Scouting the Raiders, Warhawks One of the benefits of the shuffled Division III football playoff bracket this season is that some new teams have gotten an up-close-and-personal look at each other. In the case of 2007, Capital is the glue that ties UW-Whitewater and Mount Union together. Mount Union beat Capital 37-0 in Week 9. After a Capital quarterback change, UW-Whitewater beat the Crusaders 34-14 in Week 12. Having prepared to face both teams and having coached against them means Capital coach Jim Collins has seen them live and several times on video, while D3football.com staffers have seen both teams as well. We picked his brain for his thoughts on each team and combined them with others’ to break down each team in this weekend’s Stagg Bowl. Be prepared for a very physical game on Saturday afternoon. When UW-Whitewater has the ball Mount Union’s goal: The Purple Raiders should try to eliminate Justin Beaver (2,206 rushing yards) from the game and put the game solely in Danny Jones’ hands. Jones (55% completions, 2,348 yards, 368 rushing yards) is capable, but Beaver is their three-time All-American for a reason. They should try to force that issue. UW-Whitewater’s goal: Keep Mount Union off balance with a heavy dose of the run game. Beaver is really impressive. Mix up the run game with play-action and get the quarterback out of the pocket with the option to run or pass. The other option is to nickel and dime the Purple Raiders defense, take what you can get, move the chains and run the clock to keep the Mount Union offense off the field. Going play-action out of the pocket could really hurt. UW-Whitewater’s unsung player: They use tight end Nick Slupski (23 catches, 260 yards, two touchdowns) effectively, keeping him in on delay patterns and sending him out late. He’s not Pete Schmitt (All-American, invited to Redskins camp) but he’s pretty darn good. Mount Union’s unsung player: Cornerback Jonah Wilson (10 passes broken up, two interceptions) could have a big game if UW-Whitewater is forced into a passing mode. He made good plays down the stretch, including last week against Bethel. When Mount Union has the ball UW-Whitewater’s goal: Get in the face of the Purple Raiders receivers and rough them up a little bit, while hoping the defensive line and outside linebackers can take care of the run the way they did last year. Keep Greg Micheli (74% completions, 34 TDs, five interceptions, 398 rushing yards) in the pocket – they don’t want him running around on them. If they can get their pass rush with the front four filling the passing lanes and getting in Micheli’s face that would be effective. The secondary was impressive with four seniors, all starters. Their safeties and linebackers are tall and tough to throw over. They don’t have the team speed but they have the knack for creating turnovers, using a couple of different looks. They showed zone but switched to man, showed blitz but backed someone off the line, forced quick throws. Disguising coverage is their key to creating turnovers. Mount Union’s goal: Try to take advantage of team speed and get to the outside on UW-Whitewater rather than fighting the interior defensive line. Try to attack the perimeter downfield with Pierre Garcon (63 catches, 925 yards, 14 TDs) and the rest. Look at what Bryson Davis (40-777-8) has done the past couple of weeks. They should be able to run because they have a great offensive line and great team speed on offense. Whitewater’s team speed is good but not what Mount Union’s is. UW-Whitewater’s unsung player: Cornerback Gabe Schultz (16 passes broken up, five and a half tackles for loss) makes plays. He’s just 5-5 but makes up for it with toughness. He can get up in the air and has a great vertical. If they throw the football he may be able to shut someone down. Mount Union’s unsung player: Justin Wray is the playmaker nobody has heard about. He’s got great speed and is capable of blowing this wide open. As a senior, this is the last game he’ll ever play, so there’s a sense of urgency. On any team other than Mount Union and UW-Whitewater he’d be the best player on the team. Special teams Mount Union’s unsung player: People are probably aware of the season that kicker Mike Zimmerman has going. He’s perfect on extra points, 97-for-97, and 16-for-20 on field goals with a long of 37. But the defense is the key – Matt Kostelnik continues to block punts, with two this year, and the Purple Raiders have blocked five for the season. UW-Whitewater’s unsung player: Long snapper Luke Nelson. Capital put times on him and he has the timing to long snap in the NFL. It might be tough for Mount Union to block punts on him. Capital was able to get pressure on punts this season but not against UW-Whitewater. Matchup problems Mount Union: They have great defensive tackles in Nick Parr and Patrick McCullough. You can deal with everyone else as in you know they’re going to be great but at least you can prepare for them. You can’t prepare for these guys. The guards matched up against them are going to be a great thing to watch. UW-Whitewater: Linebackers Jace Rindahl (6-3, 230), Tristan Borzick (6-1, 241) and A.J. Raebel (6-5, 240). They’re huge, physical and run well. -- Compiled by Pat Coleman | ||
| Permalink | Dec 11, 2007 | ||
Scouting the Stagg As we prepare for the kickoff of Stagg Bowl XXXV at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Salem, Va., let's take the time to get to know the teams a little better. Mount Union and UW-Whitewater should be plenty familiar with each other from their meetings the previous two seasons, and their coaching staffs have undoubtedly already done what we're doing now, which is scouting the opposition. Because of the bracket shuffling, Capital played both Mount Union and UW-Whitewater and is the only team to have done so this season. So we went to the source and asked Capital coach Jim Collins for his breakdown of each team. We then combined those observations with our own in-person takes on each team to deliver a report on each team. So who are the unsung players for each team in the battle for the Walnut and Bronze, in each phase of the game? What should Mount Union try to do defensively against UW-Whitewater and vice versa? What are the goals when the Purple Raiders have the ball? Get ready for Stagg Bowl XXXV by scouting the Purple Raiders and Warhawks.
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| Permalink | Dec 11, 2007 | ||
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