Congratulations to UWRF and UWS on big wins in the conference- way to mess it all up again 😁

Quote from: WashedUp on October 10, 2025, 03:28:27 PM

Quote from: Bofadeeznuts on October 10, 2025, 02:21:16 PMThe kids of the past in D3 would be making 6 figures today?!? Good lord.

There is a D3 kid starting for the Badgers right now that is making 6 figures.

Awesome. There's also a D3 guy that made All Pro last year at Right Guard w the Denver Broncos.

Hey BofaNuts, didn't you say you're somewhat of a late comer to the D3 world? If you had seen Garçon doing his thing at Mt from 2005-2007, you might have a different opinion.

Quote from: D3fanboy on October 09, 2025, 04:18:20 PM

Quote from: emma17 on October 09, 2025, 01:29:38 PMI don't understand why NCC doesn't move up to D2.
Muhahahaha

I work off a base assumption that D3 teams are made up of D3 players. Too short, too slow, not strong enough, not this and not that. So I ask myself, is the difference between an elite team and a very good team a matter of one, two or three super elite D3 players or is the average "grade" of all the players on an elite D3 team well above that of a very good D3 team.

Weird how that "NCC must move up!!!" stuff hasn't really come up much, ever really.  Mount and UWW used to get that over and over.  Is it that D3fb has taken a step back? is it all the 5th-6th year seniors?

It's hard for me to answer this objectively because I'm UWW centric. To me, D3 took a step back starting in 2015 😁
My best guess is to say it's all about the offenses- across all levels. There is such an emphasis on the passing game, I have to believe the great D3 receivers of the past (all those Mt guys), Kumerow and a couple others from UWW, like Rusch, Kaminski (sp?) from NCC, would have been tempted by the portal, maybe NIL and the promise to play high level- and maybe they end up not being D3.

I don't understand why NCC doesn't move up to D2.
Muhahahaha

I work off a base assumption that D3 teams are made up of D3 players. Too short, too slow, not strong enough, not this and not that. So I ask myself, is the difference between an elite team and a very good team a matter of one, two or three super elite D3 players or is the average "grade" of all the players on an elite D3 team well above that of a very good D3 team.

USee and Pat,
My point specifically about UWO and no film was "it's reasonable to assume they would have been better prepared for what NCC brought". I stand by that statement.

I think you are both saying - no matter how much preparation UWO had, they were getting a beating. I agree UWO is losing that game most every time. As for the point differential remaining the same (I'm going with 45-7 since I assume UWO's last TD was backups) I have a hard time swallowing that pill. Film isn't just about identifying scheme, as you know, it's about game planning strengths and weaknesses of specific players, which comes from film study.

Who knows in the end.   

I think D3fanboy is likely correct that the WIAC doesn't have a team that would knock off either of the big two. However, I don't think there is a "dramatic drop off", depending on how he defines it. When I think of a dramatic drop off, I associate it with a blow out type of game if they matched up. Thinking of UWW vs either of the big two, I think the Warhawks have a defense that keeps the game close. UWW does not have the offensive weapons of the big two, but they could slow the game down with a ball control offense.
I don't know what to think about UWL- other than they are a tough, gritty team. UWW did almost nothing offensively to test UWL.
In thinking about the UWO-NCC game result, there was no game film for UWO to watch since it was NCC's first game, with many new players. I'm not suggesting UWO would have won, just that it's reasonable to assume they would have been better prepared for what NCC brought.   

Quote from: warhawkguard on October 06, 2025, 08:55:33 AMAs an alumni player on the field, it was really hard to watch the 2nd half. We had some big boys up front, really big boys. I watched the game from several angles to watch the line play. I saw a lot of crowding by LaX Defenders, they knew what was coming because it was a lot of the same play coming right into the teeth of a very talented and string D. They tried to disguise it but it was usually 8 or 9 in the box when the ball was snapped. Despite that, the Hawks were somewhat productive on the ground. They had a big advantage by halftime, 2nd half was quite different. The total lack of any passing threat made it easy for the LaX D to tighten the screws.
2nd half ineptness got worse and worse with the LaX D shutting everything down. If they pack the box, you MUST throw. We apparently lack any ability to do so. Our QB held the ball far too long and took sacks or was running for his life. Meanwhile #2 for LaX was elusive and excaped many blitzes from unblocked Warhawks time and time again. Then he made ridiculous passes and #88 caught anything in the same zip code. That added up.

