FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[emma17]

I'm fired up for a big day of football Saturday. D3 playoffs including UWO as well as IL state championships all day long. Got my work done today.

I don't know what to think yet of UWO. I know they can move the ball and should be able to score on any team. I'm a bit worried about their defense and I've also seen them look a bit slow in the secondary the last two games (first half/first quarter anyway). 
Does the UWO defense have a Nate Wara? 

[02 Warhawk]

I'm leaning towards not wearing any Whitewater stuff. I don't want to deal with the comments from Oshkosh fans.

I say go ahead and wear your UWW apparel...long as your pulling for the Titans I don't care what you wear!

I'll probably just have my Whitewater gloves. I hope that's ok 

Looking forward to the game. If it's a blow out I'll leave early and catch the NCC/Linfield game at home, since it starts two hours after the UWO game.

Emma17 and KitchenSink check your PMs

[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!

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.   

and BOY do you guys have a monster of a punter(which btw was a factor in last year's stagg bow)l...... caught a video feed from one of your games and I thought "oh no, not that kid again"  then i caught the rugby style.....  how the heck do y'all get austrailians to come to wisconson?
WOW can that kid kick BOMBS. He sure won't hurt the field position part of the game

He came to a kicking camp for D1 recruits, but it was so late in the summer that he wasn't able to get on a D1 roster.  From what I understand, Joe's whole purpose of coming to the US was to get into the NFL.  In unique situations like this, you never know whether a player will be back or not, but the kid (well, 26 year old kid) has a ridiculous leg, that's for sure!

[bleedpurple]

I'm leaning towards not wearing any Whitewater stuff. I don't want to deal with the comments from Oshkosh fans.

I say go ahead and wear your UWW apparel...long as your pulling for the Titans I don't care what you wear!

I'll probably just have my Whitewater gloves. I hope that's ok 

Looking forward to the game. If it's a blow out I'll leave early and catch the NCC/Linfield game at home, since it starts two hours after the UWO game.

Emma17 and KitchenSink check your PMs

C'mon!  Wear your purple and take the abuse. It will simply make next year all the sweeter! 

[Brian Carroll]

Another impressive win for the Titans. Congrats on a great showing, and win it all for the WIAC.

[02 Warhawk]

I don't think I've seen Oshkosh play that poorly like they did in the first half today. Bethel just moved the ball up and down the field at will against UWO's defense. And on offense they had nothing going. I think Wara was 6-13, 46 yards and two Ints in the first half. It's rare to see Wara throw one pick, let alone two in one half. Both of which was thrown in the endzone.

The turning point in the game came when Bethel had the ball, and it appeared they would go into the half up 14-0. With about 90 seconds left an Oshkosh dback stepped in front of a Bethel pass, returning it to about the 20 or 30 yards line of Bethel. Three plays later UWO scored to go into the half only down 7-14.

The game was never the same after that pick. Oshkosh score 37 straight to win 37-14. If Oshkosh plays the rest of the tournament like they did in the second half today, they will be tough to beat. In the second half, the Oshkosh defense had Bethel going in opposite direction all day long. I'll be very surprised if Bethel had a 2nd and 3rd down shorter than 8 yards all second half. On offense UWO was scoring on every possesion. Wara's second TD pass was absolutley amazing. Dropping the ball right into the arms of Voss between two defenders from 30 yards out. Just a perfectly thrown ball.

It appears they will be traveling to Linfield next week, unless NCC mounts a second-half comeback.

[emma17]

Congrautlations to UWO, way to come back strong in the second half. 
Having watched the Linfield game, UWO will need to really shore up their pass defense as Linfield sure can throw it. 

[bleedpurple]

Congratulations to UW-O on a great win today and a great season.

[Mr. Ypsi]

UW-O has gotten into a bad habit in the playoffs of digging a hole: 0-10 to St. Scholastica before scoring 55 straight, then 0-14 to Bethel before scoring 37 straight.  I recommend that you CUT IT OUT, because the teams are getting harder to catch up to from here on out!

