2011 Gagliardi Trophy ... Vote for Blanchard

Attention UW-Whitewater fans: Online fan voting is now underway for the 2011 Gagliardi Trophy.

Please take time to cast your vote for Matt Blanchard. The UW-Whitewater quarterback is one of 10 finalists for this year's award.

The Gagliardi Trophy is given annually to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III by Jostens and the J-Club of St. John's University of Minnesota.

The collective vote by fans casting a ballot on D3football.com will be added to the votes submitted by the 38-member Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee. One vote per computer. Voting deadline is noon on Monday, December 5.

To cast your vote CLICK HERE

Battle Cry for Warhawk fans this weekend: No excuses not to be at the Perk

(In the adjacent photo - inspired UW-Whitewater students braved the snow and cold to attend UW-Whitewater's 2005 national semifinal game vs. Wesley (Delaware). Could that inspiration and dedication return in time for a large crowd to show up at the Perk for Saturday's quarterfinal game vs. Salisbury (Maryland), a team that leads the nation averaging 47 points per game? - the photo is courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

The excuses for not attending Warhawk playoff
games at Perkins Stadium have diminished greatly this week. Thanksgiving has come and gone - Deer hunting season is over – and UW-Whitewater students, well you now have a THIRD location to pick up FREE – I repeat FREE tickets to Saturday’s playoff game vs. Salisbury (Mayland).

During the regular season the UW-Whitewater football team drew an average of 8,040 fans to its five games at Perkins Stadium. That was the highest per game average in the nation.

The Hawks playoff opener vs. Albion drew 1,211 to Perkins Stadium. Last Saturday – even less – as 1,083 spent part of their Thanksgiving weekend cheering on the Hawks at the Perk.

I’ve spoken to a number of players on the lack of fan interest for a team seeking a third consecutive national title. They are mystified on why fans flocked to the Perk during the regular season and have stayed away in droves the past couple of weeks.

Is it going to be cold on Saturday when the Hawks face an extremely dangerous team in Salisbury State (Maryland)? You bet!!

Maybe UW-Whitewater fans are bored with the playoff process having seen the Hawks make it all the way to Salem, Virginia for the past six Stagg Bowls.

When the “process” was still “new” back in 2005 – 5,480 showed up on a cold, snowy afternoon to watch the Hawks beat Wesley on an icy “track” in a Division III semifinal game at Perkins Stadium.

Hopefully some of that “fan energy” will return to the Perk on Saturday!

What area newspapers are saying

UW-Whitewater rolled to its 42nd consecutive victory by routing Franklin College 41-14 in 2nd Round NCAA Division III playoff action on Saturday at Perkins Stadium. The following will link you to area newspaper articles detailing the Warhawk win.


FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL - You often hear about football teams making defensive adjustments at halftime, but rarely do they work to this extreme.
Holding Franklin's spread offense to a total of 2 yards in the second half, the UW-Whitewater machine rolled on Saturday, blanking the Grizzlies after intermission to take a 41-14 victory in the second round of the Division III playoffs at Perkins Stadium.

The unstoppable Levell Coppage ran for 221 yards and three touchdowns in less than three quarters of action, but it was a defense led by linebacker Greg Arnold's two interceptions and fumble recovery that paved the way for Whitewater's 42nd consecutive victory, including a 12-0 mark this season.

To read Tom Haudricourt’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Story CLICK HERE

FROM THE JANESVILLE GAZETTE - After dropping two painful losses to Whitewater in the last 52 weeks, Franklin (Ind.) College coach Mike Leonard showed the movies “Rocky” and “Miracle” to inspire his team in its third attempt to pull the Hollywood-style upset against Whitewater.

But once again, the two-time defending national champion Whitewater made sure there was an anticlimactic ending against the Grizzlies.

Levell Coppage rolled up three touchdown runs, while senior linebacker Greg Arnold added two interceptions and fumble recovery to help top-ranked Whitewater roll to a 41-14 victory over Franklin in an NCAA Division III second round playoff battle at Perkins Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Whitewater (12-0), which extended its NCAA all-division best winning streak to 42, hosts Salisbury (Md.) College here at noon next Saturday in an NCAA Division III third-round game.

To read Tim Wester’s Janesville Gazette Story CLICK HERE

FROM THE DAILY JEFFERSON COUNTY UNION - The old adage goes "Defense wins championships." If that's the case, things look good for the UW-Whitewater foot¬ball team.

The Warhawk defense continued its hot streak Saturday as linebacker Greg Arnold intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble. Those turnovers led to 17 of UW-Whitewater's points in a 41-14 NCAA Round 2 victory over visiting Franklin in front of an announced crowd of 1,083 at Perkins Stadium.

The No. 1 ranked Warhawks (13-0 overall) will host Salisbury University (Md.) this Saturday in an NCAA quarterfinal contest.

"It was nice being able to get those turnovers. Our offense was able to capitalize on those turnovers," said Arnold, who missed three and half games this season with a leg injury. "It's always nice to see those turnovers created into points."

To read Josh Smith’s Daily Jefferson County Union Story CLICK HERE

Round 2 Franklin at UW-Whitewater: GAMEDAY CENTRAL

Daily Jefferson County Union Preview Article CLICK HERE

Wisconsin State Journal Preview Article CLICK HERE

Live Stats CLICK HERE

KOOL 106.5 Game Broadcast CLICK HERE

UWW TV Game Telecast CLICK HERE

D3football.com Scoreboard/Live Stats CLICK HERE

** A reminder: You may follow UW-Whitewater football 24/7, 365 days a year by clicking onto one of the following two Websites:

Warhawkfootball.com CLICK HERE

Voices Eye on Football Blog CLICK HERE

Notes and Quotes heading into Round 2 playoff action

• The key for Whitewater will be to jump on Franklin College early. Even with its 45-0 loss to Whitewater back in September the Grizzlies are averaging 40 points per game and sophomore quarterback Johny West has thrown for over 3300 yards and 31 touchdowns. He ranks 4th in NCAA Division III quarterback statistics.

