FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[bleedpurple]

Andy Sires completed 23 of 33 passes as UWL defeated UWS on a picture perfect fall day in La Crosse. Turnovers gave Stout an early 10-0 lead, but the Eagles unleashed a more balanced attack than they had shown to date. Having averaged just over 12 pts a game, the 10 pt deficit seemed a tall hill to climb, but the offense responded with 5 td's and more than 400 yds of offense. Kudos to the team and coaches for weathering the storm and responding. Senior wideout Jake Welch played especially well, and took an endzone pass out of a defender's hands to give the Eagles their first lead at the half. In the second half, the Eagles' blitzing defense largely took the Blue Devils' offense out of the game. Mighty Oshkosh comes to town on Saturday, and La Crosse has played them well in 2 games under coach Dettwiler. Might the Titans be liable to a letdown after an emotional win ?

LaCrosse is either the best or worst team for UWO to play next. Either the years of futility against the Eagles keeps UWO grounded and motivated or the LaCurse strikes again.

UW-W had beaten UW-O 16 of their previous 17 meetings and this UW-O team rose to the challenge.  But in so doing, the post-game (and pre-game to a degree) dialogue was pretty filled "biggest game ever" overtone.  That can (but doesn't always) have a hangover effect.  The Oshkosh negative history with UW-L thing will likely only be a factor if bizarre things happen in the second half and UW-O lets "Oh, no here we go again" creep into it's psyche.  Had Oshkosh not completely dominated the first half Saturday, and led by only 14 at the half, UW-W may well have won the game Saturday.  Even after a 21 point halftime deficit, UW-W had their chances.  If UW-L can stay close and seize second half momentum, they have a chance.  The harder part is putting themselves in that position to begin with. 

[Pat Coleman]

You don't see it very often at all, but I imagined it's happened. No matter what the title though, what's best for the team should rule the day.  I still think the pain of 99 other players trumps those of one.

I think your'e being overly harsh on Brekke. He is just one player. There are 99 other players, and a coaching staff.

What happened to Pound the Rock? 4 yards rushing in the first half. For the game - 55 yards on 30 attempts. 1.8 yards per carry. Brekke wasn't blocking or carrying the ball. If UWW can't run the ball, the defense is free to be aggressive. Behrendt has skills that are more suited to a passing style if you can't run the ball but he made his share of mistakes. There was the lateral off of Ward that cost a scoring chance and four incomplete passes from a 1st and goal. And Kindler struggled in the second half - missed extra point, badly missed FG, and a shanked punt.

It could be an interesting year where UWW has no All-confernence players at the skilled offensive positions.

It's harder to pound the rock if you can't throw the ball with some credibility to change things up.

[02 Warhawk]

So is it a foregone conclusion that Behrendt will be starting the rest of the season? I would hope so.

There's no question he brings a certain energy and dimension to the game that Brekke lacked. It was so refreshing seeing him side-step would be tacklers to extend the play...rather than curling up and falling down. However, I think Behrendt's delivery needs some work. It seems to me that he has a slow release. Kind of has a big wind up before throwing. Anyone else notice that...or am I just crazy? He's only a sophomore, there's plenty of time to get him polished up.

Also, I wonder if we'll see more and more Patterson from here and out as well. Plus, correct me if I'm wrong...don't we have five senior starting o-lineman??? That should be interesting come next season, having five new starters on the offensive line  .

[bleedpurple]

413 I agree entirely with you that yesterday's loss was not the fault of any single player and I'm glad you pointed that out.  As the wound is still fresh I'm sure there will be more discussion as to what went wrong.

I do want to add this though-(as a separate post and not in response to yours).  As much as it is appropriate to recongize how hard it must be for Lee Brekke and for Lee's family, I think we are remiss if we don't also recognize that there are 99 other kids on the team, all of whom came to UWW to win playoff games.  I imagine all of them expect that the best players will play.  And all of them have seen many subsititions this year at basically every position, partly because the coaching staff wants to find out who can play.  The one position that wasn't changed was QB- until it was too late.  All of the players had their hopes crushed yesterday, not just Lee Brekke.  This isn't a knock on Lee, he did the best he could- but his pain in losing a starting job should pale in comparison to the pain the players feel if they weren't put in the best position to succeed.   

