FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[thrunt01]

02 Warhawk, I enjoy your WIACfooball blog, some time ago you had a story on WIAC Stadiums.  I think the Perk was the 2nd of 8. Have you done any more? If so is there a link to them?

So far I've covered two stadiums (Oshkosh and whitewater). I plan on doing one a year.

Here's Oshkosh's I did last year. http://www.wiacfootball.blogspot.com/2011/11/wiac-stadiums-1-of-8-oshkosh.html

Honestly you caught Oshkosh on its best day pretty much ever. The attendance is normally pretty low and the Black and Yellows have not yet made an appearance at a sporting event this year. Maybe with the win over UWW folks will come out for the game against Point but we'll see. Staff and the new video board are great though, just wish more fans, students specifically, came out.

[bleedpurple]

I'll go as far as to say that this year's team is very good.  You're not an elite team winning a conference championship once every 30 years or so.  That's not to say that they aren't on the verge of an extended run and perhaps is a few years we will think of them as elite.  But I can't see them in that light at this time.

If the choice is between good and elite, my answer is good.  Even as far as this year alone, they are not elite yet.  If they win a share of the conference championship, I would say they are very good.  Elite would mean Stagg Bowl bound.  To cut to the heart of what CruFrenzy would probably like to know, I would say that in a head to head match-up, UMHB would be favored by 7 or so.  I would expect the Cru to win, but it would be no sure thing. 

[emma17]

So i have a question for any Whitewater or Oshkosh fan, or anyone who has seen these two teams play this year. I'm just wondering how this Oshkosh team compares to the Whitewater teams of the past few years that have been so dominant. I know Oshkosh is a good team, but are they the type of team that will keep the WIAC in the stagg bowl? Are they good, or elite?

Not sure about past years but I do believe this UWO team is top 4 in the country this year.

My initial reaction in reading this post was "don't be silly".  Upon further review, however, don't be silly. 
Ha, just kidding.  Looking at # 2, 3 and 4- MHB is more balanced on offense this year, but they certainly give up their share of points.  Linfield- they give up their share of points.  St. Thomas- are they really the 4th best team?  It seems to me UWO has a strong enough D and certainly the playmakers on offense to be in the game vs. these teams.   

If Wara stays healthy I believe UWO has the skilled players (excellent receivers) on offense and a strong enough D to do very well in the playoffs.  I will caution though that once UWW decided to get serious on offense, some chinks in the UWO defense were exposed.

[CruFrenzy]

I appreciate it fellas. 

[retagent]

Am I wrong, or didn't Brekke QB a Stagg Bowl winner?

I would have to say that at least this year the MIAC may be better top to bottom, than the WIAC. Check the Non Con record. I would speculate that UST is probably better than you guys give them credit for. And you know how hard it is for a Johnnie to say anything good about the Tommies.

[cubs]

Am I wrong, or didn't Brekke QB a Stagg Bowl winner?

I would have to say that at least this year the MIAC may be better top to bottom, than the WIAC. Check the Non Con record. I would speculate that UST is probably better than you guys give them credit for. And you know how hard it is for a Johnnie to say anything good about the Tommies.

I think many on this board have a hard time seeing UST in such a bright light after seeing the way Eau Claire (who is currently 3-4 on the season) played against them.  If the Tommies were that much better, it wouldn't have come down to poor clock management by the Blugolds for UST to eke out a win.   

[WarhawkDad]

So i have a question for any Whitewater or Oshkosh fan, or anyone who has seen these two teams play this year. I'm just wondering how this Oshkosh team compares to the Whitewater teams of the past few years that have been so dominant. I know Oshkosh is a good team, but are they the type of team that will keep the WIAC in the stagg bowl? Are they good, or elite?

Not sure about past years but I do believe this UWO team is top 4 in the country this year.

My initial reaction in reading this post was "don't be silly".  Upon further review, however, don't be silly. 
Ha, just kidding.  Looking at # 2, 3 and 4- MHB is more balanced on offense this year, but they certainly give up their share of points.  Linfield- they give up their share of points.  St. Thomas- are they really the 4th best team?  It seems to me UWO has a strong enough D and certainly the playmakers on offense to be in the game vs. these teams.   

If Wara stays healthy I believe UWO has the skilled players (excellent receivers) on offense and a strong enough D to do very well in the playoffs.  I will caution though that once UWW decided to get serious on offense, some chinks in the UWO defense were exposed.

