It’s hard to keep from pondering that if the NCAA had put UW-Whitewater in the North and Lakeland in the West (remember, Whitewater is closer geographically to the rest of the North bracket than Lakeland is!) then we could have seen UW-Whitewater/Mount Union today and UW-Whitewater/Linfield next week.
Thank goodness there was a competitive game today. Rowan did alright by the East in this one. Should be a good crowd in Salem. Looking forward to that one.
Congrats to Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. Fans, you should know that the Stagg Bowl organizing committee is sponsoring giveaway of a free hotel night and admission to the game. On Friday there’s a luncheon for the teams at the Salem Civic Center that you can purchase tickets to. You should find out which team is in which hotel if you are traveling so you can figure out whether you want to stay in the Clarion or the Wyndham (one team will stay in each, though there are many other hotels to choose from as well, check the Stagg Bowl Web site).
Pat Cummings, Keith McMillan and I will have a live audio broadcast of the game, with Gordon Mann and I handling pregame, halftime and postgame festivities. We start two hours before the game kicks off, and our pregame show will include the first announcement of the D3football.com All-America team. We’ll also carry it through the postgame news conferences and give you our final thoughts on the 2005 season, probably running at least an hour after the games end. So if you want to hear what your team and coaches have to say, tune to us.
We’ll also do photo galleries from the week, including the luncheon and team activities, as well as the game.
Enjoy the week. Post responsibly.
Duh, meant pronouns, not adverbs. I really got to quit trying to act all academic on here.
i was surprised when they announced at MUC stadium that the UW game was delayed because of frozen field conditions…i had never heard of that in my entire life
if anyone was there could you elaborate on what made that situation so unique that it would delay the game….it was in wisc for cryin out loud
i would think that people in that area would be use to frozen everything
I have also seen WW and Mount play this year and it will be a good game.
Mounts 70-0 win at JC was astounding. A game where one team could do no wrong and the other just couldn’t do anything right. A perfect game for the Raiders. JC proved they were a much better team than this game indicated with their play the rest of the year.
WW vs Stout was not a true indication of this WW’s abilities because they really didn’t have to show a whole lot. Beaver is a very patient runner who waits for his blocks to set up and then shoots through the hole. Quick and hard to find behind his linemen. Justin Jacobs has a very nice touch and his receivers run complete routes. He was able to complete some beautiful passes putting the ball where only the receiver was going to catch it. They fell behind Stout 10-0 in the first quarter and finished the game without allowing another point. They really didn’t look like the #2 team in the win but IMO they were playing to their competition.
The St Johns game was like the MUC-JC game. WW did everything right and St Johns couldn’t get anything going. WW was sharp and precise the whole game. I believe St Johns turned the ball over 7 times and it was like every player took his turn. When they had a couple of chances to get back in the game they just didn’t get it done. Jacobs and Beaver and their receivers are the real deal and Jacobs again put up some beautiful long pinpoint passes where receivers were the only player in a position to catch the ball. Their defensive line shut down a good Johnnies running game too. A complete win over a team with one of the best offenses and defenses in D3.
As we all know now they have followed it up with two more impressive wins.
That’s my plink plink…two cents on the subject.
Go Raiders!
Realistically Mount Union doesnt have a chance Sunday. They have squeaked by a weak Capital team and even a injury deplleted Rowan. All those past titles are a great accomplishment and there is great tradition at Mount Union but Whitewater is too talented. They didnt even play that well and still beat Linfield. Mount Union’s corners have no chance against Stanley and those guys. Seriously I would be impressed if Mount Union Holds them under 42 points Those guys stretch the field so much. I mean heck they lost to Ohio Northern, I mean come on who is Ohio Northern. Whitewater will win probably 38-7 or so. Depending if they try to stick in to Mt Union or not. Whitewater is probably the best D3 team that maybe that has ever won a title. The championship was played 2 weeks ago in Linfield. Oh yeah Wesley was really bad too hard to believe that team made semifinals???? Was that region really that weak?
Iknowitall,
Whitewater is not the best team to ever win the title for the simple reason that as of December 11, 2005 they have not won a d3 football national championship. And don’t let that double monkey stomp of Wesley fool you, the last two years the winner of one of the two regional title game wan by a 50+ point margin. Only one of those two teams went on to win the national championship.
Man, you have not been around D-III very long, have you, “knowitall” — Mount Union has more than a chance in ANY Division III game.
mucborn&bred, Mount Union had a playoff game a cpl years back delayed an hour or so because of snow. Ironically it was against Wis-La Crosse in the 2003 second round.
lknowitall,
I have to say. WW didn’t play well against Linfield? One penalty the entire first half and 1 turnover the entire game. They played great. Linfield turned the ball over 5 times that led to 13 points. Linfiled didn’t play that well, yet not one Linfield has been on here making excuses. They go beat, end of story.
