FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

As an outsider I'd go with the atmosphere. As long as the home team doesn't get absolutely buried the recruit is going to compare that crowd to pretty much anywhere else in DII/DIII and find almost everywhere else lacking. If UWW got buried, then it might be a different story, but winning the game is certainly gravy on top...

[Gregory Sager]

Nice UWO story in Around The Region.

[emma17]

I was thinking about the sluggishness of the UWW game vs UWP and the big Family Day attendance of 15,200. 

From the perspective of most fans in attendance, what do you think is most important to them in deciding to attend another game- a win regardless of how it looks or a very entertaining game?

What about from the perspective of a recruit deciding on committing to UWW- is it more important that UWW won or that the game was entertaining (assuming of course UWW has an overall successful season)? 

From the administration's perspective?

For me, it's the win.  But I've seen more than my fair share of great UWW games.  A Family Day crowd of 15,200 likely had many first time attendees.

I'd say the crowd would want an "exciting" game with a lot of scoring, people who seriously are thinking of playing for UWW probably would respect the win more since they probably are considering UWW football wise for winning games and championships.

From a recruiting standpoint, I would think the atmosphere of that game with that size crowd did wonders for the program (win or lose that day). Many recruits could probably picture themselves playing for a national contending team in front of a crowd like that.

Specific to your recruiting point, I may have been sitting too high up as I didn't notice or feel the crowd was energized. It seemed like watching someone trying to start a car but it wouldn't quite turnover. The desire to be loud and involved was there.

[emma17]

Nice UWO story in Around The Region.

Great story, thanks for posting. I'd be squeamish as heck about a bone marrow procedure.

[bleedpurple]

I was thinking about the sluggishness of the UWW game vs UWP and the big Family Day attendance of 15,200. 

From the perspective of most fans in attendance, what do you think is most important to them in deciding to attend another game- a win regardless of how it looks or a very entertaining game?

What about from the perspective of a recruit deciding on committing to UWW- is it more important that UWW won or that the game was entertaining (assuming of course UWW has an overall successful season)? 

From the administration's perspective?

For me, it's the win.  But I've seen more than my fair share of great UWW games.  A Family Day crowd of 15,200 likely had many first time attendees.

For the students, I believe the fact that we won a competitive game will go a long way in bringing them back.  The (somewhat incorrect) perception that every home game is destined to be a blowout victory is what keeps a lot of the students away. 17-7 is a lot better than 65-0.  If the Morningside 33-30 victory were at home, could it have been even better? Maybe, but probably not in the long run. You either like football or you don't.

Recruits-  Winning. I talked with two recruits and their families after the game. They both had an amazing time. One dad whose son is being recruited by the Minnesota D-II's said Whitewater has set the bar high and he expects his son to attend UW-W. He said the coaching staff was head and shoulders above the others in terms of forthrightness and how they treated his son. If a kid is swayed away from UW-W for beating the #14 team in the nation 17-7, then they probably should go somewhere else.

Administration- That everything was done well and a positive, safe, and fun environment was created in which UW-W was represented well and the fans of both teams were treated with respect.  Winning? Of course Administration would want UW-W to win. But something not done well or appropriately in game day operations would bug them a whole lot more than losing a game.

As far as the game being "sluggish", to my knowledge no one in the administration is a former wide receiver, so they probably didn't  interpret the game as being quite as "sluggish" as you did. 

[bleedpurple]

Cummings leaves Eagles football program

http://lacrossetribune.com/sports/cummings-leaves-eagles-football-program/article_2f3f497b-8ce2-56df-bb2f-c725984ec940.html

Cummings, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior from Waunakee, Wis., announced he was leaving the team on Tuesday due health reasons. Cummings threw 42 times Saturday, a career high in attempts, but was sacked seven times and hit countless others.

He missed the final three games of last season with a concussion and missed a pair of games early in the season after taking a shot to the ribs.

Cummings, who transferred to UW-L after starting his collegiate career at NCAA Division II Minnesota State University, Mankato, completed 49 of 79 attempts this season for 544 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.

Very sorry to hear about this. I hope he recovers fully and quickly. 

[Brian R. Carroll]

According to the Two Deep chart, UWL will start freshman Drew David of Sugar Grove Ill. at the QB position against Stout on Saturday. The gentleman appears to have leapfrogged two sophomores who have played to earn the start. I hope he can get some help from the running game to assist his efforts. Stout's defense has struggled, so it could be interesting.

[kubiack78]

Maybe I'm late with this, but glad you're back and safe kubiak.

