FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[usee]

The Stagg Bowl will certainly feature the best 2 teams in D3 this year. I don' think that can be disputed. This should be a great matchup.

There will be some favorable matchups for both teams and some areas of concern. I think the #1 key to the game is the MUC OLine vs the UWW defensive front. MUC is more committed to the run than ever this year and their OLine is the best I have seen in a long time. The good news for UWW is they have a guy like Kleppe that will clog the middle and cause problems for MUC. UWW also has a strong supporting cast and fast LB's. Mount has not had to pass and while many MUC followers believe they can, it appears to me like LK has a lot less confidence in his qb's than in years past. Kmic and the MUC Oline vs Kleppe and the mUC Lb's. great matchup!!

the second most important matchup is the UWW OLine v the MUC Defensive front.  the best dlineman I have seen so far this year are 1-Kleppe and 2-Stickley. #5 for MUC has an explosive 1st step and an awesome inside move. UWW have become experts at the outside zone but penetration kills the run game and MUC's dline can do that. the biggest part of MUC's defense is their safeties. they make tackles in the running game at 2-3 yds. if UWW can't stretch the field and get the MUC safeties into a backpedal, UWW will be in trouble. vs wheaton, the MUC safeties lined up at 12 yds and wouldn't backpedal, reacting quickly to the run. The MUC secondary are really good tacklers. They will line up in their 4-2-5 defense and swarm the football. the UWW qb will need to hit some of those skinny posts and dig routes to loosen up the safeties and give beavers room.

UWW's punter is awesome and both teams have excellent special teams. This game should be a classic and if UWW can stop the MUC running game (no one has yet) it will be really interesting to see how the MUC qb's play. MUC's defense matches up really well w the UWW offense. Can't wait for Saturday!!

[Pat Coleman]

Sakman: Aren't you insulting the left tackle by downplaying Robinson? Perhaps Robinson is indeed that good but Whitewater's left tackle is playing like the first team All-American that he is.

Food for thought.

[D O.C.]

Lookit there...
Numbers 1 and 2 all year long wind up in the championship game having survived a long season and a bona-fide playoff system.

Hats off to THE division.

[BoBo]

I'm really tired of hear from the national guys that Wesley is better than the score indicates?  How about anyone else?  I'm not sure of that statement.

Didn't Wesley beat Mary Hardin-Baylor by a lot more than UW-Whitewater did? I think that's a valid indication that Wesley is better than the score today showed.

Obviously this team simply doesn't match up well with Whitewater. Or can't play on grass, which would be a problem.

I disagree about comparing scores. There's more to it than that. To be a better team means being able to play even when conditions don't favor your strengths.  I guess they are so overmatched and uncompetitive only against WW; to me that doesn't make any sense. Anyway, not being able to play football on grass is like not being able to play football with a football.

[ScheckDiesel]

Pat, how can you truly compare the MHB vs. UWW and the MHB vs Wesley scores?
Whitewater was the only away team to win in this little triangle, and I believe Whitewater didn't have arguably the best RB in D3, Justin Beaver.  
I don't know if you heard of him, but he's kinda good .  Just joking with you.

I'm so excited to see the rematch next weekend!

[Pat Coleman]

Pat, how can you truly compare the MHB vs. UWW and the MHB vs Wesley scores?
Whitewater was the only away team to win in this little triangle, and I believe Whitewater didn't have arguably the best RB in D3, Justin Beaver. 
I don't know if you heard of him, but he's kinda good .  Just joking with you.

I'm so excited to see the rematch next weekend!

I'm excited too.

[DustySJU]

I'm really tired of hear from the national guys that Wesley is better than the score indicates?  How about anyone else?  I'm not sure of that statement.

Didn't Wesley beat Mary Hardin-Baylor by a lot more than UW-Whitewater did? I think that's a valid indication that Wesley is better than the score today showed.

Obviously this team simply doesn't match up well with Whitewater. Or can't play on grass, which would be a problem.

I'd say it had more to do with MHB being the pretender.....

Developing.....

