FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[ScreamingEagles]

UW-L at UW-Stevens Point: 3 Things to Watch

http://lacrossetribune.com/sports/uw-l-at-uw-stevens-point-things-to-watch/article_c8d2ffa6-67a3-5e3f-b5fa-2ac999868e87.html

[cubs]

For those that don't have a rooting interest, the slate of WIAC games this week left a little to be desired from an entertainment point of view....

Pretty clear that there is some separation between that "haves" and the "have nots" this year....  Thankfully that isn't the "norm" and most years the games are typically more competitive.

[cubs]

How did I know my last post would end up getting my karma "dinged." 

[emma17]

How did I know my last post would end up getting my karma "dinged." 

I don't know why anybody would ding that message. Here's a karma for gou

[emma17]

All the talk of who's overrated and what not don't really matter.  Once the playoffs start you see who was overrated.  Personally I would find it great if somehow UWO and UWW ended up on opposite sides of the bracket so that it could possibly be a WIAC title game.  Would be extremely tough given the teams that each would have to go through (UMU, MHB, LIN to name a specific few).  Two things I do know All teams in the top 10 are very good.  Are they in the right order who knows.  Is UWW down this year?  Not as much as people think if I had to guess.  And I'm sure they'll make a deep run.  UWO could definitely do it much like in '12.  UST would be the biggest question mark as they haven't really been challenged at all so not sure if that would  play against them when they finally get against a team that can keep up.  Their D is insanely good, very fast and athletic.  The O runs through the line with a great back and TE's that create major mismatches (very large and can run well).  MHB is always extremely tough and will provide a tough test.  May be their year.  UMU is always UMU so they always are a favorite.  Linfield is always loaded with great talent and has made the run deep before.  Will really help them that they will probably be the 1 in the West so the road to Salem will have to go through McMinville which is extremely difficult.  Wesley just seems like they run a track meet against everyone and seem to struggle when a team can match it with their D as the D doesn't seem to be the strongest (My personal pick as most overrated though they are a very good team).  Kind of went a little off track but to say any team is overrated that is up that high is a bit strong.

Good stuff. Agree that the rankings don't matter- it's just something to talk about is all.

[emma17]

Great day at UWW today.  Homecoming festivities were fun and the game was even better.
I loved the play calling and the way both the young and experienced playmakers were involved in the game.
D was terrific and even special teams had a blocked punt.

Today looked like UWW emerging.

[Blugoldbacker]

Uw-Eau Claire football is a joke, terrible coaching, no discipline, same old boring, non creative offense.  Hopefully a whole new staff by next year.

[bulk19]

I'm more disappointed in the men's hoops team, but we'll see how the football recruiting continues under the Blugolds' fairly new AD; he has tapped into the Chicago market big time, where he comes from...
I wonder if the basketball team will be hitting those areas as well?

[ScreamingEagles]

UW-Stevens Point's defense smothers Eagles

http://lacrossetribune.com/sports/localcollege/uw-stevens-point-s-defense-smothers-eagles/article_97ccbfc0-0604-5ab9-9820-7f95e124f1ed.html

[Just Bill]

Uw-Eau Claire football is a joke, terrible coaching, no discipline, same old boring, non creative offense.  Hopefully a whole new staff by next year.

Sign up for an account. First post ripping on program. You pretty much identified yourself as a disgruntled player or the parent of a disgruntled player.

If you want to hang around and join the discussion, then great, but more than likely you just want to make a hit-and-run job, so we'll gladly file away your opinion in the circular file.

[emma17]

I was sad to see that Kusilek from UWRF had to leave the game in the 1st quarter.  I'm not suggesting UWRF beats UWO with him, but he is a big, big part of that offense.  I hope he can return for the UWW game, he played a great game last year.

Regarding UWEC, I was impressed with the RB Gerald Childs, he is a smooth runner with surprising power.
I don't know if UWEC wasn't on top of their game Saturday, it did seem like they were improving over the last few weeks.

[bleedpurple]

The Warhawks' 63-0 win over Eau Claire Saturday was the largest margin of victory in any WIAC conference game (all WIAC games, not just UW-W games) in over 45 years. Platteville beat Stout 70-6 on October 10, 1970.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Uw-Eau Claire football is a joke, terrible coaching, no discipline, same old boring, non creative offense.  Hopefully a whole new staff by next year.

Sign up for an account. First post ripping on program. You pretty much identified yourself as a disgruntled player or the parent of a disgruntled player.