I'm responding to Emma's post because he's used to it  , but I'm really addressing the reaction I've been reading from UW-W fans as a whole.

I think we are all missing the boat here. The one we should blame is Behrendt.  You read HSCoach's post. LK was able to make the change during camp because the talented young sophomore tore up training camp.  Behrendt didn't do that. I know he is just a sophomore and has limited time in the system and was given limited opportunity and probably one of 5 or 6 QB's vying for the coaches' attention.  I know practically none of us who post on these boards have even heard of the kid, but darn it, there are 99 other guys on this team who came here expecting to make the playoffs, so he should have stepped up. Matt, I know you had a good camp. You earned the #2 QB position on a three time National Champion as a sophomore. I know you well may lead us to another one before your playing days are done at UW-W (who knows, maybe two!). But it's just not enough. We needed you in August, Matt. We needed you to beat out the senior who helped us win a Stagg Bowl in 2010.  99 guys were depending on you.

Good grief. We lost a football game (yes, I'm going to step in with a "we" here intentionally). We win them as a team, we lose them as a team. Everyone is entitled to their opinion (not implying anyone should not post their thoughts. Just don't expect me to withhold mine either.  ).  Whoever saw the game can form their own opinion.  But it seems unnecessary to call out a college kid by name and dump the entire blame for the entire season on his shoulders.  It's also easy to look at the tales of the two halves and say it was a no-brainer that Matt should have been a starter by now.  It was never a no-brainer, especially for this game. In retrospect, would it have been a good idea to start Matt? Of course, we lost. What would we have to lose? But as some stated on this board, Lee kept his job a week ago against Stout.  He was 12-17 for 222 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

I know none of us are particularly used to losing.  It doesn't feel good, that's for sure.  but IMHO, it seems a bit heavy-handed to blame a player or even a coach for the loss (although I know the coaches well enough to know they will take full responsibility for the loss, fair or not).  I think Emma said it best.  These players, coaches, and everyone involved in the program have brought us more joy, fun, and great experiences than any fan base has a right to expect. Seems like they deserve better when things don't go our way.  Just my two cents....

[02 Warhawk]

413 I agree entirely with you that yesterday's loss was not the fault of any single player and I'm glad you pointed that out.  As the wound is still fresh I'm sure there will be more discussion as to what went wrong.

I do want to add this though-(as a separate post and not in response to yours).  As much as it is appropriate to recongize how hard it must be for Lee Brekke and for Lee's family, I think we are remiss if we don't also recognize that there are 99 other kids on the team, all of whom came to UWW to win playoff games.  I imagine all of them expect that the best players will play.  And all of them have seen many subsititions this year at basically every position, partly because the coaching staff wants to find out who can play.  The one position that wasn't changed was QB- until it was too late.  All of the players had their hopes crushed yesterday, not just Lee Brekke.  This isn't a knock on Lee, he did the best he could- but his pain in losing a starting job should pale in comparison to the pain the players feel if they weren't put in the best position to succeed.   

I'm responding to Emma's post because he's used to it  , but I'm really addressing the reaction I've been reading from UW-W fans as a whole.

I think we are all missing the boat here. The one we should blame is Behrendt.  You read HSCoach's post. LK was able to make the change during camp because the talented young sophomore tore up training camp.  Behrendt didn't do that. I know he is just a sophomore and has limited time in the system and was given limited opportunity and probably one of 5 or 6 QB's vying for the coaches' attention.  I know practically none of us who post on these boards have even heard of the kid, but darn it, there are 99 other guys on this team who came here expecting to make the playoffs, so he should have stepped up. Matt, I know you had a good camp. You earned the #2 QB position on a three time National Champion as a sophomore. I know you well may lead us to another one before your playing days are done at UW-W (who knows, maybe two!). But it's just not enough. We needed you in August, Matt. We needed you to beat out the senior who helped us win a Stagg Bowl in 2010.  99 guys were depending on you.

