Stagg Bowl XXXIV Live
Dec
2006
Hello everyone and welcome to Salem Stadium. This is John McGraw for D3football.com and I’ll be blogging throughout today’s game between Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan are broadcasting live on NCAASports.com and Pat Cummings is down on the sidelines. Gordon Mann and I will be handling the half time show and already hosted the opening part of the pre-game show.
Kick-off is officially scheduled for 4:13 PM EST. The stands are just about completely full on the home side of the field, full of purple and black clad Mount Union fans. UW-Whitewater will be the visitor and their fans take up about 2/3 of the bleachers on the other side of the field. Fans are still making their way into the stadium from the tailgate. There was a great turn-out at the Stone Station tailgate and we thank the Bridgewater folks for their great hospitality.
It’s a gorgeous afternoon for football. Temperatures right now are in the 60s and there’s not a cloud in the sky. You couldn’t pick out better weather for a football game in mid-December.
For Mount Union, Pierre Garcon was warming up without any type of protective cast on his hand. He looked good in warm-ups catching passes, so we’ll see how he does once the game begins.
Don’t forget, later on tonight, the D3football.com All-America team will be posted on D3football.com. We made the official announcement during the pre-game show. Congratulations to all of those selected.
More from Salem to come. We’ll have scoreboard updates on the front page of the web site.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
Whitewater won the coin toss, but deferred and Mount Union will take the ball first.
This is the first time in Stagg Bowl history that the two teams are playing each other in back-to-back seasons. Remember Mount Union won last year, 35-28.
This is a meeting of the number one and number two teams in the D3football.com Top 25. The Purple Raiders and Warhawks were number one and two in the poll the entire season.
We’re just coming out of a slight delay and now we are finally set for action. Stagg Bowl XXXIV, here we go! Hope you’re enjoying listening wherever you are around the country.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
Great run a moment ago by Michael Jorris. It looked like he was going to be taken down in the backfield, but he eluded a plethora of white shirts and gained a first down.
Jorris and Greg Michali will both see playing time under center today for Mount Union. The first drive, its Michael Jorris - the championship quarter for last year’s Stagg Bowl winner.
One of the key battles in today’s game will be between Ryan Kleppe and Whitewater’s stout defensive line against Mount Union’s rugged offensive line. It will be a big battle with Whitewater’s line against the Mount Union defense led by Justen Stickley. Whomever wins the battle in the trenches could have the inside track to taking home the Walnut and Bronze.
Just over two minutes in, and we’re already at our first media timeout. It’ll be a challenge for both teams since neither has had to deal with them all season long. A matter of turning the switch off and then back on quickly in a matter of moments.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
We have our first turnover of the game, just a little under two and a half minutes into the first quarter. Nate Kmic breaks off a nice run inside the Whitewater 30, but he loses the football and Whitewater recovers. Mount’s offensive line gave Kmic a huge hole. At the end of the run, he was stripped as he was carrying the ball a little looser than normal.
Heck of a response by Mount, a seven yard sack of a tentative Justin Jacobs.
So far, both teams look content to run the football. There’s a completion to Derek Stanley as I type, but its short of a first down. Slight breeze pushing around the flags on the top of the visitors grandstand. It is getting colder however as the sun starts to go down to the left of the press box.
Whitewater goes four and out and Mount will get the football at their own 32 yard line out of the the media timeout.
By the way, that fumble by Nate Kmic is his first since week two of the season.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
It looks like we may be in for a good, old-fashioned defensive struggle. Whitewater’s defense tightens and Mount moves nowhere on offensive. Jorris looked for Garcon twice - one turned into an incomplete pass as Garcon was in double-coverage. The second time, Jorris didn’t get off a pass as he was sacked.
It has to be a tough thing for the defense, of both teams, to come out ready to play, and then have to head back to the sidelines to wait for the end of the media timeout.
By the way, you can see the D3football.com staff’s picks of today’s game elsewhere in the Daily Dose Blog.
Well one thing is for certain with picks, the purple team will take home the Walnut and Bronze.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Another offensive sequence, another defensive stop. Whitewater starts off promising with a good run by Beaver. But, a busted running play turns into a near ten yard loss on a bad pitch that wounded up going out of bounds. Then, on third down, Whitewater runs a draw up the middle to Beaver thats immediately stopped at the line. Jacobs so far hasn’t looked good in the pocket. He’s had time, but credit the Mount secondary for not allowing any Warhawk receivers to get open.
As I finish typing that last paragraph, Jorris completes a long pass to Pierre Garcon who was in one-on-one coverage. But, holding on Mount Union negates the completion.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Mount Union opened up their arsenal at the end of their last possession, but Jorris was not able to hook up with Pierre Garcon. Garcon nearly made a stumbling catch up the far sideline into Whitewater territory, but the ball squirted lose as he went down and the pass was ruled incomplete and the official said he never had possession. Jorris went downfield again, this time over the middle, but into double coverage and the pass went incomplete.
Whitewater’s driving as we role towards the later stages of the first quarter. Justin Beaver and the Whitewater offensive line are taking over. Beaver’s gaining quality yardage on runs between the tackles. And then a swing pass to Lance Douglas picked up another first down for the Warhawks. The key to the play was a super upfield block by Derek Stanley.
Whitewater continues to drive and they’re inside the red zone.
Also, a hand-off to Neil Mrkvicka gained a good chunk of yardage around the righ
December 16th, 2006 at 4:57 pm
Whitewater takes the lead, 3-0 on a field goal by freshman kicker Jeff Schebler. 2:14 remaining in the first quarter.
A solid, blue collar-like drive out of the Warhawks there. Again, it was keyed by the running of Justin Beaver. But, it wasn’t all Beaver as the offense spread the ball around and worked deep into Mount Union territory. But, the drive stalled after an incomplete pass by Jacobs. But, the Warhawks did put three points on the scoreboard.
It’s the first time that Mount Union has trailed in a game since last year’s Stagg Bowl. That’s a streak of 59 consecutive quarters. But, we know what happened last year here in Salem.
The Purple Raiders are now going with Greg Micheli under center and have progressed up to mid-field.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Hawks looked good on that field goal drive..Keep it up guys!
December 16th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
End of the first quarter here in Salem, Virginia.
Whitewater 3 Mount 0
Coming into the game, Mount Union was outscoring opponents 233-17 in the first quarter. The Purple Raiders were also held scoreless in the first quarter earlier this season against Baldwin-Wallace. That game, played in Berea, ended up as a 14-0 Mount Union victory.
And also, what a great effort out of Stagg Bowl veteran Pat Cummings today. Pat’s pulling double-duty. He was out in the parking lot for the Stone Station tailgate during the pre-game show with live updates. And now, he’s the sideline reporter for our Internet broadcast. Pat was part of the very first D3football.com Stagg Bowl broadcast back in the 1990s.
December 16th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
Followed by a good looking TD drive by MU…”sigh”
December 16th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
Mount Union looks like a different team with Greg Micheli under center. The Purple Raiders are starting to move the ball at will against the Whitewater defense. Wow! Micheli completes a long pass to Garcon down the near sideline. Garcon was pushed out of bounds as he came down. Looked like he was going to stay in bounds. The referees review the play and it stands. Hmm, that’s always interesting. It’s a different type of environment when you go from no replays to replays in the championship game. I believe the I-AA playoffs and D-II playoffs are the same way come championship round time.
Touchdown Mount Union. Micheli with a touchdown pass (I believe to Anthony Antonucci) and the Purple Raiders jump into the lead, 7-3. We’re just over a minute into the second quarter. That was a 8-play-62 yard drive over three minutes and 12 seconds.
December 16th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Whitewater goes three and out but oh boy, Derek Stanley just made a heck of a stick on special teams on the Mount Union punt return. It probably would have been a good idea to call for a fair catch in that situation.
And how many times during the season do you see an All-American wide receiver make a big tackle like that on special teams? Not often if any. It takes a special type of player to be on special teams. Especially in the role of a gunner. That’s the position that streaks down the field first on the punt team trying to tackle the return man after he gets the ball.
Though, Mount Union does get the ball back now. It appears Mr. Micheli is staying in the game for Mount Union. Hand-off to Garcon and he gains about five yards.
It looks like Pierre Garcon’s hand is holding up well. That just creates another dimension for the Mount Union offense. Whitewater isn’t helping themselves with poor tackling technique on Nate Kmic. He’s an elusive runner, but arm tackling him isn’t going to work.
Be sure to tune into to our show at the half. We’ll be joined by several guests including a member or two of the NCAA selection committee. Plus, we have lots of other surprises coming up at the break.
The Mount offense is now turning into the Micheli-Kmic-Garcon show. A face-mask on Whitewater sends the Purple Raiders into enemy territory.
December 16th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
Touchdown Mount Union. Micheli on a quarterback keeper breaking out of nowhere to run into the end zone. 6:52 left in the first half. This is not the position that Whitewater wants to be in right now.
