Well-thought-out, respectful discussion on the semifinals
Dec
2006
OK, so I’ve had the idea for this thread all day today. I was hoping to give us, as D3 fans and alumni in general, the benefit of the doubt, that we were all highly-evolved enough not to need it. But we do.
So here’s the deal. This is the new home for discussion about Wesley at UW-Whitewater and St. John Fisher at Mount Union, with a caveat: Your posts have to have some sort of value to them: perspective, insight, well-thought-out reasoning or a question you need answered.
What you’ll get in return is a respectful environment where personal attacks and smack are limited, if not entirely absent. I’ll personally make sure of it.
For those who want to carry on with the immature stuff, the whining about not being respected, the jabs at other posters … we’ll still have other threads for that on the Daily Dose and Post Patterns (I’ll probably be on those threads too). But this isn’t the place for that.
If you’re a fanatical fan of one team and you honestly don’t know anything about the other, save your score predictions. You can be helpful here with the amount of insight you must have from watching the same team each week.
In a way, this thread is an experiment. People seem like they really value, and want, a respectful, intelligent atmosphere. But we’ll find out how much that is really wanted by how much you post here. Perhaps we all like to mix it up a little more than we want to admit.
In any case, here are a few questions to start off the mature, thoughtful discussion about these games:
1. Does the past matter? (Mount Union’s titles, last year’s Wesley-UWW result, Saturday’s games)
2. What’s each team’s biggest on-field strength, or on-field weakness? What will they need to do that they normally don’t do to win Saturday?
3. Which “unsung heroes” will be key to their team’s chances Saturday?
4. These are four cold-weather teams. Will weather matter? Whose style would be most affected by precipitation. Whitewater is a grass field, but the other three teams are turf. The Stagg Bowl is on grass. Factor or non-factor?
5. Kmic, Robinson, Beaver … who’s the best back left? Kleppe, Robinson, Stickley … best D-Lineman left?
6. Who has the most to prove?
7. D3 fans help out your fellow D3 fans … where to eat/stay and things not to miss on game day (besides the game) in Alliance and Whitewater.
8. How do the teams match up, in specific areas? Who is healthy and/or banged-up?
December 4th, 2006 at 12:35 am
I’ll bite.
Question 2 - Does the past matter? Specifically, does last year’s UWW/Wesley semifinal?
I was there last year, I’ll be there this year. A few thoughts…
1. This is a different Wesley team. I think Keith would agree with me. Last year saw two main receiving threats in Beavers and Lee, with a running game tossed in there as well. Wesley 2006 is much more diversified in their offense. 5 running backs with more than 38 carries - they could have two with 1,000 yards before it’s all over. They knew UMHB’s strengths and exploited their weaknesses.
2. Wesley still shows signs of immaturity…there will be NO room for such immaturity in Whitewater.
3. Bob Berezowitz’s last game at home. Wesley gets blown out in 2005. Both sides have a tremendous amount of reason to play like animals.
4. Wesley DE Bryan Robinson is a house. UMHB ran away from the left side of the line ALL day…that is, they ran to the opposite side of Bryan Robinson with regularity. It seemingly bored Robinson, so he went in and played fullback too. Just 6′3 285 all-American defensive end blocking on offense…not too shabby. Wesley even put him in motion…
5. Seemingly no injuries of dramatic note for Wesley - at least none visible to the naked eye. The starting defensive RT Jamal Williams was slow to get up on one play this weekend and all his replacement did was make a few tackles and, oh yeah, return a fumble 38 yards for a score.
6. Extended forecast indicates weather should be decent…always subject to change.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:39 am
1. I think the past matters in terms of the level of confidence a team like MU carries with them into a game. A confident football team, is tough to beat. With that being said, Fisher brings a swagger with them to Ohio as well. Albeit a newly born swagger, but how incredible has this run been for this program. AMAZING!!!
2. Fisher is an opportunistic football team… if the opponent makes a mistake, they pounce and close like any championship football team would.
Being at Fisher on Saturday, as excited as Fisher was to have beaten Rowan which vaulted them into the Final Four, I still noticed an ‘unfinished business’ attitude from the players and coaches. As young as this team is, they know that is it not good enough to just get there. That is what makes Fisher dangerous. It was good to see.
Can’t say anything about Kmic or Beaver for I have not seen them play, but Robinson’s knack is that he is PATIENT… that is his strong suit… his patience puts the offense in the best possible position to be successful.
Here are my keys to victory for Fisher against Mount Union:
If Fisher turns the ball over more than once, they are in trouble.
Special Teams needs to play a BIG role.
Stop the run!!! If Fisher allows Kmic to get to the second level, they are going to have problems.
Get James Reile in involved in the passing game. Will be the unsung hero if Fisher pulls it out.
FORGET THE HISTORY of your opponent. Just play football.
Relentless pursuit of the football on defense!!
December 4th, 2006 at 12:44 am
Can someone tell me if you can pre-purchase tickets for the Fisher/MCU game on Saturday?
December 4th, 2006 at 12:44 am
Good stuff Keith and definitely needed, again I apologize for the behavior of all the new SJFC posters. But to get things started here are some quick thoughts on the only team I know a decent amount about…
Will the past matter? I don’t see how it won’t, people can say all day that intimidation won’t be a factor but with the amount of players and coaches who have followed this site for a while, they have all read repeatedly of how dominant Mount Union is. Going into Ohio in December should be an experience and a half. I have said before in Post Patterns I hope Fisher will be able to overcome the “deer in the headlights” type attitude and find a way to play their game, give Mt. Union all they’ve got, and see what happens.
What will Fisher need to do this Saturday? Aside from executing a darn near perfect gameplan I think turnovers are so crucial. Fisher offense doesn’t turn it over often but there have been games (i.e. First Springfield game where they inexplicably fumbled the ball 7 times and lost 4 of those fumbles), we can’t have that against Mount Union. I don’t know how many times MU turns it over on Offense but if they are prone to any aspect of turnovers such as liable to throw interceptions, we need to exploit it.
Unsung hero? For Fisher the TE Harmon I believe could be an X-factor that MU could possibly overlook. Utilize the TE and add an extra dimension for them to think about. This could open things up to free Robby a touch, he will need all the help he can get.
This brings me to my next subject of best back left… I love watching Robinson play, and when he is on he is incredibly hard to take down, it seems like his legs just never stop moving. I am also very interested to see Beaver in person (don’t know much about Kmic). Now if Fisher were to win and UWW wins as expected I would be able to see Beaver first hand. If UWW and MU wins as expected I will still be able to compare Beaver’s performance against MU to Robinson’s. Although one game by no means makes it ok to judge who is ultimately the better back, it will just be interesting to see.
Who has the most to prove? The East, we need to win one eventually to remove the stigma that has been forming about how weak the region is, before it becomes a complex and we will never be able to get over the hump lol
More to say later but I’m glad this thread has started….
December 4th, 2006 at 12:46 am
Each school gets a guaranteed number of tickets so you can start with that allotment. I know they have put upwards of 8,000 at Mount so if they sell out of seats there is still standing room available.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:46 am
I’ll take a shot at what I know at least, some I won’t answer just because I don’t really have an informed take:
1. The past does matter in two different ways— A) The mystique of Mount Union’s team seems to take down a lot of teams (Or at least makes the beating worse). St. John Fisher may be the next team to fall in line. B) Wesley’s disastrous trip to Whitewater last year will help them…or at least they’ll be ready to play with more than one pair of shoes!
2. St. John Fisher’s Biggest Strength is Robinson, hands down. However, their defense has been very solid the last several weeks (and throughout the season). However, the weakness is that they have not seen Mount Union before and their defense may fall to a offensive scheme that is a little strange (ie. Springfield)
3. Rob Kramer’s Poise for Fisher will go a long way in determining how well they play…
4. I really don’t think weather should be a factor for any of them, but Wesley better be prepared…
5. Kmic, just from what I saw on TV last year, and what I’ve heard this year just sounds like he has the most “potential energy” (and most time left to show it). Robinson is solid as we all know.
6. St. John Fisher (and the east!) has what I think is obviously the most to prove. Not necessarily to win, but they need to be close to give any credence to the east region…..
7. Can’t help there!
December 4th, 2006 at 12:47 am
Keith, with No. 5 you took my next front-page poll.
I think the running game battle between SJFC on offense and MUC on defense is the matchup of the day between both games.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:54 am
Gonna disagree with one thing Portgrad said — the biggest strength in the playoff run for Fisher has been Kramer, although less so yesterday. His efficiency has been the real deal, and of late, I think it’s opened up the defenses of SJF’s opponents in such a way that the focus finally got released from the middle and Robinson. Robinson’s TD numbers are a little deceiving, especially in the Union and Springfield games — it was Kramer’s play between the 20s that got the ball moving almost at will for the Cardinals.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:59 am
That’s OK to disagree, I see where you are coming from Frank. However, talent wise I think Robinson is their biggest Offensive weapon — but Teams are obviously focused on him, so Kramer must be on target (and will have to be again this weekend if they have any shot — one INT could seriously mean the game). I kind of took the question in a different direction I suppose.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:59 am
One thing that hasn’t really been talked about. Wesley has shown that they can come back from a deficit not once but twice in the playoffs. Remember that Dickinson put up 14 pts and 200 plus yrds in the first 16 minutes and then totaled 60 the rest of the way. And this week giving up that early fumble for a T.D.
Hadn’t really thought about this either but with B. Robinson in the backfield and Lanouette at T.E. and Schatz at wideout , thats like having eight O linemen and Barnes at FB is a heck of a blocker too. Imagine seeing that come at you. And they throw with that lineup too…
December 4th, 2006 at 1:29 am
Well Overall I wish good luck to all 4 teams. However it would be nice for both road teams to win so there was a Chance Brockport would be put on a graphic or something as being the teams common opponent
December 4th, 2006 at 1:35 am
A Graphic on TV (Something like “Wesley Crushed Brockport State, while St. John Fisher had a harder time”) is what I meant…. But I digress…. Back to the regularly scheduled Discussion already in progress.