I think it is great that you love WW but be honest, they have their hands full against MU. MU is the best DIII football program around. WW has never been this far and MU makes their reservations for Virginia in August. Anyway, please give respect to those who have earned it. MU is a great team and great program. WW is having a great year and is a really good team. Heck, I think they win on Saturday but be respecful. MU is the standard for all of DIII.
Linfield Alumni.
fb fan…..I couldn’t of said it any better than YOU just did….so I won’t. Anyone who thinks that Mount doesn’t have a chance Saturday needs their head examined. Our 9th trip….ya count umm, nine and your 1st. Give me a break. All cocky and its not even Monday (even though it really is). I hope WW’s butt _____ doesn’t get too tight on Saturday given its first time (espn) on National T.V. Old hat to Mount and their coaching staff. I guess we’ll all have to wait and see come Saturday. I realize that WW is a very good fooball team, but don’t underestimate the RAIDERS. They’ve been making this Salem, VA trip for YEARS !! Until you’ve been their and won, you get NO props !! Win it… that’s when you’ll gain respect….but until then….BACK OFF junior !!!!!!!!
Yeah, because a sign of maturity is using tons of capital letter and exclamation points.
And by the way Iknowitall……you don’t know jack _____ !! There have been several Mount teams that completely BLEW away the competition in D3 Football over the years. Those were the BEST D3 teams ever, certainly not this 05′ WW team. Its quite obvious that you haven’t been following D3 football for very long. Do your homework, get the facts and we’ll talk. Until then, go to the frig and grab some CHEEDER !!!
ric
great point…i had forgotten about that game
also i just found the article detailing why the game was delayed
sat is going to be one hellofa stagg bowl…espn2 should do us(as d3fb fans) proud
any team where L.K is the head coach cannot be considered the underdog because when you win 55 in a row you know what it’s like to play with a bull’seye on your chest every saturday. if anyone can prepare a team for an outstanding offense it’s larry kehres.
finding a way to win EVERY saturday is what makes a dynasty
go muc
bigmucfan….cheeder? wow. I dont care how much you like mount union, you have some real problems. I dont know if you read your posts before you send them, but you really sound like the biggest jerk on here. Your the only one on here who is making mount union fans look bad.
fb fan…..their were posts of people making excuses about the linfield-ww game. just not nearly as many as for the other schools who lost.
wrong shoes?
Go Warhawks
Go Raiders!
The 2005 Raiders Football team has heard ever since the loss they aren’t good enough to win it all. THIS IS WHAT MOTIVATES THIS TEAM. They are hungry and they don’t care who they played. I stated this last week. WW hade a tough schedule to get to the Stagg Bowl. This is the way it works. The luck of the draw, or the unlucky part, however you care to look at it. It happened in the past to The Raiders and they did what they were supposed to do. They WON! They won it all beating every team that got in their way. This year we have two teams that have beat every team in the playoffs in their way and is why they are the last two standing. Mt. Union may not of been the best team this year according to most. But, don’t make the schedule. For the WW people complaining of how they had to get there. Who cares? Your there! Even if they put Linfield, St. Johns or even Mt. Union in different barckets. YOU STILL would have had to beat these teams. So instead of complaing. Look at what you beat if you win it all. If I’m not mistaken, It’s the last three National Champs. I don’t think you would want to play the cupcakes who were just lucky to be there. TO BE THE BEST, THEN BEAT THE BEST! Good luck to both teams!
GO RAIDERS!
Here is the tale of the tape for the Stagg Bowl, pretty even statistically. I think that the school releases one with all the stats later in the week but this is all I found for now.
http://www.mtunionfootball.com/05whitewatertaleofthetape.htm
Does anyone know a good link to directions…. from Ohio I know you get on 77S…. but after that… It is a mystery… I wasn;t sure if any driving directions had been posted anywhere…
Also, anyone from WW driving to Salem… If so, why haven’t you left yet??? lol and how many hours would that be…
Thanks to anyone that could point me in the right direction… Literally!!
GO RAIDERS!!
Info at: http://www.d3football.com/staggbowl/ or by clicking the ad on the front page.
Bigmucfan,
You were right saying Mt Onion is the underdog – they are going to be crushed by UW Whitewater.
I can’t wait to cheer the victory of the team, who by far, has had the toughest competition in the playoffs. The number one team from the number one conference is going to be the National Champion this year, and it isn’t Mt. Onion.
Did you get beat up alot as a child? Eat paint chips?
As I have said before, I think your hot air is depleating you brain of much needed oxygen. Your posts are hopefully not representing the whole of Mt. Onion fans.
UW Whitewater has all the tools, and they are deep. Yes, Mt. Onion is good, but nearly as good, talented or tough as UW Whitewater.
What place are you in the pool smart guy?
Win four in a row like Augustana did. Can you do that? – no.
HERES TO UW WHITEWATER WINNING IT ALL, JUST LIKE I KNOW THEY WILL, AND HAVE BEEN PREDICITNG FOR MONTHS! When you play the toughest schedule, in the toughest conference, and beat the toughest teams, then you will be Champion – unlike Mt. Onion this year.