Good grief. We lost a football game (yes, I'm going to step in with a "we" here intentionally). We win them as a team, we lose them as a team. Everyone is entitled to their opinion (not implying anyone should not post their thoughts. Just don't expect me to withhold mine either.  ).  Whoever saw the game can form their own opinion.  But it seems unnecessary to call out a college kid by name and dump the entire blame for the entire season on his shoulders.  It's also easy to look at the tales of the two halves and say it was a no-brainer that Matt should have been a starter by now.  It was never a no-brainer, especially for this game. In retrospect, would it have been a good idea to start Matt? Of course, we lost. What would we have to lose? But as some stated on this board, Lee kept his job a week ago against Stout.  He was 12-17 for 222 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

I know none of us are particularly used to losing.  It doesn't feel good, that's for sure.  but IMHO, it seems a bit heavy-handed to blame a player or even a coach for the loss (although I know the coaches well enough to know they will take full responsibility for the loss, fair or not).  I think Emma said it best.  These players, coaches, and everyone involved in the program have brought us more joy, fun, and great experiences than any fan base has a right to expect. Seems like they deserve better when things don't go our way.  Just my two cents....

True, of course it's not ALL on Brekke's shoulders. It would have been nice to see our senior team captain step up and lead this team, but it just didn't happen.

There was a bunch of missed opportunities from numerous players...and possibly coaches too.

I'm not that upset about it, Oshkosh is a very good team. I hope they make the WIAC proud in the playoffs.

[bleedpurple]

So is it a foregone conclusion that Behrendt will be starting the rest of the season? I would hope so.

There's no question he brings a certain energy and dimension to the game that Brekke lacked. It was so refreshing seeing him side-step would be tacklers to extend the play...rather than curling up and falling down. However, I think Behrendt's delivery needs some work. It seems to me that he has a slow release. Kind of has a big wind up before throwing. Anyone else notice that...or am I just crazy? He's only a sophomore, there's plenty of time to get him polished up.

Also, I wonder if we'll see more and more Patterson from here and out as well. Plus, correct me if I'm wrong...don't we have five senior starting o-lineman??? That should be interesting come next season, having five new starters on the offensive line  .

The combo of Behrendt and Patterson adds really good athleticism to the offensive mix.  It would be fun to watch, that's for sure!  I'm sure Matt needs some polishing up, but I think it is more of a tweak than a reconstruction. He doesn't lower his arm prior to delivery ala Tim Tebow. He brings it back at a good level. It's hard to tell delivery time without clocking it.  My sense is he will be fine in that regard. I will say his feet, athleticism, and speed are exceptional and his arm is strong.  He will have to grow in decision making and consistency, but that's probably to be expected in a young QB. 

The offensive line will be a question mark heading into next season without doubt.  We have big, strong, talented guys in the program. It will be a matter of them becoming a cohesive unit and how long it takes them to come together. 

[MasterJedi]

You don't see it very often at all, but I imagined it's happened. No matter what the title though, what's best for the team should rule the day.  I still think the pain of 99 other players trumps those of one.

I think your'e being overly harsh on Brekke. He is just one player. There are 99 other players, and a coaching staff.

What happened to Pound the Rock? 4 yards rushing in the first half. For the game - 55 yards on 30 attempts. 1.8 yards per carry. Brekke wasn't blocking or carrying the ball. If UWW can't run the ball, the defense is free to be aggressive. Behrendt has skills that are more suited to a passing style if you can't run the ball but he made his share of mistakes. There was the lateral off of Ward that cost a scoring chance and four incomplete passes from a 1st and goal. And Kindler struggled in the second half - missed extra point, badly missed FG, and a shanked punt.