I basically agree with Emma17 and would add the following thoughts.   I do not really believe any team is elite until they make it to a semi-final for a couple years in a row and make it to at least one Stagg Bowl.   So I do not think Oshkosh is elite at this point, but they are very good.  In comparison, I would say UWW this year is only good.    While I believe that UWO will make a run in the playoffs (if they run the table in regular season) and I personally hope that is a long run to benefit the WIAC, I am concerned about a couple things.  First, when Behrends did come in and start throwing the ball with accuracy, UWW marched at will.   Teams that are well balanced could cause problems for Oshkosh with the right game plan.   Secondly, there was a period of time of approximately two quarters, from the end of the 2nd quarter to the score at the end of the 4th quarter where the play calling and execution for UWO was suspect.  I will credit some of that to the UWW defense. 

I do not think the MIAC is as good as the WIAC this year.   It would be interesting to see St. Thomas, the best of the MIAC go against either the UWW or the UWO defense. 

WarhawkDad

[cubs]

Secondly, there was a period of time of approximately two quarters, from the end of the 2nd quarter to the score at the end of the 4th quarter where the play calling and execution for UWO was suspect.  I will credit some of that to the UWW defense. 

Let me preface this by saying I didn't see the game.  I was only able to follow a little bit on Live Stats.  With that said, would it be safe to assume that the UWO play-calling got a bit "conservative" in the second half since they were playing with the lead?  Or did the play-calling look similar to the first half when UWO built a 21-0 lead?

[couchp54]

Am I wrong, or didn't Brekke QB a Stagg Bowl winner?

I would have to say that at least this year the MIAC may be better top to bottom, than the WIAC. Check the Non Con record. I would speculate that UST is probably better than you guys give them credit for. And you know how hard it is for a Johnnie to say anything good about the Tommies.

I think many on this board have a hard time seeing UST in such a bright light after seeing the way Eau Claire (who is currently 3-4 on the season) played against them.  If the Tommies were that much better, it wouldn't have come down to poor clock management by the Blugolds for UST to eke out a win.   

Exactly. Although I have to say that the st Thomas game was the first game of the year and maybe they have improved a lot, uwec against uwo was like night and day in comparison.  Uwo is very good.

[bleedpurple]

Am I wrong, or didn't Brekke QB a Stagg Bowl winner?

I would have to say that at least this year the MIAC may be better top to bottom, than the WIAC. Check the Non Con record. I would speculate that UST is probably better than you guys give them credit for. And you know how hard it is for a Johnnie to say anything good about the Tommies.

Interesting food for thought.  If you look at current standings (in same order listed on each conference's website), here would be the match-ups. What does everyone think?

St. Thomas vs UW-O
Bethel vs UW-W
Concordia vs UW-EC
Augsberg vs UW-P
St. Olaf vs UW-L
Carleton vs UW-Stout
Gustavus vs UW-River Falls
Hamline vs UW-Stevens Point

[voice]

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.

That was a fantastic call.  Remember when UWW struggled to run against Buffalo State due to all the "inside run blitzes"?  Do you think a screen pass might have done some damage? A tight end quick pass?

That UWO play was made possible because the UWW D had to play more aggressively to dig us out of a hole.  It was a 33 yard punt from Kindler from the UWW 6 yard line that caused part of the problem.  Did someone say Kindler?  This year, as both the fieldgoal kicker and punter, he is hitting 60% of his kicks and missed critical kicks against Buffalo State and maybe UWO.  Last year, he hit 70% of his kicks- as purely the fieldgoal kicker. 
Lest I be accused of attacking Kindler, the point here is coaching decisions that make you scratch your head.  I totally support Kindler as the fieldgoal kicker, but not both.  On the next UWW possession, UWW punted from their own 20- only this time they brought in the 'back up" that we've heard all season has a tremendous leg but needed "football" experience.  Gardener came in and boomed a 54-yarder to the UWO 26.  For what reason is Kindler punting?     

Emma...

In regard to Kindler, he tied Jeff Scheber's school record of 21 field goals last year.

As far as Eric's punting is concerned... his stats on Saturday vs: Oshkosh - 6 punts for a 41.7 yard average with a long of 50 yds. Only 1 of his six punts was returned for NO yards. Kindler's season average is 41.8 yds (28 punts with only 8 punts returned.)

[02 Warhawk]

Next year will be an interesting year in the WIAC.  UWW's younger players will step up.  Oshkosh will loose Wara and Platteville looks to be in good shape.    02....your thoughts on this?  Or maybe this is a future article in your blog?

Always proud to be a ......

WarhawkDad

Offensively, Platteville will be in the best shape. They will be returning Corrigan as well as their top four WRs.

