FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[WarhawkDad]

Time to wrap up some thoughts.
-This final four is as unpredictable as I can remember.
-I think Erdmann is the best QB in D3, all due respect to Rutter and Zimbelman.
-Expecting lots of yards by Erdmann.
-Expecting UWW will limit long TD passes.
-UWW has the smartest LB on the field.

I was wrong... on the first point.

Really? There's almost no part of the final four that I've found predictable.

I understand your point. It's a perspective thing for me. I certainly didn't predict NCC would beat Muhlenberg the way they did, so that was unexpected. But zooming way out, we can also say, it is expected a team from the east (regardless of region designation) is highly unlikely to reach the Stagg.
So for some, when first hearing the score of NCC over Muhl, a likely comment would be "well what'd you expect".

I suppose the outcomes weren't all that surprising. Although I expected Muhlenberg to put up a slightly better fight.
The teams that made it to the final 4 were a bit surprising, considering none of them were the top seeds in their region.
If I was told Meylor was the game's leading rusher - before knowing the score - then I would have assumed UWW lost

If I was told Meylor would throw 34 passes, I would have assumed UWW lost by 34.

WW- we have finally found common ground.

-Weird stats for sure. As 02 said, QB was leading rusher.
-QB was 44% on completions with 2 interceptions.
-Peete and Ware got 16 carries between them.
-These numbers surprised me the most:
UWW had 13 offensive possessions (excluding kneel down drive). In only 4 of those possessions did a UWW RB carry the ball two consecutive times. It wasn't until the game winning field goal drive that a UWW RB carried the ball two consecutive times, twice in the possession.
For comparison, vs. UMHB, UWW had 8 possessions excluding the kneel down drive. In 6 of the 8 possessions, UWW RB's carried the ball two consecutive times. They carried the ball two consecutive times 15 times during the game.

Yup, I recall complaining about that in the gameday thread. Looking at the individual stats, it's hard to come up with how we won that game.

Suffocating defense.

[USee]

Except the other team scored 32. So suffocating isn't a description that springs to mind.

[02 Warhawk]

True, holding Erdmann to just one TD pass was huge. After watching the Wheaton game, the staff must have made it a priority to prevent the homerun ball...and they did exactly that. No quick strikes for touchdowns was big.

No it wasn't suffocating, but relatively speaking, they did a damn fine job one could possibly do against Erdmann. Threw for just 342 yards on 50 throws with only 1 TD, and a Int*. That's 6.8 yards per attempt, which is extremely low for him. This was all accomplished without having the West Region's best defensive player on the field.

*Which happened on his final collegiate throw 

[WW]

Time to wrap up some thoughts.
-This final four is as unpredictable as I can remember.
-I think Erdmann is the best QB in D3, all due respect to Rutter and Zimbelman.
-Expecting lots of yards by Erdmann.
-Expecting UWW will limit long TD passes.
-UWW has the smartest LB on the field.

I was wrong... on the first point.

Really? There's almost no part of the final four that I've found predictable.

I understand your point. It's a perspective thing for me. I certainly didn't predict NCC would beat Muhlenberg the way they did, so that was unexpected. But zooming way out, we can also say, it is expected a team from the east (regardless of region designation) is highly unlikely to reach the Stagg.
So for some, when first hearing the score of NCC over Muhl, a likely comment would be "well what'd you expect".

I suppose the outcomes weren't all that surprising. Although I expected Muhlenberg to put up a slightly better fight.
The teams that made it to the final 4 were a bit surprising, considering none of them were the top seeds in their region.
If I was told Meylor was the game's leading rusher - before knowing the score - then I would have assumed UWW lost

If I was told Meylor would throw 34 passes, I would have assumed UWW lost by 34.

WW- we have finally found common ground.