Mount 14 Whitewater 3
Whitewater’s offense has been stalling the last few times on the field. Their defense will need a stop on Mount Union’s next possession. But, the way Micheli is playing, that could be easier said than done.
Big play of the drive is Michelli’s fourth down pass completion to keep the drive alive. He’s now seven-of-seven passing and has been a stark contrast to Michael Jorris.
Whitewater needs a score here on this drive.
Nate Kmic has broken Mount Union’s single-season rushing record. The previous record was held by Dan Pugh of 2,303 yards. Entering the game, Kmic just needed 49 yards to break the record.
81-yard kickoff return by Jordan Wells. He beats the kicker but nearly gets horse-collar tackled at the ten-yard line. A penalty puts Whitewater in the shadow of the end zone. Just over six minutes to go in the first half.
December 16th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
Touchdown Whitewater. Jacobs dives across the goal line on second down and goal to put Whitewater right back in the game.
But, the real onus is on their defense now. The Warhawk defense has been pushed around their last two times on the field. If they can hold the score at 14-10, they’ll be in good shape.
If anything, that return by Jordan Wells certainly shows how important special teams can be.
Mount 14 Whitewater 10, 5:46 left in the half.
December 16th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
Jordan Wells with a great return! Followed by a TD! MU 14-UW-W 10
December 16th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Jacobs fumble on third down forces Hawks to settle for a FG. MU 14-UW-W 13 at half. Hawks will have ball on offense to start second half. Go Hawks!
December 16th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
Flush is a bit silent right now. But hell, there’s still time for WW to score another 36 points.
One hell of a game so far.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
I have a suggestion about Flush. Ignore him. All he wanted was the attention.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Division III putting on a great show for ESPN so far. Big crowd, great game, well played.
Nice to bring hit the high notes when you’re on the biggest stage.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
I’ll agree with you on that. As good as can be expected. Defense on both teams play solid. Let’s hope for some of the same in the second half.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
if this catch stands by stanley thats amazing…he caught it then it looks like it got punched out and then he retained possession again…tough call
ww has shot itself in the foot alot today though…the little things could really add up and you cant miss opportunities against a great team like mount union
December 16th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Huge sack by Ryan “The Animal” Kleppe and INT by Farley! Followed by a highlight reel catch by Stanley which is reviewed and stands as called!
December 16th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
and yet another one…i cant even give credit to mount union on this…just dropped the ball…ww again playing one of its sloppier games in the stagg…
December 16th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
Second half is underway here at Salem Stadium. Mount Union’s first possession results in an interception. Micheli was looking for Garcon but the defensive back gained the inside position and made the interception.
Garcon then did his best Kurt Angle impression and dropped the defensive back on his head with a waistlock takedown. I can’t imagine how that looked on television.
Jacobs completes a bomb to Stanley down the far sideline that looks close to an incomplete pass. They’re discussion the play now. One of the side judges was ruling complete, another incomplete. Too close to call from here. They’re calling it a catch to Stanley and the Whitewater roars pierce the Salem night sky.
Thanks for Steve Mohr from Trinity (TX) for joining our halftime covering on the NCAAsports.com Internet broadcast.
I must say also that Keith McMillan wins the award for most stylish on the D3football.com staff today. It’s all about the blue and green tie.
As I write that, Whitewater’s Justin Beaver fumbles and Mount Union recovers, still leading, 14-13, with 9:51 left in teh third quarter.
Momentum is up for the taking now as Whitewater stuffs Mount’s first play after the fumble.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
Crap. Turnover by UWW. Let’s get it back Men!
December 16th, 2006 at 6:25 pm
2 fumbled exchanges by beaver and jacobs and jacobs missed two recievers, one in the end zone and one that could have been a td on 3rd and 3…just real frustrating right now…however i have faith in the defense our linebackers are looking good and farley is having himself a game…please boys limit those mistakes!
December 16th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
Well, defense steps up to prevent any further damage. We can’t have afford any more turnovers if we expect to prevail.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
i said this on a different board…other then the exchanges that were fumbled, ww hasnt been stopped on the ground…they gotta keep running it…thats what got them here…im kind of in awe that berezowitz is throwing on 3rd and 3 and 3rd and 2 when we have beaver in the back field ripping off like 4 yards a carry
December 16th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
Over halfway through the third quarter and neither team seems to be able to put together a sustained offensive drive.
It’s a tired broadcasting metaphor, but this is like a heavyweight title fight. The two teams are jabbing back and forth. Each has the power to score a big blow, but they’re keeping their guard up for the most part and just jabbing. It looked like Beaver’s fumble may hurt Whitewater, but it didn’t turn out that way.
Greg Micheli’s remained in the game at quarterback for Mount. We haven’t seen Jorris since the first quarter. I’d suspect it’ll be Micheli the rest of the way. But, with a steady dose of Nate Kmic.
It’s gotten progressively colder as we’ve moved on. Still not too bad as we’re under dark skies in Salem. The wind though has died down. It was steadier in the first half but now, the flags on the opposite side of the stadium aren’t moving.
Speaking of moving, Mount’s starting the move the ball now. Whitewater is at the point where its bend but not break. It’s only a one-point game right now. Whitewater can’t afford to give up a big play.
Well, there it is. Garcon makes a catch and goes about 30 yards for a touchdown. You could seen the difference in speed and athleticism right there. Garcon was just too fast. Anthony Antonucci made a great upfield block to secure the touchdown.
Mount 21 Whitewater 13, 5:30 left in the third quarter. Still lots of football left.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
i hope berezowitz saw how they just scored…drag stanley over the middle on a slant and let him run…hes just as fast as garcon if not faster…just run the offense, and dont try getting it all on one play
December 16th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
MU scores-MU-21-UW-W 13 at 5:19 in 3rd.. Let’s go Hawks!
December 16th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
for christmas i want a ball to be not over thrown…thats all i want!
December 16th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
blocked kick…mount union scores…this is whitewater losing the game…im not even impressed with mount union…uhhh frustration…
December 16th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Looks like we will have to mount a big comeback after that mess! Let’s go Hawks! Settle down now.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
I can’t believe UWW didn’t adjust their punt protection. The previous punt was almost blocked and they appeared to do nothing to correct it. This time it costs them w/ MUC blocking the punt and returning it to the house.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:47 pm
Touchdown Mount Union. Blocked punt turns into a return for a touchdown. Credit the touchdown to Mike Rees of the Purple Raiders. The punter for Whitewater had no chance to get that kick off. There were many black shirts that gained penetration and the ball was stuffed right on the kickers foot.
Going back to the heavyweight title metaphor, Mount’s just landed a pair of big shots and now Whitewater is reeling. The Warhawks would benefit themselves greatly with a score here.
Mount’s fans are really fired up. Credit the Whitewater fans, they’re still in the game. In a lot of situations, fans seeing their team down by two scores start to clam up. The Warhawk fans are still loud and proud - the UWW band helps.
Offensively, Whitewater looks just a completion away from a big play. Last two drives, Jacobs has had open receivers, but just not been able to connect on passes. Mount continues to kick away from Jordan Wells.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
i dont wanna sound like a sore loser or bad soirt…but this is whitewater losing this game…they havent adjusted…they went away from their bread and butter in the run game (now they have to pass a little more) we’re only down by 15 but jacobs is overthrowing guys like hes trying to do it…i just really hope we can mount some sort of comeback like last year…but we shouldnt dig ourself a hole like last year…sorry for fuming before the game is over…i just hate seeing ww play two of their sub par games the last two years in the stagg bowl
December 16th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Settle for another FG. (which is better than nothing) Only works though, if we can stop MU. We need to step up on defense now. Let’s go guys…..
December 16th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
I just got back from a basketball game that I had wanted to see. LaGrange had traveled to University of Dallas, and gave me my first chance to see a GSAC team this year.
I sat next to one of the LaGrange fans, who turns out to be a Mount Union grad! She pulls out her Treo and connects to the Internet!
Isn’t it fun!
December 16th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
I have to say that the ESPN announcers are more balanced this year in their commentary than they were last year on ESPN 2.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
Gotta love that technology. Sports on demand!
December 16th, 2006 at 7:09 pm
this one’s over folks. nice job by both teams. seems pretty clear kehres was holding back past 2 weeks, because he let it all out today.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
Where is Flushed?
December 16th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
Ain’t over yet……but they started the bus.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Another touchdown for the Purple Raiders, Micheli to Antonucci. That makes it a three-score game for UW-Whitewater.
Mount 35 Whitewater 16, 10:59 left in the game
Mount’s offense is firing on all cylinders right now. Garcon’s made some big catches and even found himself on the throwing end of a wide receiver option. He’s gotten knocked around pretty good tonight. I guess it shows you how tough a kid he really is. Remember, before he came to Mount, he played football at Norwich. Norwich has a corps of cadets and is basically like a military academy.