Defensively, Whitewater will be returning their linebacking core, which will make them very strong (again) next year. Defense will be especially solid if Noah decides to return for his final year of eligibility (but from what I've heard, he may just graduate).

It'll be interesting to see how Oshkosh does without Wara. Hopefully Mrs. Wara quit having sons who are good at QB after Nate. 

(I'm not going to lie, as a UWW fan, it's tough looking ahead to next season in the middle of October).

[retagent]

At least I got a reason for the view of UST. I think that the first game of the year is not the greatest indicator. However, it's about the only indicator we have - so - I'll give you that. However, SJU beat UWEC, and UST handled the Johnnies with ease. Based upon their relative performances against UWEC, it should have been a close game.

It's hard to handicap, I realize, but I like the fine attempt by bleedpurple to rate the conferences, and the relative strength of specific teams. When one goes out on a limb like that, he risks having it cut off, but, I give him credit for being out there, and it looks good to me FWIW.

[emma17]

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.

That was a fantastic call.  Remember when UWW struggled to run against Buffalo State due to all the "inside run blitzes"?  Do you think a screen pass might have done some damage? A tight end quick pass?

That UWO play was made possible because the UWW D had to play more aggressively to dig us out of a hole.  It was a 33 yard punt from Kindler from the UWW 6 yard line that caused part of the problem.  Did someone say Kindler?  This year, as both the fieldgoal kicker and punter, he is hitting 60% of his kicks and missed critical kicks against Buffalo State and maybe UWO.  Last year, he hit 70% of his kicks- as purely the fieldgoal kicker. 
Lest I be accused of attacking Kindler, the point here is coaching decisions that make you scratch your head.  I totally support Kindler as the fieldgoal kicker, but not both.  On the next UWW possession, UWW punted from their own 20- only this time they brought in the 'back up" that we've heard all season has a tremendous leg but needed "football" experience.  Gardener came in and boomed a 54-yarder to the UWO 26.  For what reason is Kindler punting?     

Emma...

In regard to Kindler, he tied Jeff Scheber's school record of 21 field goals last year.

As far as Eric's punting is concerned... his stats on Saturday vs: Oshkosh - 6 punts for a 41.7 yard average with a long of 50 yds. Only 1 of his six punts was returned for NO yards. Kindler's season average is 41.8 yds (28 punts with only 8 punts returned.)

The complete picture:
Kindler Fieldgoal % in 2011- 70%
Kindler Fieldgoal % in 2012- 60%

Punting:
Kindler: 28 punts, averaging 41.75 yards with 3 over 50 yards.
Gardener: 12 punts, averaging 42.67 yards with 4 over 50 yards.

Again, the question is, why is Kindler punting this year?

[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.

That was a fantastic call.  Remember when UWW struggled to run against Buffalo State due to all the "inside run blitzes"?  Do you think a screen pass might have done some damage? A tight end quick pass?

That UWO play was made possible because the UWW D had to play more aggressively to dig us out of a hole.  It was a 33 yard punt from Kindler from the UWW 6 yard line that caused part of the problem.  Did someone say Kindler?  This year, as both the fieldgoal kicker and punter, he is hitting 60% of his kicks and missed critical kicks against Buffalo State and maybe UWO.  Last year, he hit 70% of his kicks- as purely the fieldgoal kicker. 
Lest I be accused of attacking Kindler, the point here is coaching decisions that make you scratch your head.  I totally support Kindler as the fieldgoal kicker, but not both.  On the next UWW possession, UWW punted from their own 20- only this time they brought in the 'back up" that we've heard all season has a tremendous leg but needed "football" experience.  Gardener came in and boomed a 54-yarder to the UWO 26.  For what reason is Kindler punting?     

Emma...

In regard to Kindler, he tied Jeff Scheber's school record of 21 field goals last year.

As far as Eric's punting is concerned... his stats on Saturday vs: Oshkosh - 6 punts for a 41.7 yard average with a long of 50 yds. Only 1 of his six punts was returned for NO yards. Kindler's season average is 41.8 yds (28 punts with only 8 punts returned.)

The complete picture:
Kindler Fieldgoal % in 2011- 70%
Kindler Fieldgoal % in 2012- 60%

Punting:
Kindler: 28 punts, averaging 41.75 yards with 3 over 50 yards.
Gardener: 12 punts, averaging 42.67 yards with 4 over 50 yards.

Again, the question is, why is Kindler punting this year?

Next year I think we'll see Gardener as the full-time punter. Kindler can then concentrate on kicking (and getting his accuracy back on track).