It could be an interesting year where UWW has no All-confernence players at the skilled offensive positions.

Brekke was the reason the running game was as bad as it was. He couldn't throw the ball and when he did they were bad throws. They were able to load the box more and stop the run. When Behrendt was in in the second half you saw how he could throw the ball with accuracy, make good decisions and run when he needed to instead of just getting sacked the run game improved a lot.

So is it a foregone conclusion that Behrendt will be starting the rest of the season? I would hope so.

There's no question he brings a certain energy and dimension to the game that Brekke lacked. It was so refreshing seeing him side-step would be tacklers to extend the play...rather than curling up and falling down. However, I think Behrendt's delivery needs some work. It seems to me that he has a slow release. Kind of has a big wind up before throwing. Anyone else notice that...or am I just crazy? He's only a sophomore, there's plenty of time to get him polished up.

Also, I wonder if we'll see more and more Patterson from here and out as well. Plus, correct me if I'm wrong...don't we have five senior starting o-lineman??? That should be interesting come next season, having five new starters on the offensive line  .

I didn't see that, while his throw may be like that he didn't seem to take a long time to throw. Take for example when he almost got sandwiched between two defenders on that play action fake. He zipped that out, granted it was only about a 3yd gain but it was so nice not to see him get sacked like what we saw the whole first half with Brekke. As you said, he is a Sophmore and will improve but from what I've seen he could be a great QB.

[couchp54]

As a casual observer, I don't think some of the comments towards Brekke were nice or necessary.  Some of it may have been better shared through PM. These are D3 players.  They don't get scholarships and they don't get paid.  They are not D1 or NFL players.  They put a lot of hard work into this and sacrifice a lot of other things to play – internships, jobs, social life, studying abroad, joining organizations that could look good on a resume and so on.   If you're going to criticize anyone, start with the the coaches.  Aren't coaches supposed to pick the best player for the job?   I'm not saying its the coaches "fault", but it certainly isn't all on Brekke. 

As far as the other 99 players, have any of you talked to the 99 players?  Do you know what their perspective is?  I don't – just wondering.  The players are at all the practices and may have insight you don't have.  I have seen thngs like this before and it is terrible for the team.  The players bond, they are best buddies, they socialize and live together.  They are family. They will share the pain.  And it's particularly bad if some of the players have different ideas – which is usually the case.  I would bet that not everything is as black and white to all the players as it is to the fans.  The coaches put the team in a helluva spot.

If this were EC, I would be thanking the departing qb for his years of effort and finding something nice to say.  If I was at a game, I might even shake his hand.  Even though he may have lost his job, I am sure he contributed to the team in many ways.  If he was elected captain by his peers, that shows what the team thought of him. 

It's all very unfortunate, but you can look forward to a change without dissing the former qb. 

There goes my karma.  I really don't have a horse in the race so I won't argue my viewpoint, just putting it out there FWIW.

[voice]

As a casual observer, I don't think some of the comments towards Brekke were nice or necessary.  Some of it may have been better shared through PM. These are D3 players.  They don't get scholarships and they don't get paid.  They are not D1 or NFL players.  They put a lot of hard work into this and sacrifice a lot of other things to play – internships, jobs, social life, studying abroad, joining organizations that could look good on a resume and so on.   If you're going to criticize anyone, start with the the coaches.  Aren't coaches supposed to pick the best player for the job?   I'm not saying its the coaches "fault", but it certainly isn't all on Brekke. 

As far as the other 99 players, have any of you talked to the 99 players?  Do you know what their perspective is?  I don't – just wondering.  The players are at all the practices and may have insight you don't have.  I have seen thngs like this before and it is terrible for the team.  The players bond, they are best buddies, they socialize and live together.  They are family. They will share the pain.  And it's particularly bad if some of the players have different ideas – which is usually the case.  I would bet that not everything is as black and white to all the players as it is to the fans.  The coaches put the team in a helluva spot.

