FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[emma17]

Congrats to all WIAC players making the All-Region teams. 

9 UWW players on 1st, 2nd or 3rd team.

5 offensive players made one of the teams.  Nice to see TE Brent Campbell recognized- I assume for his great blocking as he only caught 16 passes all season (missed a small amount of time injured).  6'5", 265 pounds and athletic.  16 receptions.  An offense that struggled mightily to move the chains.  16 receptions as well as 5 players on 1st, 2nd or 3rd team all region.   33% third down conversions. 

[emma17]

The UMHB defensive front and linebackers are very impressive. If you're offense is a zone base concept and looking to get to the outsize edge then your run game will be rendered useless, you have to get North/South on them but that is even a tough road to hoe.   The short underneath pass game is also not very effective against UMHB due to their speed at Linebacker. Best best way to attack them, IMO, is with longer developing passing plays that strike for big chunks but your pass pro has to stand up to make that happen.

I know everyone loves to talk about UMHB's big play offense but their defense and special teams will be the reason they win the Bronze and Gold.

Wait a hold it.  UWO is winning the Bronze and Gold on old-fashioned WIAC styled football.

[wildcat11]

The UMHB defensive front and linebackers are very impressive. If you're offense is a zone base concept and looking to get to the outsize edge then your run game will be rendered useless, you have to get North/South on them but that is even a tough road to hoe.   The short underneath pass game is also not very effective against UMHB due to their speed at Linebacker. Best best way to attack them, IMO, is with longer developing passing plays that strike for big chunks but your pass pro has to stand up to make that happen.

I know everyone loves to talk about UMHB's big play offense but their defense and special teams will be the reason they win the Bronze and Gold.

Wait a hold it.  UWO is winning the Bronze and Gold on old-fashioned WIAC styled football.

Oshkosh could very well do it, I'm just saying that if UMHB does it will be done on defense.

[palum]

WIAC well represented on West Region Team.  Oshkosh, Platteville,  Stout and Whitewater all had players named. Shows the depth in the conference.

[emma17]

I'm really looking forward to the games this weekend.
Aside from the impact of weather and injury, I'm really leaning toward UWO.  As solid a team as JCU is, it's hard to believe they'll accomplish against UWO what they did against the UWW offense.  Imo JCU took UWW's O behind the woodshed Saturday (making it two consecutive OAC teams doing this to UWW).  For all the emphasis we (I) put on the benefit of the strength of UWW's schedule, it was just as meaningless Saturday as it was in Alliance last year.
I'm sure the JCU D will make it very tough on UWO, but I will be very surprised if the UWO coaching staff and players look unprepared and incapable. 
           

[HScoach]

I'm really looking forward to the games this weekend.
Aside from the impact of weather and injury, I'm really leaning toward UWO.  As solid a team as JCU is, it's hard to believe they'll accomplish against UWO what they did against the UWW offense.  Imo JCU took UWW's O behind the woodshed Saturday (making it two consecutive OAC teams doing this to UWW).  For all the emphasis we (I) put on the benefit of the strength of UWW's schedule, it was just as meaningless Saturday as it was in Alliance last year.
I'm sure the JCU D will make it very tough on UWO, but I will be very surprised if the UWO coaching staff and players look unprepared and incapable. 
           

This intrigues me.   From a longer range perspective, why do you think this has been? 

Looking at 2015, I think UWW's line was below their normal level.   It was still a very, very good D3 offensive line, but it wasn't other worldly like the previous teams have had.   I went into last year's semi-final figuring that Mount's D-line was improved enough to cause a stalemate up front to hopefully allow athletic QB and receivers win the game.   Never did I expect Mount to clearly win the line of scrimmage and either side of the ball.  The 2013 match-up was so lopsided in UWW's favor along the lines that Mount had no chance in the that game, but in 2015 the script flipped.   On a side note, the 2016 version of Mount is very much like the 2013 team except with the 3rd freshman instead of a Gagliardi award winner at QB.   In all the Stagg match-ups between Mount and UWW, I've never thought Mount dominated up front.   At best, they played UWW even and let their skill people make the difference.   Granted UWW had some other great players on those teams like Kumerow and Beaver, but the domination upfront made those skill guys icing on the cake.

Looking at the UWW/JCU game last week I felt the same way as 2015 against Mount.   UWW lost the battle along the line of scrimmage which really surprised me.   I knew JCU had a very fundamentally and talented defense, but I expected them to get pushed around physically up front.