Whitewater’s not out of it yet but time right now is the enemy. They settled for a field goal on their last possession. Now, a touchdown is realistically the only thing that’s going to keep them in the game.
Well, a big return by Mrkvicka is a start. He lost his footing at his own 45 and took a hard lick before he hit the deck. He and Derek Stanley now have to be an option in the air, add Pete Schmitt to that mix as well.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
They drink together!
December 16th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Great championship game. Have to give credit to UWW - they came to play and never backed down.
Micheli did a good job at QB for MUC. Efficient and effective in moving the ball downfield. Garcon is a great athlete and probably MVP of the game.
Although I’ll give the MUC defense some credit, UWW QB Jacobs overthrew 3 WIDE OPEN receivers on passes that would have easily been touchdowns for UWW - was the difference in the game IMO.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
in ww we dont lose…cuz we got booze!!!
good year boys…nothing to be disappointed about…just gotta make shirts that say “Still Unfinished Business”
December 16th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
Whitewater cannot answer Mount’s touchdown and they turn the ball over on downs. The Warhawks moved the ball to around the Mount 20 yard line. A big sack by the Purple Raiders forced Whitewater back. Then, Jacobs was not able to find a receiver or third or fourth and 20. He had time I think on both plays, but the passes were too high, too hard and in one case, he threw to two black jersey’s in the end zone.
One of the big differences in the second half is the quarterbacking. Micheli has played very very well and completed numerous passes to Garcon and Antonucci. Meanwhile, outside of a few completions, Jacobs hasn’t looked good. Combine that with Whitewater’s defense not being able to stop Mount and its turned into large Mount lead.
Remember, after the game, keep your audio at NCAASports.com. We’ll have coverage of the press conferences following the game and a whole lot more. We’re the only outlet that will be covering the press conferences in their entirety.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
When was the last performance as poor as Jacobs’ today in the Stagg Bowl?
And I’d suggest that UWW went away from the run too early and too often. Once you see how much Jacobs is struggling today, why keep tossing it up?
December 16th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
tough choice for player of the game between michaeli and garcon. i go with micheli.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
You probably can’t hear this at home either on TV or on the Internet broadcast. Whitewater fans are chanting “Thank You Bob.”
December 16th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
I’m proud of you guys. Thanks for the memories Bobby! Derek, Justin and the gang, see you when you get back! I like that! “Still Unfinished Business” Another great season men! Hold your heads high!
December 16th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Great final game. WW…you guys are class. Hope we can do it again next year. Raiders….Number 9, Number 9, Number 9. Wasn’t that a Beatles tune.
LK proves once again that he can get a team ready.
Flush…or D3knowitall, or whatever you’re going to call yourself next year, great prediction. you are truely the god of DIII football. hahahha
December 16th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
As much as Garcon was the shining star, I give the MVP to Micheli. He made every play he needed to when he had to.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Congrats MUC… Classy Coach, Classy Team, Classy Program. Good Luck next year, see you in Salem in December, 2007
December 16th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
T Unit how can you not be impressed by MUC they made on the rare mistake and were very methodical. WW was very good but a couple more mistakes and it could have been a blowout.
December 16th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Great football game, Mount Union. You dominated the second half of the game and only gave up one touchdown … on a 4-yard scoring drive. No one can argue that the best college football in the country is played in Ohio and Michigan. Repeat championships from Mount Union and Grand Valley State, Ohio State in another title game and a couple of other Fiesta Bowl victories recently, the University of Michigan, Youngstown State has always been a great team, and don’t forget Dayton in the 90’s as well.
For that fool who banked on a 43-9 win, looks like he just filed for Chapter 11. In case you are unfamiliar with that, perhaps you have heard the word “bankruptcy”.
Congratulations, Mount Union!
December 16th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Pierre seemed just fine to me folks! What a great first half of football…Trading punches back and forth…That was just the boxing match we expected, and then MUC got rolling…Micheli played great, and Garcon was spectacular as well…hey, and J Wray wasnt bad at all..LK and the coaching staff got it done…I love LK because he is so symbolic of that whole football region of Northeast Ohio…UWW played Kimc real tough…
but the Raiders found their passing game again…NINE IS DIVINE!!!
December 16th, 2006 at 8:02 pm
MUC overall was very impressive - they managed to minimize the impact of their mistakes better than UWW. Still, they caught some breaks as well (going back to my earlier point).
Regarless, I think the better team won the championship, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that UWW had an additional 18 pts on the table but just missed.
Congrats to both teams for a great season and effort tonight. Special congratulations to Coach Berewitz (sp?) from UWW. What a class act.
All the best to him in his retirement. He will be a tough act to follow.
December 16th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
I agree labart…..congrats to Coach B. College football needs more people like him.
December 16th, 2006 at 8:37 pm
Congrats MUC & UW-W, two great football teams. So much for the 31 point blowout though. I must say, UW-W fans are a class act, as is coach Bob. I must admit though, I was a little disappointed that the UW-W team walked to the locker room before Mount was presented with the trophy…Other than that though, some great football!!!! Go Raiders…..Next year’s motto: “One for the other thumb!!!”
December 16th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
Congrats MUC & UW-W, two great football teams. So much for the 31 point blowout though. I must say, UW-W fans are a class act, as is coach Bob. I must admit though, I was a little disappointed that the UW-W team walked to the locker room before Mount was presented with the trophy…Other than that though, some great football!!!! Go Raiders…..Next year’s motto: “One for the other thumb!!!”
December 16th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Instead of a classic we got a clinic — and a great day for football.
The lesson is never count out MUC and LK. Plenty of talent and always well coached. They sent a message early that Garcon was going to be in the mix — and he was everything he was billed to be and more.
Congrats to them. Congrats, too, to UWW. Too many mistakes against a good team.
Sorry I missed Stone Station before the game, the way the locals were headed to game, I’d figured I’d better get my ticket and get in.
Big props for Salem again. I was standing in line with my son (this third Stagg) and his buddy (his second) and a local guy came up and gave us two tickets, our cost went from $29 to $7. Always a great trip.
December 16th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
labart 96 on the other hand you have to asdmire the MUC defense. Th4ey essentially kept the UWW out of the end zone all day. If the special teams did not give up the big return it would have been nothing but FG’s all day for UWW.
December 16th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
Congrats to both teams and especially to Mount Union. I must say however that nothing that has happened in the past 2 weeks has changed my view that Capital was the second best team in the country this year.
December 16th, 2006 at 10:31 pm
Congrats to Mt. Union as they are a hell of a seasoned team. They are beatable, but they have a lot of post season poise that gets them through tough situations. I think this was a great season for everyone in d3. Next year looks even better…
As for rankings (based totally off of scores to one another)
1. Mt. Union
2. UW-Whitewater
3. St. John Fisher
4. Capital
5. St. Johns
6. Wesley
let me know what you think i would like to see some alternate versions. With what Mt. Union did today i believe that it discredits the st. johns, and absolutely almost knocks off wesley for showing so bad. Thats why fisher and capital get the nod over the other two. they played the closest to Mt. Union out of all the playoff teams. Whitewater and Fisher would be and interesting game, I believe that Fisher would’ve had their number also, but that’s bias, but I thought whoever won that bracket (mt. union/fisher) was going to win it all. I think it shows a little more respect for that east bracket too. Just throwing some thoughts out.
December 16th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
Where is the “flaming flush”? Your comments have a strong resemblance to last years poster “know it all”. Are you his brother? sister? or one in the same. It was an excellent football game between two outstanding, class programs. I consider myself very fortunate to be a fan of Mount since 1967, (when LK played) and been able to see the truly amazing things that he and his supporting cast has accomplished. I don’t believe I will ever take it for granted. To the UWW Warhawks you have been a formidable opponent, and your program spearheaded by your retiring head coach exudes nothing but class. Best Wishes to Coach “B”. Thanks RAIDERS. Nine is Fine!
December 16th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
I have to agree with Capfan. Capital was an all-round better team (I stress team) than WW. You can say the QB had a bad day but so did the starting QB for MUC. Good teams make the adjustments needed. The talkin is over! Goliath is still GOLIATH!!!!!! Just think if they had an enrollment of over 10,000.
December 16th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
1. MUC
2. Capital
3. SJF
4. WW
5. SJU
6. LAX
Nothing against WW, but when it was time to show up and play, capital and SJF brought a lot more game than anyone else. I still believe Rocky Pentello is the best D-III QB out there.
December 16th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
Congrats to the Purple Raiders. They played extremely well, especially in the second half. Once again, Coach Kehres proves himself, along with John Gagliardi, the king of the halftime adjustment.
I didn’t understand why UWW went away from the run so much in the second half. It seemed like Beaver was having some success running between the tackles, but when they did run in the latter half of the game, it was to the outside, where the speed of the MUC defense carried the day.
It also seemed like the Warhawks called one long pass after another. Why not try to establish a short passing game with Jacobs struggling?