• UW-Whitewater quarterback Matt Blanchard is no slouch either. The senior is ranked 6th in pass efficiency. Blanchard, who was named a 2011 Gagliardi Trophy finalist, has thrown for just over 2300 yards along with 20 passing touchdowns. Matt’s completion percentage is 68%. Last year Blanchard finished 2nd in pass efficiency.

• This year’s “national” bracketing will have an impact on the – quote – Whitewater bracket. The winner of Saturday’s Whitewater-Franklin game will play the winner of the Salisbury State (Maryland)-Kean (New Jersey) 2nd round game. If Whitewater wins Saturday the 3rd round playoff game will be played at Perkins Stadium.

• This year’s new “national” bracketing in the Division III Playoffs isn’t being favored by everybody. One of Saturday’s 2nd round games has Linfield (Oregon) flying 3500 miles to play Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. Linfield coach Joe Smith said deserves a better buildup. "It's great for Division III [but] it's ridiculous that it's in round two," Smith said. "I think that's an absolute sham. This should be a semifinal-type matchup, or at least a quarterfinal matchup, and I think that's a disservice to the two programs, but there are seven or eight teams [that can win the Stagg Bowl] and these are two of them."
• As of Friday evening at 5:30 it looks like it could be a wet day at Perkins Stadium. Hopefully we’ll be able to draw more than the 1211 that were in attendance at the Perk last Saturday.

• I criticized Warhawk football fans for not making it to Perkins Stadium last Saturday. It led me to do a full breakdown of round-one playoff attendance. I found that Whitewater fans weren’t the “lone rangers.”

• Only five of the 16 1st round playoff games exceeded regular season per game attendance average. Three of the sixteen 1st round playoff games drew attendance figures less than half the venues regular season per game attendance. The two locations – Mount Union and Whitewater.

NCAA Division III First Round Playoff Game Attendance Figures

Note: The following is attendance figures for each of the 16 NCAA Division III playoff games played Saturday (Nov. 19) The first number is Saturday's attendance. The second figure in perentheses is the venues 2011 regular season per game attendance average)

(Whitewater Bracket)
Christopher Newport at Kean Attendance: 3943, (1812)
Western New England at Salisbury Attendance: 1183, (1699)
Thomas More at Franklin Attendance: 2850, (2820)
Albion at Wisconsin-Whitewater Attendance: 1211, (8040)

(Delaware Valley Bracket)
St. Scholastica at St. Thomas Attendance: 2350 (in snow storm), (4596)
Monmouth at Illinois Wesleyan Attendance: 2150, (1996)
St. John Fisher at Johns Hopkins Attendance: 1501, (1230)
Norwich at Delaware Valley Attendance: 1476, (2160)

(Mary Hardin-Baylor Bracket)
Redlands at Mary Hardin-Baylor Attendance: 1962, (2956)
McMurray at Trinity (TX) Attendance: 1373, (2022)
Cal Lutheran at Linfield Attendance: 1552, (2432)
Hobart at Wesley Attendance: 1531, (1738)

(Mount Union Bracket)I
llinois College at Wabash Attendance: 1359 (rain), (4509)
Dubuque at North Central Attendance: 1576, (2646)
Hampden-Sydney at Centre Attendance: 1312, (964)
Benedictine at Mount Union Attendance: 1823, (4043)

- Five of the sixteen 1st round playoff games exceeded regular season per game attendance average.

- Three of the sixteen 1st round playoff games drew attendance figures less than half the venues regular season per game attendance. The two locations – Mount Union and Whitewater

Leipold: This game is over, now we focus on Franklin

UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold knows the Road to Salem is a month-long battle. Step 1 on the playoff road had few bumps as the Warhawks rolled to a 59-0 win over mistake prone Albion College.

(In the adjacent photo - UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold leads his team out of the lockeroom prior to Saturday's playoff opening win over Albion College - Photo is courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

Whitewater forced three consecutive turnovers followed by three Levell Coppage touchdowns to give the Warhawks a 21-0 lead on its first three possessions.

The Wahawks scored the first five times it had the ball. Whitewater led 24-0 after the first quarter. 38-0 at halftime. With the second unit taking over in the third quarter the Hawks upped the lead to 52-0 after three quarters prior to adding a TD in the 4th quarter.

The 59 points is the most Whitewater has scored in an NCAA playoff game since defeating Lakeland College 70-7 November 21, 2009.

To view Coach Leipold's postgame press conference CLICK HERE

NCAA Division III 1st Round Playoff Scores

(Whitewater Bracket)
UW-Whitewater 59, Albion 0
Franklin 24, Thomas More 21
Kean 34, Christopher Newport 10
Salisbury 62, Western New England 24

(Delaware Valley Bracket)
St. Thomas 48, St. Scholastica 2
Monmouth 33, Illinois Wesleyan 27 (3 OT)
St. John Fisher 23, Johns Hopkins 12
Delaware Valley 62, Norwich 10

(Mary Hardin-Baylor Bracket)
Mary Hardin-Baylor 34, Redlands 13
McMurry 25, Trinity (Tex) 16
Linfield 30, Cal Lutheran 27
Wesley 35, Hobart 28

(Mount Union Bracket)
Wabash 30, Illinois College 20
North Central 59, Dubuque 13
Centre 61, Hamden-Sydney 41
Mount Union 47, Benedictine 7

Warhawks to face Franklin College in Round 2 of the Playoffs

The UW-Whitewater will meet a familiar foe in round-two of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Hawks play Franklin College next Saturday. Franklin (10-1) held on to defeat Thomas More College (Kentucky) 24-21 in its playoff opener Saturday in Franklin (Indiana).

Franklin dominated play most of the first half and took a 17-0 advantage into the halftime intermission. But the Saints (9-2) struck back in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns to pull to within three points.

