Warhawk running back's success starts with running back's coach Nelson Edmonds

(In the adjacent photo – Lance Leipold and running backs coach Nelson Edmonds greet Levell Coppage as he comes off the field after breaking the school and WIAC career rushing record of fellow Warhawk Justin Beaver in Saturday’s 31-16 win over UW-Stevens Point – photo courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

The names of Levell Coppage, Justin Beaver and Chad Wurth have been permanently ingrained in the minds of UW-Whitewater football fans over the past decade.

The reason is simple! How about 17,661 rushing yards and 177 touchdowns combined?

While the players accomplished the incredible statistics on the field – the one constant over the years has been the work of running backs coach Nelson Edmonds.

The Madison native is now in his 17th year on the UWW coaching staff. The success of his running back corps is nothing new.

While the focus has been on Levell Coppage’s rushing exploits over the past four years a further look at UW-Whitewater’s rushing game over the past decade has been nothing less than mindblowing.

John Damato, Eddie McKennie, Jeff McKenzie, Colon Burns, followed by Wurth, Beaver and Coppage have combined to rush for 1000 yards-plus every year with the exception of 1999.

The one constant each year has been the work Coach Edmonds has done in molding his running backs into approaching the position the “Warhawk way.” The result speaks for itself.

Rollie and Nancy Cooper will enter the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday evening

Congratulations to Rollie and Nancy Cooper who will be inducted into the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday evening in the Hamilton Room at the James R. Connor University Center.

The Cooper’s are the recipients of the Hall of Fame’s 2011 Distinguished Service Award.

The contributions the Coopers have made to UW-W intercollegiate athletics are numerous.

Rollie and Nancy have been long-time supporters of Warhawk teams with their attendance at events, financial support, booster club membership and service to the athletic department.

One thing is a constant – the Coopers support not only football, but a wide range of UW-Whitewater athletic programs by attending games or contests on a regular basis.

For years, the Coopers have been seated at the same table (southeast corner) of the Saxes Lone Star Inn dining room at the weekly Quarterback Club meetings.

Each week, Rollie and Nancy’s names top the reservation list for the fan bus heading to a Warhawk road game.

In his letter to prospective Quarterback Club members Warhawk head football coach Lance Leipold wrote: Our Warhawks would not be where they are today without this support. Becoming a member of the Warhawk Quarterback Club is your way to support the team and be a part of the “power behind the tradition.”

To view a full list of 2011 UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame inductees CLICK HERE

Whitewater football program and WIAC featured in major USA Today cover story

The UW-Whitewater football team has gotten its share of national publicity over the past six-plus years on the Division III national stage.

The UW-Whitewater football program along with the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference hit the “mother lode” Thursday when the USA Today newspaper published a front page sports section story (on 11/27/11) featuring the Warhawk football team “pounding the rock” as it came out of the Student Athletic Complex prior to its WIAC opener vs. UW-Platteville at Perkins Stadium.

How did the USA Today decide on the story?

USA Today writer Andy Gardiner was in Wisconsin prior to the Badgers’ Big Ten opener at Camp Randall Stadium the night of the Hawks game vs. Nebraska. Gardiner suggested making the short trek to Whitewater to scout out a story on the two-time defending national champion Warhawk football program.

The USA Today headline reads: The conference no one leaves – Wisconsin’s D-III schools boast unique stability.

UW-Whitewater’s six consecutive trips to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl to meet Mount Union (Ohio) in the NCAA Division III championship game on one of the ESPN family of channels has delivered incredible publicity for U-Dub-Dub.

Thursday’s USA Today feature article showcases Division III’s three-time national championship football program and the nation’s No. 1 conference in the WIAC.

To view the USA Today cover story CLICK HERE

Warhawks host UW-Stevens Point in U-Dub-Dub's 86th Homecoming game

The UW-Whitewater football team will welcome UW-Stevens Point to Perkins Stadium Saturday in the Hawks' 2011 Homecoming and Hall of Fame Game.

The conference rivals are no strangers to meeting for UWW's Homecoming. Saturday will mark the fourth time the two teams have squared off in a UW-Whitewater homecoming game since 2004.

Point beat the Hawks 15-12 in 2004 and 17-16 in 2008. U-Dub-Dub got a measure of revenge last year with a 27-14 in front of 11,448 fans at Perkins Stadium.

UWSP enters Saturday's game playing its best football of the season.

The Pointers came from ten points down, scoring on Mitch Beau's quarterback sneak with 15 seconds left in the game to win at Eau Claire, 28-24, last Saturday. The UW-SP defense sacked Blugold QB Austin Neu four times. Beau went 11-19 for 252 yards with three touchdowns. Lineman Justin Scary with eleven tackles, two and a half for a loss, and one and a half sacks.

UW-W went into the lion's den in Oshkosh and came out with a 20-17 win last week. It was the smallest margin of victory in Whitewater's current 37 game win streak. An Eric Kindler field goal with 1:18 left was the difference. That field goal was set up by a 47 yard run by Levell Coppage, who was the focus of the Titan defense. He carried the ball 28 times for 131 yards.

Saturday's Homecoming game will be the 86th for UW-Whitewater. The 2011 Athletics Hall of Fame class will be honored Saturday. The group will be introduced at halftime of the football game, with the formal induction taking place at a banquet Saturday night.

To access UW-Whitewater sports information director Tom Fick's UWW-UWSP game notes CLICK HERE

Pointers enter Saturday's game having beaten Warhawks twice since 2004 in UWW Homecoming games

UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point are no strangers to matching up in Homecoming games at Perkins Stadium.

Since 2004 the two WIAC rivals have played three times in UW-Whitewater’s Homecoming game at the Perk with the Pointers winning two of the three games.

In 2004 - the Pointers shocked Whitewater 15-12 on a dank and dreary day at Perkins Stadium. The Warhawks led 12-7 at the end of three quarters. The Pointers took the lead on a 23 yard Brett Borchart to Kurt Kielblock pass with 7:35 left in the fourth quarter. UWSP converted a two-point conversion to extend the lead to 15-12.