-Weird stats for sure. As 02 said, QB was leading rusher.
-QB was 44% on completions with 2 interceptions.
-Peete and Ware got 16 carries between them.
-These numbers surprised me the most:
UWW had 13 offensive possessions (excluding kneel down drive). In only 4 of those possessions did a UWW RB carry the ball two consecutive times. It wasn't until the game winning field goal drive that a UWW RB carried the ball two consecutive times, twice in the possession.
For comparison, vs. UMHB, UWW had 8 possessions excluding the kneel down drive. In 6 of the 8 possessions, UWW RB's carried the ball two consecutive times. They carried the ball two consecutive times 15 times during the game.

Yup, I recall complaining about that in the gameday thread. Looking at the individual stats, it's hard to come up with how we won that game.

Effective game-planning. I didn't notice how often the box was stacked but I'm pretty sure SJU was more prepared to defend against the game plan UWW employed vs UMHB than one that would have them pass more than they ran. Its also possible Jennings did not see the 2006 Stagg Bowl and, after thoroughly reviewing game film of his opponent, may have had his doubts about effectively pounding the rock vs that SJU front than they did in an all-game assault vs UMHB. Stats suggest the running game was effective but remember, a lot of that was on Meylor scrambles out of the pocket. They most certainly weren't moving the pile like they did vs UMHB.

Just sayin... it's possible, the offensive game plan was genius.

[emma17]

Time to wrap up some thoughts.
-This final four is as unpredictable as I can remember.
-I think Erdmann is the best QB in D3, all due respect to Rutter and Zimbelman.
-Expecting lots of yards by Erdmann.
-Expecting UWW will limit long TD passes.
-UWW has the smartest LB on the field.

I was wrong... on the first point.

Really? There's almost no part of the final four that I've found predictable.

I understand your point. It's a perspective thing for me. I certainly didn't predict NCC would beat Muhlenberg the way they did, so that was unexpected. But zooming way out, we can also say, it is expected a team from the east (regardless of region designation) is highly unlikely to reach the Stagg.
So for some, when first hearing the score of NCC over Muhl, a likely comment would be "well what'd you expect".

I suppose the outcomes weren't all that surprising. Although I expected Muhlenberg to put up a slightly better fight.
The teams that made it to the final 4 were a bit surprising, considering none of them were the top seeds in their region.
If I was told Meylor was the game's leading rusher - before knowing the score - then I would have assumed UWW lost

If I was told Meylor would throw 34 passes, I would have assumed UWW lost by 34.

WW- we have finally found common ground.

-Weird stats for sure. As 02 said, QB was leading rusher.
-QB was 44% on completions with 2 interceptions.
-Peete and Ware got 16 carries between them.
-These numbers surprised me the most:
UWW had 13 offensive possessions (excluding kneel down drive). In only 4 of those possessions did a UWW RB carry the ball two consecutive times. It wasn't until the game winning field goal drive that a UWW RB carried the ball two consecutive times, twice in the possession.
For comparison, vs. UMHB, UWW had 8 possessions excluding the kneel down drive. In 6 of the 8 possessions, UWW RB's carried the ball two consecutive times. They carried the ball two consecutive times 15 times during the game.

Yup, I recall complaining about that in the gameday thread. Looking at the individual stats, it's hard to come up with how we won that game.

Effective game-planning. I didn't notice how often the box was stacked but I'm pretty sure SJU was more prepared to defend against the game plan UWW employed vs UMHB than one that would have them pass more than they ran. Its also possible Jennings did not see the 2006 Stagg Bowl and, after thoroughly reviewing game film of his opponent, may have had his doubts about effectively pounding the rock vs that SJU front than they did in an all-game assault vs UMHB. Stats suggest the running game was effective but remember, a lot of that was on Meylor scrambles out of the pocket. They most certainly weren't moving the pile like they did vs UMHB.

Just sayin... it's possible, the offensive game plan was genius.

Let me say it for Bleed. "Oh WW, I love you, that's an excellent post. We are soooo much alike".