The Grizzlies got some breathing room when sophomore quarterback Jonny West hit a wide open senior wingback Logan Worley on a 6-yard pass play to put FC up 24-14 with 13:14 to play in the game.

West completed 26 of 44 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown with an interception. Sophomore split end Kyle Linville made eight catches and Cook rushed for 44 yards and his TD on 12 carries.

Franklin gained 323 yards of total offense as a team to Thomas More’s 246 total.
For full story on Franklin-Thomas More game CLICK HERE

Next Saturday’s Franklin-Whitewater matchup will be the third time the two teams have met in the past 12 months.

The Warhawks travelled to Franklin in week-2 back in September. The Hawks beat the Griz 45-0 in the non-conference game. The two teams also met in last year’s playoff opener at Perkins Stadium. The Griz were down by a 21-14 score at halftime before Whitewater exploded for a 52-21 victory.

The NCAA will announce the site of next Saturday’s game sometime on Sunday.

UW-Whitewater routs turnover-prone Albion in playoff opener

(In the photo above - Jaren Borland (43) gets a convoy off the field after scoring the first of two touchdowns in UW-Whitewater's 59-0 1st round playoff win over Albion College - photo courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scored the first five times it touched the ball, with both the defense and special teams contributing, and extended the nation's longest active win streak to 41 games with a 59-0 win over Albion College in a NCAA III playoff first round game at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater, Wisconsin Saturday.

The 59 points is the most Whitewater has scored in an NCAA playoff game since defeating Lakeland College 70-7 November 21, 2009 in Whitewater. It is the most points Whitewater has scored in any game, regular season or playoff, since topping UW-River Falls 63-14 October 23, 2010 in River Falls.

UW-Whitewater, 11-0, will play Franklin College (IN), a 24-21 winner over Thomas More in another first round game, next Saturday in a NCAA playoff second round (sweet sixteen) game. The location of that game will be announced late Sunday.

To read Micheal Bleach's game-story in the Wisconsin State-Journal CLICK HERE

GAME DAY CENTRAL (Albion College at UW-Whitewater)

Albion College (6-4) vs. UW-Whitewater (10-0)
12-noon kickoff at Perkins Stadium

Ticket Information: $11 Adult, $5 youth, students, senior citizens

Parking Information: $10 preferred, $5 general

Campus Map CLICK HERE
• Special Note for Warhawk football fans: Free hot dogs and soda (pop) at the Coulthart Family Pavilion, starting at 10 am. Food will be available while supplies last.

Live Stats CLICK HERE

KOOL 106.5 Broadcast CLICK HERE


UWW TV Telecast CLICK HERE


2011 NCAA Division III Playoff Bracket CLICK HERE

Whitewater Bracket Team Capsules CLICK HERE

UWW-Albion Pregame Notes CLICK HERE

For Greg Arnold football is a family affair

UW-Whitewater’s Greg Arnold views his college football career a bit differently than most. The Hawks’ senior “mike” linebacker is also a father of twin daughters and family life has been a major factor in his success in the classroom and on the playing field.

With all on his “table” the senior from Mukwonago relishes in the “family” mentality both on and off the field.

“It is my girlfriend Jenny,” Arnold tells Warhawkfootball.com. “She is the one I give all the thanks to. She is the one that makes it possible for me to play this great game of football.”

(In the adjacent photo – Greg Arnold experiences the “play’ of his senior season by being escorted onto the field on Senior Day along with his twin daughters and family – photo courtesy of Leah Thyne, UW-Whitewater athletics)

Being named UW-Whitewater’s defensive captain prior to the season brought with it additional responsibility – a trait that Arnold has accepted while balancing his life while in college.

“It makes you grow as a man and to get your priorities straight,” Arnold said. “You learn to understand how you need to do things. It definitely helps me in my play.”

Arnold has spent half his senior season hobbled by a high ankle sprain. Hurt in the first half of Whitewater’s 42-21 win over Stout on October 14th, Arnold missed the next three-and-a-half games.

The preseason All-American was allowed to dress for the Eau Claire game on November 5th but did not play. Greg’s return vs. La Crosse last week allowed the “man in the middle” to rid himself of plenty of frustration’ by leading the Hawks with 10 tackles in the game.

“I was definitely itching to get out there,” Arnold reflects. “It was great to be able to rejoin my teammates on the field and I just wanted to make the most of it.”

As far as being a senior and do you dwell on the fact that each game could be the last of your career?

“Definitely, but as a team we have that humble confidence that we are going to succeed,” Arnold said. “We know that it could be our last game but we’re not going to let that happen.”

Until the final snap: Albion senior puts transplant on hold for football

(Editor’s Note: Albion College defensive tackle Julian Paksi is expected to be in the Tigers’ starting line-up Saturday in Albion’s playoff opener at UW-Whitewater. Paksi is on the field despite being diagnosed with a rare form of cancers following the 2010 season. The following is a feature story written by Mick McCabe of the Detroit Free Press)

The 2010 Albion College football season was over, and Julian Paksi felt like he always did at the end of a season: Beat up.

Paksi, 5-feet-11, 240 pounds, was the smallest guy on Albion's defensive line. It was not unusual for him to battle against linemen 35 to 40 pounds heavier.
A full season of pounding on every play makes a guy want to take the rest of the semester's classes in the whirlpool.

"Every time I got in bed, I was having a weird stretch right on my side, a weird pain," he said. "It was more of a throbbing feeling. It just irritated me; it wouldn't go away."

Something was wrong – very wrong.

Paksi made an appointment last Dec. 23 with his family doctor in St. Johns, who promptly sent him to the local hospital for a CT scan and then to Lansing's Sparrow Hospital for more tests.

"Two days later, they called us at my house and said it was cancer and he was going to need more appointments."

Paksi should have been anywhere but on the field for his senior season at Albiion,. His college football career should have ended last winter when he was diagnosed with epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, which left a vascular tumor in his liver.