Thanks,  been done since early 2012 started getting blood clots and I was let go from my contract due to having to take blood thinners.  Glad to not be over there anymore

[ScreamingEagles]

According to the Two Deep chart, UWL will start freshman Drew David of Sugar Grove Ill. at the QB position against Stout on Saturday. The gentleman appears to have leapfrogged two sophomores who have played to earn the start. I hope he can get some help from the running game to assist his efforts. Stout's defense has struggled, so it could be interesting.

http://uwlathletics.com/documents/2015/10/7//UWL_Two_Deep.pdf?id=2911

Nice work finding that Brian.  I am excited to see what Drew can do - both Tackett and Thompson have played against a variety of opponents and haven't seen much success (although getting sacked so much doesn't help).  This is who I referenced around a month ago and he's a rare Illinois kid on UWL's team.  He played against stiffer high school competition than we see here in WI and played at Illinois State for a year.  Newspaper (high school) articles describe him as more of a dual threat guy, have to wonder if UWL will run more read option/spread plays with a different type of QB this week.

[ScreamingEagles]

UW-L' QB Cummings will miss Mary Hardin-Baylor game

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/state-and-regional/x/article_025873e6-aaba-5103-bc42-ecb8d7e97ff7.html

Looks like UWL will be down to two sophomores who will split time at quarterback, Andrew Thompson and John Tackett.

The interesting part to me from this article is the now third string quarterback Drew David from Kaneland, IL.  He walked-on at Illinois State last year but was Area Player of the Year in 2011 as a sophomore in the same area as St. Charles, Elgin, Bartlett, Geneva, etc (UWW and UWP fans will recognize those cities) with very strong high school football.  Looks like he got hurt as a junior and was deemed too short to be a scholarship athlete by D1 schools after his senior year.  It will be interesting to see how he picks up the offense and how quickly he can make an impact.

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2013/08/02/kanelands-drew-david-placing-a-lot-of-stock-into-senior-season/a8jtjac/

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2014/06/03/kanelands-david-hopeful-for-chance-with-isu/als4c4o/

My post from a little while ago with some articles on Drew David.

[DuffMan]

Maybe I'm late with this, but glad you're back and safe kubiak.

Agreed!  We've missed you over on the MIAC board, but that's most likely due to the fact that SJU hasn't been able to muster a viable Warhawk contender lately. 

[ScreamingEagles]

Concussions force Cummings out of UW-L football role

http://lacrossetribune.com/sports/concussions-force-cummings-out-of-uw-l-football-role/article_715e7516-3161-51ed-a0ab-1f731ce5ce23.html

"Head injuries are something that only you know how you feel," Cummings said. "I would get headaches just sitting in class, and I've had a hard time concentrating in school."

Cummings also said he's felt irritable and, "just not like myself."

After Saturday's 21-20 overtime loss to UW-River Falls — a game in which he attempted a career-high 42 passes and was sacked seven times — Cummings said his head was ringing. Over the rest of the weekend and into Monday, the side effects continued to grow.

Cummings, who transferred to UW-L from Division II Minnesota State-Mankato before the 2014 season, said he has had four concussions in his career.

One was in high school, one came while playing at Mankato and another with the Eagles last season. The last came in the second game of this season at No. 9 St. Thomas (Minn.).

Despite all of these incidents, Cummings tried to play through it.

"It was six more games or the rest of my life. Sometimes it takes more guts to walk away than it does to play."

Good luck to Trent in the future - proud to have him as an Eagle.

[emma17]

I was thinking about the sluggishness of the UWW game vs UWP and the big Family Day attendance of 15,200. 

From the perspective of most fans in attendance, what do you think is most important to them in deciding to attend another game- a win regardless of how it looks or a very entertaining game?

What about from the perspective of a recruit deciding on committing to UWW- is it more important that UWW won or that the game was entertaining (assuming of course UWW has an overall successful season)? 

From the administration's perspective?

For me, it's the win.  But I've seen more than my fair share of great UWW games.  A Family Day crowd of 15,200 likely had many first time attendees.

For the students, I believe the fact that we won a competitive game will go a long way in bringing them back.  The (somewhat incorrect) perception that every home game is destined to be a blowout victory is what keeps a lot of the students away. 17-7 is a lot better than 65-0.  If the Morningside 33-30 victory were at home, could it have been even better? Maybe, but probably not in the long run. You either like football or you don't.

Recruits-  Winning. I talked with two recruits and their families after the game. They both had an amazing time. One dad whose son is being recruited by the Minnesota D-II's said Whitewater has set the bar high and he expects his son to attend UW-W. He said the coaching staff was head and shoulders above the others in terms of forthrightness and how they treated his son. If a kid is swayed away from UW-W for beating the #14 team in the nation 17-7, then they probably should go somewhere else.

Administration- That everything was done well and a positive, safe, and fun environment was created in which UW-W was represented well and the fans of both teams were treated with respect.  Winning? Of course Administration would want UW-W to win. But something not done well or appropriately in game day operations would bug them a whole lot more than losing a game.

As far as the game being "sluggish", to my knowledge no one in the administration is a former wide receiver, so they probably didn't  interpret the game as being quite as "sluggish" as you did. 

Bleed,
I know this will sound crazy especially to you because you are a football purest (after all, you bleed purple).  I wonder if coaches take into account the entertainment and resulting marketing impact of their game plans.  I wonder if administrations would convey to a coaching staff the same.     