Fwiw it's worth, I actually believe in adjusting game plans per opponent, one of those common sense things I actually do understand. Had he watched the 2009 Stagg he would have seen a whole bunch of passing from UWW, maybe that's the team he prefers to copy.
The bottom line is UWW won the game, so those that question the game plan, as I did, look silly. That's ok, I'm used to it. 

[bleedpurple]

Time to wrap up some thoughts.
-This final four is as unpredictable as I can remember.
-I think Erdmann is the best QB in D3, all due respect to Rutter and Zimbelman.
-Expecting lots of yards by Erdmann.
-Expecting UWW will limit long TD passes.
-UWW has the smartest LB on the field.

I was wrong... on the first point.

Really? There's almost no part of the final four that I've found predictable.

I understand your point. It's a perspective thing for me. I certainly didn't predict NCC would beat Muhlenberg the way they did, so that was unexpected. But zooming way out, we can also say, it is expected a team from the east (regardless of region designation) is highly unlikely to reach the Stagg.
So for some, when first hearing the score of NCC over Muhl, a likely comment would be "well what'd you expect".

I suppose the outcomes weren't all that surprising. Although I expected Muhlenberg to put up a slightly better fight.
The teams that made it to the final 4 were a bit surprising, considering none of them were the top seeds in their region.
If I was told Meylor was the game's leading rusher - before knowing the score - then I would have assumed UWW lost

If I was told Meylor would throw 34 passes, I would have assumed UWW lost by 34.

WW- we have finally found common ground.

-Weird stats for sure. As 02 said, QB was leading rusher.
-QB was 44% on completions with 2 interceptions.
-Peete and Ware got 16 carries between them.
-These numbers surprised me the most:
UWW had 13 offensive possessions (excluding kneel down drive). In only 4 of those possessions did a UWW RB carry the ball two consecutive times. It wasn't until the game winning field goal drive that a UWW RB carried the ball two consecutive times, twice in the possession.
For comparison, vs. UMHB, UWW had 8 possessions excluding the kneel down drive. In 6 of the 8 possessions, UWW RB's carried the ball two consecutive times. They carried the ball two consecutive times 15 times during the game.

Yup, I recall complaining about that in the gameday thread. Looking at the individual stats, it's hard to come up with how we won that game.

Effective game-planning. I didn't notice how often the box was stacked but I'm pretty sure SJU was more prepared to defend against the game plan UWW employed vs UMHB than one that would have them pass more than they ran. Its also possible Jennings did not see the 2006 Stagg Bowl and, after thoroughly reviewing game film of his opponent, may have had his doubts about effectively pounding the rock vs that SJU front than they did in an all-game assault vs UMHB. Stats suggest the running game was effective but remember, a lot of that was on Meylor scrambles out of the pocket. They most certainly weren't moving the pile like they did vs UMHB.

Just sayin... it's possible, the offensive game plan was genius.

Let me say it for Bleed. "Oh WW, I love you, that's an excellent post. We are soooo much alike".

Fwiw it's worth, I actually believe in adjusting game plans per opponent, one of those common sense things I actually do understand. Had he watched the 2009 Stagg he would have seen a whole bunch of passing from UWW, maybe that's the team he prefers to copy.
The bottom line is UWW won the game, so those that question the game plan, as I did, look silly. That's ok, I'm used to it.

That is downright offensive Emma. Don't put words in my mouth.

WW,
Oh I love you! That is an excellent post! I don't know if we are alike or not, but you are right so often we probably are!   

[WarhawkDad]

True, holding Erdmann to just one TD pass was huge. After watching the Wheaton game, the staff must have made it a priority to prevent the homerun ball...and they did exactly that. No quick strikes for touchdowns was big.

No it wasn't suffocating, but relatively speaking, they did a damn fine job one could possibly do against Erdmann. Threw for just 342 yards on 50 throws with only 1 TD, and a Int*. That's 6.8 yards per attempt, which is extremely low for him. This was all accomplished without having the West Region's best defensive player on the field.