The cancer is so rare that the only cure is a liver transplant. Paksi should have been placed on the transplant list long before practice began in August. But that would have ended his chance for a senior season

Paksi was faced with the possibility that he would never play another football game, because once he was on the transplant list he could be called at any moment.
But that did not seem like a viable option for Paksi.

"I love football," he said. "It's been a part of me all my life. I wanted a last year so bad. I wanted to be with my class. I knew we were going to be a good team this year. I just didn't want to give it up right away."

Those who know Paksi knew he was not going to give up football without a fight, which is exactly what he told Albion coach Craig Rundle. He did not want to give it up after high school, which is why he is at Albion, majoring in physical education.

To read the entire story on Julian Paksi’s incredible journey through his senior season CLICK HERE

Hawks begin preparations for Playoff opener vs. Albion College

The UW-Whitewater football team has begun preparations for the first leg of on this year’s “Road to Salem.” A spirited practice session took place Tuesday afternoon as the focus now turns to the postseason. Watching practice it was evident that the energy level was ratcheted up a notch.

Whitewater (10-0) opens the playoffs Saturday by hosting Albion College (6-4), the champions of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAA). Kickoff is set for 12-Noon.

For Warhawk fans – There will be FREE hot dogs, pop and beer at the Coulthart Family Pavilion adjacent to the stadium beginning at 10 a.m. Food will be available while the supply lasts.

Parking information: $10 preferred, $5 general

Attention UW-Whitewater students: Free student tickets are available at two locations:DLK Enterprises: 144 Tratt Street, and Residence Life: Goodhue 1st Floor.

*Tickets are reserved for students who reside in DLK Enterprises or Residence Halls and can be picked up during normal business hours. Photo ID is required.Tickets are available while supplies last.

Albion College football team about to enter rare territory

When the Adrian College football team ventures Saturday to Wisconsin-Whitewater, the Bulldogs will encounter a rare challenge for both the program and Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football.

Adrian opens its season at No. 1 Whitewater, the defending NCAA Division III national champions.

The Adrian football program has never faced either a top-ranked team or defending national champion, according to athletic director Mike Duffy. In 1980, the Bulldogs played Denison University, a top-five team and preseason top pick by Sports Illustrated.

Adrian becomes the first MIAA team to play a top-ranked opponent since Hope faced the University of Mount Union (Ohio) in the 2006 Division III playoffs.

The Bulldogs are the first MIAA team to play a defending national champion in the regular season since 1999. Here is a list of MIAA games against defending champs (information provided by the MIAA).

First look at Round 1 opponent Albion College

Here is a first look at the Albion College Britons – UW-Whitewater’s first round opponent in the 2011 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs

Albion College’s desire to gain sole possession of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football championship was clearly evident from the opening kickoff of last Saturday’s regular season finale - as the Brits put the exclamation point on its 34th league title with a 41-14 victory over Trine University in front of a packed house at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium.

“We talked about (the outright MIAA title) all week,” Albion Coach Craig Rundle admitted after the contest. “We didn’t want to share it with anyone. Trine has been a great team the last three years, winning the league and doing it outright themselves. We thought we could measure ourselves pretty well if we could do the same thing.”

The Brits 6 & 4 record includes a 6 & 0 mark in-conference. In non-conference action
Albion lost to Wheaton, DePauw, Butler and UW-Stevens Point. The Pointers defeated the Brits 14-3 in Albion, Michigan on September 24th.

For more information on the Albion College Britons CLICK HERE

2011 Division III Football playoff bracket categorized as wild and crazy

D3football.com categorizes the 2011 NCAA Division III football playoff bracket this way… What a wild and crazy bracket!

Whitewater is located on the top of the far left portion of the bracket. The first four teams make sense – after that it looks like a travel agent’s nightmare!
Gone is the traditional East, North, South & West regional concept.

The NCAA has severely limited pairings that require a team to be flown to a location – especially through the first two rounds.

That will not be the case this year. My count has nine games matching team from “different regions.”

UW-Whitewater’s bracket will have the winner of the UWW-Albion game playing the winner of the Franklin-Thomas More game in second round action.

The third round game will match the traditional North region teams vs. one of four “East region” teams.

Kean (NJ) plays Christopher Newport (VA) while Salisbury (MD) plays Western New England (MA). The winner from that side-bracket will play the winner of the Whitewater sub-bracket in 3rd round action.

For a complete look at the 2011 Division III Championship Bracket CLICK HERE

Warhawks to host Albion (Michigan) in D III Playoff opener

The NCAA Division III playoff brackets were released Sunday evening and it didn’t take long for UW-Whitewater fans to get the information they were looking for - UW-Whitewater was the first school announced as part of the 2011 bracket.

The Warhawks will play Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion Albion College in 1st round action on Saturday (11/19) in a 12-noon start at Perkins Stadium.

To view NCAA.com’s Division III playoff bracket show CLICK HERE

8,040 per game at the Perk: Thank you Warhawk fans!

The UW-Whitewater football team opens defense of its 2010 NCAA Division III championship on Saturday.

UW-Whitewater football has already secured one championship already this season!

Saturday’s crowd of 6,237 at Perkins Stadium allowed UW-Whitewater to secure the 2011 NCAA Division III regular season football attendance title.

Whitewater’s cumulative attendance this season was 40,199 which translates into an average of 8,040 for each of UWW’s five home games in 2011.

According to official NCAA Division III statistics – Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia) ends the regular season ranked 2nd at 7,997 per game.

St. Johns (Minnesota) finished the season ranked 3rd with a per game average of 7,699 for each of the Johnnies six home games.

St. Johns has dominated the lead in Division III attendance in recent years. The Johnnies had led Division III regular season attendance for the past 10 years – and 14 of the previous 17 years.

Hawk defense impressive in win over La Crosse on Saturday

(In the photo above – UWW linebacker Greg Arnold gets a little help from his teammates on a first half tackle of La Crosse running back Ben Hertrampt. Arnold led the Hawks with 10 tackles – photo courtesy of Josh Smith, Daily Jefferson County Union)

The UW-Whitewater defense geared up for its playoff run with an outstanding performance in Saturday’s 17-3 regular season finale victory over UW-La Crosse at Perkins Stadium.

