Matt Behrendt a major key to UW-Whitewater's 11 & 0 start

(In the adjacent photo – Matt Behrendt cheers on the UWW defense in the Hawks Homecoming win over UW-Platteville – Photo courtesy of UWW Marketing and Media Relations

The UW-Whitewater football team will take an unbeaten record into Saturday’s round-two NCAA Division III playoff game vs. Franklin College (IN) at Perkins Stadium
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If you are looking for reasons for Whitewater’s renaissance after missing the playoffs last year the first place to look at is the play of quarterback Matt Behrendt.

The junior out of Nazareth Academy in Westchester, Illinois gave Warhawk fans a preview late last year by starting the final three games of a 7 & 3 season. Behrendt played the second half of UWW’s loss to eventual conference champion UW-Oshkosh. The following week the Hawks dropped a 17-14 decision at Stevens Point to take the team out of playoff contention.

Behrendt was the first to admit that he was too inconsistent during his sophomore year.

“I came in and made more mistakes than I should have,” Behrendt indicated back in August at the team’s preseason media day. “My big focus in the off-season was dealing with things like working on my check downs and all that. Correcting my mistakes will help us win more games.”

Hawk head coach Lance Leipold had full confidence in Behrendt’s abilities entering the season.

“I’m excited about what Matt brings to the table,” Leipold told reporters. “Matt is a leader and that was borne out when his teammates elected him one of our team captains during spring practice. “What fans saw last year, Matt possesses a strong arm the ability to make something happen with his legs when things break down.”

Fast forward four months and Coach Leipold was “spot on” with his preseason comments as Behrendt guided the Hawks to a 10 & 0 regular season and the program’s record-tying 33rd conference title.  Included in those 10 wins were back-to-back, late season wins over Top 10 ranked Oshkosh and Platteville.

Some Warhawk fans have used social media to question if Behrendt makes enough “big plays.” Lets take a look.

Matt’s stat line entering Saturday’s playoff game vs. Franklin College reads: 215 of 336 for 2,355 yards – just one interception and 29 touchdowns.

To put Behrendt’s season statistics in clearer context, all you need to do is take a gander at the Warhawk football record book.

His 215 completions ranks 5th all-time.

His 64% completion percentage ranks 5th all-time.

Matt’s 29 touchdowns is 3rd all-time behind only Justin Jacobs in 2005 and 2006
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Behrendt’s 1 interception is tied with Matt Blanchard for first place in the UWW single season record book.

What is even more remarkable is Behrendt’s numbers are through 11 games. Most of the other player’s stats were garnered in Stagg Bowl ending 15 game seasons.

Can Behrendt improve? Of course, but he is still the quarterback of one of the 16 teams still in the hunt for a berth in the 2013 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. He is putting together one heck of a season!

December weather at Perkins Stadium can be rather finicky

(In the adjacent photo – a look at the field covered with hot air blown under the tarp in an effort to keep the turf from freezing – Tom Pattison photo)

I’ll be the first to admit that the weather conditions at Perkins Stadium Saturday weren’t as severe as they were at the iconic “Ice Bowl” NFL Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers on the “frozen tundra of Lambeau Field,” but it was definitely really cold.

Saturday’s NCAA Division III playoff game at Perkins Stadium had game-time weather conditions of 19 degrees with winds out of the northwest at 22 mph with a wind chill recorded at -11 degrees. By the start of the second half the temperature had fallen to 18 degrees and a wind chill of -15.

Unofficially, it was the coldest game (wind chill wise) in Perkins Stadium history.

Prior to Saturday's game, the coldest game is believed to be the legendary “shoes game,” - the NCAA semifinal game between Wesley (DE) and the Warhawks at Perkins Stadium on December 10, 2005.
The game was played just two days after 8 inches of snow fell on Thursday night followed by frigid temperatures froze the then grass turf at the Perk.

The game time temperature on December 10, 2005 was 22 degrees with winds gusting to 25 mph.
Despite the intense, three day effort by dozens of workers to keep the field surface unfrozen, the Perk could have been called “the big ice cube” for Wesley and Whitewater with the winner to advance to the 2006 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

The Warhawk players back in '05 relished the idea of playing in the challenging elements. Wesley was, shall we say, less than thrilled.

UWW wore cleatless shoes on the frozen turf, Wesley did not and still talk about UWW having an unfair advantage.

The Warhawks took the lead by way of a Wesley safety on the first play of the game and the rout was on. Whitewater rolled to a 58-6 win to advance to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl for the first of seven consecutive seasons.

Despite weather elements that included sub-zero wind chill temperatures and snow, a still UWW playoff record crowd of 5,480 were at Perkins Stadium that afternoon in what is believed to be the coldest day in Perkins Stadium history.

Note to NCAA: Free Mike “Cannon Man” Lesko and his tradition-laden cannon

One of the travesties of UW-Whitewater playoff football is the NCAA’s ban on Mike “Cannon Man” Lesko’s tradition-laden cannon at the Perkins Stadium. Take a note NCAA – SHAME ON YOU!!!!

Over the past three year’s of watching NCAA playoff football on network TV I have personally witnessed four occasions where the host school shot off a cannon following a home team touchdown.

The NCAA, which blankets itself in college football’s close relationship with traditions, prohibits the use of “noisemakers” at its sanctioned events. Just wondering out loud here… if ESPN or ABC TV officials wanted those school’s that have that traditional cannon fire (ie: Army/Navy game) or West Virginia mascot gun fire (ie: West Virginia home football games) as part of its televised game package, would the NCAA say no?