[ScreamingEagles]

I was thinking about the sluggishness of the UWW game vs UWP and the big Family Day attendance of 15,200. 

From the perspective of most fans in attendance, what do you think is most important to them in deciding to attend another game- a win regardless of how it looks or a very entertaining game?

What about from the perspective of a recruit deciding on committing to UWW- is it more important that UWW won or that the game was entertaining (assuming of course UWW has an overall successful season)? 

From the administration's perspective?

For me, it's the win.  But I've seen more than my fair share of great UWW games.  A Family Day crowd of 15,200 likely had many first time attendees.

For the students, I believe the fact that we won a competitive game will go a long way in bringing them back.  The (somewhat incorrect) perception that every home game is destined to be a blowout victory is what keeps a lot of the students away. 17-7 is a lot better than 65-0.  If the Morningside 33-30 victory were at home, could it have been even better? Maybe, but probably not in the long run. You either like football or you don't.

Recruits-  Winning. I talked with two recruits and their families after the game. They both had an amazing time. One dad whose son is being recruited by the Minnesota D-II's said Whitewater has set the bar high and he expects his son to attend UW-W. He said the coaching staff was head and shoulders above the others in terms of forthrightness and how they treated his son. If a kid is swayed away from UW-W for beating the #14 team in the nation 17-7, then they probably should go somewhere else.

Administration- That everything was done well and a positive, safe, and fun environment was created in which UW-W was represented well and the fans of both teams were treated with respect.  Winning? Of course Administration would want UW-W to win. But something not done well or appropriately in game day operations would bug them a whole lot more than losing a game.

As far as the game being "sluggish", to my knowledge no one in the administration is a former wide receiver, so they probably didn't  interpret the game as being quite as "sluggish" as you did. 

Bleed,
I know this will sound crazy especially to you because you are a football purest (after all, you bleed purple).  I wonder if coaches take into account the entertainment and resulting marketing impact of their game plans.  I wonder if administrations would convey to a coaching staff the same.     

I don't think that coaches necessarily take this into account, but you can be sure that athletic directors take it into account in the hiring process.  Maybe not as much at the D3 level, but Oregon and Chip Kelly stand out to me as one big marketing package.  Cool Nike uniforms/swag combined with a high-pace offense that puts up tons of points is a part of their whole feel, which comes from the athletic director/hiring process (aka Phil Knight).

Almost every coach that I know only cares about the W, not what it looks like or how it happens.

[badgerwarhawk]

I was thinking about the sluggishness of the UWW game vs UWP and the big Family Day attendance of 15,200. 

From the perspective of most fans in attendance, what do you think is most important to them in deciding to attend another game- a win regardless of how it looks or a very entertaining game?

What about from the perspective of a recruit deciding on committing to UWW- is it more important that UWW won or that the game was entertaining (assuming of course UWW has an overall successful season)? 

From the administration's perspective?

For me, it's the win.  But I've seen more than my fair share of great UWW games.  A Family Day crowd of 15,200 likely had many first time attendees.

For the students, I believe the fact that we won a competitive game will go a long way in bringing them back.  The (somewhat incorrect) perception that every home game is destined to be a blowout victory is what keeps a lot of the students away. 17-7 is a lot better than 65-0.  If the Morningside 33-30 victory were at home, could it have been even better? Maybe, but probably not in the long run. You either like football or you don't.

Recruits-  Winning. I talked with two recruits and their families after the game. They both had an amazing time. One dad whose son is being recruited by the Minnesota D-II's said Whitewater has set the bar high and he expects his son to attend UW-W. He said the coaching staff was head and shoulders above the others in terms of forthrightness and how they treated his son. If a kid is swayed away from UW-W for beating the #14 team in the nation 17-7, then they probably should go somewhere else.

Administration- That everything was done well and a positive, safe, and fun environment was created in which UW-W was represented well and the fans of both teams were treated with respect.  Winning? Of course Administration would want UW-W to win. But something not done well or appropriately in game day operations would bug them a whole lot more than losing a game.

As far as the game being "sluggish", to my knowledge no one in the administration is a former wide receiver, so they probably didn't  interpret the game as being quite as "sluggish" as you did. 

Bleed,
I know this will sound crazy especially to you because you are a football purest (after all, you bleed purple).  I wonder if coaches take into account the entertainment and resulting marketing impact of their game plans.  I wonder if administrations would convey to a coaching staff the same.     

You're right it does sound crazy.   I have a hard time believing that any coach considers how entertaining their game plan may or may not be.  My hunch is the only thing coaches consider is what game plan gives them the best chance of winning.  From an administrators perspective any game plan that results in winning works.  Our administrators have credited the football program with being a part of the reason enrollment is trending upward.  But it's not because the games are entertaining.  It's because we're winning and showing up on ESPN every December.  Just win what it looks like is secondary.