The Hawks put a drive together on the ensuing possession and had an opportunity to tie the game however Mike Chalk’s 46 yard field goal attempt slid wide-left with 4:17 remaining.

The Pointers offense sealed the deal by running the clock out on the final possession of the game.

In 2008 - the Pointers stunned Whitewater when Jared Beckwith hit Jared Jenkins on a 10 yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining. Still trailing 16-15, veteran head coach John Meich elected to go for the win. Beckwith connected with Jenkins again on a diving catch in the right corner of the end zone for the 17-16 lead, and the win.

The Pointers' win also ended Whitewater's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record-tying win streak at twenty-five games, and UW-W's WIAC record home field win streak at twenty-seven games.

It marked the last regular season loss for the Warhawks.

U-Dub-Dub will enter Saturday’s game vs. the Pointers on a 37-game win streak – the longest in the nation in any division.

The Hawks have won 18 consecutive conference games and currently have a 23 game win streak at Perkins Stadium including playoff victories.

The Warhawks welcome UW-Stevens Point to Perkins Stadium on Saturday for U-Dub-Dub's 2011 Homecoming – Hall of Fame Day game. Kickoff will be at 1:05 p.m.

Tickets for home games can be purchased at the University Center ticket office Monday-Friday during normal business hours. Tickets will also be available at Perkins Stadium on game day.

16th Annual Raffle-Auction set for November 12th

(Editor's Note: at the end of the following story you you will find a link to access information on the the 2011 Football, Men's Basketball and Baseball Raffle-Auction - please check it out!)

The major annual fundraiser for the UW-Whitewater football, men’s basketball and baseball programs will take place the evening of Saturday, November 12th, in the Hamilton Room of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s James R. Connor University Center.

As we all know, operating an NCAA Division III football program with a 100 student-athletes is a difficult task with increasing operational costs and technology needs. Your participation in the annual Raffle-Auction has been a huge factor in allowing the UW-Whitewater football program to achieve national elite status on an annual basis.

The Warhawk football team has captured a record six consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, six straight berths in the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs, and six consecutive games vs. the University of Mount Union in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, which his the NCAA Division III National Championship Game in Salem, Virginia.

The UWW football team is the two-time defending NCAA Division III national champion having won titles in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

This year’s Warhawks are seeking a seventh consecutive trip to Salem in search of a 4th National Championship in the last five years.

It is the hope of UW-Whitewater football, men’s basketball and baseball that you consider attending the Raffle-Auction the evening of November 12th. It is one of the top on-campus social events each fall. Food and certain beverages are complementary to all Raffle-Auction ticket holders.

As has been the case each year, there will be auction items that will fit virtually everyone’s budget.

Tickets will be available at the Hamilton Room on the night of the event. The cost of the tickets is $10 which will be your chance to win a number of Raffle prizes including to chance at the $2000 Grand Prize.

To purchase your Auction-Raffle tickets in advance, you may contract Lance Leipold (262-472-1453), Pat Miller (262-472-1146) or John Vodenlich (262-472-1420).

To access the Warhawkfootball.com Raffle-Auction link for a list of 2011 auction items CLICK HERE

Warhawks overcome injuries with quality play from backups

The UW-Whitewater bench looked more like a MASH unit during the second half of Saturday's game at Oshkosh.

Hawks All-American middle linebacker Greg Arnold entered the game with a high ankle sprain. He lasted just three plays before being sent to the sideline due to the injury.

For the second straight week back-up Cole Klotz responded by registering 8 tackles including 3 tackles for a loss.

Hawks center Grant Poenitsch finished the game with crutches on the sideline.

”One of the prerequisites of playing offense line for Whitewater is the ability to play more than one of the OL positions,” Leipold told Arnie Peck on the postgame interview portion of the KOOL 106.5 game broadcast.

With the Poenitsch injury, Joe Hanson stepped in for Poenitsch.

"Joe hasn't practiced one snap as a center since back in training camp," Leipold said. "For Joe to be able to step in and play a "new" postion was a big key for us."

Cornerback Sam Overton was forced from the game after having his “bell rung” making a tackle.

Luke Menzel also was injured and did not return.

“There were a lot of guys that had to step up and increase their role,” Leipold indicated in his postgame interview. “It was a major reason why we were able to win the game. That is what good football teams do – that is what championship football teams do.”

Titans take another giant step in improving its football program

(In the above photo - a panoramic view of the largest Uw-Oshkosh football crowd at Titan Stadium since 1998)

Props to those that attended Saturday’s WIAC first place showdown game between UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium in Oshkosh.

Saturday’s announced crowd of 3,863 is UWO’s largest crowd since 1998.

The crowd was outstanding considering UWO had drawn just 949 to its previous home game on October 1st against UW-River Falls. The Titans drew 1233 to its season opener vs. Central Iowa.

With the Titans playing winning football and ranked No. 20 in the nation by D3football.com, if you were at the game you could feel genuine excitement by Titan fans.

With a large amount of game-week publicity Saturday’s first place showdown in the WIAC had a palatable “playoff feel” to it.

It is just another step in Oshkosh head coach Pat Cerroni’s plan to develop the Titans into a championship caliber program.

Despite suffering a heartbreaking 20-17 loss to Whitewater Saturday, the Titans took another step in improving its program. It is very refreshing.

Hawks beat Oshkosh 20-17 in classic at Titan Stadium

The UW-Oshkosh football team gave UW-Whitewater all it could handle for 60 minutes on Saturday – in the end the two-time defending national champions found a way to win.

Eric Kindler drilled a 17-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining for the deciding point to give the Warhawks a pulsating 20-17 victory over the Titans in a battle of conference unbeatens.

The game marked closest margin of victory for the Warhawks since a 16-14 win at Eau Claire on Sept. 13, 2008 – a span of 48 wins.

