FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[fredfalcon]

 The Falcons played giveaway football today in losing to Coe 13-9 after leading at the half 9 to 6. Though RF won the statistical battle overwhelmingly, they turned it over five times. The defense tried valiantly to keep us in the game and did so and were the outstanding unit for River Falls. I don't mean to imply that Coe should not have won the game. They deserved to win.

[kestrel]

UWRF defeated themselves today at sunny Ramer Field as the defending Iowa champions (Coe College) underwhelmed the Falcons 13 - 9.  Despite holding a statistical advantage in every offensive and defensive category. the red-and-white demonstrated big play ability of the wrong kind, including a missed tackle for a TD--not to mention dumb penalties, butter-fingered fumbles, 3 INTS, and two missed FG's and a PAT.   QB Travon Hearns went 2 - 12;  co-QB Sawyer Moon fared better if one overlooks the leg injury that sent to the sidelines in the 4th quarter. Otherwise, the Birds looked improved over last year.

[fredfalcon]

It's over 24 hours after Saturday's games and no one is trying to explain theWhitwaterr loss? Are all White water fans in shock? All we have is two reports on the River Falls game plus another couple of conference games?I'm  What's going on?

[D O.C.]

Yes, well, I do believe there was some discourse on the qb play and choice by staff right after the final play.

NEXT! is an OK attitude when bad things happen.

[emma17]

Fred, if you're looking for an explanation of why UWW lost to IWU it's pretty simple. IWU played a better football game and they played it tougher.

I'm only one fan but in no way can I confidently say it was a fluke or that UWW will turn it around next weekend. This team has changed, the offense is nothing like it used to be so it's hard to know what to expect week to week. We have to have hope in the coaching staff that their plan will work and ten weeks from now we will be making playoff plans.

[02 Warhawk]

Fred, if you're looking for an explanation of why UWW lost to IWU it's pretty simple. IWU played a better football game and they played it tougher.

I'm only one fan but in no way can I confidently say it was a fluke or that UWW will turn it around next weekend. This team has changed, the offense is nothing like it used to be so it's hard to know what to expect week to week. We have to have hope in the coaching staff that their plan will work and ten weeks from now we will be making playoff plans.

Make that two fans, emma.

I think we're seeing UWW transitioning from a powerhouse program to just a good team. Ever since Lance left this team (and took majority of the coaching staff with him), UWW has been slowly regressing over those three years. Embarrassed in the semi's in 2015. Embarrassed at home in the quarter finals in 2016. Now lost the first game of the year to an unranked team in 2017. That's not exactly a positive trend. I've been told UWW is still getting loads of talent each year, but it's not really reflected on the field like it once did (2005-2014). Losing Lance and his staff after 2014 is the difference maker.

I don't know what to make of the team this season....we'll see if they can bounce back. However, the schedule won't be getting any easier anytime soon for this coaching regime.

[Barber Greene]

Fred, if you're looking for an explanation of why UWW lost to IWU it's pretty simple. IWU played a better football game and they played it tougher.

I'm only one fan but in no way can I confidently say it was a fluke or that UWW will turn it around next weekend. This team has changed, the offense is nothing like it used to be so it's hard to know what to expect week to week. We have to have hope in the coaching staff that their plan will work and ten weeks from now we will be making playoff plans.

Make that two fans, emma.

I think we're seeing UWW transitioning from a powerhouse program to just a good team. Ever since Lance left this team (and took majority of the coaching staff with him), UWW has been slowly regressing over those three years. Embarrassed in the semi's in 2015. Embarrassed at home in the quarter finals in 2016. Now lost the first game of the year to an unranked team in 2017. That's not exactly a positive trend. I've been told UWW is still getting loads of talent each year, but it's not really reflected on the field like it once did (2005-2014). Losing Lance and his staff after 2014 is the difference maker.

I don't know what to make of the team this season....we'll see if they can bounce back. However, the schedule won't be getting any easier anytime soon for this coaching regime.

The opportunities were there.  Inside the five yard line twice and only came away with three points.  Driving in the fourth quarter then fumbling the snap.  I thought the offense was going to be the strength of this team.  The talent is there.  Hopefully they can put it together and eliminate the costly mistakes.

I live in Virginia now.  Hoping to catch the Platteville vs Hampden Sydney game in a couple of weeks.

[02 Warhawk]

Fred, if you're looking for an explanation of why UWW lost to IWU it's pretty simple. IWU played a better football game and they played it tougher.