[footballfan413]

Absolutely awesome playing yesterday, Warhawks.  Just a couple of things stick out for me.
-Guess it wasn't the shoes afterall! 
-The 49 yard field goal by the UWW freshman instead of punting after a delay of game penalty was declined by Wesley was really hilarious. UWW was just looking for a little more room to punt.  Kudos for that call.  Don't think I have laughed that hard at a play before. 
-Justin Jacobs is a magician with the ball when given time to work!  Kudos to the O-line!
-Defense pitched a shut out for all intent and purposes. Wesley's lone TD came in the 4th with a little over 2 minutes left in game and it was against all backups and it took 7 minutes to do it. 
-DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS and while our front seven have shown all year that they are one of the best, time to recognize what an outstanding job our secondary is doing.  They have been fantastic and get better every game.  We will need the entire defense this weekend.
-Kmic vs. our front 7......................something's gotta give!!!        Congrats again to the entire Warhawk family!!

TIME TO FINISH....... THE "UNFINISHED BUSINESS!!"  GO WARHAWKS! 

[Sakman 1111]

Pat.....Obviously I would never not give props to our left tackle who I think is the best offensive lineman I have seen but I am stating what I was told......#92 is a good player but comparing him to Kleppe or let's say D. from St.Johns last year doesn't work. They are on a different level. They never planned to double him and they didn't. The player who Whitewater had great respect for and kiddingly told after the game to transfer to Whitewater was #4 who was simple awesome. Robinson is only a junior and I bet he will be something to reckon with next year but this year he was handled.....

[footballfan413]

One last thing, the pressure for the Warhawks to get back to the big show was enormous.  You are there now, boys.  Feel the weight lift from your shoulders and go to the Stagg Bowl playing relaxed and confident and most importantly, just have fun.  Do that and the trophy you bring home this year will have a decidedly different color to it!  8)

[dallas]

I'm really tired of hear from the national guys that Wesley is better than the score indicates?  How about anyone else?  I'm not sure of that statement.

Didn't Wesley beat Mary Hardin-Baylor by a lot more than UW-Whitewater did? I think that's a valid indication that Wesley is better than the score today showed.

Obviously this team simply doesn't match up well with Whitewater. Or can't play on grass, which would be a problem.

I disagree about comparing scores. There's more to it than that. To be a better team means being able to play even when conditions don't favor your strengths.  I guess they are so overmatched and uncompetitive only against WW; to me that doesn't make any sense. Anyway, not being able to play football on grass is like not being able to play football with a football.

It was evident from the very first few minutes of the game that something was wrong with Wesley.  Honestly, they looked like a team that didn't want to play.  I was absolutely shocked the whole first quarter, because we know they are a quality team.  It really looked like a mismatch from the very beginning, and I feel strongly that both SJ and UWL were better teams based on what I have seen.   

I hope my comments are not as harsh as they seem.  Wesely should be very proud of their season and I congratulate them.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Hello, anyone here?

[Bill McCabe]

Good luck to UWW next week.  You will have a fan in South Texas rooting for you to win.

Dallas, your observation is very interesting.  How can a team get beat that badly 2 years in a row in the semifinals?

[dallas]

Good luck to UWW next week.  You will have a fan in South Texas rooting for you to win.

Dallas, your observation is very interesting.  How can a team get beat that badly 2 years in a row in the semifinals?

I guess last week, after seeing Wesley play the way they did against MHB, it made the whole "we had the wrong shoes at Perkins stadium last year" argument seem like it had legs.  I started thinking that maybe they would show up this year and display the speed and athleticism we had heard about. 

After the first few minutes of the game against WW, I really felt like they did not want to be there.  They were doing ok against the run, but our passing game just killed them.  Their players were walking with their heads down and hands on their hips.  They seemed like they were moving in slow motion.  It was very strange....like they had almost given up after the score was 10-0. 

I was talking to some of my other buddies/former teammates during halftime, one was watching on tv and one was at The Perk, and they said the same thing as well.  We all three agreed Wesley was a good team, but they looked like a team that didn't believe they could win from the opening kick-off.   

Those are my observations from watching the game...they mean absolutely nothing, but nevertheless, I am still sitting here scratching my head.   

Next week....WW will win.  Last year, I think they got caught up in the experience and hype of being at the Stagg Bowl playing against MU.  They did not play their game.  That's why it was such a disapointment to the players, staff, and all that have ever been involved with the program. 

South TX?  Hope it's a little warmer than it is up here in the metroplex! 

[Bill McCabe]

59 for a high today.  Should be in the 60s this week with lows in the 40s.