December 4th, 2006 at 1:47 am
“Some I won’t answer just because I don’t really have an informed take:”
“That’s OK to disagree, I see where you are coming from Frank.”
Wow, this thread is already a rousing success
Pat, re: No. 5 … that’s funny. You should still use it as a poll. It was my least favorite question because it didn’t actually have to do with Saturday’s games.
December 4th, 2006 at 3:37 am
UWW will win but the game, it will be closer than last year. UWW 28 Wesley 14. Here are some factors that work against Wesley; grass, cold, away game and Berezowitz’s last game at home.
The Mount will win as well 34-17. The Mount is tough to beat at home and “old coach” will have them ready.
December 4th, 2006 at 4:28 am
However SJF fans remember, UMHB went to Alliance and beat the Beasts of the East in 04. SJF will have to play a mistake free game to have a chance. I don’t think SJF will win but the Mount can be beat in Alliance.
The Cru will be tough again next year and maybe, just maybe, beat Wesley. UMHB needs to improve on the following to be contenders again.
Improve Pass Defense/Pass Offense. The running game isn’t much good when you are losing by 3 td’s late in the game.
December 4th, 2006 at 6:19 am
After watching both UW-Whitewater and Wesley play against UMHB and getting the opportunity to examine their offenses, I believe Whitewater has the edge in this game by one touchdown. Whitewater will want to send their coach off with a bang.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:05 am
The biggest MUC achilles heel is PENALTIES. Averages around 100 yds per game.
Offensively, they were statistically balanced in the regular reason but the playoffs have been all run, run and run some more. If SJF can not stop Kmic then Kehres will run him all day long.
I’m really looking forward to seeing a new team come into Alliance. I’ve seen enough of Rowan over the years.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:00 am
D3Keith:
Good classy thread.
1. The past is the past. You learn what you can from it and move on. The only thing that helps is being somewhat more comfortable with the situation. It should allow you to make adjustments.
2. I do not know about UWW, but Wesley strength stems for its ability to be so multi-deminsional. They depend on passing a more but their running game is strong enough that your defense has to pay attention to the run.
3. Special teams!
4. Weather should not be a factor but I think bad weather hurts Wesley’s “field turf” offense. I pointed out in an early post to a different thread that Wesley has played badly in bad weather ever since they got the field turf but are undefeated at home on that field.
5. I do not know anything about the running backs but Beavers numbers kind of say it all for me. I have seen a lot of Robinson and he is very impressive. CMU and UMHB both tried to stay away from him. You might have noticed he was moved from right to left end on almost every play Saturday depending on what Wesley thought UMHB might do offensively. I understand Kleppe is great also. It will be fun the watch Saturday.
6. No doubt about it, Wesley especially after that bad showing last year and this year with the same two teams in the same place. It should be an “energy” factor for Wesley.
7. Since my wife and I will be at the game places to stay and places to eat, have fun, etc. would be most welcome. We are both in our sixties so college pickup bars will not help us much, I didn’t do so well in them when I was in college either.
8. Reports from the trainer at Wesley are “nicks, bumps and bruises” but nothing unusual for this time of year. After 13 games that is to be expected. I think both teams match up well. Who could ask for more: #3 playing #2 for a trip to the Stagg Bowl! If that does not do for you then nothing could do it for you.
Pat:
They even threw Robinson a pass in both the Dickinson and CMU games. He dropped the one against Dickinson and caught the one against CMU for about a five yard gain. You are dead on center about the maturity thing.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:01 am
I remember being in similar shoes last year as some of the SJF posters are in now. I am referring to the knowledgable, respectful ones, of course. Ignore the others. Respect must be earned on the field, not demanded on a blog. Just keep winning. That is the key to recieving credit. Last year UWW was the upstarts of the play-offs. Every week it was a new group of posters on the WIAC boards, i.e. Central, SJU, Linfield and yes, MUC fans, telling the Warhawks how history and tradition showed how every game would end their season and, “no WIAC team would be playing in December, let alone Virginia.” It was frustating at times. There are so many similarities right from the lopsided scores (with the exception being the Cats,) to the confident swagger. We, too, thought that MUC was king of the Stagg Bowl cuz they hadn’t played the Hawks yet. BUT, they showed exactly why they are the gold standard of D-3 football. They are incredible talented, well coached and diciplined. Very hard to play well against them for 4 complete quarters. A few mistakes and they pounce. Can SJF win, of course they can BUT the odds are not with them. Odds are never with the opponent of a MUC team. Alteast not in the last 10-15 years of so. This is a different year for the Hawks. They have survived so far being, “the hunted,” and it hasn’t been easy, especially in the post season. They have delt with many serious injuries to quite a few starters and every team bringing payback. Wesley will come Saturday looking for payback and then some. Last season, no one expected the Hawks to be in the Stagg Bowl except the players, coaches and fans much like the SJF program. Every win was gravy after they beat UWL during conference play. Enjoy your success, SJF fans, because with great success comes great expections and the pressure is tough. My respect for perenial national contenders has grow enormously during this year. Tough to get there, even tougher to sustain. I expect this game on Saturday against Wesley to be just as difficult as the last 2 but great teams find a way to win and, hopeully, the Hawks will do just that and get another crack at the Raiders.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:06 am
IMHO, the past does matter. I can’t speak directly to the matchups this weekend but in last years Stagg Bowl, the past did matter. Again IMHO, the fact that MU had been to Salem was an advantage for MU. I know MU/UWW fans would argue this point until the end of time but as I have mentioned previously, I felt like UWW had more talent (on paper) than MU last year. However, last year in Salem, they played the game on the field. MU’s previous experience in Salem was one contributing factor for the W.
I have often joked on Post Patterns about the upcoming MU/UWW rematch. Even though this is a different year with different teams, I do think it would be interesting to see how they match up this time around and if UWW being in Salem last year would make a difference. On the other hand, some new blood in Salem could be fun as well. Looking forward to Salem, no matter who is there.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:15 am
“MU’s previous experience in Salem was one contributing factor for the W.”
Couldn’t agree more. BTW, congrats to all four of the National Semi-Final Teams. Great year no matter what the outcome of Saturday’s games.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:38 am
OK, love tests:
1. Does the past matter? (Mount Union’s titles, last year’s Wesley-UWW result, Saturday’s games) -
Yes and no, depends on the opponent and the home team. Did Mt. Union prove something last year and is just trying to get back to acheive a goal? Is Fisher starry-eyed and will they lay down as soon as MU scores? Don’t know much about MU so can’t comment on the first statement but even though they have a history of repeating it takes a special character to get up for a repeat. As for Fisher, if they had been undefeated then this would probably go bad for them. However, the experience with Springfield has taught them a great lesson. Those fumbles in part stemmed from a switch in centers mid game and the replacement of quarterbacks due to injury. The defensive lapse was part poor tackling/injuries but to a larger extent a revamp of defensive responsibilities. Coaching and players alike learned who they were and what it takes to win as a team. They have been down to UR & Ithaca and have refocused to blow them out. I am sure Mt. Union is a great team but Fisher will get it done.
2. What’s each team’s biggest on-field strength, or on-field weakness? What will they need to do that they normally don’t do to win Saturday?
MU’s biggest weakness is the chance they do not have the same drive as last year. I said “chance”, that’s what makes a repeat tough. Their strength is confidence and a sence of ownership of the title (and of course a great team).
Fisher’s weakness is inexperience in both the coaching staff and team at this level. Their strength is their inexperience at this level - they don’t know enough about this level to get too worried about it.
3. Which “unsung heroes” will be key to their team’s chances Saturday?
Don’t know MU. Fisher will need great games from Kramer, Robinson and Lang to do this. However, Fisher is a true team and the rest of the supporting cast will need to step up as they have been. I have never seen a team effort like last week where every facet of the team was performing. Nobody from Fisher has to have a super game to win, the team needs to know that. If everyone does the job they did last week, no doubt they will come out on top. Ok, I will say Harmon just to keep consistant with my last few weeks remarks but I want to add the rest of the receivers who somehow I left out in previous comments. Jackson, Marion, Smith and Kelly, great routes/hands & can run after the receiption. My hope is MU keys on one or two, cause the others will run wild.
4. These are four cold-weather teams. Will weather matter? Whose style would be most affected by precipitation. Whitewater is a grass field, but the other three teams are turf. The Stagg Bowl is on grass. Factor or non-factor?
This week no factor. It’s as far as I am looking.
5. Kmic, Robinson, Beaver … who’s the best back left? Kleppe, Robinson, Stickley … best D-Lineman left?
Impossible to answer, no common opponents differing offensive schemes. Who knows, they are all great. Any other comment is just blowing smoke.
6. Who has the most to prove?
This is obvious, just scan the D3 comments, The East and specificly Fisher gets no respect as a top team. We will find out Saturday.
7. D3 fans help out your fellow D3 fans … where to eat/stay and things not to miss on game day (besides the game) in Alliance and Whitewater.
Any help would be appreciated.
8. How do the teams match up, in specific areas? Who is healthy and/or banged-up?
Fisher lost two starters to broken bones at Springfield, tough turf. Two or three more with naging injuries from the first Springfield game (tough team). I think someone said no excuses in Football. It’s Ok, same starters from last week start this week. We will be fine.
Couple of comments: Mt. Union was a medium tier team in the 80’s and suddenly jumped the step to top level team with 4 championships in the 90’s, do you think they are the only team and coaching staff that can suddenly arrive on the national scene.
The Fisher Offense took a hugh step forward two years ago, last year was OK but not great and then this year vaulted forward. Coincidently, an offensive back coach from two years ago who was not here last year, returned as offensive coordinator. Not to take anything away from last year’s coordinator because he has done a great job for UR, this year’s offense is a tribute to this young man and he gets better every game. He deserved offensive coordinator of the year.