The game-winning drive started at the UW-Whitewater 20-yard line with 5:51 on the clock. Levell Coppage or Matt Blanchard shared carries on each of the drive’s 10 plays. From midfield, Coppage busted through the left side and zigzagged his way for 47 yards. The Titan defense then stuffed three runs at the goal line to force a field goal.

UW-Oshkosh made things interesting by moving to the UW-Whitewater 37-yard line with about 20 seconds left. Casey Casper came up with a sack on the next play to force a Hail Mary, which was intercepted by Ryan Wenkman in the end zone with one second remaining.

Oshkosh scored first on a 29-yard field goal by Nate Becker with 9:01 in the first quarter. A 53-yard pass from Nate Wara to Cole Myhra set up the field goal. The 7-0 score did not change the rest of the period.

Whitewater did not put any points on the board in the first quarter, marking the first time since October 9, 2010 against UW-Stout in Whitewater, a span of 16 games.

In the second quarter Whitewater senior quarterback Matt Blanchard's 23-yard run at 14:52 put gave the Haws a 7-3 lead.

Oshkosh regained the lead on a Charlie Weissman 1-yard run with 12:11 left in the half. The Titan drive was aided by pass interference and personal foul penalties on the Warhawks.

Whitewater's Eric Kindler knotted the score at 10-10 with a 47-yard field goal at 4:49 of the second quarter.

Oshkosh regained the lead on a Jeremy Roach 14-yard touchdown run with just 1:18 left in the half.

The last time the Warhawks went into halftime behind in the score, was the 2008 Stagg Bowl, where the Warhawks trailed Mount Union 24-10.

In the third quarter, with Whitewater facing 1st and ten at the Oshkosh 20, UWO’s Charlie Stueck intercepted a Matt Blanchard pass in the end zone and returned it to the 12.

Not dissuaded, Whitewater came back to tie the game late in the third quarter when Blanchard fired an 8-yard scoring pass to tight end Jason Ford.

The scoring play was set up by a Blanchard to Tyler Huber 62-yard pass to the UWO four yard line.

The Warhawks compiled 20 first downs and 429 yards of offense. Coppage finished with a game-high 131 yards rushing with quarterback Matt Blanchard adding 91 yards on the ground.

The Hawks’ senior quarterback completed 17-of-25 through the air for 209 yards,. Tyler Huber had another big day on the receiving end of Blanchard’s passes by catching seven passes for 127 yards.

UWO quarterback Nate Wara finished the game 17-33 through the air for 148 yards.

Cole Myra paced the Titan’s rushing attack. Myra led the way with 66 yards including a 53 yard burst on the third play of the game to set up a 29 yard Nate Becker field goal to give UWO an early 3-0 lead.

Saturday’s game had an announced attendance of 3,863 for its largest crowd since 1998.

The hard-earned win gives UW-Whitewater a one-game lead in the WIAC standings with three games remaining in the regular season. Oshkosh is all alone in second place with a 3 & 1 conference record and 5 & 2 overall. The Titans only two losses this season have been to No. 2 ranked Mount Union (41-17 in week-two) and to No. 1 ranked Whitewater.

The Warhawks return home to host UW-Stevens Point it the 2011 Homecoming and Hall of Fame Day game. Oshkosh will welcome UW-La Crosse to Titan Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff.

The two-time defending Division III champion UW-Whitewater Warhawks travel to Oshkosh Saturday for a 1st place showdown with UW-Oshkosh.

Both teams enter the Titans Homecoming game with 3 & 0 records in the conference and sit alone on top of the WIAC standings.

The Warhawks will put their No. 1 national ranking and 36 game winning streak on the line against Oshkosh.

The Titans are 5-1 for only the second time since 1972 and the only loss on the schedule has been a 41-17 defeat at the hands of Division III power house Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio in week-two of the season. UWO is currently ranked 20th in the latest D3football.com poll.

"Pat has done a great job," Leipold tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "He's had a plan and has worked extremely hard. They have earned being in this position at this point. It should be an exciting day on Saturday."

The winner of Saturday’s showdown will possess the inside track at the 2011 WIAC championship. Whitewater is in search of a seventh consecutive league crown. Oshkosh has not captured a conference title since 1976.

Gametime is 1:30 p.m. at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

The following are UWW @ UWO game day links to help make your game day more enjoyable.

Live Stats CLICK HERE

UWO Live TV Stream CLICK HERE

KOOL 106.5 Radio stream CLICK HERE

WOSH Radio Stream CLICK HERE

UW-Whitewater Pregame Notes CLICK HERE

UW-Oshkosh Pregame Notes CLICK HERE

Daily Jefferson County Union Pregame Story CLICK HERE

Milwaukee Journel-Sentinel Pregame Story CLICK HERE

Oshkosh Northwestern Pregame Story CLICK HERE

warhawkfootball.com CLICK HERE

Titans Face Two-Time Defending National Champion For Homecoming

Two nationally ranked squads with impressive winning streaks meet to decide first place when UW-Oshkosh hosts UW-Whitewater on Saturday (Oct. 22) at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. The Warhawks (6-0/3-0 WIAC) bring their 36-game win streak and number-one ranking, while the Titans (5-1/3-0 WIAC) have captured four straight and list 20th in the latest D3football.com poll.

Both these teams suffered their last defeat to the University of Mount Union (Ohio). UW-Whitewater has been perfect since falling to the Purple Raiders in the national title game on Dec. 20, 2008. UW-Oshkosh dropped a 41-17 decision to second-ranked Mount Union (6-0) on Sept. 10. The Titans’ current four-game win streak is their best in a season since 2003.

UW-Whitewater, which has been the top-ranked team for 22 consecutive months, won each of its games this year by 19+ points. The Warhawks’ conference slate includes victories over UW-Platteville (34-14), UW-River Falls (42-10) and UW-Stout (42-21). UW-Oshkosh has also beat those three opponents by scores of 24-3, 42-7 and 56-10, respectively.

