One by one, Warhawks check off W's
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With one loss already out of the way, a 14-1 record this season would signal a new end to their season and with a new head coach, new quarterback and new go to receiver, it’s quite amazing the Warhawks are still up to their old winning ways.
When the 2006 season ended for UW-Whitewater, it appeared as though they had all but squandered their last chance at Stagg Bowl glory with a 35-16 loss to Mount Union.
2006 unanimous WIAC Player of the Year Justin Jacobs was graduating, legendary head Coach Bob Berezowitz was retiring and go to receiver Derek Stanley was off to take a shot at the NFL.
It didn’t seem possible that the Warhawks could keep it together for another Stagg Bowl run.
In January, they introduced Lance Liepold as head coach. A poster child for the program, as he was a star quarterback in the 1980’s and long time assistant, but relatively unproven with no head coaching experience.
New head coach, check.
As for replacing Jacobs, there were several backups ready to step into that role, however, the Warhawks learned that All-SCIAC quarterback Danny Jones was planning to transfer to the school. Jones threw for 20 touchdowns and 1,836 yards in eight games in 2006 at Cal Lutheran. Jones looked like a solid replacement for Jacobs who threw for 2,980 yards and 36 touchdowns in 15 games.
New proven quarterback, check.
Next up on the replacement list was Derek Stanley’s 1141 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Warhawks had Neil Mrkvicka and Matt Gifford returning who combined for over 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns. Wide receiver by committee seemed to be the approach for the 2007 season.
Receivers, check.
Running back Justin Beaver, who needs no explanation, returned as did enough key components of the Warhawk defense for a third run at the Stagg.
The Warhawks are off to a solid start at 5-1 and while they do have one loss it came at the hands of St. Cloud State, a Division II foe.
The most impressive note of the 2007 season is their resilience in the UW-La Crosse game. The Warhawks trailed 28-10 with 7:57 to play in the third quarter before unleashing a flurry of points that resulted in a 35-28 come-from-behind win.
Saturday’s game was another classic Whitewater victory; 179 yards rushing from Beaver which is just ten yards over his weekly average; a solid leg on kicker Jeff Schebler who opened the scoring for Whitewater with a 52-yard boom through the uprights to go with three other field goals and a steady, interception free passing performance from Danny Jones.
The Warhawks need to focus this week against UW-Stevens Point and not put the cart before the horse in preparation for their match up with Mary Hardin-Baylor on Oct. 27 -- a matchup of the last three losers of the Stagg Bowl who are now ranked two and three in the country.
The Warhawks are tired of one loss seasons, unless of course it happens this year, I think they’d be just fine with it.
On and off with Tim Connell
On the field ... Central has been far from glitzy this season but their grind-it-out mentality has led to a 7-0 record and a steady climb up the Top 25 chart. Through injuries to top players (see Vance Schuring) and nail biters (see Coe) the Dutch have found a way to win and quarterback Tim Connell has been the anchor all season. It was his 254 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner with 5:12 to play, that dropped Coe and kept the Dutch undefeated. He’s a leader on the field -- now get to know him off of it ...
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Gatorade or Powerade: Gatorade
If you could have dinner with anyone past or present: Tony Dungy
Favorite TV show: Family Guy
Best football memory to date: 10-0 2006 regular season
Early riser or sleep in: Sleep in
Would you rather be a rock star or professional athlete: Professional athlete
2008 Super Bowl Champion: Patriots
First section you read in the newspaper: Sports
Closest friend on the team: Cam Waugh
Favorite place to study: My room
Do you read Post Patterns: Sometimes
Car or SUV: Car
Republican or Democrat: Republican
Favorite vegetable: Carrots
Favorite cold cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Girlfriend or single: Single
Late-night snack: Cheez Its
Best thing to do in Pella, Iowa: Golf at Bos Landen
Central College football, in three words: Family, Success, Passion
D … as in “Didn’t” have any
Concordia and St. Olaf duked it out on Saturday on a day when the defenses disappeared and the offenses dominated. The two teams combined for 103 points, 994 total yards, 152 total plays, 6 of 6 on fourth down conversions and perfection (15-15) in the red zone. When the clock finally stopped, it was Concordia quarterback Jesse Nelson, whose two point conversion came up an inch short and led to the Oles 52-51 victory.
Nice game, rook
UW-Platteville head coach Mike Emendorfer had to be nervous Saturday when he saw his backup quarterback, John Akim, go down with injury. His starter was already not playing and this left third string freshman Joe Burkeland as the only guy left. Burkeland played like it was the last game of his career, not one of the first. He came in and rushed for 151 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns. He accounted for 57 of the 78 yards on the last drive bringing the Pioneers to the one yard line where Tony Smidl’s 17 yard field goal was the difference, 37-34. It was the Pioneers first victory over UW-La Crosse since 2001.
