FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[badgerwarhawk]

Any one of them would be a worthy recepient both on the field of play as well as in the classroom and community. 

[emma17]

I'd like to offer my perspective on UWL's 2012 football season. If you can all tolerate it, I will probably do so in a series of three postings over the course of several days. I'd be interested in hearing similar views from other teams' fans, especially those which are rebuilding. On balance, UWL made incremental progress, while falling a bit short of my expectations. 2012's 4-6 (3-4) record was an improvement of one game in both conference and overall record. Before the season I had expressed a hope for 5 or 6 wins, which explains in part my feeling of some disappointment. It should be pointed out that the schedule was brutal, without any cupcake opponents. One of last year's wins was of that variety. For the second straight year, the Eagles faced the best WIAC team in the annoying "non-conference" game,as well as a  strong D2 opponent and playoff team North Central - all on the road. The 2-2 record after the road win at Point was encouraging, but then things went a bit awry. Last year's team gave Platteville all it could handle, defeated Oshkosh and gave WW a battle in a 17-3 loss, All of these were road games. This year's squad got clobbered by Platteville and Oshkosh, and dropped a 24-0 game to WW. These losses were all at home, and implied that we are further away from the top than I had hoped. It was the margin of defeat more than the losses themselves that concern me. The anemic offense did assert itself in easy wins over Stout and at River Falls, and the win over North Central was very gratifying. The key loss was at Eau Claire, when the offense misfired and the quick but undersized defense was unable to corral Mr. Sweeney on his way to the goal line. A win at Carson Park would have secured a .500 season, and put the Eagles in the top half of the conference. It was a disappointing loss. On balance, there was some progress but not quite enough to leave me with a really good feeling for the season as a whole. I'll post more detailed thoughts soon.

Thanks Brian.  I too was disappointed especially in the lack of offense.  It seems UWO and UWP sucked up all of the offense from the rest of the WIAC. 

[emma17]

So I asked last week about what to know about CSS and got a very accurate response based on the outcome. I know I've seen a few people post about Bethel on this board so I'll ask again this week, What's to know about Bethel? What can they do to beat UWO?

Ask and you shall receive.

Bethel

I'd like an 18.5 foot Lund aluminum fishing boat with a 175 horsepower engine and all the electronics- please.

Would you settle for a cold beer at the Oshkosh game this weekend?

Well that was my second choice.
The connundrum is a bird in hand vs some number in the bush.  IF UWO wins this weekend they have either NCC or Linfield. NCC would be at UWO I presume w Linfield away. I'd sure like to see them play NCC. Two weekend trips aren't in the cards though.

[02 Warhawk]

So I asked last week about what to know about CSS and got a very accurate response based on the outcome. I know I've seen a few people post about Bethel on this board so I'll ask again this week, What's to know about Bethel? What can they do to beat UWO?

Ask and you shall receive.

Bethel

I'd like an 18.5 foot Lund aluminum fishing boat with a 175 horsepower engine and all the electronics- please.

Would you settle for a cold beer at the Oshkosh game this weekend?

Well that was my second choice.
The connundrum is a bird in hand vs some number in the bush.  IF UWO wins this weekend they have either NCC or Linfield. NCC would be at UWO I presume w Linfield away. I'd sure like to see them play NCC. Two weekend trips aren't in the cards though.

I've been thinking about the same thing. I would rather see UWO play NCC than Bethel. But I don't want to drive to Oshkosh in consecutive weeks. However, I would be foolish to assume that NCC will even be in Oshkosh next Saturday....I'm sure our friends in Oregon might have something to say about that.

So I'll head up this weekend, just incase this is Oshkosh's last home game.

[KitchenSink]

I have also been thinking the same thing - Oshkosh should have enough firepower to get past Bethel (as long as the players on the sideline don't run out into the field until after the game).  Which leads us to the Linfield NCC game - I'd make Linfield the favorite for sure, but NCC is no pushover. An Oshkosh NCC game would be very interesting to attend, but there's way too much doubt to skip this chance.

And Oshkosh better not come out stumbling and bumbling like they did on Saturday.  Bethel will be a lot more capable than St Scholastica.

[voice]

Former UW-Whitewater linebacker Lane Olson to get tryout next week with New York Jets...