The Fisher Defense who gets very little respect but has vastly improved every game and deserves to be called a great defense now. Keep improving and you will be fine. Don’t try to overplay, stay in control and keep to your responsibilities, trust your teammates - they will do their part.
Final comment to the Fisher Team. I have some experience here. I was 5-1 against National Champions(too bad I wasn’t better against lesser talent). I was also always the underdog. You have to love the chance to beat the unbeaten. Give them their due, they will score on you. They will get turn-overs and they may get the lead on you. The difference between them blowing you out and you beating them will be your composure and support to those that make mistakes. You need yourself and those that make the mistakes working as a team to beat MU. Just keep putting it to them. Remember you have come from behind before and I fully expect against a great team MU you will have to do it again. Keep battling and you will take them down.
Lastly to the Fisher and East fans. Can’t believe the statements - “don’t know if we will beat them or not”. Dare to dream and support this team. They read this. Who cares if we turn out to be wrong. D3 has been wrong about us before and they will be wrong again. So what we are fanatics, you think people that ignored all the stats and picked Rowan over us, were thinking logically, NOT!!
SJFC 24 MU 21 MU leads 14-0 at half.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:56 am
The past does matter. It can matter a lot, or just a little - depending on how teams manage the ramp-up to the game. A coach can turn it into “Us against the world/Goliath/etc”, with some senior leadership can overcome most of it. On the other hand, it can eat away at a team’s insides. Every once in a while, it’s the formula for an upstart to pull a stunner.
Seen UWW three times - clearly their biggest weakness is hurting themselves - way too many penalties, dropped passes or fumbling trying to stretch for an extra yard. Strength seems to be an ability to play in many styles of game. Unsungs - could be a third or fourth WR like Gifford who made a big grab against StJ.
Weather and field also matter. Has Wesley played a cold weather game? I mean cold - 30 d cold, not 45 or 50. Home field does matter - Wesley looks to be very talented, and they may be able to function fine, we’ll find out soon.
Best guy here or there - who knows? I know if Kleppe stays onsides, he’s pretty dang impressive. Anyway, it’s a team game, so what’s more important is the numbers on the scoreboard.
Most to prove - prob’ly St John Fisher. Heck, they have to share a name with the Gagliardi legend. Playing the MU monster. In Alliance. No chance, right? Well, imagine the sweet taste of beating all of those odds. Cinderella storyline in process….
Finally, Whitewater has changed way too much in 20+ years since my four years on campus - But I have stopped at a little burger and frozen custard place east of downtown called Frosty’s that I liked. Might not be the best day for custard, but if you are warmed by a victory, who knows….
December 4th, 2006 at 10:01 am
I have no prediction but I still believe that if Whitewater plays well on both offense and defense there is not a team that can beat them but they have not done that in the last few weeks. Everyone believes they should be blowing people out but the teams they are playing are also improved and like I said the Warhawks have not come with their “A” game in a few weeks. This week they will have to put it together or the season could be over. I believe this week they will POUND THE ROCK and play some awesome defense hopefully enabling us to take over the Roanoke Marriott again for a few days……
December 4th, 2006 at 10:09 am
Crush,
Mount Union is in the North. Rowan is the so-called “Beast of the East.”
December 4th, 2006 at 10:28 am
I completely agree with wiac regarding the comparison between UWW 05 and SJF 06. Both are very good teams that played well through the playoffs. Although part of me wants to see a SJF upset over MUC, I don’t know if it would mean as much to are guys if they were to play somebody other than MUC in Salem. As many have said, they are the gold standard, and it comes down to the old saying that if you wanna be the best, you have to beat the best. Obviously, UWW still has some business to take care of this weekend against a very talented Wesley team that has been rolling all season. UWW really has to get back to form on both sides of the ball, and they absolutely have to get their special teams play back on track. Two blocked kicks and a snap over the holders head in the past two weeks after being just short of automatic in the regular season. Maybe the the nerves of the playoffs are getting to the freshman kicker. Maybe it’s just sloppy play. Whatever it is, it needs to be fixed if they want to make a run at the title.
Good luck to all the teams. Looking forward to another great weekend of D3 Playoff Football.
December 4th, 2006 at 11:23 am
WHAT TO DO IN THE WHITEWATER AREA: if ur coming to the game this saturday, and looking for something to do……I saw an earlier post wondering what there is to do. Frosty’s was already mentioned. It is an amazing custard place far east part of town. You can shop along our historic main street area. A lot of old little shops that offer some cool stuff. Obviously plenty of sports bars! And, if ur willing to make a 15 min drive west of whitewater, and are a fan of Nascar, Matt Kenseth’s Museum is in Cambridge WI. (his home town) Has winning cars, and lots of memoribilia………………….As for the WW/Wesley game, how much of a factor will the grass be??? Wesley is use to playing of field turf. Whitewater’s home field advantage may be more than just its students/community. I dont even want to hear “this time they will bring the right shoes.” Conditions should be much different from last year.
December 4th, 2006 at 11:31 am
Maybe I missed something, but can anybody help me out as to why Micheli was playing in the second half? Was Jorris hurt or was LK just changing it up hoping for a spark?
December 4th, 2006 at 11:45 am
Does the past matter?
We can debate it all we want but one history lesson is certain: Things happen in the final four that even the experts can’t predict.
Example No. 1 (Keith, prepare to wince): Who knew a 66-0 blow out of Bridgewater was on tap in the semis, prompting questions if this was one of the best MU teams ever? And who knew that 66-0 victor would lose by 18 a week later in the finals? (For the eight of nine d3 prognosticators picking MU in the finals, the predicted MOV was an average of 25 points — making a 43-point gap with the outcome.)
Example No. 2: No. 7 West seed PLU’s domination of the Beast of the East in 1999. Read into this what you want, be it the depth of the West that year or the fact that good teams can get on great rolls late in the year.
So stick by your teams, in less than two weeks, it all will be clear …
December 4th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Oops, somehow deleted the reference to 2003 in Example 1.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
Good questions. My answers are:
1 - The past DOES matter. The past works for Mt. Union because other teams do, to some extent view them as “unbeatable”, or “the team that will win”. It matters more in the regular season and the early rounds of the playoffs.
And, UW Whitewater will consider the past as lost opportunity and will wish to rectify it.
2 - Mt. Union and UWW have tough as nails schedules, have great players and are without a loss. I don’t know much about the others.
Weakness, hmmm…
3 - The unsung heros will be those players who can do their job with the fewest mistakes.
4 - These teams are so good you could play the games on gravel, in the snow, and in the dark - the conditions will no effect on the teams.
5 - Beaver and Kmic are hands down the best. I’d take any one of the three on my team.
As far as the D line - all of them.
6 - UWW, SJF and Wesley.
7 - I have no idea - somewhere that has good pizza, BBQ, and beer close by.
8 - SJF and Wesley are underdogs for sure, but anything can happen.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
I can only comment on the schools I have seen, but, SJF is the only one I haven’t seen in the last two years:
1. History can matter, but, it doesn’t have to. I think if you look at the difference between scores the first time UW-W played somebody and the second (e.g. UW-L and SJU) you can see the revenge factor in full effect. I would expect the same out of Wesley this weekend.
2. This is pretty general, but, I would go with:
Wesley = Athleticism
Mt. Union = Mystique
UW-W = Unity
3. I can mostly speak for UW-W here, but, I would go with Mrkvicka, Schmitt, and Gifford on offense. And Blaze, Farley, and Murray on the D.
Another unsung hero would be the Mt. Union offensive line IMHO. You never hear anything about them, but, when I saw them at the Stagg Bowl last year I swear it was 25 yards between the tackles. Just huge with seemingly 5 yard splits.
4. Seems like Wesley’s passing an awful lot this year. Could be a factor in the cold.
5. RBs = tie. D-line, I think all three are awesome and each bring a little something different to the table. I am a huge Kleppe fan, but, I will say this… if Stickley is the same guy I am remembering… he was a beast in the Stagg Bowl last year and Robinson could play on Sunday some day.
6. St. John Fisher and more power to ‘em!
7. @ UW-W, go to the Boar. There are several fan friendly bars in town, but, this is my favorite. They broadcasted the game live last time I was there.
8. I don’t want to jinx anyone, so I plead the 5th.
Good luck to all,
OSC
December 4th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
1. Does the past matter? (Mount Union’s titles, last year’s Wesley-UWW result, Saturday’s games)
-It only depends on how much each team reacts to the past. Is SJF’s inexperience enough to “ignore” the past? I have also seen teams in MUC’s position think that their history is good enough and if they just show up they will win (I don’t think this is the case as they have come this far in the playoffs). Wesley could take last year’s blowout and come out with their tails between their legs or use it as motivation; and on the other side UWW could just as well think that they blew them out last year, it will be just as easy…. I think you all know where I’m coimg from here.
2. What’s each team’s biggest on-field strength, or on-field weakness? What will they need to do that they normally don’t do to win Saturday?
-Since I have only seen UWW this year, I think their biggest weakness is themselves, penalties, turnovers, not coming out hard enough. I see a very good team that when they come out and play hard, I don’t think there is anyone out there that can beat them.
3. Which “unsung heroes” will be key to their team’s chances Saturday?
-I don’t think our defense has any “unsung heroes.” However, If I were to pick one on that side, I would say the other defensive linemen. If Wesley comes out and double teams Kleppe the other D-lineman will have to step up. On Offense I think it is the other WR’s (Mrkvicka, Douglas, Gifford, etc….). They are good recievers and once again if they are going to come out and double up Stanley, these guys need to step up. One more I think is our fullbacks, Reuland was a very good FB, and these guys need to step up again and pund the rock two more times.
4. These are four cold-weather teams. Will weather matter? Whose style would be most affected by precipitation. Whitewater is a grass field, but the other three teams are turf. The Stagg Bowl is on grass. Factor or non-factor?