In this day and age, my guess is the NCAA would say yes to Mike Lesko’s highly popular and highly traditional cannon adjacent to the south end zone IF AND ONLY IF it would hold the exclusive merchandising rights to the “tradition.”

This memo to the NCAA – how about allowing the Cannon Man to set up his cannon in its normal location during the Warhawks’ upcoming playoff games in Perkins Stadium? Instead of having the cannon go off, the Hawk fans will simply yell BOOM but not loud enough to be classified as a “noisemaker.” We promise, you can have the merchandising rights!  

Warhawks look to FINISH an unbeaten regular season

A large sign that hangs over the UW-Whitewater football practice fields reminds players and coaches to FINISH. That will be the goal for the Warhawks when the host UW-River Falls Saturday afternoon at Perkins Stadium.

15 seniors will be playing their final regular season game at Perkins Stadium with a chance to finish a season 10-0 for only a seventh time in school history and sixth in the last seven years.

It’s a class group of guys and they all have a story,” UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold told Gary Douglas on 940 WFAW Friday morning. “They have set a great example for our younger players of setting the tone on a weekly basis,. It’s great for these seniors and our whole football team,” Leipold said last following last week’s 17-7 win at UW-Stevens Point to clinch at least a share of a conference championship.  “Where we’re at in some areas — in our youth and inexperience — for us to come together and put ourselves in this position is truly a credit to our players and assistant coaches. They’ve done an outstanding job.

The seniors have been practicing all week in their old high school jerseys as part of a long-standing tradition. They will be walked out onto the field with their parents in a special pregame ceremony prior to Saturday’s regular season finale.

”A win Saturday will result in an outright conference title and likely No. 1 seed when NCAA D3 playoff pairings are announced at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Kickoff on Saturday is set for 2:05 p.m. at the Perk with St. Johns (MN) and Whitewater in a virtual deadlock for the lead in NCAA Division 3 attendance. heading into Saturday’s regular season finales. SJU is averaging 7,620 per game at Clemens Stadium. UW-Whitewater is averaging 7,559 to the Perk. Whitewater has finished in the top three in regular season attendance for the past five years including No. 1 in 2011.

UW-Whitewater remains No. 1 in the West Regional football rankings

 

The second 2013 NCAA regional rankings was released Wednesday afternoon. UW-Whitewater remains No. 1 in the West.

The Warhawks clinched a berth in this year’s Playoff field on the basis of last Saturday’s win at UW-Stevens Point.

A win over UW-River Falls on Saturday at Perkins Stadium will likely result in the Warhawks securing one of the four No. 1 seeds.

The 2013 Division III playoff field will be announced on Sunday.

To view today’s NCAA regional rankings CLICK HERE

 

Platteville at Whitewater WIAC showdown set for Saturday

Saturday’s first place showdown at Perkins Stadium pits UW-Platteville’s high-powered offense against UW-Whitewater’s punishing defense. The game shapes up to be a classic, at least on paper.

The Pioneers average 46.3 points and 529.6 yards of total offense per game. The Warhawks have only allowed seven touchdowns this season and hold their opponents to 217.3 of total offense per game.

Whitewater opened the season needing a fourth quarter rally to defeat Washington University 17-7. The Warhawks then rolled off five consecutive, lopsided wins. Last week the unbeaten Hawks knocked off fellow unbeaten UW-Oshkosh 17-14 in a defensive gem at Titan Stadium.
Platteville has run roughshod over its opponents this season with the exception of one game. Two weeks ago the Pioneers needed a touchdown in the final minute to squeeze pull out a 24-23 win at UW-Stevens Point.

The Pointers held the Pioneers high-octane offense in check for the most part. UW-Platteville entered the game averaging over 48 points and over 550 yards per game but UW-Stevens Point held them to 378 yards, while gaining 338 yards themselves.

Entering the game, UW-Platteville had not allowed a sack all season but the Pointers got to Pioneer quarterback John Kelly three times. They also picked off two of Kelly’s passes.

"For us to win on Saturday we are going to have to control the football and limit their (Platteville) possessions,” Leipold indicated on the KOOL 106.5 “Warhawk Weekly” radio show. “I would imagine that their will be quite a few more points put on the board on Saturday. They (Platteville) are not a team you are going to shut down, but we must be able to slow them down. It is going to be a big test.”

It is Homecoming and Hall of Fame Day at Perkins Stadium. It will also be the 21st renewal of the George Chryst Memorial Bowl.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Looking for Warhawk fans to be loud at the Perk on Saturday

UW-Whitewater football fans are some of the best in the country. Perhaps that is the reason Warhawk fans and Perkins Stadium was one of ten schools in the country competing for the “Best Under the Radar Football Atmosphere (all divisions).

Whitewater has averaged an incredible 11,358 fans to the Perk the past three years for Homecoming/Hall of Fame Day.

With the weather forecast calling for partly cloudy skies and a high of 46 degrees all signs are pointing to a potential record crowd for Saturday’s 1st place showdown against unbeaten UW-Platteville.

”Big” games at Perkins Stadium are nothing new for Warhawk fans. When you get 10-thousand plus at the Perk the energy level is amazing.

Hawk players have often talked about the incredible boost they get when the rumble of the crowd increases multiple decibels on critical third down situations.

You don’t think the players appreciate a “loud and crazy” Warhawk crowd? One UWW player tweeted this morning better see everyone there! Cheering every 3rd down too. Let's go!

Plan on getting to the Perk early on Saturday. Do some Homecoming/Hall of Fame Day tailgating and being loud and proud when you get into the stadium! Do your part in helping your Warhawks take a major step on the road to this year’s WIAC title.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.