Brian Borland’s defense held the Eagles to 182 yards offensively, including just 69 yards on the ground. UWL tailback Ben Hertrampf was limited to 39 yards on 17 carries.

Back after several weeks on the sideline with an injury, UWW middle linebacker Greg Arnold made his presence felt by leading the Hawks with a 10 tackle afternoon.

“It was good just to be able to practice this week,” Arnold indicated after the game. “It was awesome to be able to be back at it again.”

Following a below-par defensive performance at Eau Claire, Arnold said his unit was “amped up” to enter the playoffs on a role.

“We wanted to set a statement for the league and the rest of the country what our (Warhawk) defense it all about,” Arnold said. “To be able to go into the playoffs off a good performance is encouraging.”

While La Crosse gave Whitewater everything it could handle, Eagle’s head coach Joel Detwiller talked after the game about the learning curve for a young team vs. an experienced team like the Warhawks.

"That's what we talked about heading into the game," Dettwiler told La Crosse Tribune writer Joel Badzinski following Saturday’s game.. "We're going to have opportunities and it's pass or fail. We battled ... but when it came down to it, on the average they're better at their positions. They're more savvy, they've played more games. They're at a point in their program where they expect to make those plays and we try to make those plays."

Saturday’s Wahawk win was the eighth straight over the archrival Eagles.

Next up for the two-time defending Division III national champions will be the playoffs that begin next Saturday. The NCAA Division III playoff field will be announced Sunday (today). Whitewater, as the WIAC champion, has an automatic bid. The selection show is online only, at 5 p.m. on ncaa.com.

Hawks complete 3rd straight unbeaten regular season with 17-3 win over La Crosse

(In the photo above - Tyler Huber goes up high for one of his 10 receptions in UWW's 17-3 win over La Crosse on Saturday - photo courtesy of Josh Smith, Daily Jefferson County Union)

The UW-Whitewater football team wrapped up a third consecutive unbeaten regular season Saturday afternoon with a 17-3 win over UW-La Crosse at Perkins Stadium.

The game marked the second time the two teams had squared off this season. Whitewater defeated the Eagles 26-7 in the mandated “in-conference – non-conference game at La Crosse to open the season.

The 17 points was the lowest scoring output for the Warhawks this season.

Eric Kindler’s 23 yd field goal late in the 1st quarter gave the Hawks a 3-0 lead.

Whitewater extended the lead to 10-0 on a 13 yd pass from Matt Blanchard to Luke Menzel with exactly one minute remaining in the first half.

Whitewater put together its longest drive of the game on its first possession of the 2nd half. Levell Coppage capped the 13-play, 74 yard drive by slashing into the end zone from 6 yards out to give the Warhawks a 17-0 lead with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter.

That would do it in the scoring department for the Warhawks.

UWL averted a shutout on Justin Huinker’s 24 yd field goal early in the 4th quarter.

The UWL defense held Levell Coppage to a season low 68 yards rushing. The senior tailback did catch 4 passes for 34 yards. He also returned punts for the Warhawks with 5 returns for 112 yards including a 42 yard effort in the 4th quarter.

The Eagles may have slowed down Whitewater’s running game but that was not the case in stopping the Hawks’ passing attack.

Matt Blanchard torched the UWL defense with a 26 for 34 afternoon for a season-high 269 yards an a touchdown.

While Blanchard spread the catches among six Warhawks, Tyler Huber was his primary target. The junior receiver caught 10 passes for 123 yards. Luke Menzel added 6 receptions for 62 yards including a touchdown.

Whitewater’s defense was outstanding limiting the Eagles 182 yards including just 69 yards on the ground.

Greg Arnold, seeing his first action since early in the Oshkosh game, led the Hawk D with 10 tackles. Noah Timm added 8 stops. Ryan Wenkman’s interception was his 6th of the season.

Whitewater extended it's win streak to 40 games, the longest active streak in college football. The streak also moved into a tie with the University of Washington (1908-1914) for the fifth longest in NCAA history, any Division.

The Warhawks now await word on its road in NCAA III championship playoffs, which we will begin Saturday, November 19th. The tournament bracket will be announced at 5 p.m. Sunday evening.

UW-Whitewater claims Division III attendance title

The attendance number to beat today at Perkins Stadium was 6,025. The attendance figure was just released. Today's crowd of 6,203 means the UW-Whitewater claims the 2011 per game attendance championship edging out Hampde-Sydney College (Virgina)for the No. 1 spot in Division III this season.

The Hawks draw first blood on a 23 yard Eric Kindler FG (11 play, 61 yd drive)with 1:36 left in 1st qt.

End of 1st QT UWW 3, UWL 0

Hawk fans primed for season finale at the Perk

Still 45 minutes to kickoff and Wahawk fans are getting ready with some serious parking lot tailgating. Tdoay's game is designated Senior Day, Shrine Day and Military Appreciation Day.

Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m.

UW-La Crosse at UW-Whitewater GAME DAY CENTRAL

UW-Whitewater looks to wrap up a third consecutive unbeaten regular season this afternoon by hosting UW-La Crosse. It will be the second game between the two WIAC archrivals this season. Whitewater defeated the Eagles 26-7 in the season-opener back on Sept. 3 in La Crosse. The game was the WIAC mandated in-conference / non-conference game.

Hopefully the following links will assist you in enjoying today’s UWW-UWL game!

Live Stats CLICK HERE

KOOL 106.5 Live Audio CLICK HERE

UWW TV Live Video CLICK HERE

Daily Jefferson County Union Game Preview Story CLICK HERE

Wisconsin State Journal Game Preview Story CLICK HERE

I'll be blogging throughout the game today on the Voices Eye on Football Blog.

To follow Voice's game-day blog CLICK HERE

Enjoy the game everybody and GO WARHAWKS!