-They are predicting mild weather compared to what we have had on Saturday, so I don’t think that will matter.
5. Kmic, Robinson, Beaver … who’s the best back left? Kleppe, Robinson, Stickley … best D-Lineman left?
-I’m not gonna speculate on this one, seeing as I have only seen Kleppe and Beaver. However, since Robinson plays RE (I think), I am looking forward to see how he matches up against our strong side, the left side. (gotta put this one in here-”LEFT SIDE-STRONG SIDE!!!!)
6. Who has the most to prove?
-Once again no sure on this one, but I would have to say SJF, being reletively new on the scene and Wesley, considering what happened last year.
7. D3 fans help out your fellow D3 fans … where to eat/stay and things not to miss on game day (besides the game) in Alliance and Whitewater.
- For Friday night, Janesville is just up the road, they got some good restraunts (Fudruckers is always good, just off HWY 14, as well as the traditional Olive Garden, Fazolli’s, McDonalds, etc…..) On saturday, before the game, if you want a good breakfast, Novak’s is the place to go, right on the corner of Main and Whitewater streets. But then again, in Wisconsin we tailgate.
8. How do the teams match up, in specific areas? Who is healthy and/or banged-up?
-Not sure on this one again, but I do know DT Alex Thompson hasn’t looked the same with that club on his hand.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:19 pm
LK has the ability and the players to modify a gameplan on the spot. His goal was to keep Pentello on the sidelines via ball control and he did just that.
December 4th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
If LK does that against UWW they will lose bottom line. Jacobs is better then Pentello so it will be interesting to see his strategy in that game. I just hope hope both teams come out of this week healthy. Would hate to see a guy hurt in 40 point blowout.
December 4th, 2006 at 1:04 pm
Some really great insightful posts here! I think the past does matter to an extent. it matters to a team like MUC who has been so dominent and deserves all the credit they get. SJFC is walking right into the toughest place to play in D3 football. I have a feeling the exposure to such a great team in such a difficult atmosphere may get the best of them. I think this might be a fair statement. If SJFC comes out of Saturday with a defeat it will merely prove they are a really good team, who had a great season, and who felt the MUC heat and could not beat it. Yet if they do win I think it will show them to be a GREAT team who did what only great teams can do; go against the best, not get shaken and come out on top. I just think with MUC history and how good they are again this year it will be a difficult task. MUC penalties could play a role in this one? Who knows? Good luck to all four schools, you all deserve to be where you are.
December 4th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Having seen Robinson play against Union I have to think that he will be the key against MUC. SJF has certainly not faced such a dominant run defense as MUC’s and if he can run against them it will open things up for Kramer. If MUC shuts him down I think it’s no contest.
BTW,these 2 teams will play eachother in regular season openers in 2008 and 2009.
December 4th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
This Fischer talk is gonna fuel MU. You just watch. Keep in mind when stuff gets posted on this site, all the players are on here from these teams are reading this stuff.
December 4th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Flush the Johnnies,
“Jacobs is better then Pentello so it will be interesting to see his strategy in that game.”
I don’t know about that one…
December 4th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
Being the daughter of a football coach, I have been exposed to 24 seasons of football (high school, D2 and over the past 16 years D3) and never have I seen a team with such dedication and heart as this year’s Fisher Football Cardinals. You posed the question, “does the past matter” and I must say, to this years Cardinals and for that matter, for any former Cardinal, it does matter. Over the years Fisher has struggled as a team to get respect. They have gone from a winless D3 team, to one of the greastest teams in the league. I believe that these 2006 players are playing not only for themselves, but for the respect and integrity of all the former Fisher Football players who have contributed to making the program what is is today. If there are two things that Fisher does have over Mount Union they are heart and courage. At this stage in the game, those two attributes can make the difference between a win and a loss. I believe Fisher has the passion and the drive behind them to make a win happen on Saturday. I wish all teams on Saturday the best of luck and no matter what happens, all teams will walk away winners. The skills, confidence and courage they have learned from their years of playing football will serve them greatly in their future.
December 4th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Flush the Jonnies I hear ya but I don’t really think so. I think MUC is just very confident and respectful. This is nothing new for them; a team who is having success hoping to come into their barn and knock them off. I think they get this each year, and even if those comments are not posted on the web they probubly hear people hoping, and trying to convince themselves that they can beat MUC. Plus I don’t think anyone can say, statisitcally, hopefully, or in any other way that SJFC can role into MUC and just handle MUC. I think MUC has had so much success and has such grounded pride that they know deep inside what they are playing for, and nothing anyone can say will divert that focus. To win as much as they have, the intrinsic motivation must be huge. I think SJFC fans are doing what any fans do before thay go into MUC, they hope, they debate, and they talk smack that they in fact have the team that will defeat MUC. Who the heck knows what is going to happen. The only team to get psyched from talk and being looked over is SJFC because inside they know just how big of a challenge they are facing. HUGE
December 4th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Hey all…Im new to the site…I think its great that folks are so behind their DIII teams…In DIII, a lot of it comes down to pure love for the game, as it is kind of a rare thing when one of these young guys makes the pros…I will say that Im an MUC alum, as if my screen name didnt give it away, already…MUC won three national titles while I went to school there in 97, 98, and 01…so I have seen a lot of great MUC teams…and I had the chance to see this year’s team earlier in the year…
The past matters to MUC players because they want to be apart of the tradition and the history…It drives the MUC players so much…Mount has shown before that they are up for a repeat…and this year’s keys are Kmic and the MUC defense…I was most impressed by both of them against Capital in the regular season…
I will say that I always preferred the MUC teams that had lost once in the regular season heading into the playoffs because they were so darn hungry…last year’s team was hungry….they got beat by Ohio Northern and then just went in guns blazing thru the rest of the season and the playoffs…doesnt mean the 2006 team wont get it done, b/c I think they have a great shot…but that edge I know helped some of the past teams…
As for SJF and MUC, I dont know SKF really at all..( Im from the Rowan years)…but those who know the teams have to ask the question if SJF is as good as Capital…the crusaders played one heck of a season, and only lost twice to us…if they had a different draw, you never know where they might have ended up…I believe they could hang with the other three teams left in the tourney…Cap was also used to playing in Alliance and are familair with MUC…it worked in their favor…
Good luck to all the teams..and hope to see the Purple Raiders in VA!!!
December 4th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
oh yeah, and it does figure to be darn cold in allianceon saturday and you never know when the white stuff from above might fall on mt union stadium…games in the snow are always up for grabs if you ask me…
December 4th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
I believe the caption below the MUC player on the d3 home page is incorrect…. That MUC players name is Justen Stickley… You have Jason Stickley in the caption under the photo. I just figure if he gets to be on the front page…. He deserves to have his name correct. Good luck to all.
December 4th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
cristanmary, great post! The only thing I could say regarding it is that I don’t think it is fair to say one team has more heart and courage than another. I think we all hear what you are saying and appreciate it. MUC have obsticles they have overcome that show their heart and courage. So even though I am going for SFJC I think we need to be careful when pointing out personal team traits when comparing teams before they play. MUC has the biggest bullseye on its back each and every week. And it says a ton for a team that can just keep on winning the way they do. Maybe after Saturday we may be able to make an argument favoring one or the others heart and courage. Until then the field awaits both teams.
December 4th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
Flush the Johnnies: “Jacobs is better then Pentello so it will be interesting to see his strategy in that game.”
Kira’sDad: I don’t know about that one…
Now why do we have to go there? Both guys have some amazing numbers. We could compare awards and numbers all day, etc. etc. But I think Kieth wanted it civil in here, so please try not to delve into the world of comparing and trying to dignify contrasting opinions between players.
Great site!
December 4th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
I completely agree with your post, and I didnt mean to offend any of the players for MUC insinuating that they dont have passion or courage for the game. Anyone who knows about the game of football, would probably agree that each and every player has to have some sort of passion to be able to do what they do, week in and week out. However, I think a lot of the posts have been focusing mostly on statistics. MUC may well be the statistical winner in this game. But what I have come to learn through many years of waching football games, is that sometimes it isnt the best team that wins, but rather the team that wants it the most. I know the MUC wants to win, but I also know that Fisher is eager to prove themselves to the nation. It will be a great game between two very tough teams.
December 4th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
My main concern going into Saturday’s SJFC-MUC matchup is the MUC “mystique” factor. Look, it’s football any one of these teams can line up and beat the other on any given Saturday. If they couldn’t they wouldn’t have gotten this far in the first place. In my mind you can throw all the numbers, player comparisons, and predicitons out the window when the ref blows the first whistle on Saturday. What you can’t throw out the window though is that “mystique” factor. The players and coaches from my Alma Mater will have to do a much better job in preperation this week, and on the field Saturday, of dealing with MUC’s “Mystique” than some of my fellow SJFC posters have done on this site so far. “Mystique” causes you to do weird things, it causes you to lose emotional control, it causes you to get over-zealous in your determination to prove yourself worthy of a task, it causes you to lose your composure. When those things start happening in a football game so do turnovers, blown assignments, and missed opportunities. If “Mystique” happens to the Cardinals on Saturday it could be a long afternoon. If however they are able to keep their emotions and composure in check, concentrate on their asssignments and execution of those assigments they should have as good a chance as anyone has had of knocking off the giant. Best of luck to all the teams this weekend. Here’s to hoping SJFC can pull off what many think is the impossible.
December 4th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
1. I think for Wesley’s players last years loss is still in their minds. But that can work two ways. First will draw off of that for inspiration? You can bet on it. Second if the field is slick and a few things go wrong early will they think to themselves here we go again.
2. Wesley’s strengths are their multiple offense weapons and the ability to score from anywhere on the field on any given play. Their special teams are as good as any I have seen in the years I have been folowing the team. One thing I think they can’t do is force the ball to Clarke deep in double coverage. A couple of times last week the UMHB defenders had opportunities to intercept Warwick passes but dropped them.