December 16th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
Brutal game from my standpoint. No excuses, MUC was the better team today. I feel terrible for Justin Jacobs. Ive seen him play for the last few years, and the 2 most important games, he just didnt show up. Normally, he is such a pleasure/joy to watch. A true field general. To go out in this way is a shame.
I’m not sure that one game can make anyone start thinking uww isnt #2. no chance capital can be ranked ahead of them. would be pretty cool if some of the OAC and WIAC teams started to schedule some non-conference games.
I’m all about being passionate about what u do. and i do want to stress that he is an amazing player! but, when i think of sportsmanship, i think the last name id think of is pierre garcon. whether it was complaining to the refs, talkin smack to uww players, or his general “look at me!” attitude. Micheli came in and had an amazing game. however, he gave the game, players, and fans the respect that should come with the territory.
Bright spot is how well the WW D played Nate Kmic. Wonderful defense in that regard. I have a feeling they spent a lot of the film and practice time worrying about the run and not the pass.
The ESPN crew was terrible btw. really wish i had a computer nearby so i didnt have to hear that.
Last thing, I really want to thank Coach B. for everything he’s meant to this program and school. A lot of people outside of Whitewater dont realize what kind of figure he is around here. The ideal picture of not only a football coach, but a man. Great family guy and im sure he will continue to give back to the program in the years to come. Thanks Coach!!!!!!!
Congrats to MUC! Please dont create a negative environment for UWW fans, but enjoy the victory.
December 17th, 2006 at 12:35 am
UWW,
I agree with you on alot of that. I’m a MUC grad, and I hate seeing Pierre showboat the way he did. He’s a great talent, but nobody needs to see that crap.
My only reason for ranking Capital ahead was based on straight up performance. The last two years, they played MUC within 3 points, and nobody else has done that. WW came in with one of the top rated defenses in the country, and gave up 35 points. They came in with one of the top rated offenses, and only reached the end zone once, on a 5 yard possession. Capital put it into the endzone twice, and held MUC to 17 points. All of which probably means nothing. Different teams, different places in time. You guys had a great year, and I congratulate you.
December 17th, 2006 at 12:52 am
the advantage that capital has…….they see them once, if not twice every year. i think you play a team much closer when that is the case…….we wouldnt know the outcome unless they actually played. wish they could.
wheres flush??? would like to see the true fans stay around after a loss. d3 football is a special thing, and i wont be a piece like him. i am a senior at uww, so this loss hits hard. hope all u at muc, especially students and alumni, understand what it means to win even one stagg bowl. i hope we get another shot.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:20 am
Just sitting down now after the game here in Roanoke.
First of all congrats to MUC, you beat us and deserved to win. It’s unfortunate that we seemed to play our worst game of the year again today, but good teams will force you to do that. Stanley had a great game, besides the catches I constantly saw him blocking downfield, that was a great statement game for him to the NFL scouts. I’m not gonna get into it on here as to why we I think we lost cause it may tick some people off (including our own fans).
Once again Salem/Roanoke were great hosts for us this year, pretty much nothing but smiles and friendly people everywhere we went.
MUC fans, you guys were great, tailgaiting with you guys was a pleasure, you really represented your school well. Just a couple of things that kind of ticked me off from your sidelines though, on the field, actions by people representing your school almost more so than the fans; as the game was winding down MUC’s mascot came over to our sidelines and tackled our mascot from behind, I heard this from my little 12 yr old brother, not the type of action that you would come to expect from someone with that much attention on them. Second, after the teams were done shaking hands one of your players came towards our fans making an impolite gesture towards us (nothing wrong, but completely classless). I know we’re not perfect, but those acts of unsportsmanship are completely unneeded. Those two acts, however do not change my view of MUC as a standup college with standup people, the rest of you were great to us and I know that two stupid people do not make the majority stupid.
December 17th, 2006 at 1:28 am
Sorry Cap fans Mount beat Capital and Fisher without even trying to throw the ball. Whitewater is the second best team in the country.
December 17th, 2006 at 3:01 am
First, I’d like to congratulate both teams on great seasons and a fine championship game.
Mostly though, I’d like to thank the d3football.com crew for this site and their dedication to the game. This website has allowed me to reconnect to my college football days since where I am we get no coverage of Division III. I doubt the local daily will even have the score of the game in it tomorrow (today?).
I did as Pat? suggested and turned off the sound on my TV, paused the game about 20 seconds (I have satelite with pvr) and listened to the d3 crew on the internet webcast while I watched the game. This worked fantastically well. You guys did a great job on the webcast. Actually I listened to the webcast for the first quarter, the ESPN broadcast for the 2nd quater and then in the tradition of Mt. Union I made the halftime adjustment to what I liked best and stuck with the d3 webcast for the whole second half.
Pat, Keith, and Pat, you did a great job. My favorite line from the d3 broadcast, not sure which guy said which line, and I paraphrase:
broadcaster:”sunny and 65, wind light, a great day for football here in salem”
reply: “ANY day is a great day for football”
You got that right!!
I return to lurking.
speedy
December 17th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Hey Flushed “God of Football Knowledge” D3knowitall……….mainjack exposed you as the fool from last year (D3knowitall). Your prediction prowess remains legendary…….in your own mind!! I should have pulled a George Costanza (everybody on this board should get that reference) and gone the complete opposite way than the way that you were headed but Vegas has no action at our beloved level of competition!!
Oh mighty swami……..can you tell me where the Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500 (if you even know what they represent) will wind up at the end of 2007? When will the Fed next move on the Fed Funds Rate and in which direction? Who will be our next President of the United States of America?
Great game yesterday except for Garcon acting like a petulant D1 superstar awaiting his big NFL payday (it ain’t happening Pierre….there are dozens and dozens better than you in D1, D1-AA and D2!!)………now celebrate with class, shut up and hit the books you Rhodes Scholar. The Mount is too classy of a program for your self-admiration and I hope LK takes you out to the woodshed for your antics!!
Great year for D3 football and it’s time to focus on D3 wrestling (where the top D3 programs have no fear of “playing up” and can and regularly do beat mid-tier D1 programs).
Keith…..I’m heading up to the Meadowlands in a few minutes to watch our beloved pro team. My fingers are crossed!!
December 17th, 2006 at 10:19 am
The Mount Union defense was the story of the game. I believe they held UWW to well under 250 yards of offense for the game. Ric hasn’t posted the game stats here so I’m going by what I heard on TV at the end of the game.
The offense was efficient and did what it had to do. The interesting thing to me is that during the week there were UWW posters who were dreaming of a scenario where Micheli was throwing the ball. The feeling was that the game was over for Mt. Union if that occured. The dream turned into a nightmare as Micheli had an incredibly efficient day throwing the ball.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Meant to say that Ric hasn’t posted the game stats on the Mount Union site yet. I’m presuming he’s traveling today.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:23 am
Sorry, forgetting to complete thoughts today.
To those criticizing Garcon from UW-W, take a look at Derek Stanley. He was doing as much head-bobbing. trash-talking as Garcon and even took a cheap shot at Garcon on the sidelines on a play where he went out of bounds on the Mount Union sideline. That stuff goes both ways and don’t think for a minute that players on UW-W don’t do the same things.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:30 am
they might do the same things, but dont make it as overly obvious as garcon. he acted like a showboat and a jerk. anyone who watched the game saw his attitude.
December 17th, 2006 at 10:59 am
UWWFootball5,
Watch much football? The actions you are describing are PREVALENT in college and professional athletics. I don’t like it anymore than you do but it is how sports are played today. The althete that scores and humbly hands the ball to the official after the score without calling attention to himself is a rare athlete. BTW, coaches LIKE players who play with attitude. They’re usually players who are ultra-competitive/
The thing that I find amusing is the athlete that makes a great play when his team is getting blown out and then parades around acting as if he just made a game changing play. That’s the player that needs to get over himself.
December 17th, 2006 at 11:10 am
UWWFootball5…..one should remember these are young men playing in the games of their lives…..The attitude Garcon used in “showing off” is the same attitude that makes him a heck of a good player….Give him and the rest of us a break….keep the trash talking to yourself….speaking of Trash….talking that is…where are SeanGOP and Flush *S*
December 17th, 2006 at 11:12 am
Prevalent? Yes, unfortunately. Wrong? Yes.
I didn’t see Stanley doing things similar to what Garcon did, but obviously, it’s entirely possible that he did. But that doesn’t excuse anyone. And BucksFan, not all coaches want players who play with “attitude,” as you put it (or at least who manifest their attitude in such manners).
But none of this takes a lot away from what MUC did. They once again out-coached and out-executed a very good Warhawk team. I hope the Johnnies can get another game against the MUC machine in next years Stagg.
December 17th, 2006 at 11:16 am
trash talking??? their are plenty of players around who wont go overboard like him. and they arent competitive???? justin beaver, nate kmic, pete schmidt. 3 examples of great players who dont need all that in their game.