I'm only one fan but in no way can I confidently say it was a fluke or that UWW will turn it around next weekend. This team has changed, the offense is nothing like it used to be so it's hard to know what to expect week to week. We have to have hope in the coaching staff that their plan will work and ten weeks from now we will be making playoff plans.

Make that two fans, emma.

I think we're seeing UWW transitioning from a powerhouse program to just a good team. Ever since Lance left this team (and took majority of the coaching staff with him), UWW has been slowly regressing over those three years. Embarrassed in the semi's in 2015. Embarrassed at home in the quarter finals in 2016. Now lost the first game of the year to an unranked team in 2017. That's not exactly a positive trend. I've been told UWW is still getting loads of talent each year, but it's not really reflected on the field like it once did (2005-2014). Losing Lance and his staff after 2014 is the difference maker.

I don't know what to make of the team this season....we'll see if they can bounce back. However, the schedule won't be getting any easier anytime soon for this coaching regime.

The opportunities were there.  Inside the five yard line twice and only came away with three points.  Driving in the fourth quarter then fumbling the snap.  I thought the offense was going to be the strength of this team.  The talent is there.  Hopefully they can put it together and eliminate the costly mistakes.

I live in Virginia now.  Hoping to catch the Platteville vs Hampden Sydney game in a couple of weeks.

Barber!!! Long time no see... Don't be a stranger on here.

[fredfalcon]

Here's what it looks like from a long distance. I haven't seen the quarterbacking lately at Whitewater that I saw a few years ago. Neither have I seen the running attack, especially as personified by the Illinois player you had perhaps three to four years ago. You may be getting the talent but it doesn't look like it. I would not be in a hurry to jump on the coaching staff.

[emma17]

Here's what it looks like from a long distance. I haven't seen the quarterbacking lately at Whitewater that I saw a few years ago. Neither have I seen the running attack, especially as personified by the Illinois player you had perhaps three to four years ago. You may be getting the talent but it doesn't look like it. I would not be in a hurry to jump on the coaching staff.

Fred, you may very well be right that UWW isn't getting the talent. It's very hard for me to say because we only see the players they put on the field, and we only see those players perform within the plan the coach puts in place. I know this, the starting RB played at Western IL, they have a large and experienced O Line with a pre-season AA (that was moved from Center to LT), they have a senior receiver that was pre-season AA last year, they have a freshman running back (from IL) that was All State and led his H.S. team to the championship game and even from long distance you could see they were much bigger on the front lines than IWU.

Coaching.
I know starting QB Cole Wilbur ran for a first down inside the 1 yard line with 1 minute left in the game. I know the OC pulled Wilbur out and put a first-year/first-college game player in at QB from shotgun- in order to run the ball. Remember, it's 1st and less than 1 yard for the tying TD, 1 minute remaining. Do you think it's likely the young player was a bit over-focused on running before he secured the shotgun snap? Do you think with an offensive line as big as UWW's, and a RB as strong as Patterson, that maybe, just maybe the best course of action was good old fashioned smash-mouth football? Rather, the OC continues his ways of believing he has to be the creative one to win.
UWW was 36% on third-down conversions, which happens to nearly match what they were last season. Sure, some of it certainly is the players making mistakes, but how much of that is due to the coaches failing to put the players in the best position to succeed?
So much talk from Coach Bullis this pre-season was on the new found speed at WR and how that will open up the field as "teams have to respect our speed". As though UWW was throwing bombs during their championship run-not. UWW ran routes that moved the chains. It's almost as though the OC bamboozled Coach Bullis. UWW threw the ball deep multiple times during the game, completed one and succeeded in putting the offense in difficult down and distance situations. They averaged 1.2 yards per rush, something tells me the IWU defensive players weren't worrying about UWW WR speed.

This is first and foremost a coaching issue.     

[wildcat11]

Yikes....1.2 yards per rush seems like the least likely stat for a UWW team. To me, UWW's identity has been "Pound The Rock".  That's been the programs bread and butter for years. 

[emma17]

For the sake of fairness I read that Wilbur was banged up on the run to the 1 yard line, so the QB change may have been out of necessity.
It doesn't change the fact that the better call was a handoff to the RB, from under center preferably.

[badgerwarhawk]

Before the play I turned to my friend and said, "I'll bet you we put the QB under center this time."  Unfortunately we didn't, fortunately he didn't take the bet.  I just have a major problem with that play call.  We'd already screwed up multiple snaps from the formation.  We were doing it with backups.

I haven't stayed at Holiday Inn Express often enough to understand what we were thinking.

[02 Warhawk]

Has someone checked on Bleed since Saturday 

[Hawkview]

I would like to report that Bleed is fine and totally focused on the next game