3. One unsung hero this week for Wesley may be FB Chris Barnes. I think a lot depends on him keeping Ryan Kleppe off the running backs in the back field and protecting Warwick from him. Barnes is an excellent blocker who can catch passes as well. Also I think if the speed running game isn’t working you can look for Jeremy Robinson for some power running. He had one of the most exciting 10 yr runs I have seen last week that iced the game. And he did rush for 40 yrds on his own last week against UMHB.
4. I don’t know if this team will be as effected as last years team if the conditions are bad. Clarke has a lot of yards after catches across the middle on underneath patterns but they still do go deep to him. But if the linemen have trouble protecting it could be tough.
5. Haven’t seen enough of any one else to comment on the RB’s… Bryan Robinson has stepped his game up even higher the last few weeks but I think you have to have other people occupied to get your best player his tackles.
6. Wesley and SJF will more tha likely be the underdogs so you have to think they would have more to prove. But that being said I don’t think Wesley will be satisfied with just keeping it close. And yet for Wesley to get this far two consecutive years I think solidifies that they belong.
7. Wesley has posted on their site about travel arrangements for fans and some contact no’s
8. Is the harsh weather having any effect on Justin Beaver’s previous injury enough to slow him down? I think Wesley’s ability to stop the run and the O’s being able to slow down Kleppe or use his agressiveness against him will tell alot about the outcome of the game. And if Wesley’s O get rolling we could have another shocked opponent.
December 4th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Here’s a good article about Wesley and their experiences last year in Whitewater from The Delaware State News:
http://www.newszap.com/articles/2006/12/04/dm/central_delaware/sports/dsnspt02.txt
December 4th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
1. Does the past matter? (Mount Union’s titles, last year’s Wesley-UWW result, Saturday’s games)
-Yes, you dont get where you are with out being good in the past. Are last years results indicative of what may happen Saturday? No, but this seasons are. With that each team has had great seasons to date and nothing that happens on Saturday will take that away from the teams.
2. What’s each team’s biggest on-field strength, or on-field weakness? What will they need to do that they normally don’t do to win Saturday?
-SJF’s biggest strength is their balance on offense and their defense. On offense they mix up the run/pass and playaction extremely well. Its tough to stop one or the other consistantly due to the OC’s playcalling. Their defense has a great secondary, Stepnick is one of the better CB’s in the NCAA. He’s got a great instinct for the ball and really shuts down WR’s. It will be interesting to see him matched up vs Garcon.
3. Which “unsung heroes” will be key to their team’s chances Saturday?
-See Stepnick above. He doesnt get alot of pub, but he’s been great since he was inserted in the starting lineup as a freshman.
4. These are four cold-weather teams. Will weather matter? Whose style would be most affected by precipitation. Whitewater is a grass field, but the other three teams are turf. The Stagg Bowl is on grass. Factor or non-factor?
Weather wont matter much, and considering that SJF has to play on the hill at Brockport and the extremely long grass at Ithaca I dont think the field will be an issue.
5. Kmic, Robinson, Beaver … who’s the best back left? Kleppe, Robinson, Stickley … best D-Lineman left?
-Cant pick one over the other. All three are great and if you were to put them in each other teams lineups I dont think you’ll see that much of a difference in production.
6. Who has the most to prove?
-SJF and the East Region. They need a good outing, win or lose, to show that the East isnt a joke.
7. D3 fans help out your fellow D3 fans … where to eat/stay and things not to miss on game day (besides the game) in Alliance and Whitewater.
-umm…nevermind.
8. How do the teams match up, in specific areas? Who is healthy and/or banged-up?
-I think the match up will be SJF’s O-line and RB duo vs the MUC Defense. This line has quietly been carrying the SJF offense. They dont allow many sacks, they are big and athletic and very smart. They will decide if SJF plays well at MUC this weekend.
December 4th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
christanmary,
I agree…nice post
Heart and dedication really defines the MUC program. Players who sign up to be a part of the program know going in they may not see the field as a starter until their junior or senior year because of the players ahead of them.
None of the existing starters wants to be a part of a team loss. They have the tradition of past teams to strive for. That loss last year played more into their championship run than any other reason IMO.
The underlying motto of “eleven as one” defines the team concept and all participate in the wins. Constant motivating factor.
In ‘03 their win over Bridgewater(66-0) was as much a reason for the loss in the Stagg the next week to SJU. I in no way am taking anything away from SJU’S effort and win because they out played MUC the whole way. But my point is MUC seemed to feel they just neeeded to just show up to win the game. I don’t think there are any of those thoughts since.
SJF is a new opponent so the midnight oil will be burning in preperation for the game. If there are weaknesses they will find them. If changes need to be made during the game I have not seen a another team adapt “on the fly” like the Raiders and their coaches. Plenty of depth on the roster also assures a rotation of fresh players during the game too. (Ex. The OAC first team RB from last year is having difficulty even getting on the field this year because there are two RB’s ahead of him on the depth chart. Most every player on the playoff roster plays in every game though.
I also notice there was a some type of controversy about Pierre Garcon during a game against SJF when he was at Norwich. Well, he is now with the Raiders as you may know. I am sure he will be ready to put up another 3 or was it 4 TD’s in this game too.
Looking forward to Saturday and plan to make the trip from MN to see the game. For a good burger and a beer there is “The Neighborhood” across the street from the campus on State Street.. It is nothing fancy but they do make a mean burger. Bloody Marys aren’t bad either. They also have a great brunch in the Hoover-Price campus center before the game too. All you can eat and a good variety. Buffet and cook to order choices. No alcohol however. It has just been remodeled and is a nice facility. You can also pick up all the MUC gear you want at the bookstore….LOL. Be the first on your block to have a Raider hat or game jersey signed by LK!
December 4th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Thats loser talk, crying about the shoes. UWW could have went barefoot and beat that team last year. I mean come on it was like 38-0 in second quarter, their coach emptied the bench early or score could have been worse. They might have scorer a 100.
As for MU it boils down too talent and coaching. They dont have anymore courage or heart then any other team. Their coach recruits best players and has a great winning system. LK reminds me of Jim Tressel, I wonder why he hasnt ever made move upward. He gets to a school that can recruit itself like Ohio State he would be succesful.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
NO one was crying Flush so don’t bring it here!!! Read it again
December 4th, 2006 at 8:21 pm
The past does matter.
It may not seem to matter but if something goes wrong all of a sudden things start to snowball. The weather seems colder, those national championship banners seem more prominent and things tend to go downhill from there.
As long as SJF plays mistake free football they’re in the game and the mystique stays away. Once adversity happens we will see what they’re really made of and if the past rears it’s ugly head.
Best of luck to all the teams in the Final Four.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
It would be nice to have different teams in the Stagg Bowl this year. Go Wesley and go SJFC.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
Purple Crush,
If Wesley and SJF happen to find their way to Virginia imagine how Brockport would feel playing both of the teams in the Stagg Bowl.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
I looked at the Mount Union OL today on-line, and we’re going to have major battle upfront… I know I am going out on a limb with this, but the game will be won in the trenches without a doubt. Size vs. Speed.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:51 pm
GoFisher,
SJF isnt lacking in size on the D-line. Pyz is 6-0 265, Mahony is 6-4 295 and Becton is 6-5 355.
Size isnt an issue this week…
December 4th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
I realize.. im just saying that Fisher’s D-Line has historically been built to out quick their opponents which matches up well with larger O-Lines…. I really like the front 4 they start with, especially #92. From what I see, they can cause a lot of frustration with quick play and line stunts…. could be an underrated matchup.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
You guys are talking a lot about size vs speed. Both are obviously a good thing to have in their own way. However, you need athleticism/control with size, and you need good blocking for speed to be a factor…..The size difference isnt lopsided enough to show a clear advantage.
December 4th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Flush the Johnnies
Not sure about your comment that jacobs is better than pentello. Pentello’s stats make him one of the best rated QB’s in the history of D3. In addition, if you look at his stats vs. MUC, and compare jacobs stats vs. MUC, it’s not even up for debate. Jacobs is a good D3 QB. Pentello was a great D3 QB.
December 4th, 2006 at 10:43 pm
He never beat MU, Jacobs will in two weeks.
December 5th, 2006 at 12:07 am
Maybe I am in a unique position having seen both MUC and UWW. I watched Justen Stickley and Nate Kmic toy with my team and then watched a great battle between UWW and ST Johns.
My first observation is this: Grass vs turf is a big deal in my opinion. MUC is the fastest team i have seen in a long time. not just the skill guys, the offensive line as a group has the fastest 2 steps i have seen. they run the stretch play as well as I have seen it run and Kmic gets a lot of yards as the OLine outflanks the Dline in the first two steps.
As far as Kmic vs Beavers, they are both awesome backs. But on a slow or muddy track i would take Beavers as he is a little more physical as an RB. On a fast track or in Alliance I would take Kmic and his oline.
On the DLine Stickley is an impact player on every snap. But I haven’t seen a Dlineman dominate a game like I saw Kleppe vs the Johnnies. They couldn’t block him. He is powerful and explosive. i don’t think i would want to have to block either one.
I am looking forward to adding a second UWW game and wesley to my arsenal this weekend.
December 5th, 2006 at 12:29 am
Yet another Delaware State News article about Wesley… this one about a different Robinson than most of you know, Jeremy Robinson, the team’s leader in rushing touchdowns, 14.
http://www.newszap.com/articles/2006/12/04/dm/central_delaware/sports/dsnsp02.txt
December 5th, 2006 at 1:54 am
I haven’t posted before and I’ve done a lot of thinking about this topic.
1. Like everybody else has said the past matters. Everything matters from MU’s past dominance and their ability to make other teams crumble to Wesley forgetting their shoes last year.