December 17th, 2006 at 11:16 am
I want to congratulate both teams for their performance yesterday. It was a very intertaining & competive game by two well coached and deserving teams. As fans the best thing we can do is to spread the word about D3 football. For the most part they are kids local to the college and are pretty much ignored by the media all year long until the championship game and then they get a few bones. In our area there was no pre-game show as they cut from a non-competetive basketball game moments before kickoff. Next year I hope ESPN can come up with a better announcing crew. Pat & Keith, people who know D3 football, get my vote.
December 17th, 2006 at 11:51 am
if the warhawks want to win a national championship…they need to get an offense…against st. johns and mt. union they looked terrible…hopefully sju can get another shot at mt.union next year
December 17th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
an excellent football game played by 2 very good teams. you have to give credit to MU because they dominated the 2nd half. too many UWW fans are taking away from that fact by whining about missed passes and other mistakes. if you are going to take credit for winning a game when the other team plays its worst game of the year, then you have to give credit to the team that causes your squad to play a bad game. i was watching the game with some people who are not familiar with d3 football and they came away impressed by the game. thanks to this website for promoting d3 football and giving us insight into all the squads around the country. looking forward to the final rankings. if wesley ends up 6th as some suggest, that would still be great. 2 trips to the final 4 in a row and an up and coming program. we will be back again next year, hopefully with a different result. congrats again to MU.
December 17th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
SJU,…so are you saying that LK shouldnt want a player like Garcon…if he’s on your side and you just burned the MUC D for a 50 yard score and Garcon bobs his head a little, I don’t see you getting too worked up about it…And buck4you is right…its a huge game, its on national tv, which is something DIII players don’t get…He comes into a game in which a lot of people think he’s not even healthy enough to catch a cold, and he just scored the go ahead touchdown that pretty much iced the game…making you back to back champs…and I know how some of you love to talk about how Mount and the fans dont appreciate a stagg bowl win because there have been so many, but you’d be wrong…so yes UWW5, having been in school for three national champs, we do know how to appreciate it…So, hes a little flamboyant…wow, big deal…I didnt see him do anything TO or Chad Johnson like..I didnt see any crazy antics like sleeping on the field, or a little riverdance, or pulling out a cell phone or a sharpie marker to autograph the ball or anything…so you got beat….now, since we beat you it must mean that we now have to look bad doing it…c’mon…
December 17th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
ronamuc,
agreed, the ESPN announcers were horrible. Gottfried embaressed himself. At one point he started to make a point about something, realized he was totally wrong on it, and then just clammed up. There were only three NCAA championship games this weekend, you would have thought we could have at least had the third string…..instead of the 10th.
December 17th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
First of all, congrats to MUC. The better team obviously won yesterday. Garcon ran right past us for a good chunk of the game, Micheli ran an efficient offense and the UW-W D was hit-or-miss in stopping Kmic. Congrats again, enjoy the win (not too much, though!) and best of luck next season.
The one thing I’d been worried about since the second round vs. LaCrosse came true yesterday. I figured that if Whitewater’s running game was shut down and we were FORCED to throw the ball a lot, we’d be in trouble. Yes, Beaver wasn’t having a bad game but he got stuffed a few times and I think we got scared. We kept throwing passes and Jacobs started turning into Brett Favre (from 2004 on). He kept making risky throws and tried to make up 10 points on every throw. He (along with the entire offensive line) looked to get a bit rattled and lost their composure. Jacobs had a great career at UW-W and it’s a shame he had to go out this way. A big thanks goes out to coach Berezowitz and all of the seniors. You gave us all a great time and we appreciate it.
I’d also like to thank all of the Whitewater fans that were at the game. You never let the team forget that we were behind them. If we can’t have the walnut and bronze, I’ll settle for comments like this, from John McGraw (blogging through Pat Coleman):
“The Warhawk fans are still loud and proud - the UWW band helps.”
Glad to be a part of it, folks. Best of luck to everyone in the future!
P.S. If you happened to catch the ESPN broadcast, I was the UW-W band member who “missed” Graduation to be at the game. I wouldn’t really say I missed it, though…
December 17th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Also, anyone know if there is/will be an archive of the D3Football.com webcast of the Stagg Bowl? I recorded the ESPN broadcast to watch later, but I’d prefer not to have to listen to people who don’t know what they’re talking about. I’d rather listen to Pat and Kieth any day…
December 17th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
Congrats to MU, they beat UWW just like I called :). Jacobs played awful, happy feet all game, dropped footballs, bad exchanges, and missed guys wide open. Had tons of time back there unless MU blitzed.
December 17th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Why does ESPN allow Pam Ward to broadcast the D3 Championship. Her comments are out of touch. Example ” Justin Beaver led all runners last year, but has had an off year this year with just 1300 yrds”. Duh, he missed 5 games due to injury, idiot.
December 17th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
Although I agree with the player of the game selection, this is the second year in a row that Garcon has been the one to break UWW’s back.
Did he play in the other playoff games? If so, did he get anywhere near the touches he did yesterday? When considering the final rankings, I think you have to keep in mind the difference he makes in the game. Watching his impact seems like watching the difference between a D1 player and D3 players.
December 17th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Has Mike Gottfried suffered a stroke in the last few years? I’ve noticed his speech is so deliberate and slurred. It sounds like he’s been drinking but my guess would be the effects of a stroke in the past.
December 17th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
BucksFan,
I don’t know. Mike did a decent job, but Pam Ward is awful at best. The one thing I dislike about ESPN is the politial correct hiring of broadcasters. C’mon have you heard Michael Irvin? He does not speak the same English as I do.
ESPN should to hire the best people to broadcast games, broadcasters who actually know football, in this case Keith, Pat and the gang.
December 17th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
It now appears that LK purposely underused Garcon to hide Jorris’ injury, knowing full well that Kmic was all MUC really needed to beat the last few teams. He created the illusion that if Micheli was in, MUC was pretty much only going to run the ball. Then they come out passing like crazy and getting garcon fully engaged. Just great coaching. As Flush was quick to point out earlier this week, this two QB system just isn’t working…….hahaha. I think he forgot to ask LK about that before he posted.
December 17th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
ronamuc,
ESPN should give more respect to D3. C’mon the game was already in progress. We missed the first 3 min of the game in my area. No pregame, nothing. Pam don’t have a clue and Mike was ok at times. I was forced to watch Texas Tech basketball who won in double digits. I was #@!%&^ when I noticed I missed all of pregame and the first 3 min. ESPN you need to get it right and show respect to D3 Football instead of disrespect.
December 17th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Purple Crush,
I agree. The Texas Tech game wasn’t even close. Stupid decision by ESPN. Bobby Knight it just close to breaking that record so they had to slobber all over him…
December 17th, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Pat and Keith,
Is there a website to voice concerns and comments to ESPN about the D3 Championship broadcast? If so I would like to comment and give suggestions. As the saying goes, ‘nothing is fixed unless people know about it’. If enough people complain, maybe they will show D3 respect. I know D3 has came a long way but let’s try to get the respect D3 deserves. Yesterday’s broadcast was a smack in the face to D3.
December 17th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
kirasdad,
Amen brother!!
December 17th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
ESPN will listen and respond to the criticism of its broadcast team if the ratings and the number of complaints justify it. Chances are it’s not gonna happen, but I understand the frustration I’m reading here.
December 17th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
There’s a feedback page on ESPN’s site. No guarantees it will get to the right people, however, and I never have had any involvement whatsoever with the ESPN broadcast of the Stagg Bowl.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?page=contact/espntv
December 17th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Great game yesterday. Congrats to MUC. They were without a doubt the better team yesterday. As far as the showboating, etc of Garcon, I personally don’t see any problem with a little swagger and headbobbing, and I understand the excitement that he had to be feeling, but I do think he went a bit overboard with all the jumping around once he got off the field. Again, big games bring out big excitement, but as a veteran of the team, he should have shown a little more composure.
phatjohnnie2, where are you coming from saying that UWW has to get an offense if they want to win a title? Last I checked, they had a great offense. So they had an off day against St. Johns (who has a pretty good defense). Big deal. You have to give credit to the MUC defense. They played very well yesterday, especially in the second half. They’ve made a lot of great offenses look out of form this year (and last).
Just throwing this out there, who thinks UWW has a legit shot at making another run next year? 4/5 O line coming back in front of Beaver, solid QB, young but talented WR’s (MUC saw a little of what Wells can do). Defense will be led by the LB’s (Raebel and Borzick returning) and the secondary (all returning), but D line loses 3/4, including Kleppe. Just looking for some opinions.
December 17th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
UWWRunner,
I think the biggest obstacle WW will have next year is adjusting to a new head coach and new system. Even if it’s someone from within, every new coach makes changes, sometimes good, sometimes not so much. But talent wise they will have the horse to make another run. It will be fun to see how they handle being the team that every one wants to take their best shot at. If they can get through the WIAC unscathed they will be well on their way. It’s a tough road.