Via Lane Oson on Facebook Tuesday Mid-Afternoon.....
Just got off the phone with the NY Jets, it's confirmed flying me out Monday for a Tuesday tryout. The chip I got on my shoulder so big I don't know how even have shoulders #BeastMode

Congratulations Lane

[KitchenSink]

The Jets play Jacksonville in a couple of weeks.  Maybe Lane will be able to whack Cecil Shorts one more time.

[footballfan413]

Good luck to Lane!!!!   BTW, we need a Danny Jones, Matt Blanchard type of QB to show up in the locker room next year.  Or maybe one of those 3 QB's at UW-P wants a chance at more playing time.   

[bleedpurple]

Good luck to Lane!!!!   BTW, we need a Danny Jones, Matt Blanchard type of QB to show up in the locker room next year.  Or maybe one of those 3 QB's at UW-P wants a chance at more playing time.   

If this were the NFL, UW-W could trade one of their 4 linebackers for one of UW-P's QB's.  Seems like it could be a fair trade.  But I wouldn't want to lose one of those guy's anyway! Who knows, maybe the next big thing is already on the team. A lot can happen in 9 months!

[WarhawkDad]

Good luck to Lane!!!!   BTW, we need a Danny Jones, Matt Blanchard type of QB to show up in the locker room next year.  Or maybe one of those 3 QB's at UW-P wants a chance at more playing time.   

If this were the NFL, UW-W could trade one of their 4 linebackers for one of UW-P's QB's.  Seems like it could be a fair trade.  But I wouldn't want to lose one of those guy's anyway! Who knows, maybe the next big thing is already on the team. A lot can happen in 9 months!

Amen....and I think Oshkosh without Wara is going to be harder to deal with than Titan fans think.

[couchp54]

Good luck to Lane!!!!   BTW, we need a Danny Jones, Matt Blanchard type of QB to show up in the locker room next year.  Or maybe one of those 3 QB's at UW-P wants a chance at more playing time.   

If this were the NFL, UW-W could trade one of their 4 linebackers for one of UW-P's QB's.  Seems like it could be a fair trade.  But I wouldn't want to lose one of those guy's anyway! Who knows, maybe the next big thing is already on the team. A lot can happen in 9 months!

Amen....and I think Oshkosh without Wara is going to be harder to deal with than Titan fans think.

I thought the entire Oshkosh team played very well.  Loss of Wara will certainly have an impact.  But we don't know what UWO has waiting in the wings either for the qb position - or who they may get as a transfer.  The team looked good - very tempting for any qb who thinks he can do the job.  I don't know who else UWO is losing - that will be the key.  If the rest of the team stays intact, I think they will still be a force to reckon with next year.  But if they lose a lot of key seniors(more than just Wara) then its up in the air.  I also thought they were coached very well.  They played with a confidence I didn't see in other WIAC teams this year.

[voice]

Voice

Please keep us up to date on your progress.  Not having playoff games will mean no trips to UWW until the football dinner.  Hope to see you then. 

WarhawkDad

WD

As far as my battle is concerned, I'm trying to take it "a day at a time" and believe me that is easier said than done.

With the Warhawk football team NOT in the playoffs I'm now spending my time on my Voice's Eye on Basketball Blog blogging Warhawk basketball.  http://www.voiceseyeonbasketball.blogspot.com/

Battling cancer has so much to do with being able to emotionaly and mentally deal with the disease.  I was feeling "down" last weekend and decided to drive down to Monmouth, IL to watch the UWW women's basketball team play.  The Hawks lost in OT but taught me a great lesson on battling to the end.  I blogged a story on my thoughts this past Monday.

http://www.voiceseyeonbasketball.blogspot.com/2012/11/warhawk-womens-basketball-team-gives-me.html

[footballfan413]

Good luck to Lane!!!!   BTW, we need a Danny Jones, Matt Blanchard type of QB to show up in the locker room next year.  Or maybe one of those 3 QB's at UW-P wants a chance at more playing time.   

If this were the NFL, UW-W could trade one of their 4 linebackers for one of UW-P's QB's.  Seems like it could be a fair trade.  But I wouldn't want to lose one of those guy's anyway! Who knows, maybe the next big thing is already on the team. A lot can happen in 9 months!