This match-up features the WIAC’s top two offenses and top two defenses. UW-Whitewater leads the league in nine of the 10 main statistical categories, including total offense (483 yards) and total defense (226 yards). The Warhawks rely on Levell Coppage and his conference-bests of 725 yards and 12 touchdowns running. Coppage is currently 185 yards from becoming the WIAC’s all-time leading rusher (6,584 yards).
Quarterback Matt Blanchard has completed 70 percent of his passes while tossing 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. His 1,400 passing yards include 515 to Tyler Huber and 373 to Luke Menzel. Huber and Menzel stand first and third, respectively, on the WIAC’s receiving charts.

The Warhawk defense is surrendering just 11 points and 67 rushing yards per game. UW-Whitewater owns a +7 turnover margin, and it allows opponents to convert 29 percent of their third downs. Greg Arnold paces the unit with 35 tackles.

UW-Oshkosh will counter with the WIAC’s second-ranked offense, marking 408 yards per game. The Titans, who average 32 points, have used 954 passing yards and 457 rushing yards by Nate Wara (Jr. • Oshkosh). Wara accounted for 12 touchdowns this year, while Justin Budiac (Sr. • Mukwonago) has rushed for seven scores in the last four games. Garrie Fox (Sr. • Madison) owns 368 receiving yards and Caleb Voss (So. • Van Dyne) 351 to both rank in the top five of the conference.

In last week’s victory at Platteville, the Titan defense allowed 188 yards. UW-Oshkosh has been especially stout through the air, yielding a WIAC-low 5.1 yards per pass. The Titans have posted nine takeaways from nine different players, while Jack Breese (Sr. • Kewaskum) leads the team with 46 stops.

UW-Whitewater holds a 72-25-5 edge in this series, which began in 1897. The Titans last won in 2002, but they were effective during their 48-21 setback last season. The victorious Warhawks ran for 325 yards and held the ball for 39 minutes. Wara threw for 217 yards to highlight UW-Oshkosh’s effort.

Coppage needs 185 yards to become school and WIAC career rushing leader

(In the above photo - Warhawk offensive line coach Steve Dinkle chats with Levell Coppage following Thursday evening's "pound the rock" post practice exercise - Tom Pattison photo)

Levell Coppage enters Saturday’s first-place showdown at UW-Oshkosh just 185 yards from eclipsing Justin Beaver’s UW-Whitewater and WIAC record career rushing record.

The senior out of Oak Park-River Forest High School (Ill) enters Saturday’s game with 750 rushing yards so far this season and currently sits at an even 6400 career yards.

“It is pretty humbling to have the opportunity to eclipse Justin’s record,” Coppage told Warhawkfootball.com following Thursday’s practice inside Perkins Stadium. “Just seeing his picture on the mural up there (side of the Perkins Stadium West stands) shows me how much of an impact he made on this football program.”

Levell says that the No.1 thing that will be on his mind Saturday will be for the Warhawks to come out with a victory over the Titans.

“It is all about coming home with a win Saturday night,” Coppage said.

Much in the same way Justin Beaver used to talk about his record setting career – when talking about rushing yardage you talk about the guys that “pound the rock” for you.

“It is my offensive line and the guys blocking for me that are just as much responsible for my yardage here at Whitewater,” Coppage reflects on. “It is a big part of why Warhawk football has been so successful.”

Coppage will also look to extend his No. 1 status of scoring touchdowns. Last year Coppage eclipsed the WIAC career touchdown mark of 51 set by UW-River Falls’ Greg Corning (1984-87). Levell enters Saturday’s game with 92 career touchdowns.

Are you a Warhawk and WIAC Football fan? Check out the following blogs

I have really enjoyed getting UW-Whitewater football information, stories and photos out into cyberspace over the past 10 years via Warhawkfootball.com.

I enjoy researching statistics and telling a statistical story by way of publishing a Web or blog story.

For those of you out there in Warhawk Nation and WIAC Nation, I implore you to please check out 02 Warhawk’s My Little WIAC Football Blog and BleedPurple’s uwwfootball.com Blog.

BleedPurple’s Blog has been online for the past couple of seasons and his both present and past knowledge of UW-Whitewater football makes for an outstanding read.

To check out UWWfootball.com CLICK HERE

New to the blogosphere this season is 02 Warhawk’s WIAC blog. Not only do you get the weekly matchups – but you also get a look back statistically at the previous week’s game, outstanding features on both the conference and individual school’s programs.

For a Division III and WIAC football geek like me, I strongly suggest you check out 02 Warhawks WIAC blog.

To check out My Little WIAC Football Blog October 14th WIAC football matchups CLICK HERE

Enjoy the read everybody!

Limited number of seats still available on fan bus to Oshkosh

A very limited number of seats are still available for Saturday's Warhawk Express fan bus to Oshkosh.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday night just five seats were still available for the Coach USA Van Galder motor coach trip to Saturday's 1st place showdown game vs. UW-Oshkosh at Titan Stadium.

To reserve your seat on the bus call Therese Kennedy ASAP at 262-472-1145 or email her at kennedyt@uww.edu

The 2011 away game motor coaches are courtesy of the Kachel Family.

Let’s do our part in making the Titan Stadium attendance soar on Saturday!

UW-Oshkosh is the real deal!

Longtime UW-River Falls head coach John O’Grady announced his retirement following the 2010 season. The retirement was short-lived as the hall-of-fame coach was lured out of “retirement” to become an assistant for Pat Ceroni at UW-Oshkosh.

It hasn’t taken long for the Titan offense to reflect an O’Grady imprint. With talented senior quarterback Nate Wara at the helm the Oshkosh offense has added an “O’Grady option attack” as a primary weapon.

Two weeks ago at Eau Claire the Titans came out in an offense with Wara operating out of the pistol formation. Trailing 16-7 at halftime UWO came out in the second half with Wara under center and ran an option attack on the way to a 23-16 come-from-behind victory on the road at Carson Park.

The Titans used Cole Myhra and Justin Budiac at the running back position with both runners getting much of their yardage on quick-hitters up the middle.

The key to any option attack is the ability of its quarterback. For Oshkosh, Nate Wara possesses that ability.