December 17th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
RE: Whitewater’s chances next year:
For the most part I agree with mainjack. There’s no question how good the returning starters will be (if healthy). The big questions are going to be with the coaching staff and the younger guys stepping up into the big shoes they have to fill (particularly on the D-line and at QB).
The main measuring stick for them will be the WIAC. If they can make it through as champs, and possibly go undefeated, then they could be set for a deep playoff run. I personally can’t wait to see them play LaCrosse next year. It’ll be a good one!
December 17th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
Trombone guy..Yea saw you sitting there on National TV..I think your busted man. (just kidding) Congrats also to UWW, no matter what you still had a great season and a great team! Can someone fill me in on UWW # 40? This guy impressed me the most. I thought he was all over the field, outstanding player. I read earlier that the Mount folks don’t appreciate all the Tiltles. nothing could be further. The City Of Alliance always has the Police and Fire units escort the team on the way out and again when they return. I can assure every one that hearing the sirens and horns at 1 or 2 in the morning or after 5 am like today, always makes you see how special it is. One never kn ows you may not see it again enjoy it as much as you can
Thanks Raiders for a fantastic season!!
December 17th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
i agree with main jack…its going to be a struggle trying to go back to a national championship under a new system…uwwrunner…i was just saying that the offense played bad against st. johns and mount union and there not gonna win if they put points on the board…defenses can only carry u so far…(exception of the chicago bears..lol) but st. johns all the way next year baby!
December 17th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
So UWWRunner, I guess you only give credit to one defense …
and when SJU gives UWW trouble it’s an “off day.”
“Last I checked, they had a great offense. So they had an off day against St. Johns (who has a pretty good defense). Big deal. You have to give credit to the MUC defense.”
Perhaps UWW’s struggle against SJU was just a sign of things to come. One thing that both SJU and MUC share is great game planning. I think that just might have been a factor. The difference was the SJU offense gave UWW plenty of help in short fields that Mount didn’t.
The last three Staggs I’ve been to SJU played Mount a heckuva a lot closer than UWW has.
December 17th, 2006 at 9:30 pm
For those of you who can’t get enough, Google “Mount Union”
I got the first two results with 181 articles and 97 articles. I’m sure a bunch of them were picked up from AP and are just blurbs, but there’s a significant amount of coverage out there.
Not that we want you leaving here, of course
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-08,GGLD:en&q=Mount%20Union&btnG=Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn
December 17th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
110% agree with repete…sju no matter who they face its always gonna be tough…st. johns has one of the best coaching staffs in d3…they give great game planning just like mt. union has…i hope st. johns makes it to the stagg bowl just to show how great they are…
December 17th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
repete: “Perhaps UWW’s struggle against SJU was just a sign of things to come.”
I hate to say it, but I agree. Sorry RUNNER, but UW-W had more than just an “off-day” vs. SJU. The Johnnies found some things to exploit and it almost worked. If Wesley saw the same things, they just didn’t execute as well. MUC definitely found weaknesses and exploited most of them to perfection. The ‘Hawks have/had a good offense, but a great defense can usually shut down an equally great offense.
December 18th, 2006 at 12:17 am
“but a great defense can usually shut down an equally great offense. ”
To wit, MUC’s defense (as was UMHB vs a Beaver-less UWW). But, did UWW face a better passing game than MUC’s?
Micheli/MUC is vastly better than UMHB’s passing game.
December 18th, 2006 at 12:45 am
Does UWW play UMHB next year? If so when? That will be a good measuring stick to see how good UWW rebounds. I think UWW will be almost as good and will be in the hunt again.
Oh! if Beaver played against UMHB UWW would have done better. Maybe an offensive td. He impressed me yesterday against MUC.
December 18th, 2006 at 12:46 am
Pat,
Thanks for the link. I will go there and voice my concerns.
December 18th, 2006 at 2:12 am
Ok, I have to admit I greatly downplayed the fact that the St. Johns defense did a great job of disrupting our offense. I also have to agree that the gameplanning likely had a lot to do with it. But I still hold to the fact that our offense is great when they are executing (which is the majority of the time). Just ask Wesley (who had a solid, if not great, defense). We had our chances against MUC, we just didn’t execute. I hate to put it all on Pete (TE) as it wasn’t obviously all his fault (he didn’t give up the other scores) and we had other opportunities, but for the second straight year if he comes up with the catch, this time on third down for either a TD or 1 and goal, it would have been a whole new ballgame. Instead, MUC blocks the punt on the next play and scores again, thwarting the comeback attempt.
Mountguy
#40 is LB Tristan Borzick. He was leading the team in tackles coming into Salem (may have finished behind Raebel, not sure on that). He’s a junior this year (along with Raebel). Transferred from some school in IL.
December 18th, 2006 at 7:55 am
Borzick came from Illinois State U. Div IAA I believe.
December 18th, 2006 at 8:56 am
go for the gusto. Find out an executives name at ESPN, and just email them directly.
First name.last name@espn.com
December 18th, 2006 at 10:10 am
The Canton Repository printed that Mount has 7 returning starters on defense for 2007. How many return on offense??? Seems like a lock for pre-season No. 1.
December 18th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Garcon is a junior, Micheli is a sophomore, Kmic is a sophomore….need I say more
December 18th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Ya know, I’m tired of listening to both teams fans whining about this and that. MUC won so UW-W complians that they just didnt have their best game or Garcon is a showboat or whatever…blah, blah, blah…you lost, your the first place loser, get over it….Better next luck next year. Mount fans, Im tired of you complaining about UW-W fans complaining….You won, shut up and enjoy the ride home….You people are never satisfied…..As for Flush, your a moron, and you look like a reall pice of doodee right now dont you??? Way to make all your fans look as ignorant as you…You know what, it doesnt matter anyways, cuz Baldwin-Wallace is gonna roll MUC next year, and UW-W if we get the chance in the Stagg Bowl….Your all losers in my book….Go OAC—- Except Mount!
December 18th, 2006 at 10:24 am
What about the O-line, and is wray an underclassman? He played big Saturday
December 18th, 2006 at 10:29 am
UWW Runner…were you at the game between WW and SJU? The turnovers gave WW the game…10 of the 17 points they scored came off of St. John’s screw ups…SJU moved the ball against WW and gave Mount Union the defensive game plan they needed to win the game…
December 18th, 2006 at 11:28 am
MTU Seniors:
Defense:
2 DEs: Stickley and Vucelich
S & CB: Ursetti and Fehl
Offense:
QB: Jorric but you got Micheli
TE: Antonucci
LT/RT: Creachbaum and Lewis
OG: Reash
December 18th, 2006 at 11:45 am
Great to see D3 Football on HD!! Just wanted to add a comment on the ESPN crew… I thought it funny when Pam described Mount Union’s defense as a 5-2-5. No wonder they are that awesome, 12 people on defense. Kehres is a true mastermind!
December 18th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
kirasdad,
geez, you are bumming me out. I didn’t realize we were losing most of offensive line. Wait, what’s that noise….click-click. Must be LK reloading. Somehow I think we will be ok. :o)
December 18th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
I think I read somewhere this weekend that LK said that they had two Offensive Lineman who went down early in the season who will be back next year.
Ruturning 7 starters on both sides of the ball should not “Bum” you out.
Especially when the 2nd and 3rd teamers at MTU would probably be starting elsewhere. They are just chomping at the bit to take their turn and win their “Own” rings!
December 18th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
VOJ
UWW still had just short of 300 yards total offense. Yes, SJU did a great job at limiting them, and yes, the turnovers proved to be the key, but the UWW offense was still moving the ball fairly well. People seem to be taking what I said and blowing it up. The only thing I’m saying is that to say that UWW needs to get an offense if they want to win a title is a slap in the face to that offense that was one of the best in the country all season long. The defenses of SJU and MUC played very well and deserve credit for those games, but don’t take away from the UWW offense in doing so.
December 18th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
mainjack - I agree with you that SJF and Capital should both be ranked ahead of UWW, however I think that Fisher should be #2. Capital played MUC twice this year - the first time they got beat up pretty good (according to the score), while the second game was much closer. Fisher played MUC tough in the first meeting against them EVER! If SJF could have played MUC again this year, I think the outcome may have been different.
December 18th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
But, as MUC expert Ric pointed out (perhaps here; I’m not sure), the Raiders actually had to pass to beat UWW. They couldn’t be entirely one-dimensional as they were in their previous two playoff wins.
December 18th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
My Opinion:
1. MTU
2. UWW
3. Capital
4. SJFU
5. SJU
I saw the MTU vs. SJFU game in person (Garcon was hurt with the fracture, and we now find out that Jorris was having nerve damage in his throwing arm). SJFU had no answer for Kmic, even without a passing game.
I didn’t see the Capital game, but I have seen Cap play MTU in the past.
I did see the Stagg Bowl on TV. I agree with Ric’s comment that MTU had to pass to beat UWW and UWW did a fairly decent job on Kmic.