That botched punt into our end zone was a bad sign. It woke LaX up. Then we threw a moronic INT, like he lobbed it oh so gently right into the defenders arms that was there the entire time. I was screaming NOOOO as he set that up. The pooch punt was so idiotic. Icing on the cake. What the F was the OC doing there? He needs to explain himself. If they had punted and put LaX down in deep, There was only a couple minutes of clock left and the odds were good we could have won. Nope, we handed them the ball for an easy score instead.

20,000 fans went silent. So shocking that turn of events went. COACHING was to blame for much of this.

Great insight and points. Each of the second half mistakes you spoke of above (and you could have added the fumble in 2nd OT- but honestly, I felt every fan in the stadium knew UWW was going to do something to lose the game at that point), before the botched pooch punt, could have been overcome. Whether it was three and out, bad punt snap for TD, or the interception, UWW was still in the lead and UWL had not scored an offensive touchdown the entire game. It was 4th and 11 for UWW at the UWL 35 yard line (thanks to another UWL roughing the passer penalty), into a strong wind, with 5 and a half minutes to play. It was the decision to use the QB as the punter in a critical, critical situation where momentum, the wind, lack of confidence and the need for UWW to gain 11 yards on an offensive play were all against the Warhawks. When the UWW offense stayed on the field for that fourth down, I can't imagine a single person thought they were going for the first down. Then the QB lines up too close to the line of scrimmage- and it was like a slow motion car wreck. I'd take UWW's D vs UWL's O all day long and let the best team win. But the momentum and field position (UWL recovered the punt at their 45 yard line) from that single play was the difference maker.   

Quote from: Bofadeeznuts on October 05, 2025, 03:39:44 PMYeah. What are they doing passing 27 times? And if you can't complete a pass down the field, just keep pounding the _ock.
They need to go back to the good'ol days of playing good defense and pounding the _ock. That's when we had the most success. Remember Lance's offenses? I don't. I was in grade school when he coached. But I heard he, the players,and fans loved it when they would just keep pounding the _ock up and down the field.
IDK. Maybe it's a recipe for disaster for today's game. I mean it's not 2005 anymore. Maybe we should just try to adjust to the times. Find a QB transfer from D1 that wants to come to Whitewater. Find a D1 O-coordinator that wants to run a pass heavy offense.  Is Don Beebe available?
I guess in the meantime, our best shot at winning the national championship is to just keep pounding the _ock.

I think the "pound the rock" mantra gives people the impression UWW was all about the run. No doubt they loved to run the ball, however, they were a very balanced attack.
In reading the stats from yesterday's game, Klinkner completed 16 passes for 79 yards, his longest was 12 yards (ouch).
#1 receiver and stud, T Vasey, had 9 receptions------ for 52 yards, yes, 5.8 yards per catch, his longest was 12 yards. UWW had two other receivers with 1 catch each, one for 8 yards and one for 4 yards. The tight end had two catches, for 2 yards total.

Here's some stats for you to consider when thinking about the LL days. These are from the 2014 season (last LL year). They had 613 rushing attempts for 3,487 yards and 458 passing attempts for 4,042 yards.   
UWW's leading receiver was Justin Howard- he had 84 catches and averaged 13.89 per catch.
UWW's second leading receiver was Jake Kumerow- he had 66 catches and averaged 16.91 yards per catch.
UWW's third leading receiver was Joe Worth- he had 47 catches and averaged 11.19 yards.

Yes, I'm measuring season stats vs one game stats, but it gives you a window into how multiply talented UWW's offense was. They weren't run, run, run. They had a QB, receivers and an OC that knew how to get it done running and passing.
 

Hats off to UWL for their victory, they stuck with it.
Hats off to UWW's defense, they played great. They got a little gassed late in the game but still kept the Eagles in check (I was surprised UWW wore all purple on a 90 degree day- do they still have the all grays)?