2. I have watched many Whitewater games this year and most of my comments will pertain to them. I feel their are two notable on-field strengths for Whitewater. First the defense. We all know about Kleppe. He’s an animal. And I don’t believe he’s as large as the program lists. Whitewater has the fastest, largest linebacking core in the nation. I haven’t seen an offensive backfield player out run Raebel this year. Not to mention Borzick. This is his first year at Whitewater and now he is starting both ways at LB and FB. Second, is Whitewaters ability to make big plays without using the “star” players. Stanley has been getting covered crazy, by multiple defenders. I’m talking about Douglas and Gifford making big catches and stepping up. Not to mention Mrkvicka and Pittz. Mrkvicka has outstanding hands. Pittz is a very good, young back. He is a very suitable second string runner for Whitewater.
Whitewater’s on-field weakness is penalties. They commit too many. I didn’t have a chance to attend Saturday’s game vs. St. Johns. I taped it because it ran live on local cable. I watched it afterwards and was dumbfounded at the facemasks, personal fouls and defensive encroachment. 13 penalties vs. St. Johns is way too many. That’s what I believe Whitewater needs clean up this Saturday. Giving away free yards makes it difficult to win.
3. Whitewater’s “unsung heroes” will be the defensive backfield. We all hear about Jacobs, Beaver, Stanley and the defensive front seven. I’m talking about the rear four. Close on passes, wrap up tackles and don’t let anyone behind you. It sounds simpler than it is but they are my “unsung heroes”.
4. Weather will be a factor. In Wisconsin it is currently 9 degrees with a wind chill of -6 degrees. I wish it will be this cold when Wesley gets here. They won’t get off the plane. But it won’t. Mid 30’s. Obviously weather matters, like it did last year. Sorry to beat a dead horse but look at Wesley’s traction. As for precipitation, slight advantage to the northern most teams. Whitewater and SJF may see snow sooner in their seasons than MU and Wesley but with the correct equipment, ie: shoes, everyone is fairly equal. And the grass vs. turf debate. I’m not sure. I haven’t played on turf in good weather or bad. I would imagine turf is better in bad weather because it won’t give way as easy. But is synthetic grass (turf) better in snow and rain. Is it more slippery or less?
5. As for this question I will admit I’m semi biased. Beaver is the best back left. His surgically reparied collar bone is probably stronger than before the injury and I know Beaver can get over the pain of it while playing. He sees the holes quick and makes the appropriate cuts at exactly the moment to break it large. Kleppe is the best defensive lineman. Kleppe is a bull. If you under estimate his size he’ll rush you straight up and win. Next play he’ll hook you and be on your quarterback before you turn around. He has amazing dedication and skill.
6. I’m not being biased on this question but I still believe the answer is Whitewater. By being runners-up last year they have the most to prove. Brez has already announced his retirement and Saturday will be his last home game ever. The team needs to step up and win Brez’s last home game and the schools first football National Championship.
7. I attended Whitewater for four years and have seen most of it. The Super 8 Motel and AmeriHost are ok at best. They are regular “joe schmo” hotels. Nothing fancy, a bed, pool and small breakfast. As for eating and nightlife. Fast food restaurants include McDonald’s, Culvers, Taco Bell, Cousins, Subway, KFC, Rocky Rococo, Pizza Hut and several Chinese restaurants. There are a couple sit down places as well. Novak’s and Jessicas have simple sit down menus and Randy’s has a more specialized sit down menu. Like any college town there are many bars. Downstairs, Mad Boar (favorite), Coyote Grill, Pumpers, Mitchells, Denny K’s and College Pub to name a few. I wouldn’t get food at any of them but the beer is cold.
I’ve traveled to several cities to watch Whitewater play and no other city tailgates like we do. There are always large crowds grilling out, eating and drinking, eager to talk football. I’ll be eating white chicken chili and drinking cold beer this weekend if anyone wants to stop by.
8. I think the teams match up just fine. A rematch of last years semis between Whitewater and Wesley and a possible Stagg Bowl rematch. I have an inside sourse to Whitewater who says everybody is good to go with no major injuries that hold them from playing.
I’m excited for this weekend and have already taken off of work for Salem, VA. I wish all teams injury free play and luck.
Pound the Rock.
December 5th, 2006 at 7:09 am
RE: Kmic on Grass
He didn’t seem to have a problem in Salem last year on the grass.
December 5th, 2006 at 7:16 am
Cumulative Stats for Kmic and Beaver:
Kmic:
RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
————————————————————————-
Nate Kmic 13 269 1920 37 1883 7.0 23 80 144.8
Justin Beaver 8 225 1267 51 1216 5.4 4 97 152.0
Beaver was out for a period with the separated shoulder, but he is averaging 28 attempts per game while Kmic is averaging just over 20. Kmic also split time during the season with Wray, Barge and Morring (each who had over 400 yards rushing each). Underwood and Pittz each had over 400 yards for UWW. Thing that sticks out to me is Kmic has made the end zone more than Beaver. Even only playing 8 games, Beaver only has 4 TDs.
I really think they are both great backs, but if I had my druthers, I would take Kmic. He still has 2 more years to play and can only get better.
December 5th, 2006 at 7:58 am
7. Just want to add that Travis Jack’s is a new bar that opened last spring on Main Street and it is great. Good food, mostly sandwiches, and really good Bloody Mary’s. Also Karina’s is a hole-in-the wall, Mexian restaurant a block off Main across from the Boar with great food.
Kirasdad, stats can be misleading. Beaver has taken the ball down field many, many, many times only to have the TD go to the FB, TE or WR. In the red zone, UWW has a tendency to mix it up and take whatever the defense gives them and many times, that is not Beaver trotting into the end zone.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:22 am
Kirasdad,
Thank you for that numer comparison(sp?). I would just like to say that some of those differences, especially the TD’s come from scheme. I’m not sure what MUC’s running scheme is, if it’s zone like ours or good ol’ hat on hat blocking up front. Maybe it’s just a simple difference between those two schemes up front. I do know that during the season we would pound it through the four quarters and as most good backs will do ours would get alot more yards on the D late in the game. We haven’t had that chance the past few weeks. I realize that’s not a great argument for that, but still a bit of an explanation. As far as the TD’s, when we get down towards the goal line “Z” likes to give the ball to the FB’s. I’m not sure on the numers there, but I do know that Reuland had more than five TD’s in aout seven games. I also know that Borzick has something like three TD’s. “Z” also likes to run a QB boot off of that FB dive. Both of those plays work great as well as a handoff to Beaver, he just chooses to run the other ones down at the goal line.
Just a little insight into that stuff; and don’t forget intangibles, like how has each RB opened up the passing game. I know that Pete Schmitt has had a very good year (our TE) and since alot of defenses like to put LB’s on the TE I would venture to say that some of his catches could have benifited from play actions.
Just a couple points for you. Kmic is still a great running back, but, despite the numbers, my biased view says Beaver. (BTW, that 8 games played may be off by one, I’m not sure how they do it, but Justin did dress for the first round game, but didn’t play). There are my viewpoints, talk amongst yourselves.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:27 am
kirasdad-my point on grass vs turf is I think it takes away a little of MUC’s adavantage. Their speed shows up on turf a lot more than it will on grass. Doesn’t mean they aren’t still much better than their opponent. I never said Kmic had a problem on grass. I just said I would take Beavers on a sloppy field more than Kmic. Nate would not be sitting on the sidelines on my team in any case!
to wiac watcher’s point: on UWW’s lone touchdown drive last week, beaver did the bulk of the work and got free on a couple runs he hadn’t been able to do previously. When they got to the goal line, Beaver’s backup got the TD carry. Reminded me of Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:55 am
Lest we forget …Salem is natural turf as Kirasdad mentioned. It didn’t slow the Raiders down then and it shouldn’t in the future. If they can get past St. John Fisher, first things first. They have opportunities in the regular season to get there feet down on the grass. The field in Salem last year was in worse condition than I can recall but both teams play on it.
Kimic has many of his TD’s on runs other than the goal line so he isn’t just scoring on short yardage plays either. 52 & 28 yds alone come to mind in the last game I saw against Wheaton.
Those linebackers and tackles mentioned earlier for WW were in last years Stagg and I didn’t see any of them catch Kmic from behind. 95 yds to be sure.
Give me KMIC, I saw a pretty good SJU defense hold Beaver to 70?
USEE
I too have seen the Raiders(3) and WW(2) this year. Sorry we missed in WW last week.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Good points, Raiderguy. But maybe a little less arrogance next time.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Actually, the LB’s comment that I read was regarding THIS year’s games and Borzick wasn’t on the team last year. He is a transfer from ISU.
December 5th, 2006 at 10:08 am
On second thought, guess the post wasn’t that bad. Just the one paragraph where you had to rub the Hawks fans nose’s in the 95 yard TD run. LOL! Would love to get a 2nd shot at him. He is a great running back. Hope they both take care of business this weekend.
December 5th, 2006 at 10:53 am
I think the thing that will help Wesley the most is winning a close game against their rival Salisbury. I made this statement back then. I feel that they have a good chance to pull the upset. However, it is a tall order to beat UWW on their home field and Mt Union on any field back to back.
December 5th, 2006 at 11:02 am
Raiderguy,
sorry I missed you as well. I wish I had known you were in the house, could have looked you up.
The point on a slow track (slippery, muddy, soft grass, etc) is simply that I think it affects a team that relies on its speed disproptionately. So, while I don’t think its “slows the raiders down” any more or less than another team, I think there is no question it has a bigger impact on them than it does some other teams.
December 5th, 2006 at 11:06 am
I have something to get off of my chest. This is based on an argument that I was having with some of my friends last night. We always hear that DIII athletes play for the love of the game and are non scholarship athletes(which is true). However, I attended a D3 school in the 1990’s. All of the top notch sports stars received grants (some of them were “full ride” grants). I dont see much difference between scholarships and grants other than their names. I am interested in others thoughts. Good luck to all four teams.