From the UWW perspective, have the last 2 O-lines been sub-par or were these results outliers?

[Desertraider]

I'm really looking forward to the games this weekend.
Aside from the impact of weather and injury, I'm really leaning toward UWO.  As solid a team as JCU is, it's hard to believe they'll accomplish against UWO what they did against the UWW offense.  Imo JCU took UWW's O behind the woodshed Saturday (making it two consecutive OAC teams doing this to UWW).  For all the emphasis we (I) put on the benefit of the strength of UWW's schedule, it was just as meaningless Saturday as it was in Alliance last year.
I'm sure the JCU D will make it very tough on UWO, but I will be very surprised if the UWO coaching staff and players look unprepared and incapable.
           

Emma - Great point. I really thought that UWW got out coached in Alliance last year. Thought they would grow from that as well, but not sure they have or that they haven't. In Alliance I thought UWW panicked and abandoned the run too quickly. They had a nice mix going until they got down - then they became one dimensional. The run wasn't getting them much - but it was something Mount had to account for.

Regardless of UWO and what they bring to the table - I just think back-to-back trips to WI to play UWW and UWO on their field will be too much for jcu to overcome. Granted, jcu has been to UWO so they have some familiarity I guess. However - if they do win. What a year. To beat Mount, UWW and UWO all on the road....in the same season??? If they didn't win it all after that, that would truly suck (as my daughter would say). In 3 days - we will all know.

[WarhawkDad]

I'm really looking forward to the games this weekend.
Aside from the impact of weather and injury, I'm really leaning toward UWO.  As solid a team as JCU is, it's hard to believe they'll accomplish against UWO what they did against the UWW offense.  Imo JCU took UWW's O behind the woodshed Saturday (making it two consecutive OAC teams doing this to UWW).  For all the emphasis we (I) put on the benefit of the strength of UWW's schedule, it was just as meaningless Saturday as it was in Alliance last year.
I'm sure the JCU D will make it very tough on UWO, but I will be very surprised if the UWO coaching staff and players look unprepared and incapable. 
           

I would submit that the UWW offensive coaches were out-coached both last year in Alliance and last week at the Perk.    I strongly believe that poor offensive game planning and in-game coaching contributes to players being less than confident in plays being called and contributes to poor execution.   It does not make any sense that we can have as many offensive linemen and tight-ends make the WIAC All Conference Team and the D3 All Region Team and not win the line of scrimmage.   

[SaintsFAN]

I'm really looking forward to the games this weekend.
Aside from the impact of weather and injury, I'm really leaning toward UWO.  As solid a team as JCU is, it's hard to believe they'll accomplish against UWO what they did against the UWW offense.  Imo JCU took UWW's O behind the woodshed Saturday (making it two consecutive OAC teams doing this to UWW).  For all the emphasis we (I) put on the benefit of the strength of UWW's schedule, it was just as meaningless Saturday as it was in Alliance last year.
I'm sure the JCU D will make it very tough on UWO, but I will be very surprised if the UWO coaching staff and players look unprepared and incapable. 
           

I would submit that the UWW offensive coaches were out-coached both last year in Alliance and last week at the Perk.    I strongly believe that poor offensive game planning and in-game coaching contributes to players being less than confident in plays being called and contributes to poor execution.   It does not make any sense that we can have as many offensive linemen and tight-ends make the WIAC All Conference Team and the D3 All Region Team and not win the line of scrimmage.

Lots of runs on 3rd and medium/long.  Did you get the sense the staff didn't have a high level of confidence in the passing game?

[edward de vere]

Two words: 

Lance

Leipold.

(Though I'll admit his extraordinary LACK of success at Buffalo to this point is surprising. . . . Maybe he just needs more time.  Or maybe he's one of those guys - like Charlie Strong? - who does well at one level but not at another.)

[Mr. Ypsi]

Two words: 

Lance

Leipold.

(Though I'll admit his extraordinary LACK of success at Buffalo to this point is surprising. . . . Maybe he just needs more time.  Or maybe he's one of those guys - like Charlie Strong? - who does well at one level but not at another.)

Unless the administration at Buffalo cuts him off at the knees, I suspect he'll do fine.  Chris Creighton at Eastern Michigan (also MAC) was 3-21 his first two years; this year he went 7-5 and EMU is going to its first bowl game in 29 years.