If this were EC, I would be thanking the departing qb for his years of effort and finding something nice to say.  If I was at a game, I might even shake his hand.  Even though he may have lost his job, I am sure he contributed to the team in many ways.  If he was elected captain by his peers, that shows what the team thought of him. 

It's all very unfortunate, but you can look forward to a change without dissing the former qb. 

There goes my karma.  I really don't have a horse in the race so I won't argue my viewpoint, just putting it out there FWIW.

Actually +K  Great comments on the negativity of some UWW posters!

[02 Warhawk]

I don't think it's necessarily negative. It's just that some of us are venting frustration from Saturday, which is understandable considering the expectations of the team. Whether it's considerate or not, nothing incorrect has been posted. 

What I do like was the fact that everyone seems to be giving credit where credit is due. And that's Oshkosh winning the game. I have yet to hear an argument that Whitewater should have won, or that Oshkosh got lucky. Which would be flat out wrong. After all, these are message boards....it's a great place to get things off your chest. 

Like Warhawkdad said, what a career the senior class had over the past four years. Three Stagg Bowl championships....They have nothing to be ashamed of.

[bleedpurple]

As a casual observer, I don't think some of the comments towards Brekke were nice or necessary.  Some of it may have been better shared through PM. These are D3 players.  They don't get scholarships and they don't get paid.  They are not D1 or NFL players.  They put a lot of hard work into this and sacrifice a lot of other things to play – internships, jobs, social life, studying abroad, joining organizations that could look good on a resume and so on.   If you're going to criticize anyone, start with the the coaches.  Aren't coaches supposed to pick the best player for the job?   I'm not saying its the coaches "fault", but it certainly isn't all on Brekke. 

As far as the other 99 players, have any of you talked to the 99 players?  Do you know what their perspective is?  I don't – just wondering.  The players are at all the practices and may have insight you don't have.  I have seen thngs like this before and it is terrible for the team.  The players bond, they are best buddies, they socialize and live together.  They are family. They will share the pain.  And it's particularly bad if some of the players have different ideas – which is usually the case.  I would bet that not everything is as black and white to all the players as it is to the fans.  The coaches put the team in a helluva spot.

If this were EC, I would be thanking the departing qb for his years of effort and finding something nice to say.  If I was at a game, I might even shake his hand.  Even though he may have lost his job, I am sure he contributed to the team in many ways.  If he was elected captain by his peers, that shows what the team thought of him. 

It's all very unfortunate, but you can look forward to a change without dissing the former qb. 

There goes my karma.  I really don't have a horse in the race so I won't argue my viewpoint, just putting it out there FWIW.

Well put.  PM, email, barstool, parking lot, cell phone.  They are all different venues than a public message board. I understand I have a different viewpoint than most. Some would say I should have probably gotten counseling  , given the fact that growing up, literally since the day I was born, there has been nothing more important in the world to our family than the athletes, the coaches, the parents, and the others associated with Warhawk football.  I don't say this to say "I love the Warhawks more", I say this to say, I know I have a different view of the whole thing than others do. 

One of the most amazing things about Warhawk Nation is the way they have rallied behind each other when the going gets tough in life.  Whenever one of our Warhawk brethren is faced with daunting life issues, we rally around them with the cry Once a Warhawk, always a Warhawk.  I'd like to think the rally would be the same whether that Warhawk is a national champion or part of an 0-10 team.  Obviously, words on a message board and winning and losing a football game are minute compared to life's biggest issues.  But "Once a Warhawk, always a Warhawk" flows from a heart that also believes "A Warhawk is a Warhawk. Period."  All Warhawk fans have every right to their opinions as to how Lee Brekke plays football.  But for those of you who consider yourself a part of the Warhawk family, I just want to remind you that he's our brother.  Let's treat him like one.