December 18th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
It was once again a great weekend except for the outcome of the game which of course was why we were in Salem. Great luncheon and highlight show…..sure would like to get a copy of that. Warhawk party at the Marriott was awesome and tailgate Saturday was even better. People at Stone Station couldn’t have been more hospitable and how about Oline mom she couldn’t have been nicer to us and my son and his oline teammates. Once again we didn’t play very well but Mount Union had a lot to do with that…..they are simply an awesome team headed up by a very classy coach……he individually went up to many of the senior players from Whitewater and shook their hands and had something to say to each of them. Couldn’t be more proud of our team and especially the seniors. POUND THE ROCK!!!!……..
December 18th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
We’re all quaking in our boots about B-dub there, OAC…
BW making the Stagg is crazy, seeing as they cant beat Mount or Capital..
and UWW would have rolled over them too…Are you hitting the egg nog a little too much this year?
December 18th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
and you all are right about the espn broadcast…I was tyring to count how many different ways they attempted to pronounce Berezowitz…I really wish they would get some folks in there who had a clue…
December 18th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
I’d like to cogratualte Mount Union on their 9th title. They were every bit deserving of it. As far as the people saying that Capital or SJF being ranked above UWW get real. Mount Union didn’t even need to pass to beat you guys. At least we got them into positions where they would need to throw. We just could not defend the pass very well due to either good protection, good scrambling ability of micheli (I still can’t believe he avoided that sack by jumping over a pile of linemen), break downs in coverage, or great recievers making big plays. The St. Johns “screw ups” were caused by a very good run defense and St. Johns inability to pass the ball effectively due to a poor passing game and a very good pass rush. We even had three times the number of penalties which is a BIG reason why you were able to move the ball on us a bit and we still won. The short fields were CAUSED by our defense and special teams. Will you guys ever give credit where it’s due or are you just content lying to yourself so that you can sleep better at night?
December 18th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Everyone needs to stop whining and complaining. MUC & UWW are obviously the 2 best teams this year. It doesn’t matter if they won their games by 3 or 300. The fact is they they won all of their games, and were good enough, when it mattered, to make it to the Stagg Bowl. Would you prefer that the Div III champion be determined with a BCS-like system?
December 18th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Warhawk, I don’t know of many Johnnie fans who think we deserved to beat UWW this year. Yes, we made some mistakes, and UWW took advantage. I think the point made by most of the Johnnie posters is that SJU had a great game plan against the ‘Hawks, and that MUC used some similar scheming (plus superior talent) to beat them. I’m confident that few fellow Johnnies would echo the one poster’s comment that UWW had a poor offense.
December 18th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
dedragon,
I almost fell out of my chair and spilled my coke when Pam Ward said” Mount Union is in a 5-2-5 defense.” ” Justin Beaver led all runners last year, but has had an off year this year with just 1300 yrds”. Duh, he missed 5 games due to injury, idiot.
She may be a nice lady, but she has no business broadcasting football on any level for that matter.
I recorded the game on TiVo and plan on watching it again. I will probably find more stupid comments. By the way TiVo is the way to go, I love it.
December 18th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
sjfc81,
I think i had too much champaigne in me when I listed Cap and SJF ahead of WW. I’m revamping based on a couple of things. The first is: Most of us didn’t know that LK was setting the trap by not passing at all vs. Cap & SFJ. After watching micheli saturday, it’s obvious he could have moved the ball through the air if he had needed to. Although Cap has a great offense and a darn good defense, combined, they aren’t as strong as WW. But Pentello is the great unknown, because IMHO, he’s the best D-III qb in the country. If he’s on, he has the ability to keep them in the game vs. anyone. Like alot of others who would love to see some teams moved around to some other regions, I think it would have been fun to see this Cap team vs. WW, SJU, Wesley, UMHB, etc. But sadly we will never know. Anyways, new ranking:
MUC
WW
CAP
SJFU
SJU
Hell, if Flush can change his predictions every hour, I should be allowed to change my ranking. :o)
December 18th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
Quote from SJFC81: “….Fisher played MUC tough in the first meeting against them EVER! If SJF could have played MUC again this year, I think the outcome may have been different.”
You’re right. The outcome would have probably been much worse. The more Kehres sees a team, it usually gets worse. As evidenced by the previous OAC playoff re-matches over the years where MUC wins bigger the 2nd time. In fact, only Capital has played MUC closer in the playoffs then the regular season game. Case in point from 2003, John Carroll lost to MUC 35-16 in Week 6 and then 57-19 in the National Semi-Finals. I can list more examples if you want them.
If you think SJF is anywhere near Whitewater, then I don’t know what to say. Kmic rushed for 371 yards on SJF when there was no attempt to throw the ball. None. If Mount would have tried that against WWW it wouldn’t have been pretty. SJF is a good team, but they were completely dominated at the line of scrimmage by Mount Union, and would have been dominated up front by WWW too.
December 18th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
HScoach I doubt the outcome would be worse. As a matter of fact I think SJFC really proved they could run with MUC. Yes they got dominated on the line, no question, they did however work around it. Remember they were a play away from taking the lead in the third quarter. I do not think they should be ranked ahead of UWW but there is room for speculation that they are as good as UWW. I have heard UWW fans all week say how good their team is. As a matter of fact most of the UWW fans gave the impression (not all of the fans) that the game with MUC may not even be close. I think UWW is a solid team, probably the 2nd or third best team in the nation, but…UWW lost to MUC, keeping the game close, and so did SJFC. So I don’t want to hear UWW fans sounding up in arms over talk that SJFC and others could challenge them for the second postion. It is a possiblity and that is a fact.
December 18th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
I heard some people talking in the stands after the MUC-SJFU game, that the two schools made a deal to play non-conference games in the next few years. Maybe you’ll get your chance to see how well SJFU stacks up given another chance.
December 18th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
raidergal in no way can you compare the two programs. You can’t compare anyone to MUC as a whole. The point I think that was made previously was that if this years teams played again that SJFC would do better the second time around. I don’t really think they would but I think that was the point. It is just great for an Eastern team to get that type of exposure two years in a row. MUC is a class act all the way around.
December 18th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
It’s fairly clear that LK wasn’t showing all his cards against SJF. They didn’t throw downfield much at all (although I was flipping between both games and might have missed something). The longest of a mere eight completions in 14 attempts was 16 yards.
It puts this LK quote in new light: “When you consider the circumstances involved, he really came through when we needed it most.”
How much Garcon was hurting that day is unclear, but what MUC “needed most” was NOT revealing to UWW how well it could throw the ball against a good defense plus giving them something to think about in the form of Kmic.
December 18th, 2006 at 6:11 pm
Again, I don’t think SJFC is as good a team as MUC, but to say or even think that LK and MUC did not do all they could to beat SJFC is a joke. I don’t care if they didn’t throw the ball. They wanted to and needed to win that game. I know that if you asked LK he would tell you he went with what worked. Obviously it was the run. Repete, I think Garcon was really hurting that day, and that definatly helped SJFC, no question. I think MUC couldn’t show all its cards because not all were or could have worked against a decent SJF defense. They did what they had to do to win, and that is why MUC is clearly a better team. I am no SJFC fan but, I get annoyed when people do not give respect where it is do. I guess what I am saying is that in no way did MUC decide to just run the ball becuase they wanted to save cards for UWW.
December 18th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
There’s a story about a young Jim Tressel as an offensive coordinator. At the beginning of the game he called a running play. The play gained 5-6 yards. He called the same play again and it netted a first down. On the next play he called the same play again and again it netted 5-6 yards. At this point the head coach called up to the box and asked Tressel if there were any other plays in the playbook. He replied that there were. The head coach then asked him if he intended to call any of those plays. His response? “I sure do coach, as soon as they stop this one”.
That’s the way Mount Union played SJF, particularly in the second half. It was apparent that SJF was unable to stop the run, so Mount Union ran.
December 18th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
HScoach - I believe that Capital faired much better the second time around THIS year. They lost 35-16 in the first game (I think) and then they lost by only 3 points in the second meeting between the two teams. Fishers only regular season loss this year was to Springfield. In that game Sharpe (Springfield qb) ran for over 270 yards and 7 touchdowns. However, in the playoffs when the same two teams met, he rushed for less than 100 and SJF won the game. You can only see so much on game tape. What SJF found out was that Kmic is a lot better of a rb in person than on tape. So I promise you that if these same two teams met again, the outcome COULD have been different. I am not saying that SJF definately would have won, but I know that Kmic would not rush for 371 yards again.
repete - From I have heard LK is a tremendous coach - one of the best ever at any level. So to say that he “did not show all his cards” is ridiculous. SJF had the ball on the MUC 15 with 7 minutes left in the game. If they would have scored, SJF would have taken the lead. However, MUC’s defense came up with 2 big stops and then blocked the field goal. That is a credit to MUCs defense and coaching staff.