16th Annual Wally and Rod's Warhawk Raffle/Auction Saturday

(In the photo above - Organizers have the Hamilton Center in the James R. Connor University Center set up in advance of Saturday night's 6th Annual Wally and Rod's Warhawk Raffle-Auction - Tom Pattison photo)

(Editor's Note: The following story on Saturday night's UW-Whitewater football, men's basketball and baseball Raffle-Auction, written by Jeff Seisser, was published in the Friday, November 11th edition of the Daily Jefferson County Union)

WHITEWATER - What started out as casual conversation over a sandwich and a beer has turned into 16 years of fundraising for the UW-Whitewater athletics.

This Saturday the 16th Annual Wally and Rod's Warhawk Raffle/Auction takes place in the Hamilton Room of the James R. Connor University Center on the UW-W campus.

Following the No. 1 ranked UW-Whitewater football team's regular-season finale against UW-La Crosse.

Tickets are only $10, and includes food, beverages and a chance to win a number of raffle prizes, including the $2,000 Grand Prize.

It's the major annual fundraiser for the UW-W football, men's basketball and baseball programs.

"Rod Berg, Wally (Schilberg) and I got talking," said former Warhawk men's basketball coach Dave Vander Meulen. "It was just a casual meeting talking about any new ideas about how to raise funds; at Division III schools you're always in need of raising funds."

"It was Wally that said, 'You should think about having auction,' " recalled Vander Meulen of the late Schilberg, a native of Milton.

"From there we went," Vander Meulen said.

Schilberg put Whitewater in touch with Milton auctioneer Bob Johnson, who has served as the auctioneer every year since.

"The nicest part of it is that people come out just anxious to help," said Vander Meulen. "They wouldn't have to show up, they just show up and enjoy the night, and in the process help out Whitewater athletics."

It began as a fundraiser for basketball, in particular the Warhawk Tip-Off Club. It has since branched off to football's Quarterback Club and even baseball's Dugout Club.

"Not only was it beneficial financially for us, but it was something where people came to donate money, but also get something in return in a lot of things they were bidding on," said Vander Meulen. "They weren't just making a donation, but taking home something they could have."

Some of the items include a Sanibel Island vacation package, a Prince Fielder All-Star canvas, quilts, oak chests, Aaron Rodgers and Clay Mathews Super Bowl canvas, and much, much more. A complete list of items can be found on warhawkfootball.com.

Vander Meulen is only one of many board members and volunteers. Others include Berg, Don Hornickel, Mike Mikkelsen, Lowell Hagen and Therese Kennedy, among others.

"I can't say enough for what they do," said Vander Meulen. "It involves some time - we're talking 16 years. It's not a one-shot deal and then gone, we're back again the next year."

Doors open Saturday at 5 p.m. The auction begins at 6:30 p.m., with prize drawings starting at 9:30 p.m.

Division III playoff brackets will be announced late Sunday afternoon

(The adjacent graphic is courtesy of D3football.com)

Coming up this weekend the NCAA will be releasing the brackets for the NCAA Division III Football Championship via an NCAA.com video stream, with the selection show scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 13.

With the selection process imminent the one thing UW-Whitewater fans know for sure is that the Warhawks have already gained a berth into the playoff field by way of the earning school’s seventh consecutive WIAC conference championship with its victory last week at UW-Eau Claire.

If the Warhawks defeat UW-La Crosse on Saturday Whitewater will have completed a third consecutive unbeaten regular season. The win also would be UW-Whitewater’s 40th consecutive victory over three years.

A 10 & 0 regular season mark will most likely earn UW-Whitewater a No. 1 seed in either the West region or the North region. The question is which region will UWW be placed in.

Three of the past four years Whitewater has been moved out of the West and into the North to properly balance the four Division III regions. At the same time, Mount Union was moved from the North to the East for the same reason.

Pat Coleman is the Executive Editor of D3football.com and is universally considered one of the foremost authorities on NCAA Division III football.

The Fury Files Blog has published an in depth feature on Coleman and his D3sports.com empire. It gives the reader an inside look at Coleman, Division III football and a look at the upcoming playoffs and if a UW-Whitewater vs. Mount Union VII is in the offing. It is a great read!

To read the Fury Files feature on Coleman CLICK HERE

6000+ crowd Saturday at the Perk will earn UW-Whitewater the 2011 Division III attendance title

The recent resume is staggering. Seven consecutive WIAC titles, six consecutive appearances for Mount Union in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia, and three NCAA Division national titles in the past four years. The Warhawks open the 2011 Division III playoffs in first round action on November 19th.

On Saturday, UW-Whitewater fans have the opportunity to capture its own national title with a large crowd at Perkins Stadium.

With a crowd of 6,026 vs. UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater will capture the 2011 NCAA Division III per game, home attendance title.

According to official NCAA Division III attendance statistics released earlier this week, Hampden-Sydney College ended the home portion of its 2011 schedule by drawig 39,987 fans (7,997 per game) to Everett Stadium in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia.

UW-Whitewater enters the final day of the regular season averaging 8,491 to each of its first four home games of the season (No. 1 in Division III). UWW’s cumulative attendance through four home games is 33,962.

As previously indicated a crowd of 6,026 will be required to pass Hampden-Sydney’s home attendance figure and give UW-Whitewater the 2011 Division III per game attendance title.

Last year, St. Johns (Minn) was the Division III football attendance leader for the 10th year in a row and the 14th time in 18 seasons.

With six home games at this season SJU drew 46,191 to Clemens Stadium in Collegeville to lead the nation in cumulative Division III attendance.

Sunshine and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 40s is forecast for game-time Saturday. NO EXCUSES – lets Pack the Perk on Saturday!

Second time around for Hawks and Eagles

UW-La Crosse’s first year head coach Joel Dettwiler will bring a vastly improved team into Perkins Stadium than the one that lost 27-7 to Whitewater in the season opener back on September 3.

UW-L finished with just 119 yards of offense, including 79 rushing and 40 passing. The Eagles were held to nine first downs and were two-of-11 on third-down.