[emma17]

I think a time-out might be in order to clarify some things:
-HS Coach's post lacks context- Burke played in games last year, including a play-off game vs. Wabash- Behrendt did not.  MTU knew a heck of a lot more about Burke than UWW knew about Behrendt.
-I 100% disagree with the suggestion that Behrendt is to blame.  Whether Behrendt lit up the practice field is almost entirely irrelevant to this story.  The story here is the performance of the QB position throughout the season.
-Behrendt was good enough as a feshman, in the eyes of the coaching staff, to travel and dress for last year's Stagg Bowl.  As a sophomore, Behrendt was good enough to win the back-up job on a 3-time defending national team.  If he wasn't "ready" to at least merit meaningful snaps given the performance of the QB position, then the future of UWW football is bleak indeed.     
-This team certainly doesn't have the playmakers of team's past, but IMO, despite the injuries, it is better than a 5-2 team.  Whether they are a 6-1 or 7-0 team is debate for another time. 
-The blame for the 5-2 record is in no way Lee Brekke's fault, nor is it Behrendt's.  The reason this team is 5-2 is entirely based on coaching decisions.  Yes, I heard you all before- this staff has won 4 of 5 championships and who am I to question such success.  I'll say it again, this team is 5-2 due to coaching decisions.  If you'd like to challenge this statement, come heavily armed. 
-Just because I hold the coaching staff responsible doesn't mean I disrespect them or think they aren't good.  Great coaches make mistakes all the time.  In a year where UWW was down on talent a bit, there were too many coaching mistakes to this point.   
-Brekke gave this team what he was capable of giving this team.  As such, there is no way he can be held accountable.  In fact I'd rather remove his name and simply refer to it as the QB Position.  Pointing to the Stout game as some sort of proof that the QB position was ready for Oshkosh would be like Mt Union thinking Otterbein prepared them for the playoffs (I know they don't think that).  Although I've never asked a player what they think of Brekke or Behrendt, I have asked what they think about Stout.  If you want to kid yourself that the QB performance against Stout proved anything, go right ahead.
-This isn't about losing one or two games.  Losing comes with the territory in football or life.  This is about a bunch of kids that were recruited by UWW partly on the basis of National success and the hope for more of it, not being given the best chance to succeed.   
-I don't see the relevance as to whether this is D1 or D3, scholarship or not.  I don't care what the level, players shouldn't be personally attacked.  Conversely though, the level of college football has no bearing as to whether fans should or should not talk about the level of play at any given position.  This isn't park district. 
-As for Behrendt making mistakes- of course he did- do you think he may have made fewer if he had more playing time leading up to this game? 
-The last four passes into the end zone (i don't remember if it was 3 or 4) were fade routes.  In my most sarcastic tone let me say, apparently the news of the discovery of Slant routes and Crossing routes hasn't made it up to UWW yet.

-Lastly, in my world, it is perfectly ok to be critical of the performance of a team or its coaches, and still be a supportive fan.  Sure, my last sarcastic comment might not go over well with the offensive coordinator, but it's true.....

   

     

[bluenote]

Wouldn't UWW have a pretty good shot at a Pool C bid if they won out or am I missing something? I guess it would depend on other Pool C teams around the nation that only have 1 loss at the end. Would they take an unranked 1 loss team over a UWW 2 loss ranked team?

[02 Warhawk]

Wouldn't UWW have a pretty good shot at a Pool C bid if they won out or am I missing something? I guess it would depend on other Pool C teams around the nation that only have 1 loss at the end. Would they take an unranked 1 loss team over a UWW 2 loss ranked team?

When it comes to selecting playoff teams, the top 25 is meaningless. So, yes, a lesser ranked team with one loss will get in before Whitewater....and there's a ton of them.

[02 Warhawk]

I agree...those fade routes in the endzone left me scratching my head.

I would agree that we got out coached, which doesn't happen often. They had the perfect play call late in the forth quarter. Oshkosh anticipated that we would blitz, and called a screen that went 40 yards down to our 10 (I think). Of course, a few plays later they scored that put the game out of reach.

That screen was a great call by Cerroni.