When it came to making the critical play In the second half of the Titans’ win at Eau Claire it was Wara who kept the ball on the option running right between guard and tackle for a first down or touchdown.

Wara was knocked out of last Saturday’s 24-3 win at Platteville with an unspecified injury late in the second quarter. His availability for Saturday’s game vs. Whitewater has not been announced.

One thing for sure – the Oshkosh offense this season is much different than last year’s “trickery based” offense. The Titans scored two touchdowns on “tick” plays in last season’s 48-21 loss to the Warhawks at Titan Stadium.

The Hawks scored on its first drive of last year’s game. The Titans responded in kind on the following possession with running back Cole Myra throwing an 14-yard option pass to Garrie Fox to knot the score at 7-all.

UWO went to its bag of tricks again later in the first quarter when running back Craig McClelland hit Paul Coburn on a 33 yard option pass to set put Jake Dostalek’s six yard touchdown run to cut the UWW lead to 21-14 with 51 seconds left in the first quarter.

The 2011 Oshkosh team will bring a much more complete offensive attack into Saturday’s game vs. the Warhawks.

On top of UWO’s impressive option running game, the Titans feature two of the top “big-play” wide receivers in the conference. Garrie Fox enters the game with 22 receptions for 388 yards (16.7 yards per catch) and 4 touchdowns. Caleb Voss has 14 catches (25 yards per catch) and 3 touchdowns.

The Titans beat Central Iowa 31-28 to open the season. Central is currently tied with Dubque for 1st place the Iowa Interscholastic Athletic Conference. In week two, the Titans suffered its only loss of the season falling 41-17 at Division 3 powerhouse Mount Union. The Titans are the only UMU opponent score more than 7 points against them this season.

With that said, Saturday’s first place showdown in the WIAC will bring plenty of intrigue with it.

16th Annual Warhawk Raffle-Auction set for November 12th

The 16th Annual Wally & Rod's Raffle/Auction is coming up on Saturday evening, November 12th in the Hamilton Room at the James R. Connor University Center on campus.

The event will occur on the same day as UWW closes its regular season with a game vs. UW-La Crosse at Perkins Stadium

Information on the event can be found on the above photo of the Raffle/Auction Ticket

The following is a list of Auction Items (as of 10/14/11)• Sanibel Island Vacation – Murray’s
• Ricky Weeks Autographed Baseball – Pat Miller
• Ryan Braun & Ricky Weeks Canvas – Pat Miller
• Ryan Braun & Prince Fielder Canvas – Warhawkfootball.com
• Prince Fielder All-Star Game Canvas #1 – Warhawkfootball.com
• Prince Fielder All-Star Game Canvas #2 – Warhawkfootball.com
• Aaron Rogers/Clay Mattews Super Bowl Canvas – Warhawkfootball.com
• 2 Lou Holtz Autographed Helmets
• Lou Holtz Autographed Book
• Week Stay at a Kennel & a neutered or spayed – Lance Leipold
• Time Share – Mills
• Boot Camp – Lee Munger
• Quilts for Basketball/Football/Baseball
• Wooden Rocking Horse – Russ Manke
• Calloway Up Pro GPS System – Brad Alberts
• Koshkonong Mounds Country Club Single Membership – new member w/out cart
• $175 Limestone Products – Whitewater Limestone
• Ham & Knife Set – Jones Dairy
• 4 Prime Rib Dinners w/4 Drinks – Saxes Lone Star Inn
• Gallon of Chili – Saxes
• Gallon of Bean & Sausage – Saxes
• Warhawk “W” – Rod Berg
• WI “W” w/Bucky Badger – Rod Berg
• Oak Chest – Rod Berg
• Cabinet – Facsimile to a Crate & Barrel piece – Rod Berg
• Cabinet – stained glass and lighted – Rod Berg
• Quilt Rack – Tom Miller
• Locker – Brad Stallings
• Generator – Generac
• Eastbay Gear – Dan Roloff
• Wooden Championship Football – Dan Cooper
• 3 Hours of Labor from each sport
• Assistant Coach for each sport
• Camps – Each Sport (Table Raffles)
• Gallon of Soup – Carol Miller (Table Raffle)
• Whitewater Country Club Single Membership – new member only
• 2 Smirnoff Neon Bar Signs
• Anheuser World Select Neon Bar Sign
• Rumplemintz and Goldschlager Neon Bar Sign
• 2 Badger Men’s Basketball Tickets – Randy Marnocha
• Oak Chest - $1 Raffle

Take the Van Galder Warhawk Express Motor Coach to Oshkosh on Saturday

Hey Warhawk football fans – why not take the Warhawk Express to Saturday’s Warhawk game at Titan Stadium in Oshkosh?

A Van Galder motor coach will depart the Perkins Stadium parking lot a 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

To reserve your seat on the bus call Therese Kennedy ASAP at 262-472-1145 or email her at kennedyt@uww.edu

The 2011 away game motor coaches are courtesy of the Kachel Family.

Let’s do our part in making the Titan Stadium attendance soar on Saturday.

I hope to see you in Oshkosh on Saturday!

Voice's Monday Morning Random Thoughts

• My adrenaline is already flowing for Saturday’s first place U-Dub-Dub at Oshkosh showdown for first place in the WIAC! A lot will be riding on Saturday’s game (please refer to 2008 when one loss sent the Hawks on an “escape around America” playoff run).

• I remember a pretty good basketball coach – Auggie Vander Muelen – subscribing to the theory that a great basketball season should be free of “peaks and valleys.” He would chastise me prior to every Warhawk-Platteville game letting me know “it was just the next game on UWW’s schedule” and not the game to end all. It took me a long time to understand that!

• A couple of NFL scouts (Jacksonville & Atlanta) were sitting next to me in the press box at the Perk Friday night. They didn’t tip there hand on exactly who they travelled to Whitewater to see. All I know is that they did a lot of writing following a large number of plays.

• The one response that sticks with me is both scouts looked at each other and had big smiles on there face after Kris Rosholt boomed a towering, 65 yard punt in the first half of Friday’s game. The punt tied his “career long.”