[emma17]

UW-O has gotten into a bad habit in the playoffs of digging a hole: 0-10 to St. Scholastica before scoring 55 straight, then 0-14 to Bethel before scoring 37 straight.  I recommend that you CUT IT OUT, because the teams are getting harder to catch up to from here on out!

It's hard to figure UWO out right now.  They've beaten the teams they should beat, but going forward they will now have to beat teams that they will be expected to lose to.  I expect UWO will do well against the Linfield run, but they sure will have to step it up vs. the Linfield passing game.  Based on what I say today, patience is a key to playing Linfield.  Stay within the game plan, don't give up on the running game and take what the defense gives.  Turnovers must be eliminated and players must make plays when given the opportunity.  The final 8 teams don't give a lot of second chances.   

[bleedpurple]

UW-O has gotten into a bad habit in the playoffs of digging a hole: 0-10 to St. Scholastica before scoring 55 straight, then 0-14 to Bethel before scoring 37 straight.  I recommend that you CUT IT OUT, because the teams are getting harder to catch up to from here on out!

It's hard to figure UWO out right now.  They've beaten the teams they should beat, but going forward they will now have to beat teams that they will be expected to lose to.  I expect UWO will do well against the Linfield run, but they sure will have to step it up vs. the Linfield passing game.  Based on what I say today, patience is a key to playing Linfield.  Stay within the game plan, don't give up on the running game and take what the defense gives.  Turnovers must be eliminated and players must make plays when given the opportunity.  The final 8 teams don't give a lot of second chances.

IMO NCC would have been a better match-up for UW-O.  The Wildcats passing game will be hard for them to survive.  Their best shot is to control the ball and keep it out of the hands of the Linfield offense.  Overall, Linfield should be a solid favorite. However, the Wara factor makes this game pretty intriguing to me.

[MonroviaCat]

UW-O has gotten into a bad habit in the playoffs of digging a hole: 0-10 to St. Scholastica before scoring 55 straight, then 0-14 to Bethel before scoring 37 straight.  I recommend that you CUT IT OUT, because the teams are getting harder to catch up to from here on out!

It's hard to figure UWO out right now.  They've beaten the teams they should beat, but going forward they will now have to beat teams that they will be expected to lose to.  I expect UWO will do well against the Linfield run, but they sure will have to step it up vs. the Linfield passing game.  Based on what I say today, patience is a key to playing Linfield.  Stay within the game plan, don't give up on the running game and take what the defense gives.  Turnovers must be eliminated and players must make plays when given the opportunity.  The final 8 teams don't give a lot of second chances.

IMO NCC would have been a better match-up for UW-O.  The Wildcats passing game will be hard for them to survive.  Their best shot is to control the ball and keep it out of the hands of the Linfield offense.  Overall, Linfield should be a solid favorite. However, the Wara factor makes this game pretty intriguing to me.

From my very limited observations of UW-O, they appear to be a similar style team as NCC---they run it about 60% of the time but have an efficient passing game.  Their QB is mobile and makes good decision.  The defense is solid though maybe not as big on the lines as NCC and it looks like they blitz a lot more than NCC does.  Anybody have further comparisons or differing opinions from this?

[Gig Harbor Cat]

UW-O,
  Welcome to the Catdome--We are waiting with Salt, purple frisbees and electric longies.
   
Phone it in

Gig Harbor Cat

[voice]

What's wrong with attending a playoff football game on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend?
Not one D3 playoff game on Saturday topped the 2000 mark with UWO having the highest attedance and St. Thomas the lowest.

1458    Johns Hopkins @ Mount Union
1697    Franklin @ Mary Hardin-Baylor
1304    North Central @ Linfield
735      Elmhurst @ St. Thomas
1947    Bethel @ UW-Oshkosh
817      Cortland State @ Wesley
852      Wittenberg @ Hobart
1612    Salisbury @ Widener

[02 Warhawk]

Oshkosh is a little more balanced that NCC. NCC doesn't have the passing game to play from behind. Oshkosh's Wara just might be the best QB in the country and can make all sorts of throws.

If they can play more consistent from quarter to quarter they will be tough to beat.