Despite the lopsided loss, Dettwiler found more than a few positives in his young team’s play.

After facing defending national champion Whitewater the Eagles travelled to 5th ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas). UWL gave still unbeaten UMHB its toughest game of the season.

La Crosse took a 20-17 lead through three quarters of the game played down in Belton, Texas. The nationally ranked Cru scored 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to secure the come from behind victory.

The primary difference between the week-one Eagles and the week-ten Eagles is the team’s offensive capabilities.

Mary Hardin-Baylor will likely be named one of four No. 1 seeds when the 2011 NCAA Division III playoff brackets are announced Sunday evening.

In its three wins La Crosse has scored 30 points or more.

It was UWL that shocked UW-Oshkosh 30-24 in overtime knocking the nationally ranked Titans out of playoff contention. The La Crosse win allowed Whitewater to clinch at least a share of a seventh consecutive WIAC title.

Last week at River Falls the Eagles fell 28-21 to the Falcons at Ramer Field.

UWL was forced to play the game without starting quarterback Mike Butterfield who was suspended by Coach Dettwiler earlier in the week for “violation of team policy.”

Butterfield is not expected to play at Whitewater on Saturday.

On last Monday evening’s KOOL 106.5 UW-Whitewater Coaches Show, Hawk head coach Lance Leipold indicated that La Crosse will come into Perkins Stadium highly motivated.

“They’ve continued to get better all season,” Leipold indicated on Monday night’s radio show. “They (UWL) are working extremely hard and I know they are coming to our place Saturday with one thing on their mind – to beat Whitewater.”

UW-Whitewater closes the 2011 regular season with the annual Senior Day and Shrine Game Saturday afternoon at Perkins Stadium. Kick-off is set for 1:05 p.m.

17 seniors set for regular season finale at the Perk

One of the primary aspects to the success of UW-Whitewater program each year is due to the leadership of the team’s senior class.

The parents of the 17 seniors will escort their son onto the field at Perkins Stadium prior to the Warhawks final regular season home game on Saturday.

The 2011 seniors include: Sam Overton, Cory Robinson, Matt Blanchard, Kris Rosholt, Brian Gensick, Ernest James, Jared Kiesow, Levell Coppage, Greg Arnold, Kevin Utz, Jake Keeser, Ryan Olson, Alex Misialek, Logan Allemand, Jason Ford, Zach Cook and Casey Casper.

Each preseason Warhawk head coach Lance Leipold makes it clear for the need of the seniors to assume leadership roles both on and off the field for the team to achieve its goals.

I’ll have more on the 2011 seniors here on Voices Eye on Football Blog later this week.

Whitewater closes out the regular season by hosting UW-La Crosse at Perkins Stadium Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.

The Mount Union saga continues in the Ohio Athletic Conference

(In the above photo - Mount Union wide receiver Chris Denton catches the game winning touchdown catch against Baldwin-Wallace (Photo by JT Higgins)

Matt Piloto's 29-yard touchdown pass to Chris Denton on fourth down with 2:14 left in the game gave Mount Union a 25-20 comeback victory over Baldwin-Wallace on Saturday afternoon.

The win secured the Purple Raiders' 20th consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs for the 23rd time. Mount Union (9-0, 8-0 OAC) is ranked No. 2 by the AFCA and d3football.com, and No. 1 in the NCAA North Region.

Piloto, making his first career regular-season start, finished 18 of 32 passing for 231 yards and two touchdowns, both to Denton.

Denton, a junior, finished with a career-best seven catches for 111 yards.
Junior running back Jeremy Murray led the Mount Union running attack with 28 carries for 155 yards and one touchdown.

Facing a 19-0 deficit with just over four minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter., the Yellow Jackets (7-2, 6-2) scored 20 straight points, taking the lead with 5:53 remaining when Andrew Dziak (14 carries, 41 yards rushing, two TDs) went in from a yard out. It was the first time the Purple Raiders trailed in the fourth quarter of a regular-season game since Oct. 10, 2009 (28-21 win at Capital).

Voice's Monday Morning Random Thoughts

• Congratulations to the UW-Whitewater football team on securing ANOTHER WIAC championship. Seven consecutive, including six out-right conference titles since 2005 – AMAZING!

• The Warhawks have now won 39 consecutive games – the longest current win-streak in any division of NCAA football. The streak ties UWW with the University of Washington (1908-1914) for the fifth longest streak in the history of college football.

• Levell tops 7000 career rushing yards with his 236 yards vs. Eau Claire on Saturday. Coppage is now 341 yards shy of overtaking RJ Bowers of Grove City College (1997-2000) for second-place in NCAA all-division rushing history.

• Carson Park is a fun venue to play a football game at. Fans literally can reach out and touch the players. Being a former student at UWEC and growing up just down the road in Durand, I talked to a number of friends that went to the game simply for a chance to see a two-time, defending national champion. That’s high praise!

• The Warhawk football team has certainly done their job so far in 2011. UW-Whitewater fans have also done its job by turning out in droves at the Perk this year. Here is your chance to “finish it” as a Warhawk fan by turning out en masse for Saturday’s regular season finale at the Perk. With a large crowd, UWW will win the NCAA Division III regular season attendance title! NO EXCUSES!

• UW-Whitewater athletics is much more that just Warhawk football. UW-Whitewater volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s tennis all join Warhawk football as 2011 WIAC champions!

• So I lose my billfold last weekend. I looked all over – went to the last two businesses where I remembered having the billfold. I went to both the Whitewater and Fort Atkinson police departments – no luck. On Monday I contacted my bank to put on stop on my ATM card. On Wednesday I was doing some housecleaning and I had my 2008 Stagg Bowl hat on top of my dresser. You guessed it – I picked up the hat and damn if my billfold wasn’t underneath the hat!

• GO WARHAWKS!!