Amen....and I think Oshkosh without Wara is going to be harder to deal with than Titan fans think.

Maybe a little like this seasons Warhawks without Blanchard.  Who knew replacing and NFL caliber QB would be so hard.   

[couchp54]

I'd like to offer my perspective on UWL's 2012 football season. If you can all tolerate it, I will probably do so in a series of three postings over the course of several days. I'd be interested in hearing similar views from other teams' fans, especially those which are rebuilding. On balance, UWL made incremental progress, while falling a bit short of my expectations. 2012's 4-6 (3-4) record was an improvement of one game in both conference and overall record. Before the season I had expressed a hope for 5 or 6 wins, which explains in part my feeling of some disappointment. It should be pointed out that the schedule was brutal, without any cupcake opponents. One of last year's wins was of that variety. For the second straight year, the Eagles faced the best WIAC team in the annoying "non-conference" game,as well as a  strong D2 opponent and playoff team North Central - all on the road. The 2-2 record after the road win at Point was encouraging, but then things went a bit awry. Last year's team gave Platteville all it could handle, defeated Oshkosh and gave WW a battle in a 17-3 loss, All of these were road games. This year's squad got clobbered by Platteville and Oshkosh, and dropped a 24-0 game to WW. These losses were all at home, and implied that we are further away from the top than I had hoped. It was the margin of defeat more than the losses themselves that concern me. The anemic offense did assert itself in easy wins over Stout and at River Falls, and the win over North Central was very gratifying. The key loss was at Eau Claire, when the offense misfired and the quick but undersized defense was unable to corral Mr. Sweeney on his way to the goal line. A win at Carson Park would have secured a .500 season, and put the Eagles in the top half of the conference. It was a disappointing loss. On balance, there was some progress but not quite enough to leave me with a really good feeling for the season as a whole. I'll post more detailed thoughts soon.

Thanks Brian.  I too was disappointed especially in the lack of offense.  It seems UWO and UWP sucked up all of the offense from the rest of the WIAC.

I thought UWL played UWEC better than the score indicated.  I remember thinking it may have been a good thing for UWEC that they were playing in the rain.  That certainly favored UWEC as Sweeney is a beast and Neu is also good at running.   Tough game to pass in - Neu was only 4-12.  UWL just couldn't get a passing offense going in that rain and if they had, I suspect it would have been a very close game.  UWL also had an unfortunate interception and a fumble which the weather may have been a factor in also.  What does UWL bring back next year?
UWEC loses a lot.  I have heard the backup qb is good, although transfers are always a possibility.  UWEC keeps their receivers and Sweeney, but loses Goetsch (TE) and a lot of the defense.  It could be a down year for UWEC next year - hopefully they have some good replacements waiting in the wings.  I think their offense will be fine assuming they get a decent qb as their WRs and running game are solid.  Defense will be the question mark - both on the line and in the secondary.
I thought EC could have done better this year in the W/L column.  The Blugolds seem to play well and then a bad mistake or questionable play calling/time management.  UWEC seems to be in the middle of the pack most years.  But that's not the worse - they are fun to watch for the most part.

[emma17]

Good luck to Lane!!!!   BTW, we need a Danny Jones, Matt Blanchard type of QB to show up in the locker room next year.  Or maybe one of those 3 QB's at UW-P wants a chance at more playing time.   

If this were the NFL, UW-W could trade one of their 4 linebackers for one of UW-P's QB's.  Seems like it could be a fair trade.  But I wouldn't want to lose one of those guy's anyway! Who knows, maybe the next big thing is already on the team. A lot can happen in 9 months!

Keep the defense intact.  This team was so much closer to playoff football than outsiders know.  A championship defense almost always gives a team a chance to win.  The offense was literally a few first downs from 8-2 or 9-1.   
As for QB- I remember when Blanchard got a few snaps when Donovan was tearing it up.  I don't mind saying I wasn't too sure about him as a sophomore. 
Behrendt is a sophomore and showed no reason why we shouldn't have hope in his development.
In addition, there is a freshman on the roster- Patrick Smith.  He doesn't have great measurables, but he played on a great high school team in IL that always made playoff runs- I like that sort of experience for a QB especially.  Plus he played (not sure if he still can) shortstop in baseball, similar to Donovan and LL as well.