December 5th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Wait, Borzick played at ISU. So the Puppy-Kickers at Mount Union aren’t the ones with the D1 transfers this year? (just kidding y’all, seems like we are always the target of that one…).
DIII Atheletes can receive “grants” but they can not be taken away if the player stops playing. They are supposed to be “need-based” as far as I am aware.
December 5th, 2006 at 11:50 am
We as Mount fans have been spoiled over the last 10-12 years. When your team is always playing in the semi’s or the championship game, it can become very easy to expect/demand that it always be that way. When Mount was going through their amazing run from 1996 to the 2003 Stagg, it was almost as if they would/could not lose. Winning 54, and then 55 games in a row is the most amazing accomplishment. An overtime loss to Rowan in the 99 semi’s prevented the record from being even more unbelievable.
That rotten St. John’s team completely took that invincible belief and attitude away from us in the Stagg of 2003. Beating Bridgewater 66-0 was the WORSE thing that could have happened to the 03 team. Then, in 2004 MHB just put an exclamation point on the idea that nothing is a given. Mount’s loss in the regular season last year to ONU (after a 99? game regular season winning streak) REALLY brought most of us fans back to earth. Still, the team rebounded with a great run, and win against WW in the Stagg.
All of that was to make this point. I believe that if both teams (Mount and SJF) play to their capabilities, Mount wins by two touchdowns. However, stranger things have happened and this poster knows that the Raiders could be beat.
December 5th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
You are dreaming if you think the score will be that bad. Stop being a HOMER and get real, clone!
December 5th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Let’s stop ragging on eachother and stop giving predictions and ripping people who are making predictions, last time I checked this column didn’t ask for any predictions, just information that the other three teams might not know about yours.
Personally, I think this is great, educated (well everyone but me that is:)), discussions about football without people flapping their gums and making ridiculous statements because their fanatics. It’s ok to be a fanatic for your team, but this is for fans of football. So go to the other forum and talk that s*** over there. (anyone else notice that I am kinda long winded over here)
December 5th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
Thanks U-Dub-Dub. Not that it will probably do much good. Too much testosterone flying around this site right now.
Mill125:
You are right, lots of D-III players are given grants, scholarships and other assorted colllege funds that are not technically “Athletic Schorlarships”. However, to be fair, these are also given to Music and Band members, Great Students, People involved in work studies etc. Most private schools (and public for that matter), have lots of money to award to worthy students. If you go to a school’s website, you will find that usually 90% of students are on some kind of aid. We would all like to believe that no athletes at D-III are getting money just because they can throw a football, but it would be pretty hard to police that kind of activity. Who’s to say that Joe QB isn’t deserving of free books because he was a good student in high school.
December 5th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Re: USee
Pittz came in to score that touchdown because Beaver was getting his shoulder checked out on the sidelines.
Re: Kira’s Dad
You did this last season too. You seem to like to compare players and their stats. I know that many people look at statistics as a barometer to a players ability, but that’s not always the case. Beaver has the intangibles necessary (not saying Kmic doesn’t) to be the best back in D3. Heart, dedication, personality, poise, patience, intelligence, guts….everything that doesn’t go in a box score. So Kmic has 8 TD’s and Beaver has 4…who cares? So Kmic has TD runs of 58 and 52 yards this year and Beaver has TD runs of 97 and 59….who cares? Kmic may have two years left, but Beaver has one, too.
Also, now that the comparisons have started (ahhhhhhhh here we go again), if you give Jacobs as many attempts as Pentello had this season, Jacobs has just as good or better numbers. When he gets pulled at halftime for a fourth of the games and when you have a running attack like Whitewater, Jacobs doesn’t need to put up gaudy numbers. The last two games UWW has played in tight games and Jacobs came through when it mattered the most. I want him on the field in the fourth quarter, not a freshman. That being said, when Pentello is a senior, yeah, you aren’t kidding I’d take him on the field. All stats aside, Jacobs was also the WIAC Player of the Year TWICE….and as we all know, that’s very, very difficult to do in the WIAC.
Hopefully you don’t take any of my comments personal, just thought I’d put in my own two cents.
December 5th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
Who are the band members in DIII programs getting full ride grants? I must have missed that one…music and band members get scholarships offered from their respective music departments I would think…unless they need to get the money from elsewhere I suppose if the department doesnt have a budget…the post seems to be talking about folks getting grants even if they weren’t good students in high school…in other words, only b/c they play football…and this does happen..more than people know…but there’s no DIII band member getting any where near the financial aid that some of these kids get…that i’ll promise you…
December 5th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
lilpeds00,
Sorry, since they have no common opponents, I was just trying to bring some real world statistics into the discussion. I wasn’t trying to say one was better than the other based on stats, just giving folks something to look at. I will try to remember that next year and won’t post any stats. The one stat I will bring up is Kmic has 1 Ring and Beaver has 0 rings. Oh and Kmic has 25 TDs (23 rushing and 2 receiving) not eight.
December 5th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Apologies in advance that this reply does not pertain to the final four teams. It does pertain to the final four individuals under consideration for the Gagliardi Trophy. Whoever wins will deserve the honor, given their on-and-off-field achievements. My personal choice would be Jordan Neal since I’ve seen him play. He’s a gutty and passionate player (a description which assuredly descibes the other three candidates). His spirit of sportsmanship was evident as he quickly congratulated Mary Hardin-Baylor players for their first-round victory when time expired.
Pat et al, I hope you provide all of us an opportunity to promote our favorites and to offer us an insight into the candidates we have not been privy to see in person.
December 5th, 2006 at 7:16 pm
As a Linfield fan and knowing the issues teams at this level have traveling, the final 4 should be at a neutral site. The NCAA is a money machine and could help make this work. This system is not like the pro’s in which each team has a conference and for the most part play the same teams and the best team is decided on the field and in the end play’s at home. If your undefeated you should not be rewarded with traveling to Wisc Whitewater to play… it may be a great town some of the year so many leave in October??
As far as Last year, Wesley got to Whitewater and found the turf to be iced over and could not find any sporting goods stores that could help them outfit the team with shoes they could get traction with and consequently Whitewater which new what they were in for, controlled the game. Hopefully if the conditions are the same this year Wesley demands to move the game indoors to a local venue in Wisconsin to atleast play in conditions that will allow the best team to win the game.
December 5th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
MUCnash
I never said that any band members got full ride grants. What I said was: Band members, regular students, athletes, etc. all have the ability to get financial aid. Some get more than others, it depends on need and achievments. My point was that even though they aren’t technically called “Athletic Scholarships”, many athletes get financial aid. Just like all the other students. If you buy a copy of LoveJoy’s Guide to college campuses, you will see that close to 90% of all students at private schools get some type of financial aid package.
December 5th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
Allright,
This has been a pretty good thread so far, but we’ve got some knuckleheadedness seeping in the last dozen or so posts.
If we get back on track, I’ll leave them alone … but I really am serious about keeping this one respectful and insightful.
I have better things to do with my time, but if it devolves into another bunch of pissing matches and name calling, I’ll remove that stuff from this thread.
Of course, wherever I relocate the knuckleheaded posts, I’ll probably join in.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:15 pm
Sorry Kieth. My kids’ knuckleheadedness has been rubbing off on me.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
Thanks Keith, I was having some really good reading till the last 10 or 12 posts. Yes, I keep up with MUC but am very interested in the other teams also. Any team can win on any day. Stats don’t mean a thing, just let the guys play and have a good time.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
UW-Whitewater hopefully has the number 3 as their lucky charm. If they beat Wesley, it would be Brez’s third time to a National Championship game, once as a QB when we played together in 1966 in Tulsa, OK in the N.A.I.A championship game and came up short, last year when the Warhawks came up short by 7 to MU, and hopefully, this year, his third time for all the marbles, the end result will be different. Home game this Saturday, last appearance for him at Perkins Stadium and totally the last collegiate football game for him in Salem. The players remeber the disappointment of finishing #2 and could end a lot of wonderment by breaking the jinx, the third time around. If the players learned in one year what the team of 1966 learned 40 years ago, then the difference between finishing #1 and #2 will be enough motivation to make Brez’s third trip to the title game, a victory for him, much less for themselves. Motivation will be a major factor.
December 5th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Kirasdad,
No problem. If I were you I’d bring up the whole 1 ring to 0 with Kmic and Beaver, seeing as we were talking about the individuals, not the teams….
I think the key for UW-Whitewater against Wesley is to limit the big plays. Their defensive backfield can be succeptible at times, but if they keep everyone in front of them they should be ok. Whitewater’s defense is made to create turnovers, so if teams have to go 8, 10 or 12 plays to score, chances are they’ll turn the ball over to UWW.
St. John’s had a great game plan against Whitewater and Kofoed made some unreal throws. St. John’s had 80 plays to Whitewater’s 54 and had it 37 minutes compared to Whitewater’s 23 minutes. But Whitewater’s offense had just enough to get it done.
I kind of see the same thing happening this weekend. Their past two game were close and I think this will be the same kind of game. It’ll come down to who can take care of the ball and who can take advantage of given opportunities.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
lilpeds
Wesley burned UMHB on plays where the defenders let Clarke catch the ball underneath. Only trouble was they had trouble catching him once he caught it. I too think if Wesley gets big plays UW-W may have trouble catching up runnning the ball.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
I can only comment on the UW-W and Wesley teams, as I am a UMHB alum and have seen both. It strikes me that UW-W has a more steady, focused attack and they stay focused and on their game the whole 60 minutes. You can’t slack up even for a second with them. Wesley on the other hand is a team I have seen twice (both of the games against UMHB) and they go in spurts. When they are on one of their tirades, it is extremely difficult to stop them. But after they go on a tear, they slack up awhile until they feel they need to do it again. They are very talented and high-energy, but I think they will need to keep the intensity up the whole game if they want to take out UW-W. Last week I saw Wesley score 28 unanswered points against UMHB, but then allow UMHB to score twice in a row on them unanswered. They took a breather. They can’t afford to do that this Saturday against UW-W. Since Wesley beat my team, I will cheer for them this week, but they gotta stay intensely focused the whole game to pull it out. IMHO, this game will be a tough fight, and the score will be pretty close.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Purple Crush,
Do the rest of us a favor and take it somewhere else. You’re embarrasing yourself and respectful UMHB fans.