The first half was really impressive from the Warhawks- great complementary football w the D stifling UWL and the O doing just enough to score 17. The offensive game plan seemed pretty obvious- take no chances throwing downfield (apparently UWL must have 4-5 first round draft picks in the defensive backfield).
There were soooooo many throws behind the line of scrimmage. UWW's number one receiver, Vasey, spent most of his time in the backfield and jet sweeps, running back and a potential throw. He did have two nice receptions on out routes, but that was all the downfield throwing UWW completed. Two or three throws to (forget his name) that were either overthrown and/or dropped.
I was befuddled UWW didn't employ some quick hitting/timing routes. Hitches, tight end, yes....slants- anything to get the QB in rhythm and matriculating the ball beyond the line of scrimmage. I really don't think I've ever seen anything like it in terms of not pushing the ball downfield.
With as conservative as the offense was, the D was so good the game was still easily in the hands of UWW- as long as they didn't beat themselves. Ah, famous last words.
To me the most egregious play/coaching decision was the pooch punt. Into the wind, a QB w zero confidence, a situation where field position was critical since UWL was as having a hard time sustaining drives, and they let the QB take over punting responsibility. You could clearly see he was standing to close to the line of scrimmage before the ball was snapped- and as expected, he kicks it into the line of scrimmage. A really bad idea.
In the first half I was honestly thinking about this is the best team since the LL era. I was fooled because I assumed the conservative play calling in the passing game was wasn't a reflection of capability, but rather game plan on a relatively windy day. As it turns out, this may be a championship level defense, but the offense is 8th grade pedestrian. I don't mean that so much at the OC because I felt he did some good things w formation and movement. I think it's a personnel issue. In the first series the UWW RB Stanton caught swing passes and both times was tackled one on one in the open field (he was much  better as Station 😁). I think Vasey is the tallest receiver, the other guys involved looked 5'8"ish. You need at least one guy w size. The the QB is a tough kid that will give his all, but what's the deal with the behind the LOS passes all game long? GROSS.
UWL did what they had to do, but UWW did what they shouldn't have done, leading to the loss in double OT.

Quote from: colinsteinke on September 22, 2025, 10:51:22 AM

Quote from: bleedpurple on September 21, 2025, 07:16:43 PM

Quote from: BoBo on September 21, 2025, 06:41:00 PMWho are Brian Station & Justin Klinker?

Where are you seeing those names?

That's what the UMHB broadcast/radio folks called them.

I had to look up the roster during the game as I thought maybe I'd been saying Stanton's name wrong. In the second half I think I heard the color guy correctly say Stanton, but play by play guy couldn't get it right.
Aside from that, I thought the camera work was really good.

Quote from: 02 Warhawk on September 21, 2025, 08:04:15 PMRough weekend for Texas football, Emma. First our Hawks beat down MHB in TX, then our Bears beat down the Cowboys.

  

A fine weekend for us certainly. I'm not sure how to act when the Bears win a game.

Quote from: badgerwarhawk on September 20, 2025, 06:29:20 PM

Quote from: emma17 on September 20, 2025, 04:46:59 PMThe UWW game was one of the most complete games I've seen them play. Great execution of a game plan for a big road win.

#17 WARHAWKS rushing game (255yds/51 carries) controls the clock (37:50 vs 22.10 TOP) while the defense controls MHB's offense (246yds), including just 60yds rushing, to take down the 6/9 ranked Cru 26-6. Klinkner went 10/19 but three of the completions went for TDs and he had multiple late down runs that were critical in continuing possessions.

Not a single slant   (sorry couldn't help myself) but none the less an outstanding overall on both sides of the ball. Outside of their one TD, which was the result of a sustained drive of 70 yards or so, MHB never really threatened and had problems stopping our running attack.



Bring on the bye and then LaCrosse.     

Not a single slant? Perhaps not a single slant completed. First drive of game, second play, slant route to left side- dropped. Puts UWW behind the chains ending in punt.
Later, slant route to right side near goal line, receiver is tripped up when defender kicks leg up, preventing TD.
I'm sure even more were run.
The slant route is still the most effective route in football. 

The UWW game was one of the most complete games I've seen them play. Great execution of a game plan for a big road win.

Quote from: BigMark on September 15, 2025, 05:53:06 PMI was really high on UWRF early in the year. I am not sure you can win 50-49 games every week in this league. The defenses are to good and offensively as the weather changes ball control becomes a back factor. UWRF will go up and down on offense as long as Blaha stays healthy. I am really surprised to see the defense struggle the way it has. Coe is a really good football team and that is a great win for the WIAC. If UWRF can get a few stops on defense, I think UWP vs UWRF will be for a conference title.

Come on now.

Quote from: badgerwarhawk on September 13, 2025, 05:31:09 PMWARHAWKS win easily over NAIA Saint Xavier 37-0.  Xavier's defense played to stop the run and had some success holding the WARHAWKS to 110 yards rushing on 39 attempts (10:QB). Klinkner had a solid day going 20/24, 243 yds, 3 tds and completing passes to 10 different receivers. This was a good day in his development. He completed passes on and off platform, under duress and  spread the ball around.

I wasn't able to see the game today, but the passing stats look great. Glad to see the Warhawks working both aspects of the game. Big matchup coming up. Looking forward to it.