Wahawks win outright WIAC championship AGAIN

(In the photo above - The Warhawks seniors pose in front of Carson Park scoreboard letting viewers know the team had just cliched a seventh consecutive WIAC title - Tom Pattison photo)

Eau Claire) – UW-Whitewater put a bow on another Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football title Saturday afternoon in Eau Claire.

The Warhawks defeated UW-Eau Claire, 37-22, to go to 6-0 in the WIAC and 9-0 overall. Whitewater has now won a record seven straight WIAC titles.

Matt Blanchard threw scoring passes of 10 yards to Luke Menzel and 5 yards to Cory Robinson to give the Warhawks a 14-7 lead.

UWW then turned to all-WIAC leading rusher Levell Coppage to maintain the lead.

Coppage finished with 236 yards rushing including a 1-yard scoring run.

“Levell as the workhorse today,” Hawk head coach Lance Leipold tells the Janesville Gazette. “Levell and our line did the job.”

A 65 yard kick return by Steve Morris to open the second half combined with a 15 yard horse collar penalty set up a 1-yard touchdown run to extend the Warhawk lead to 21-7 early in the 3rd quarter.

After UWEC scored on a 49-yard pass play the Warhawks (Eric Kindler) punted out of field goal formation to pin the Blugolds at its own 1-yard line.


Whitewater ended up forcing a safety when a snap in punt formation went over the punter’s head out of the end zone.

Matt Blanchard followed with a 32-yard scoring strike to Tyler Huber to extend the Warhawk lead to 30-14.

“We knew they had a potent offense with the ability to strike quickly,” Leipold said. “We saw that happen. I was real pleased with the way we battled throughout the game.”

The Warhawks were without two starting linebackers and the Blugolds outgained Whitewater 399 to 393 yards.

A key to the win was Whitewater winning the turnover battle. Noah Timm intercepted two Austin Neu passes along with blocking a first half UWEC field goal attempt.

“We’re a little banged up, but we attained our No. 1 goal of winning an outright conference championship,” Leipold said.

Whitewater increased its win streak to 39 consecutive games tying the University of Washington (1908-1914) for the fifth longest streak in the history of college football.

The Warhawks will close the regular season November 12, hosting UW-La Crosse at 1:00 in Perkins Stadium.

UW-Whitewater at UW-Eau Claire Game-Day Central

Live Stats CLICK HERE

Live Video CLICK HERE

KOOL 106.5 Radio (Whitewater) Live Audio CLICK HERE

WBIZ Radio (Eau Claire) Live Audio CLICK HERE

UW-Eau Claire Game Notes CLICK HERE

Whitewater Game Notes CLICK HERE

Daily Jefferson County Union Game Preview CLICK HERE

WIAC Weekly Football Release CLICK HERE

Hawks "one game at a time" mindset pays big dividends

(Above graphic courtesy of UW-Whitewater Athletics)

Conference and Division III national titles are won by playing, and winning, “one game at a time.” Each season UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold stresses to his team the importance of having a “one game at a time” mentality.

Coach Leipold’s message has certainly been taken to heart.

The 2011 Warhawks entered this season coming off back-to-back NCAA national titles and three championships in the past four years.

The Warhawks currently have the longest winning streak in college football, in any division. UW-Whitewater has won 38 consecutive games. The Warhawks have also built streaks of 26 in a row on the road, 25 in a row at Perkins Stadium, 19 consecutive non-conference games, 22 WIAC games, and 10 in a row in the NCAA III playoffs.

UW-W's 38 game streak moves Whitewater into sixth longest ever in NCAA football. Mount Union holds the first and second spot with strings of 55 (2000-2003) and 54 (1996-99) games. The University of Oklahoma is next at 40 (1953-57), followed by Division II Grand Valley State with 40 (2005-2007). The University of Washington is in fifth place with 39 (1908-1914).

A victory over UW-Eau Claire Saturday will clinch an outright WIAC championship and WIAC record seventh straight.

2005 Whitewater
2006 Whitewater
2007 Whitewater
2008 Stevens Point, Whitewater
2009 Whitewater
2010 Whitewater
2011 Whitewater

1949 La Crosse, Stevens Point, Stout
1950 La Crosse, Whitewater
1951 La Crosse
1952 La Crosse, Platteville
1953 La Crosse, Platteville
1954 La Crosse

Levell Coppage continues his assault on record book

(Editor's Note: Levell Coppage shakes off a would-be defender on his way to a record-breaking 46 yard run in Saturday's 31-16 win over UW-Stevens Point at Perkins Stadium - photo is courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

It was the most publicized number last week heading into Saturday’s UW-Stevens Point at UW-Whitewater football game at Perkins Stadium. Levell Coppage needed 54 yards to eclipse Justin Beaver’s 6,584 career rushing total to become the UW-Whitewater and WIAC’s career rushing leader.

"Coming into this game everyone was telling me 54 yards, 54 yards. That's all I was hearing for the past couple days. In my head, I was thinking why 54? Why just get 54, I'm just playing another game out here," 

It didn’t take the senior out of Oak Park-River Forest High School (Ill) to break the record.

Coppage gained three yards on his first run of the day. On the next play Levell ripped off a 47 yard touchdown run to pull within four yards of the record. Coppage opened UWW’s second possession of the day with a two-yard run. Needing just two yards for the record, Coppage showed his “flair for the dramatic” by busting a 46 yard burst to the UWSP 17 yard line to become the UWW and WIAC career rushing leader.

Coppage, with 245 yards on 29 carries against the Pointers, has rushed for 1,101 yards this season, the first back in UW-W and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history to rush for 1,000 yards all four years of his career. It also gives him 6,776 yards in his career, replacing former Warhawk Justin Beaver as the school and WIAC career rushing leader. And it moves Coppage into third place in the NCAA III record book for career rushing.

His 245 yards vs. Stevens Point was his season high, topping the 168 he gained against UW-Platteville, and marks the sixth time in his career he has rushed for at least 200 yards. His most recent 200+ game had been a 299 yard performance in the 2010 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.