December 5th, 2006 at 9:50 pm
PA_wesleyfan,
I was worried about Wesley’s passing game and said that if Warrick handles the blitz they would win. Coach Drass said “nobody can run on UMHB” so he had a great game plan. Last year Wesley threw deep over passes to win, this year underneath stuff. UMHB did make the proper adjustments at halftime. But waiting to halftime was what got them beat because they held Wesley the second half. UWW you better be ready. In fact if the game were played on turf and warm weather I would predict Wesley to win. That Robinson dude on the DL is a monster. Justin Beaver better bring his A game. Wesley did a good job on UMHB’s big strong backs.
December 5th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
PC:
I think the point lg1970 was trying to make is just to keep the dialogue in a respectful tone which was the reason D3Keith started this string. At least that is what I think he or she means.
December 5th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
PurpleCrush, seriously, I don’t mind reading that, but this is not the place for that, like Kieth said.
Kirasdad, don’t worry about posting the stats, that is part of the eqaision(sp?, I know that’s wrong, some one help me please) so I say go ahead and keep posting those, I just don’t think that you can use the numers as your full argument.
PA_Wesley fan, I’m not sure how throwing underneath will work against our linebackers, especially the way our front four is playing and our LB’s are very good, not to gloat or anything. I guess we’ll have to wait till saturday to find out for sure. I can guarantee you this, that our coaches will see that and gameplan against it.
As far as grants, here in Whitewater, and the WIAC schools in general, the tuition is very reasonale, I am paying about 2,500 a semester. I do know, that some loans are given out to some players who may not have the financial means neccesary.
BTW, that is not the same UDubDub as me on PostPatterns, if any of you were wondering. I know who it is, but I don’t want to tattle.
December 5th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
wallyfan,
You’re dead on. That was my intent. Purple Crush apparently forgot the intent of this new blog, and I hope he understands and appreciates that. I am personally a UMHB fan and attended both the UW-W game and the H-SU playoff game.
December 5th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
PA Wesley
I agree that if Wesley gets some big plays, UWW might be in a bit of trouble, but I find it interesting that you say we’ll have a hard time catching up by running the ball. Did you forget that we have the WIAC Player of the Year at QB and a host of receivers that have a nack for making big plays (just ask UW-L)? I have to agree that the underneath passing game may have a tough time getting going against our talented linebackers. We will see on Saturday. It should be a great game.
P.S. So Robinson played a bit of FB last game, right? How about this collision: Robinson vs Kleppe…BOOM!
December 5th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
wallyfan
SHE is about 6′6″or more about 250 or SO!!!! named Keith ..LOL!!!!!
December 6th, 2006 at 1:11 am
I’m playing referee, and you’re one of the main ones mucking up this thread.
Nine posts that added nothing to this discussion have been moved from Well-thought-out, respectful discussion on the semifinals to Knuckleheaded discussion on the semifinals.
If you don’t like it, my bad … you were warned. I promised the people who came here for some good, clean football talk that I would monitor this thread, and to those guys, I’m sorry it took me so long.
I would much rather be putting the time into Around the Nation for you all rather than policing the blogs, so please make my job easy on me.
Thanks for your cooperation.
December 6th, 2006 at 1:36 am
Because I’ll be spending my third consecutive Saturday at Whitewater, I’ll toss my .02 on this.
I’ve seen 4 Whitewater games. @ Oshkosh, both LaCrosse games and the SJU game. Other than LaCrosse 1, all games were fairly close. The thing that I’ve noticed is that Whitewater plays very opportunistic football and at this point seemingly is missing any killer instinct. They should have wiped Oshkosh off the map, but it took a late interception to finally put that one to rest. LaCrosse 2 was much of the same thing. Last weekend, they took advantage of the Johnnies turnovers but they can’t make one final sustaining drive to run the clock out.
Not rocket science here, but they are going to have to play clean football (way too many penalties last week), force some turnovers, and clean up the kicking game (or at least the snaps) to win. Anything left leaves an opportunity, and if Wesley takes advantage of the mistakes, anything is possible…
December 6th, 2006 at 1:44 am
PA,
I think it was lg1970 that was being referred to as a he or she. D3Keith is pretty obvious … I hope.
Then again, someone who probably played Left Guard and graduated in ‘70 seems like a “he” to me too.
If I was truly 6′6″, 250, I doubt I’d be here with you today. But thanks.
December 6th, 2006 at 1:53 am
Robinson vs. Kleppe would be worth the price of admission alone. But B-Rob (or whatever his nickname might be … I think it came up in postgame and it was much more clever) was lining up at TE and going in motion to the 260-pound TE’s side or vice versa … basically giving them three tackles at the point of attack.
I hope Wesley has done that before and we’re not spoiling it, b/c Whitewater won’t see the UMHB tape (the tapes are on site game day and delivered by the NCAA rep, so obviously they can’t be from that day’s game but the week before)
Anyway, not sure how often a TE gets to go head-to-head cleanly with a DT … but they’re definitely two of the best DL I’ve seen in D3.
December 6th, 2006 at 2:00 am
U-Dub-Dub,
The thing about Berez & the gang gameplanning against the underneath is that Michael Clarke, the guy who did the most damage, is actually more of a long-ball threat, but that was an adjustment Drass and Knapp (Wesley OC) made for last week. So you might not want to spend a lot of time gameplanning for it if it’s not necessarily going to be part of the attack vs. UW-W.
I don’t think you want Widuch, who is a beast, on Michael Clarke. You’d have to bump down Schultz or one of the corners to cover him to avoid the mismatch. That said, against the TE, the UW-W LBs might do fine. And the TE really exploited UMHB, but UMHB has those small-and-fast type LBs, so it worked really well. Wesley might not even bother with it as much this week against UW-W.
I keep wanting to say this is going to be a great matchup between a couple of great teams, with great coaching staffs … and I know it’s going to be a better game than last year.
But I thought it was going to be great last year and it was 58-6. That’s just stuck in the back of my head.
December 6th, 2006 at 2:03 am
This was from earlier. Hope it’s not piling on:
I’m sorry … some of you who tried to set the knuckleheads straight … your comments will now seem out of context, as there is no marker that I am aware of to show where the nine posts were moved from.
Not that you’ll miss them …
I have e-mailed a couple of the repeat offenders too. We’ll see if we get cordial responses or lose two valued members of our Daily Dose community.
December 6th, 2006 at 10:28 am
Three comments after reading the Rochester D&C: Fisher Assistant/Defensive Coordinator Faggiano is in Guatemala to pick up his adopted son with the teams support, good for him and his wife and Division III. The right priorites.
Mt. Union Coach Kehres quote “If they beat us Saturday, I’m getting out of it” refering to the possible opening day games in ‘08′ & ‘09′ with Fisher currently being negotiated. Not knowing him, I had respect for him as a coach from his teams success. Being able to be humble and humerous with the press, shows a lot of class, I already like the guy. Another plus for DIII.
Brockport State forfeits with a player not enrolled. Always said part of the responsibility for coaches should be helping their athletes to graduation. If someone was following the registration/classes/grades of these athletes then it would never have got to the last game. Minus one for DIII.
Two out of three isn’t bad.
Suggestion:
SJF use quick counts and hard counts on MU. Their aggressive defense will give you some free yardage and it will slow down the rush.
December 6th, 2006 at 11:15 am
Here’s something you can see in Alliance if you’re there…
There’s a great alumnus and supporter of the college named George Weimer, who is at least…well, ole’ George is getting pretty up there…(but he has such a great personality and spirit…) and yet, everytime I go back he always goes out and does pushups with the MUC cheerleaders when the Raiders score at least once…the best thing about George is that he supports all kinds of programs around the college, not just raider football, and the school wouldnt be nearly what it is today without great alumni like himself…so if you hear the crowd cheering for an elderly gentleman doing pushups, that’s him…
And go have lunch at Grinders…great food…just about a mile down the main drag as you leave the campus..turn left out of the stadium, go about a mile, and its on your left in a little shopping strip next to an IGA grocery store I think…its some kind of grocery store anyhow…
safe travels…
December 6th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
D3keith,
Can you give us some idea as to how prolific the UWW’s pass defense/coverage is? it occurs to me that as good as UMHB run defense “was”, they had to know that Wesley would utilize the pass play, and yet they were really not successful at all in stopping it. Knapp seemed to use various players that have not been used in the mix for some time and with some great packages on offense. Will they continue to have success at this in Whitewater? I know someone mentioned it quite a bit earlier, but Wesley also has a gaggle of running backs that can do some damage as well and UWW will have to respect that. Your thoughts?
December 6th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
To clarify…I’m a he.
December 6th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
Well, that’s a multifaceted question there.
I will say this, I liked UMHB’s secondary better than UWW’s and Wesley had success against it. But with Kleppe and the front seven putting on a nice rush, it makes the secondary a lot better.
UWW’s guys back there weren’t bad, i thought CB Gabe Schultz and SS Ben Farley had really good games against UMHB. They played the ball really well. But in the first game against La Crosse, there were a lot of guys open down the field that the QB just missed. So it’s hard to say which game was the truer representation of how they’ll fare against Wesley.
My guess is it’s going to be hard to run against UWW, and they’ll have to use more than one person to block Kleppe and/or play like they did last week, with screens and short passes functioning as run plays almost, a la the Eagles or someone like that.
I don’t know if the many backs at Wesley are something that so concerns a defense that you’d have to draw up something special for them.