*Which happened on his final collegiate throw 

OK, maybe I picked the wrong word.....suffocating is wrong.....how about "damn good enough"

[emma17]

Except the other team scored 32. So suffocating isn't a description that springs to mind.

Agreed USee. The outcome of the game doesn't seem to fit any typical football metric. Turnovers were equal (theirs came at the worst of times though). 
UWW's 3 RB's ran for 104 yards on 26 carries, a decent 4 yds per carry. The long run for each was 16, 19 and 13. Take those out and you have 23 carries for 56 yards, which may have been why Jennings felt the run game wasn't the way to go. That said, given the stats I shared on lack of consecutive running plays, it doesn't appear there was a commitment to figuring out the run game.

44% on completions?
32 points by their offense doesn't suggest UWW had them figured out necessarily.

I'll go with these two things:
1. UWW made SJU drive the field for TD's. The UWW D did what other defenses couldn't do, limit the big TD.
2. Meylor's running. 6 carries, 85 yards and a TD. Interesting, UWW was initially geared for this style when Oles was the QB.

[USee]

Except the other team scored 32. So suffocating isn't a description that springs to mind.

Agreed USee. The outcome of the game doesn't seem to fit any typical football metric. Turnovers were equal (theirs came at the worst of times though). 
UWW's 3 RB's ran for 104 yards on 26 carries, a decent 4 yds per carry. The long run for each was 16, 19 and 13. Take those out and you have 23 carries for 56 yards, which may have been why Jennings felt the run game wasn't the way to go. That said, given the stats I shared on lack of consecutive running plays, it doesn't appear there was a commitment to figuring out the run game.

44% on completions?
32 points by their offense doesn't suggest UWW had them figured out necessarily.

I'll go with these two things:
1. UWW made SJU drive the field for TD's. The UWW D did what other defenses couldn't do, limit the big TD.
2. Meylor's running. 6 carries, 85 yards and a TD. Interesting, UWW was initially geared for this style when Oles was the QB.

There is no question when 2 teams are pretty equal it comes down to a few play here and there. Meylor's 6 carries to extend drives and score TD's, were each examples of such a play. The INT of Erdman at the end, the pressure UWW was able to exact, all of those plays add up to the sum total of a victory. The Warhawks are a resilient and versatile team. They match up with a lot of different styles.

[WW]

Except the other team scored 32. So suffocating isn't a description that springs to mind.

Agreed USee. The outcome of the game doesn't seem to fit any typical football metric. Turnovers were equal (theirs came at the worst of times though). 
UWW's 3 RB's ran for 104 yards on 26 carries, a decent 4 yds per carry. The long run for each was 16, 19 and 13. Take those out and you have 23 carries for 56 yards, which may have been why Jennings felt the run game wasn't the way to go. That said, given the stats I shared on lack of consecutive running plays, it doesn't appear there was a commitment to figuring out the run game.

44% on completions?
32 points by their offense doesn't suggest UWW had them figured out necessarily.

I'll go with these two things:
1. UWW made SJU drive the field for TD's. The UWW D did what other defenses couldn't do, limit the big TD.
2. Meylor's running. 6 carries, 85 yards and a TD. Interesting, UWW was initially geared for this style when Oles was the QB.

1. The wind mattered. Starting field position was huge all night. And SJU STs/kicking game were brutal.

2. Yeah, that is interesting.......

[RoyalsFan]

Except the other team scored 32. So suffocating isn't a description that springs to mind.

Agreed USee. The outcome of the game doesn't seem to fit any typical football metric. Turnovers were equal (theirs came at the worst of times though). 
UWW's 3 RB's ran for 104 yards on 26 carries, a decent 4 yds per carry. The long run for each was 16, 19 and 13. Take those out and you have 23 carries for 56 yards, which may have been why Jennings felt the run game wasn't the way to go. That said, given the stats I shared on lack of consecutive running plays, it doesn't appear there was a commitment to figuring out the run game.