• A bit of a bummer that the Brewers season is now over. What happened to the Brewers pitching!!?? Did the team get too caught up in “beast mode” and “Tony Plush” against the Cardinals. As much as I hate Tony Larussa I think he used all that as motivation for his team. I think it worked!

• Will Prince Fielder be able to play at the same level without having a hitter like Ryan Braun hitting in front of him? Prince talked “having the most fun” during the just completed season and you could see that all year long. Prince – tell your agent Scott Boros to seek a hometown discount from Mark Attanasio and strongly consider staying in Milwaukee. What is wrong with continuing to be part of the best one-two hitting duo in Major League Baseball?

• I’ll have more thoughts here on the blog later this week.

Nate Wara injured in UW-Oshkosh win at Platteville

A suffocating defensive effort and some solid play from it’s No. 2 quarterback carried the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to a 24-3 thumping of UW-Platteville in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Ralph E. Davis Stadium.

The victory, which surpasses the team’s win total of each of the last three seasons, sets up a huge showdown next week for the 25th-ranked Titans (5-1, 3-0). The top-ranked and unbeaten UW-Whitewater Warhawks will invade J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium for UWO’s annual homecoming game.

It was a win that could prove costly, though.

Standout quarterback Nate Wara left the game after being tackled on a running play late in the second quarter with an unspecified injury and did not return. At the time, Wara had completed 8-of-12 passes and ran for 49 yards.

Titan head coach Pat Cerroni tells the Oshkosh Northwestern that he hopes Wara will be ready to face Whitewater next Saturday.

For entire Oshkosh Northwestern game story CLICK HERE

In other WIAC football action Saturday afternoon...
UW-Eau Claire 31, UW-La Crosse 21
UW-Stevens Point 31, UW-River Falls 10

In the WIAC next Saturday...
UW-Whitewater @ UW-Oshkosh
UW-Stevens Point @ UW-Eau Claire
UW-Platteville @ UW-River Falls

Hawks put night moves on Stout in 42-21 win

UW-Stout threw everything it had at the two-time defending national champion UW-Whitewater football team Friday, but the Warhawks with stood it and won, 42-21.

A pair of long touchdown strikes from Ross Carey to Trevor Morning brought UW-Stout (3-3 overall, 1-2 WIAC) within seven points of the Warhawks at teh end of the third quarter.

However UW-W (6-0, 3-0) got a 26-yard touchdown run from Levell Coppage - his third of the game - and a 9-yard touchdown pass from Matt Blanchard to Bernie Tamsett to seal the game.

(In the photo above - Logan Allemand and Levell Coppage do an end zone celebration following one of Levell's three touchdowns on the evening. Coppage has now scored 92 touchdowns in his UWW football career)The win marks the Warhawks' 36th straight victory, which is the longest winning streak nation-wide in all levels of college football.

With the game tied, 7-7, after the first quarter, Whitewater exploded for 21 points in the second.

Coppage scored on runs of 4 and 23 yards and Tyler Huber caught a 31-yard pass from Blanchard for the 'Hawks other touchdown. The big quarter gave Whitewater a 28-7 halftime advantage.

Coppage finished the game with 139 yards on 22 carries, helping Whitewater out-rush the Blue Devils, 245-87.

Blanchard kept the offense balanced, posting 294 yards passing. Blanchard copleted 20-of-28 passesfor 294 yards on the game, including seven for 153 yards to wideout Luke Menzel.

UW-STOUT @ U-DUB-DUB GAME DAY CENTRAL

The following are links to a number of Websites to allow you to follow action live Stout at Whitewater from Perkins Stadium.

UW-Stout Game Notes CLICK HERE


UW-Stout 2011 Season StatisticsCLICK HERE


UW-Stout Radio Audio Stream CLICK HERE


UW-Whitewater Game Notes CLICK HERE


UW-Whitewater 2011 Season Statistics CLICK HERE


KOOL 106.5 Radio Audio Stream CLICK HERE


Penn Atlantic Stout @ Whitewater Cable 19 TV Feed CLICK HERE


WIAC Football Weekly Release CLICK HERE


Enjoy the game and a reminder - you can read all about it immediately following the game here on Voiceseyeonfootball.blogspot.com and Warhawkfootall.com

Hawks to debut 21st century lights at Friday night's game vs Stout

The Perkins Stadium lighting system is no longer out-dated.

Due to the collapse of the lights in the northeast corner of Perkins Stadium last December a new state-of-the-art lighting system will be debuted during UW-Whitewater’s “Friday Night Lights” game vs. UW-Stout Friday night.

The new lights possess more than twice the candlepower with just half the bulbs on the four light standards erected earlier this month.

The former lights were the originals that were erected during Warhawk Stadium construction in 1970.

Friday night’s game vs. Stout will be the first night game at the Perk since the 2008 season opener.

"I don't think it's going to be a huge difference, but the biggest part will be the atmosphere - we hope to have a big student crowd," said UW-W head coach Lance Leipold. "It's something different and I think our kids are excited about it."

Whitewater is 3-0 in its previous three night games played at Perkins Stadium. In both 2005 and 2008 the Warhawks beat St. Xavier University (Ill.), and in 2006 the 'Hawks put up a school-record 75 points against Lakeland College (Wis.).

"I know we compete against high school football, which is unfortunate," added Leipold, referring to the final week of the regular season of high school football being played this Friday in the state.

Stout will be playing its second night game of the season. In Week 3 the Blue Devils hosted UW-Oshkosh in both school’s WIAC-mandated in-conference/non-conference game. Oshkosh rolled 56-10 over Stout at Don and Nona Williams Stadium in Menomonie.

Hawks host Stout in Friday Night Lights game at Perkins Stadium

What is more American than playing football under the lights on a Friday night?

Due to the 27th Annual Wisconsin School Music Association State Marching Band Championships on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at UW-Whitewater the Warhawk football team will be hosting UW-Stout Friday night at Perkins Stadium.