These guys can play
It was another huge day for several quarterbacks in the MIAC. Three quarterbacks put some gaudy numbers on the stat sheet. St. John's senior quarterback Alex Kofoed was 25 of 37 passing for 337 yards and five touchdowns as Saint John's defeated Gustavus Adolphus 40-0. Kofoed's passing performance broke two school records formerly held by current Carleton head coach Kurt Ramler (1993-96). Kofoed set the school's all-time mark for touchdown passes (88) with his fifth of the game on a 13-yard reception to Aaron Blackmore. In addition, he recorded his ninth career 300-yard passing game, setting a new school record.
Concordia-Moorhead junior quarterback Jesse Nelson ran for two touchdowns and threw three touchdown passes in the Cobbers' 52-51 loss at St. Olaf. Nelson had a career day rushing 23 times for 104 yards and completing 18-of-26 passes for 225 passing yards. His 329 total offensive yards in the game is a career high. Out of the 11 times Concordia had the ball, he drove the team to eight scores.
St. Thomas junior quarterback David Sauer threw for three touchdowns, had a career-best 441 passing yards, had no interceptions and ran for a touchdown in the Tommies 50-33 comeback win over Augsburg. Sauer completed 35-of-46 passes and rallied UST from a 33-23 deficit in the third quarter as he led four scoring drives of 64, 39, 70 and 60 yards in a game-closing 27-0 flurry. He also rushed for 30 yards to finish with 471 yards of total offense. He guided a UST offense that rolled up 33 first downs and 610 yards of offense. Sauer moved over 3,400 passing yards in 16 career games.
Far from Dull
Trailing 20-10 with under two minutes to play on Saturday, Chapman needed a bright moment on offense and they got it from Harrison Dull. The junior receiver scored a hat trick of touchdowns over the next seven minutes including a 60-yarder that sealed the game for Chapman. Dull finished with 10 catches for 216 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers in the 38-20 victory.
Dead leg
Cal Lutheran kicker Connor Pearce had a busy day in the Kingsmen’s 47-12 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. He attempted six field goals from 24, 26, 31, 39, 40 and 51 yards. He missed the 51 and 31 yard attempts but nailed the other four. He is now 9-13 on the season with a season long of 44 yards.
Lucky 48
Pacific Lutheran is now 3-0 on the season when reaching the 48-point plateau. The Lutes beat Menlo 48-19 pushing their record to 5-1. They hit the magic 48 number in their first two wins and are now averaging 39.3 per game. Chase Reed again was the difference scoring three touchdowns and pushing his season total to 10.
Notes, nuggets and things you might have missed …
• St. Olaf wide receiver Horace Gant broke the St. Olaf school record for career receptions and tied the record for TD's in a career and in a single season. He now has 167 career receptions, 25 career touchdown catches including 10 in 2007.
• Ted Everson set a new UW-La Crosse single-game receiving record with 237 yards.
• Puget Sound offensive lineman Cody Dean scored the game winner for the Loggers after recovering the fumble of teammate James Olcott in the end zone for the 13-7 win over Willamette.
Games to Watch
No. 3 UW-Whitewater at No. 20 UW-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wis., 1 p.m. CT: Undefeated UW-Stevens Point could really shake up the WIAC with a win over visiting UW-Whitewater. The Pointers have the second longest winning streak in Division III at 10 games and will look to extend a seven game win streak in the WIAC. The Warhawks have not lost a WIAC game since the last game of the 2004 season. Both teams possess a balanced offensive attack and average over 30 points per game. This should be a good one!
Bethel at No. 13 St. Olaf, Northfield, Minn., 1 p.m. CT: This is a must win for both teams. The winner is likely still alive for the playoffs while the loser, will take its second loss on the season and essentially be eliminated. If St. Olaf wins they will pull even with Bethel for second in the MIAC and hope the Royals can knock of St. John’s in the season finale for a three way tie for the conference title. Bethel will likely keep the ball on the ground with Logan Flannery while St. Olaf quarterback Matt Penz will lead the aerial attack for the Oles. Bethel is coming off a bye and quarterback Ben Wetzell didn’t play in the game before that due to injury. He should be healthy and ready to go. St. Olaf is coming off their 52-51 marathon with Concordia.
No. 7 Central at Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa, 1 p.m. CT: Central will have its hands full with upstart Dubuque. The Spartans just hung 61 points on Cornell and have scored a flurry of points this year. Central has found a way to win each week pushing themselves to an undefeated record. Look for the Dutch to keep it on the ground with quarterback Tim Connell and running back Vance Schuring, if healthy, carrying the load. Jermar Jackson leads Dubuque who can strike on the ground or through the air. This could be a shootout.
Pacific Lutheran at No. 19 Linfield, McMinnville, Ore., 1:30 p.m. PT: My excitement surrounds this game as I will be there! Pacific Lutheran is off to its best start in years while Linfield has been up and down. The Wildcats got on track last week with a big win over Southern Oregon. Both teams have a conference loss so the loser of this game is essentially eliminated from the NWC title race.