44% on completions?
32 points by their offense doesn't suggest UWW had them figured out necessarily.

I'll go with these two things:
1. UWW made SJU drive the field for TD's. The UWW D did what other defenses couldn't do, limit the big TD.
2. Meylor's running. 6 carries, 85 yards and a TD. Interesting, UWW was initially geared for this style when Oles was the QB.

The int at the end of the game couldn't have come at a worse time for SJU, but the int SJU got to give their offense a short field at the UWW 15 yard line earlier wasn't any less critical.

[RoyalsFan]

True, holding Erdmann to just one TD pass was huge. After watching the Wheaton game, the staff must have made it a priority to prevent the homerun ball...and they did exactly that. No quick strikes for touchdowns was big.

The 3 rushing tds SJU got could just as easily been TD passes, so I don't think Erdman having just 1 TD pass was that critical. I would say limiting Erdman from connecting on (or even trying that many) deep passes was more important than just the number of TD passes he threw. Just my 2 cents worth.

[emma17]

True, holding Erdmann to just one TD pass was huge. After watching the Wheaton game, the staff must have made it a priority to prevent the homerun ball...and they did exactly that. No quick strikes for touchdowns was big.

The 3 rushing tds SJU got could just as easily been TD passes, so I don't think Erdman having just 1 TD pass was that critical. I would say limiting Erdman from connecting on (or even trying that many) deep passes was more important than just the number of TD passes he threw. Just my 2 cents worth.

Agreed entirely-with both of your posts.

Kind of funny, the Milwaukee Journal quoted Coach Bullis: "We felt going into the game that we really wanted to run the ball in a manner that's fitting with our tradition," Bullis said. He said something similar at the halftime interview, and then UWW started the second half with pass, pass, pass, pass, punt.

Perhaps that's the genius of it all. The running game is a smokescreen and the real plan is to be as unpredictable and indefinably as possible.

[MUC57]

True, holding Erdmann to just one TD pass was huge. After watching the Wheaton game, the staff must have made it a priority to prevent the homerun ball...and they did exactly that. No quick strikes for touchdowns was big.

The 3 rushing tds SJU got could just as easily been TD passes, so I don't think Erdman having just 1 TD pass was that critical. I would say limiting Erdman from connecting on (or even trying that many) deep passes was more important than just the number of TD passes he threw. Just my 2 cents worth.

Agreed entirely-with both of your posts.

Kind of funny, the Milwaukee Journal quoted Coach Bullis: "We felt going into the game that we really wanted to run the ball in a manner that's fitting with our tradition," Bullis said. He said something similar at the halftime interview, and then UWW started the second half with pass, pass, pass, pass, punt.

Perhaps that's the genius of it all. The running game is a smokescreen and the real plan is to be as unpredictable and indefinably as possible.

emma17

Good points. Whatever the plan was, it worked. i Think UWW can win, but what do I know?
Go Warhawks! 🏈  🏆

[skunks_sidekick]

True, holding Erdmann to just one TD pass was huge. After watching the Wheaton game, the staff must have made it a priority to prevent the homerun ball...and they did exactly that. No quick strikes for touchdowns was big.

The 3 rushing tds SJU got could just as easily been TD passes, so I don't think Erdman having just 1 TD pass was that critical. I would say limiting Erdman from connecting on (or even trying that many) deep passes was more important than just the number of TD passes he threw. Just my 2 cents worth.

Agreed entirely-with both of your posts.

Kind of funny, the Milwaukee Journal quoted Coach Bullis: "We felt going into the game that we really wanted to run the ball in a manner that's fitting with our tradition," Bullis said. He said something similar at the halftime interview, and then UWW started the second half with pass, pass, pass, pass, punt.

Perhaps that's the genius of it all. The running game is a smokescreen and the real plan is to be as unpredictable and indefinably as possible.

Emma?  How many slants?  Enough?  Too many (is that possible)?  Not enough?