The UW-Whitewater-UW-Stout game will be the first game to take place under the new lights of Perkins Stadium. After a storm destroyed lights in the stadium during the off season, UW-Whitewater decided to replace all the lights in the stadium with next generation lights.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Immediately following the game fans will be treated to a postgame fireworks display at Perkins Stadium.

The theme of Friday night’s festivities at the Perk is Friday Night Lights. The free student tailgate activities prior to the game are sponsored by UWW Residence Life.

There will be a free tailgate prior to kickoff for all UW-W students with a valid school ID, located between the softball facility and the Perkins Stadium parking lot. Free food and beverages will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

Students will also be able to get prepared for the game at the spirit station, where free face and body paint, beads, Warhawk tattoos, and purple and white hairspray will be offered. In addition, students can take a picture with the National Championship Trophy.

Northwestern Mutual is sponsoring a Bags Tournament as part of the FREE STUDENT TAILGATE ZONE activity Friday night. The doors for the tailgate open at 5pm and tournament to start at 5:30pm.

You must provide 4 nonperishable food items to enter and contact Leah Thyne at thynel@uww.edu to register your team of two.

Northwestern Mutual is offering cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

We’ll see you at the Perk Friday night under the lights!

Week Five Game Day Central

The unbeaten UW-Whitewater Warhawks are on the road Saturday to take on winless UW-River Falls at Ramer Field in River Falls.

On paper the game appears to be a mismatch.

In the just-completed Major League Baseball Division Series Philadelphia was a prohibitive favorite over St. Louis, as was the Yankees over the Tigers.

Should I remind you who won the two series?

“We have to keep reminding our players that we're going to get everybody's best shot," Warhawk head coach Lance Leipold said earlier this week. "You can make a team's season, and catapult a program, by having an upset victory.

In last week’s WIAC opener the Hawks got a bit of a “wake-up” call when Platteville was tied with UWW 14-14 at halftime.

"You've got to maintain your focus and stay locked in each and every week. That's a message we constantly remind our players, especially the younger ones."

The Warhawks were reminded of the importance of playing “a week at a time” early in the week on the practice field. The formula to the Hawks’ tremendous success on it’s current 35-game win streak has been a “one game at a time” mentality.

"That's why maintaining that focus is so important, and fortunately for us, we've been able to do that up to this point."

Elsewhere in the WIAC on Saturday….

UW-Oshkosh is at UW-Eau Claire
Both teams enter the game tied with Whitewater at 1 & 1 in the conference and 3 & 1 overall. Both teams have put themselves in great position to emerge as the #2 team in the WIAC, and quite possibly make a run at Whitewater.

UW-Stout travels to UW-Stevens Point
Both teams are 2 & 2 on the season and 0 & 1 in the conference.

In non-conference action

Jamestown (North Dakota) will be in La Crosse to take on the Eagles.
La Crosse is coming off its first win of the season – a dramatic 31-28 win on a last second field goal to give Joel Dettwiler his first win as UWL head coach. Jamestown is playing its second WIAC team this season. Stout beat the Jimmies 19-17 in week-one in Menomonie.

For WIAC Weekly Release CLICK HERE

KOOL 106.5 Radio Game Broadcast CLICK HERE

NOTE: No Live Stats will be available for today's UWW-UWRF game

UW-Whitewater Game-Day Notes: CLICK HERE
For more on the WIAC This Week via 02 Wahawk's My Little WIAC Blog CLICK HERE

Hawks at River Falls KOOL 106.5 broadcast to be simulcast into Milwaukee, Madison and Beloit-Rockford markets

If you can't tune in to WKCH 106.5 FM on your radio, you can follow the game on the Internet. Radio stations 540 AM ESPN Milwaukee,100.5 FM ESPN Madison, and ESPN Radio 1380 AM Rockford (1380 will delay broadcast until 6:00 p.m. Sunday) also carry selected Warhawk football games using the WKCH feed. See the "details" link on the Warhawk football schedule

This Saturday’s KOOL 106.5 broadcast of the UW-Whitewater at UW-River Falls football game will be heard in the Milwaukee, Madison and Beloit-Rockford areas on the southern Wisconsin family of ESPN radio stations.

Gary Douglas and Arnie Peck’s call of the game will be simulcast live on 540 AM-ESPN Milwaukee, 100.5 FM-ESPN Madison and on 1380 AM-ESPN Beloit-Rockford.

The games will be heard “live over the air” and via audio stream off each of the individual stations Web sites.

The Badgers are off this week and here is your chance to listen to the state of Wisconsin’s most successful football program – the two-time defending NCAA Division III national champion UW-Whitewater Warhawks.

Airtime Saturday will be 12:30 – the kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Whitewater at River Falls. To listen CLICK HERE

Voice's random thoughts from a memorable Wisconsin sports weekend

• I’ve been a “sports nut” since I was 8 years old back in 1960 and Saturday’s Wisconsin sports events made the biggest impact on me than any one-day schedule in the past 51 years!

• I currently have a Voiceseyeonfootball.blogspot.com poll running adjacent to this post asking what was the event that interested you most on Saturday? Was it the Warhawk game, the Badger game, or the Brewer’s Playoff game. VOTE NOW!

• The biggest stat of the weekend was that the Platteville-Whitewater game at the Perk outdrew the St. Johns at St. Thomas game in the MIAC. 10,632 at the Perk - 10,421 at O'Shaunessey Stadium (UST)

• Their was once a time that when each year's UW-Whitewater football schedule came out you would compare it to the Badgers' schedule to see if the UWW home games were the same day as UW home games. Family Day had a great deal to do with Perkins Stadium's fourth largest crowd in stadium history Packing the Perk on Saturday. A two-time defending Division III national champion and 33-game win streak also had a lot to do with the big crowd.

• When you have direct competition with the Milwaukee Brewers opening the playoffs just 45 minutes east of UWW - and a frenzied game-day in Madison ahead of Saturday night's UW-Nebraska nationally televised game at Camp Randall - Saturday's Perkins Stadium crowd may be the most impressive in Perk history!

