.) But I do know that right before he started throwing up he made a run to the outside to get out of bounds.  In order to do it, he took a diving leap over some players to get to the outside and landed on some defenders.  According to the newspaper, he took an elbow to the gut.  Couldn't see well...people were standing up.  Anyway....right after that he started throwing up.  If you watch the game, I'm sure you will see it.
In spite of it, he continued to play with confidence.  I saw no indication of nerves.

[emma17]

Hey, 17, you mentioned in an earlier post that you attended the NCC-Augie game on Saturday. Just wondering if you can relate some of your observations and impressions of this years NCC.  I realize that they will be in context of NCC playing an 0-4 team in Augie, (now 0-5,)  but the Vikings have lost those first 4 games by a total of only 19 point.  And that includes a 5 point loss to a strong Dubuque and an 8 point loss to a  4-2 Central team.

Hi 413. 
I have seen NCC twice this year- Overall, I am beginning to fear I was over-zealous in my rankings of them and believing they had the best chance to unseat UWW or MT.  Something is missing with them this year, besides an All American inside linebacker.
I guess the Wheaton or IWU games will tell us more.   

Their Defense is terrific.  Strong and quick D-Line with lots of rotation.  Their secondary can flat out play and their safety #17 is special.  I think their secondary is on par with Mt Union's secondary, which I believe is excellent. 

NCC's Offense is... sporadic/lackluster and hard to define.  They are quick and suited to get to the edge.  They played a freshman at QB (I believe he is now the starter but not sure) vs. Augie- he had an average game.  They have very quick recievers plus the big tight end- but they were unable to get the big play for scores.  So many of their drives (the score was 10-3 middle of 4th quarter) fizzled for one reason or another; penalties, incompletions, pressure on the qb.  I was surprised how Augie was able to get pressure vs NCC's o-line. 
NCC's run game worked best when they ran the option, resulting in a pitch to get to the edge.  I didn't see much success with inside runs.   

[gbpuckfan]

Congrats to UWO on entering the Top 25 of the d3football.com poll - the Titans' first appearance there.

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/sports/uw-oshkosh-football-ranked-no.-25

For a team that hasn't won a WIAC title since 1976 - and has just two third-place finishes since then - it's good to see them making some progress. I'm not saying they beat Whitewater, but for UWO it's a big step forward.

[ncc58]

Hey, 17, you mentioned in an earlier post that you attended the NCC-Augie game on Saturday. Just wondering if you can relate some of your observations and impressions of this years NCC.  I realize that they will be in context of NCC playing an 0-4 team in Augie, (now 0-5,)  but the Vikings have lost those first 4 games by a total of only 19 point.  And that includes a 5 point loss to a strong Dubuque and an 8 point loss to a  4-2 Central team.

Hi 413. 
I have seen NCC twice this year- Overall, I am beginning to fear I was over-zealous in my rankings of them and believing they had the best chance to unseat UWW or MT.  Something is missing with them this year, besides an All American inside linebacker.
I guess the Wheaton or IWU games will tell us more.   

Their Defense is terrific.  Strong and quick D-Line with lots of rotation.  Their secondary can flat out play and their safety #17 is special.  I think their secondary is on par with Mt Union's secondary, which I believe is excellent. 

NCC's Offense is... sporadic/lackluster and hard to define.  They are quick and suited to get to the edge.  They played a freshman at QB (I believe he is now the starter but not sure) vs. Augie- he had an average game.  They have very quick recievers plus the big tight end- but they were unable to get the big play for scores.  So many of their drives (the score was 10-3 middle of 4th quarter) fizzled for one reason or another; penalties, incompletions, pressure on the qb.  I was surprised how Augie was able to get pressure vs NCC's o-line. 
NCC's run game worked best when they ran the option, resulting in a pitch to get to the edge.  I didn't see much success with inside runs.

Both UWW and NCC had similar experiences this weekend. They both played teams they should have beaten easily, and in both cases the opponents came out in defenses that they had not prepared for. UWW with their superior talent and senior QB adapted much better than NCC and their freshman QB. NCC also had a ridiculous number of penalties, which led to several possessions beginning with poor field position.

[WarhawkDad]

Hey, 17, you mentioned in an earlier post that you attended the NCC-Augie game on Saturday. Just wondering if you can relate some of your observations and impressions of this years NCC.  I realize that they will be in context of NCC playing an 0-4 team in Augie, (now 0-5,)  but the Vikings have lost those first 4 games by a total of only 19 point.  And that includes a 5 point loss to a strong Dubuque and an 8 point loss to a  4-2 Central team.

Hi 413. 
I have seen NCC twice this year- Overall, I am beginning to fear I was over-zealous in my rankings of them and believing they had the best chance to unseat UWW or MT.  Something is missing with them this year, besides an All American inside linebacker.
I guess the Wheaton or IWU games will tell us more.   

Their Defense is terrific.  Strong and quick D-Line with lots of rotation.  Their secondary can flat out play and their safety #17 is special.  I think their secondary is on par with Mt Union's secondary, which I believe is excellent. 

NCC's Offense is... sporadic/lackluster and hard to define.  They are quick and suited to get to the edge.  They played a freshman at QB (I believe he is now the starter but not sure) vs. Augie- he had an average game.  They have very quick recievers plus the big tight end- but they were unable to get the big play for scores.  So many of their drives (the score was 10-3 middle of 4th quarter) fizzled for one reason or another; penalties, incompletions, pressure on the qb.  I was surprised how Augie was able to get pressure vs NCC's o-line. 
NCC's run game worked best when they ran the option, resulting in a pitch to get to the edge.  I didn't see much success with inside runs.