Something I've noticed with this type is that they never have any useful suggestions.  They're usually just here to bitch and complain.

I went to a game at a mediocre (not as bad as UWEC, but not very good, either) Division II school a few years ago.  Sitting behind me were the parents of the team's starting halfback.  Almost every time the halfback carried the ball in the first half, the father had some comment.  If he got stuffed for a loss, the father yelled "Turn the page, coach!" (i.e. go to the next page of the playbook); if he ran for a nice gain, he'd grumble that his son should be getting the ball more.  It was almost funny.  No matter what the coach called, he was wrong.

Evaluating a coaching staff's play-calling is too often confounded by the outcome and talent on hand. 

When a very strong team runs a simple, straightforward, smash-mouth offense with great success, the read on that is usually "Man, those guys are so well-coached, the offense is so simple but you just can't stop it."  But when a struggling team attempts to do the same, the coaches are criticized as "boring" or "uncreative" with some genius insight like "Gosh, they always get stuffed when they try that running play" (as though football only consists of "run" and "pass" plays).

Likewise, when a very strong team runs a complex, innovative scheme with great success, the read on that is "Man, those guys are so hard to prepare for, their offense is just constantly changing and you never know what's coming next."  When a struggling team attempts to do the same, the coaches are criticized for being too fancy, not sticking with what works, or not being decisive enough to let the kids run the offense with confidence.

"Boring" and "uncreative" offenses can work very well.  So can "exciting" and "creative" offenses.  It's definitely a mark of a good coaching staff to recognize their team's strength and maximize it while minimizing the weaknesses, but that can only go so far.  One team's "boring" offense is another team's simple, successful smash-mouth scheme.

[02 Warhawk]

The Warhawks' 63-0 win over Eau Claire Saturday was the largest margin of victory in any WIAC conference game (all WIAC games, not just UW-W games) in over 45 years. Platteville beat Stout 70-6 on October 10, 1970.

Nelson pretty much had the game of his (short) career Saturday. All his throws were on target, especially the deep ones...all while playing in the cold, wet and windy conditions. Glad to see the offensive coordinator and Nelson establishing some trust with one another.

I was also happy to see #98 back in the lineup. It looked like he just played on 3rd downs, but recorded a sack at least. Hopefully we can see more of Franz in the next few games.

[Just Bill]

Uw-Eau Claire football is a joke, terrible coaching, no discipline, same old boring, non creative offense.  Hopefully a whole new staff by next year.

Sign up for an account. First post ripping on program. You pretty much identified yourself as a disgruntled player or the parent of a disgruntled player.

Something I've noticed with this type is that they never have any useful suggestions.  They're usually just here to bitch and complain.

I went to a game at a mediocre (not as bad as UWEC, but not very good, either) Division II school a few years ago.  Sitting behind me were the parents of the team's starting halfback.  Almost every time the halfback carried the ball in the first half, the father had some comment.  If he got stuffed for a loss, the father yelled "Turn the page, coach!" (i.e. go to the next page of the playbook); if he ran for a nice gain, he'd grumble that his son should be getting the ball more.  It was almost funny.  No matter what the coach called, he was wrong.

Evaluating a coaching staff's play-calling is too often confounded by the outcome and talent on hand. 

When a very strong team runs a simple, straightforward, smash-mouth offense with great success, the read on that is usually "Man, those guys are so well-coached, the offense is so simple but you just can't stop it."  But when a struggling team attempts to do the same, the coaches are criticized as "boring" or "uncreative" with some genius insight like "Gosh, they always get stuffed when they try that running play" (as though football only consists of "run" and "pass" plays).

Likewise, when a very strong team runs a complex, innovative scheme with great success, the read on that is "Man, those guys are so hard to prepare for, their offense is just constantly changing and you never know what's coming next."  When a struggling team attempts to do the same, the coaches are criticized for being too fancy, not sticking with what works, or not being decisive enough to let the kids run the offense with confidence.

"Boring" and "uncreative" offenses can work very well.  So can "exciting" and "creative" offenses.  It's definitely a mark of a good coaching staff to recognize their team's strength and maximize it while minimizing the weaknesses, but that can only go so far.  One team's "boring" offense is another team's simple, successful smash-mouth scheme.

It's also the misconception that play calling and coaches decisions can completely overcome your team's lack of talent. A coach can try to put his players in the best possible position to succeed, but if you just aren't very good it doesn't matter what you call.

Just once I wish I'd hear a parent shout from the bleachers "Hey, coach! Recruit kids more talented than my son next year!" At least they would be being honest with themselves.