• BTW – St. Thomas beat a once nationally elite St. Johns 63-7 at St. Thomas on Saturday. The Johnnies fall to 2 & 3 on the season and 1 & 2 in the MAIC. Much like La Crosse, St. Johns under coaching icon John Gagliardi hasn’t fully recovered to "elite" status since Whitewater beat the Johnnies 34-7 (2005 playoffs) and 17-14 (2006 playoffs). Both losses were at Whitewater.

• Warhawks got a bit of a “wake-up call” in Saturday’s conference opener against Platteville. Game was tied 14-all at halftime. The good news was that UWW made halftime adjustments and dominated in the 2nd half. The “wake-up call” may be just what the team needed.

• Bob and Jan Berezowitz and I were at American Family Childrens Hospital last Friday afternoon to personally extend our “get well” wishes for little Luka Ogrizovich. The newborn baby of Mal and Ryan “Griz” Ogrizovich has fought gallantly and is now on the road to recovery following a battle with life-threatening propionic academia (a rare genetic metabolic disorder)

• On the way home from the visiting the “family Griz” I drove through the back street of the University of Wisconsin campus. I was on a back-street behind Bascom Hall stuck in traffic. I had my Sirius Satellite Radio blaring away. Now this is freaky – all of a sudden on Sirius Channel 6 the Buffalo Springfield Vietnam War protest song “For What Its Worth” came on the radio. As I’m stuck in traffic – I look to my left and I’m stopped directly in front of UW’s Sterling Hall – where a Vietnam War protest bombing was committed on August 24, 1970 was committed by four young people as a protest against the University's research connections with the US military. The bombing resulted in the death of a university physics researcher and injuries to three others. For a Vietnam era baby boomer – the song and where I was on campus shook me to the core!

Hey Hawk fans - take the Van Galder charter motor coach to River Falls on Saturday

Warhawk football fans ... why not let Van Galder transport you to River Falls on Saturday?

There will be a bus provided by the Kachel Family for Warhawk fans to "moter coach" ride to the game.

The charter will depart from Perkins Stadium at 7:00 a.m. on October 8, and any fans interested in going need to reserve a seat. Please contact Therese Kennedy (kennedyt@uww.edu, 262-472-1145) to do so.

Also, there will be a special tailgate planned before the game located at Bo's N' Mine for all Warhawk fans. Bo's N' Mine is located at 110 South Main Street in River Falls.

The tailgate will be followed by the game where the number one ranked Warhawks will take on UW-River Falls at Ramer Stadium - kickoff is at 1:00 p.m.

GO WARHAWKS!!!

Vote now on your favorite Wisconsin sporting event on Saturday

I’ve been a sports fan since I was 8 years old. Saturday opened with the Brewers and Arizona in game-one of the NLDS at Miller Park. Shortly after the start of the Brewer game it was UW-Whitewater and UW-Platteville playing in front of 10,632 at Perkins Stadium. It was the fourth largest crowd in Perkins Stadium history. Saturday’s “Wisconsin sports menu” was concluded with the Wisconsin Badgers welcoming Nebraska into the Big 10 in a nationally televised game at raucous Camp Randall Stadium.

Voiceseyeonfootball.blogspot.com has posted a poll asking which of the three events was the most exciting for you. Was it the Warhawk game, the Brewers, or the Badgers.

Vote on one of the following three sporting events

A) Watching the Warhawks beat Platteville
B) Watching the Brewers in the NDLS Playoff opener
C) Watching the Badgers and Cornhuskers on national TV from Camp Randle

Vote Now!

Nebraska at Wisconsin: Whitewater's Leipold had a unique view of game

What does Wisconsin Badger football, Nebraska Cornhusker football, and UW-Whitewater football have in common? How about current Warhawk head coach Lance Leipold?

Leipold played football at Whitewater and served as a graduate assistant on Bob Berezowitz's staff after using up his eligibility.

From Whitewater, Leipold made the short drive to Madison to become a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin from 1991 to 1993. Lance was a member of Barry Alvarez's coaching staff the year the Badgers' won its first Rose Bowl title.

In 2001, Leipold served as Frank Solich's administrative assistant on the Nebraska Cornhusker's staff. That was the year the Cornhuskers made it to the Bowl Championship Series title game.

Leipold had a unique perspective Satruday night's Badgers-Corhuskers game while viewing the game just hours after his UW-Whitewater team catured its 34th consecutive victory in a 34-14 win over UW-Platteville at Perkins Stadium.

Wisconsin State Journal Badger Football "beat" writer Tom Mulhern authored an article in Sunday's WSJ that details the Leipold Whitewater-UW-Nebraska connection.

To view the article CLICK HERE

Saturday's WIAC football roundup

UW-Whitewater 34, UW_Platteville 14:
- Levell Coppage ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns to lead top-ranked UW-Whitewater to a 34-14 victory over visiting UW-Platteville Saturday in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game.

The teams played to a 14-14 tie in the first half. The Pioneers (3-2, 1-1) had two drives end on fourth down to start the third quarter and the Warhawks (4-0, 1-0) proceeded to reel off 20 unanswered points.

Coppage broke free for a 41-yard touchdown run with 9 minutes, 33 seconds left to settle the issue.

UW-Eau Claire 24, UW-Stout 10:
- Austin Neu passed for 349 yards and two touchdowns as the visiting Blugolds (3-1, 1-0 WIAC) defeated the Blue Devils (2-2, 0-1) to capture the I-94 Battle Trophy for the first time.

UW-Oshkosh 42, UW-River Falls 7:
- Nate Warra threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns to spark the host Titans (3-1, 1-0) in a romp past the Falcons (0-4, 0-1).

Warra now has 41 career scoring strikes - the third highest total in Oshkosh history.

UW-La Crosse 31, UW-Stevens Point 28:
- Jason Huinker booted an 18-yard field goal with one second left to give the host Eagles a victory over the Pointers.

La Crosse (1-3, 1-1) scored 17 points in the final 9:46 to sink the Pointers (2-2, 0-1).