Both UWW and NCC had similar experiences this weekend. They both played teams they should have beaten easily, and in both cases the opponents came out in defenses that they had not prepared for. UWW with their superior talent and senior QB adapted much better than NCC and their freshman QB. NCC also had a ridiculous number of penalties, which led to several possessions beginning with poor field position.

ILGator

Good analogy and insight.   The reality is both teams found a way to win, albeit in different fashion.  That is what good teams do.   Nice post +K

WarhawkDad

[WarhawkDad]

For those of you not at the game, River Falls was stacking 8 in the box and moving linebackets and safeties all around.  Heard from three different UWW offensive players that UWRF had not played that defense all year.  AS far as the UWW defense goes, the starting defense was dominant.  The only touchdown UWRF had was from a fumbled punt. 

Frankly I think we are all a little spoiled in terms of our expectations. All I can say is that we got a 32 point win and got out of River Falls without any injuries.

   On to next week!

UW-W fans (including me) probably ARE a little spoiled by the Warhawks' success.  But...

I'm not sure anyone is disappointed in this win.  If anyone IS disappointed with a 32 point conference win, yes I would have to say he/she is VERY spoiled!

But if you are drawing the "spoiled" thought from some of the comments on the "WIAC In-game updates board", I am not sure I draw the same conclusion.  When you can't go to the game, it can be fun to banter with other fans following it on live stats or radio or video.  Just like some in-game comments in the stadium can seem harsh or reactive or over-the-top, I see it all as fans getting out their nervous energy.  When your QB is sacked or pressured, I think statements like, "The line needs to tighten up" is fair commentary between fans processing the game.

Bleed

Thanks for talking me down!     After the game, after listening to some fans in the stands and then reading the "WIAC In-game updates board" I was pretty fired up.    Why?   The fans who were commenting were not watching what the defense from River Falls was doing.....they were only watching what the UWW offense was doing.   In reality, with the blitzing defense with 8 in the box, River Falls opened up the opportunity for Matt to exploit what was given and throw for over 300 yards. 

Right now, UWW ranks 13th in the nation in giving up the least amount of sacks, ranks 27th in rushing offense and 17th in scoring offense.  Lavelle ranks 26th in rushing and Matt ranks 7th in passing efficiency.   Those numbers don't happen unless the entire offense is working cohesively as a unit.   

Best news of all however is the sparkling play of the defense, which is now ranked 6th in the nation in total defense.   I believe both will continue to improve as the year goes on, getting better game by game.   The River Falls game and the defense they played just adds to the growth.

Again, Thanks for your perspective

WarhawkDad

[emma17]

Hey, 17, you mentioned in an earlier post that you attended the NCC-Augie game on Saturday. Just wondering if you can relate some of your observations and impressions of this years NCC.  I realize that they will be in context of NCC playing an 0-4 team in Augie, (now 0-5,)  but the Vikings have lost those first 4 games by a total of only 19 point.  And that includes a 5 point loss to a strong Dubuque and an 8 point loss to a  4-2 Central team.

Hi 413. 
I have seen NCC twice this year- Overall, I am beginning to fear I was over-zealous in my rankings of them and believing they had the best chance to unseat UWW or MT.  Something is missing with them this year, besides an All American inside linebacker.
I guess the Wheaton or IWU games will tell us more.   

Their Defense is terrific.  Strong and quick D-Line with lots of rotation.  Their secondary can flat out play and their safety #17 is special.  I think their secondary is on par with Mt Union's secondary, which I believe is excellent. 

NCC's Offense is... sporadic/lackluster and hard to define.  They are quick and suited to get to the edge.  They played a freshman at QB (I believe he is now the starter but not sure) vs. Augie- he had an average game.  They have very quick recievers plus the big tight end- but they were unable to get the big play for scores.  So many of their drives (the score was 10-3 middle of 4th quarter) fizzled for one reason or another; penalties, incompletions, pressure on the qb.  I was surprised how Augie was able to get pressure vs NCC's o-line. 
NCC's run game worked best when they ran the option, resulting in a pitch to get to the edge.  I didn't see much success with inside runs.

Both UWW and NCC had similar experiences this weekend. They both played teams they should have beaten easily, and in both cases the opponents came out in defenses that they had not prepared for. UWW with their superior talent and senior QB adapted much better than NCC and their freshman QB. NCC also had a ridiculous number of penalties, which led to several possessions beginning with poor field position.

No doubt that champions are better at finding ways to adjust and "play through" adversity.  I do feel though that there is reason to believe parity is really trying to creep in- everywhere in D3, not just UWW or NCC.  I certainly don't have the type of memory that would allow me to say this with certainty, but I have a hard time believing UWW and NCC haven't had to face "unexpected" defensive looks in previous years.  The same with Mt.  I think there simply is the chance that other teams are getting better, and perhaps our teams aren't as dominant in certain phases of the game. 

And, I'm fine with that.  I much prefer to see good football games with uncertainty than to see blowouts.  I'd rather see UWW tie for the conference championship every now and then (as long as they still go to the Stagg) than to see them win the conference outright every single year.