When you've been a doormat for forever, turnarounds don't come overnight.

Of course, for the school, success has its penalty.  EMU is probably safe for THIS year (CC's 3-year record is 10-26, and one good year could be a fluke), but if he repeats or does even better next year, some down-trodden but richer/higher profile school will come 'poaching' (when Jim Harkema led EMU to that bowl game 29 years ago, he promptly went off to UCal.  If and when LL does the same for Buffalo, I'd guess the same thing will happen.

[emma17]

Right now it seems there are more questions than answers. Just looking at the WIAC stats, UWW is down in nearly every category, offense and defense. Points, rushing, passing, etc.
Is the talent level down?
The offense has changed a lot. I remember the Stagg announcers saying "Vince Kehres tells his defense- UWW will motion or shift before every play".  Today there's very little of that. I don't know how big a factor that plays, but the identity is gone.

UWW was a plus 2 per game in turnovers this year- and still struggled.

[SaintsFAN]

Two words: 

Lance

Leipold.

(Though I'll admit his extraordinary LACK of success at Buffalo to this point is surprising. . . . Maybe he just needs more time.  Or maybe he's one of those guys - like Charlie Strong? - who does well at one level but not at another.)

Charlie Strong was 37-15 at Louisville in the Big East before Texas, including 3 First Place years and one Runner up.  He just couldn't get over the hump in Austin because they weren't patient enough to give him one more year.  That team has young talent all over the field and Tom Hermann is going to get the credit in 2017.

[hazzben]

Two words: 

Lance

Leipold.

(Though I'll admit his extraordinary LACK of success at Buffalo to this point is surprising. . . . Maybe he just needs more time.  Or maybe he's one of those guys - like Charlie Strong? - who does well at one level but not at another.)

Charlie Strong was 37-15 at Louisville in the Big East before Texas, including 3 First Place years and one Runner up.  He just couldn't get over the hump in Austin because they weren't patient enough to give him one more year.  That team has young talent all over the field and Tom Hermann is going to get the credit in 2017.

Strong is a very good man, by all accounts. He did a very good job cleaning up the silver spoon mentality in Austin. He did a good job restoring recruiting. But he was out of his depth running that program. That Texas team regressed. The difference in talent between Texas and Kansas is staggering. That is one game, but it was really a snap shot of the season. The Big12 was down this year, and they stumbled to a sub-500 finish. He fired his OC last year, his DC mid-season this year. When you're firing coordinators in back to back years and then taking over play calling (only to see zero improvement in your area of expertise), it speaks to a coach who isn't a strong enough executive-type leader. And you need to be that at UT. The demands are different there. He wasn't a good fit. Still a good coach who I think could do very well at a school like USF, but UT was getting away from him fast.

[Desertraider]

Two words: 

Lance

Leipold.

(Though I'll admit his extraordinary LACK of success at Buffalo to this point is surprising. . . . Maybe he just needs more time.  Or maybe he's one of those guys - like Charlie Strong? - who does well at one level but not at another.)

Charlie Strong was 37-15 at Louisville in the Big East before Texas, including 3 First Place years and one Runner up.  He just couldn't get over the hump in Austin because they weren't patient enough to give him one more year.  That team has young talent all over the field and Tom Hermann is going to get the credit in 2017.

Strong is a very good man, by all accounts. He did a very good job cleaning up the silver spoon mentality in Austin. He did a good job restoring recruiting. But he was out of his depth running that program. That Texas team regressed. The difference in talent between Texas and Kansas is staggering. That is one game, but it was really a snap shot of the season. The Big12 was down this year, and they stumbled to a sub-500 finish. He fired his OC last year, his DC mid-season this year. When you're firing coordinators in back to back years and then taking over play calling (only to see zero improvement in your area of expertise), it speaks to a coach who isn't a strong enough executive-type leader. And you need to be that at UT. The demands are different there. He wasn't a good fit. Still a good coach who I think could do very well at a school like USF, but UT was getting away from him fast.

I am very optimistic when it comes to both lance Leipold at Buffalo and Matt Campbell at Iowa State. Both inherited bad programs. Next season will be much better for Buffalo and LL - as for Iowa State and Matt, maybe 2 years. Both coaches came in and had to install the "mentality" needed for a winning program. Putting in a offense or defense is one thing - changing the belief in the program is much harder and takes more time. I don't think either will get cut off at the knees.