December 18th, 2006 at 10:13 pm
anyone who saw the sju ww game knows that sju played the better game…i would like to see ww come to st. johns in a hostile environment and beat them…every year st. johns goes to ww late in the playoffs and the field is so muddy and discusting…st. johns never has that many turnovers in a game and i think if st. johns plays uww at home…sju would win by a touchdown or more
December 18th, 2006 at 10:25 pm
radel:
I see your point about SJU playing a “better” game, but the reason the Johnnies keep having to come to Whitewater is because the Warhawks have earned the higher seed. Roles may very well be reversed next year, but until that happens you have to play with the cards you’re dealt.
And as far as the field conditions go, SJU just happens to keep showing up the day or two after a major snowstorm. This year we had nearly a foot and a half of snow just the day before. Considering what the grounds crew had to deal with, I’d say the field was in pretty darn good shape.
December 18th, 2006 at 10:33 pm
Ridiculous? One guy, rushing for 370 is ridiculous.
The bottom line: The Purple Raiders didn’t need to pass to beat SJF. They found that out on the third play of the game. They ran the ball for a simple reason: it worked.
Here’s a bit of play-by-play with MUC leading 19-14 in the fourth.
M 1-10 M20 Nate Kmic rush for 5 yards
M 2-5 M25 Nate Kmic rush for 33 yards
M 1-10 F42 Nate Kmic rush for 8 yards
M 2-2 F34 Nate Kmic rush for 1 yard
M 3-1 F33 Nate Kmic rush for 8 yards
M 1-10 F25 Nate Kmic rush for 8 yards
M 2-2 F17 Nate Kmic rush for 7 yards
M 1-G F10 Nate Kmic rush for 5 yards
M 2-G F05 Nate Kmic rush for 5 yards
If MUC needed to pass, this was the time. Instead, they got at least 5 yards rushing on all but one snap. I’m sure confidence in the MUC defense also had something to do with the offensive game planning.
sjfc81, you point out how close the game was in the 2nd half. If MUC was using its full arsenal, why did they only throw twice in the half? Why show more when you’ve got a guy getting nearly 9 per carry?
December 18th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
radedlphtrjohnnie2:
Bottom line, however, UWW earned both the home fields and the victories the past two years. Had SJU taken care of the ball, they could have one at least this season’s game. They didn’t UWW made them pay. That’s the game.
Whining about sloppy fields and “every year” doesn’t do much for your credibility. SJU got stuck on the road because it couldn’t get it done vs. Bethel. Even if it had won, UWW played a better non-conference sked and deserved the top seed. Simple as that.
December 18th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
sjfc81,
If you think you saw even half of the MUC offense that day you are dreaming.
I am also pretty sure that on another day if MUC played SJF that KMIC would not get 371 yards either. He would probably get about 200 get taken out at the 7 minute mark of the fourth quarter, after MUC had a lead that was comfortable and with three touchdown passes (two to Garcon) with 500 yards of total offense.
Your ability to run the ball a little bit is what kept you in the game and avoided a blowout. As you saw in the Stagg Bowl and in the Semis MUC seems to get stronger as the game goes on.
December 18th, 2006 at 10:59 pm
i know im not saying we lost cuz of that but that is a part of it because whitewater scored 10 points off our turnovers…but i guartee u next year if st.johns plays uww at home…sju will win
December 18th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
Well as soon as the Johnnies EARN that home game against UWW, we’ll see if that prediction holds. No disrespect the SJU, but being in MN, it’s not like you’re a stranger to bad weather. It’s part of football. You played a good game against us this year and lost due in large part to some big turnovers. I’m just not seeing how the field had that much, if anything, to do with that.
December 18th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
im not saying st. johns lost to the cold….im saying PART of the reason was the sloppy field…one of our corners lost his football jumping up for a ball that was catch by that freshman wide reciver at the 2 yard line…i know st. johns has to earn it but IF st. johns plays at home against uww…they will win…st. johns rarely has 3-4 turnovers during games…
December 18th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
My top 5 are: remember UMHB held UWW’s offense scoreless.
MUC
WW
CAP
UMHB
SJU
December 19th, 2006 at 1:33 am
Maybe he didn’t have the right shoes
Ok…done with this topic. Both teams played on the field. SJU played well, but not well enough. Good luck next year.
December 19th, 2006 at 6:56 am
“could have one at least this season’s game.”
Yikes, I mean “could have won at least this season’s game” of course.
Bottom line, radel, give it a rest. Take a little longer term perspective. UWW EARNED the last two west titles and two runner-up finishes, just as sju earned four west titles and one title since 2000.
December 19th, 2006 at 8:50 am
radelphatjohnnie2
My 2 cents worth plink, plink.
I was at both SJU vs WW games the past two years.
8 TO’s last year was a death sentence against WW and the field played no part in that.
3 TO’s in this years game turned out to be the same story only in a smaller proportion. I actually had St Johns winning this game but once again with a TO ration of a -3 and two to those resulted directly into points! Kofed’s INT in the third quarter was huge. That old “M” word really swung. But as much as he maybe should not have thrown it, the defensive pressure was what caused the hurry. Just plain good football with a lousy result for SJU, my second favorite team as you may know. To SJU’s credit they did not let that series of events knock them down and they continued to play a good game and had additional chances to tie/win the game but just didn’t get it done.
Both teams also missed field goals so that might have changed things too.
Field in my opinion was just fine and not a factor. I am sure there was a WW receiver who slipped on a route that may have cost them a completion and a first down too.
Getting ready to crawl into a corner and start going through withdrawl until next August. LOL
One more National Champion to crown this year ……
GO BUCKEYES!
December 19th, 2006 at 9:10 am
repete and joelmama - I believe someone said earlier that MUC attempted 14 passes in the game, with only two of the attempts coming in the second half. LK is a great coach and he did what all great coaches would do in a game - go with what is working. That is why they ran the ball so much in the second half - because it worked. What was not working was their passing game. Garcon (sp?) did not have any impact whatsoever. Not because of an injury (which by the way he looked great against UWW), but because he was covered. MUC tried to get him the ball on several occasions, but they failed. So my point is now that SJF knows how great of a rb Kmic really is, a second game between these two teams MAY have had a different outcome. I am not saying that SJF would have beaten them, but I think they would have given MUC a better game.
Also, joelmama, you stated that SJF’s ability to run the ball is what kept them in the game. Well, it was MUC’s ability to run the ball that won them the game.
December 19th, 2006 at 9:13 am
O-H!
December 19th, 2006 at 10:33 am
81:
“So my point is now that SJF knows how great of a rb Kmic really is, a second game between these two teams MAY have had a different outcome.”
If SJF didn’t know that then they didn’t deserve to win the game. That’s just silly to suggest that.
December 19th, 2006 at 11:11 am
sjfc81,
If Nate Kmic stays healthy he will probably be in a position to break the alltime rushing yards record for all divisions. How could SJF NOT know how good a running back he is?
December 19th, 2006 at 11:20 am
I-O
December 19th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
I O
December 19th, 2006 at 1:00 pm
If MUC played SJF right now, I think Kmic would run for more than 371 yards…the SJF defensive line was getting beat like they stole something…
I dont care if they played ten more times, they physically would not be able to stop the run, b/c the MUC O-line was just that good…you put that O-Line with a great runner like Kmic, and that equals the trouncing SJF got via the run… MUC could run the ball every single play of the game, and SJF still wouldnt stop him…teams who want to win playoff games dont need a second look at a running back to see he’s good…
December 19th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
joelmamma and repete come on, I didn’t want to say it before but I think it does need to be said. I love MUC, they are a better team than SJF, they are the best team in the nation period. I think you guys just cannot handle that for the second year in a row an Eastern team came into Alliance and gave MUC a game. Ask LK, he’ll tell you that the game was very close and SJF had an opportunity in the 3rd Qurter to take the lead. 371 yds is amazing, and it clearly shows MUC’s line dominated SJF’s. Yet it was a close game, and to even imply that MUC held back in a close game is a joke. Running the ball was obviously working so they stayed with it, but I know for sure if they couldhave thrown the ball more and put the game away easily they would have. So I think it is time to deal with the truth, SJFC deserves to be in any talk about the top 4 or 5 spots. I think they played MUC just as good as UWW did and SJFC only had one shot.
December 19th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Nicely said dlippiel. There is no doubt that MUC is the best team in the country. I just think that SJF is the second best.
December 19th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
I’ve got no problem with SJF at No. 4 and I’ve already mentioned that the East was obviously improved (even if its avoidance of the Stagg continues).
I never said LK “held back,” I said he didn’t show all of his cards. When you throw 14 passes and rarely look downfield, there were cards MUC didn’t show. When your line is dominating, you manage the offense differently than when you’re in a more balanced matchup. Sorry you took that as a slam, but given the matchups on that semifinal Sunday, MUC didn’t need its whole playbook. No one’s saying SJF wasn’t tough, but the Raiders found what worked best early on and rode it to Salem.