Yeah, there are a few of us band kids out watching the games. It was a trip trying to keep our instruments from freezing, but we were playing our fight song enough against Wesley, that we didn’t have to worry too much…
I’m not gonna get into the argument, we all know that there’s people in here that are for WW and people in here for MUC. We both want our respective teams to win, and the team that wins on Saturday will be the National Champs, simple as that.
On the note of the game being delayed, we have never, in my knowledge, had a game this late in the year. We had gotten a total of about 6 inches of snow that week, and I found a new respect for stadium crews, because I helped clear the stands on Friday. Anyways, there was a company from Michigan brought in to thaw out our field, and the moisture that was on the field collected in certain areas, and they had to actually chip the ice off of the field on Saturday morning, plus the company thawing out the field had to get their giant furnaces out of there. It’s Wisconsin, there’s not a whole lot we can do, especially when the snow and ice removal was basically on a volunteer basis, not hired hands.
Along with the cold weather situation, it was neat to hear that Barry Alvarez (UW Badger Coach and Athletic Director) called Coach Brez and offered the use of their indoor practice facility this past week. The Hawks only spent one afternoon/evening up there, but it was really cool to see backing from a respectable D-1/Big 10 program.
SeanGOP
You have a good team this year. No doubt about it. And if you win it all. A number of us have already said. You would have beaten the last three National Champs to do so. Not too bad. But, why do you continue to put the Mt. Union Purple Raiders down? Is it because they have won what you are seaking? If Mt. Union doesn’t have a leg to stand on to compare to Augustana, Then why are you running your mouth about a team that hasn’t won a thing. Not even once! I’m not about trashing your team or teams, whoever you are rooting for. Both teams won to get here so let them play. Do yourself a favor and read the WW website. They aren’t trash talking, neither is Mt. Union footballs players. Both schools know who stands in front of them and both teams want to win. Grow up and stop joining in on the trash talking and maybe people will start respecting you and you teams. Good Luck to both teams! Mt. Unions record speaks for it’s self and even the Great Augustana teams state this themselves.
Oh, and somebody asked, it’s about a 14 hour ride. We get to leave here Friday afternoon, toot our horns at the game, and head home right after. And to top it all of… It’s Finals Week!!
SeanGOP,
I am not doubting that UW-W is tough and it will be a great game. Yes you folks played the toughest playoff schedule but to claim your conference was the toughest as well, that my be a stretch. Mount Union plays in the OAC which on the main page of D3Football you will see that they are atop the standings for playoff history, sure alot of that is from us but other teams are good as well. Capital finished at number 16 in the top 25, Ohio Northern who someone said was a nobody finished number 20 and they are all in the OAC. John Carroll who we beat 70-0 also received votes to get into the top 25.
So I am not saying that this means we are a tougher team but we have had our fair share of tough competition this year so it is not like we have been playing a bunch of nobody teams.
Either way I cannot wait for the Stagg Bowl, please pick my name for the free hotel and tickets!!
I am not dissing Mount Union at all. They have great program But they will not be able to stay within 28 points of UWW. They are not physical enough up front and Beaver is gonna go for another 200 in this game. UWW whitewater’s wideouts are tremendous, Mount Union has not seen this type of speed all year. I mean Capitol went up and down the field on them. UWW has div I calaber athletes at the skilled positions. This won’t be a good game to watch, UWW will jump them fast with the passing game. I am not one to harp on how this playoff thing was seeded, I guess It would have been nice to be able to watch a 44-41 game with great plays and athletes on Espn, then some 41-7 game, which is what we are gonna get on Saturday. This UWW team is really unbeatable at this point.
Where are you SeanGOP?
SeanGOP,
Why do we still have to hear about Augustana? They got rolled by Mount Union. Their string of four titles has no importance in this discussion. Have you seen Mount Union play this year? If you haven’t, you are truly more unintelligent than your comments make you look. I have not seen WW play.
Even if I did, I wouldn’t be making ridiculous guarantees of victory for either team. This is the Stagg Bowl. I don’t see either team blowing the other out.
It can be done. Ask Lycoming or Widener or Augustana. All these school have deen demolished by Mount Union in past playoff games.
You also must have had your fair share of beatings as a child. Your comments reflect banter from a disturbed person.
Have you decided which bandwagon you are going to jump on next season?
Good luck to both teams. The Stagg Bowl could be one for the ages.
D3football.com
Great site you have here.
Well – as predicted, trash follows victory. As surprising as the 58-6 drubbing was this past weekend, its even more surprising to read the trash talk posts from the UWW following. Are you kidding me? You’re playing, outside of Trinity, CT’s Squash Team, one of the most dominating programs in any division in NCAA. You’ve won nothing – to date, yet you boast as if next Saturday is a formality. Congrats on a fine win at Linfield – squeeked out in the last minute – I’m sure those 5 interceptions didn’t help. As far as Wesley is concerned, we’ve seen that stripe before (47-0 loss at .500 non-playoff team). I saw Rowan play. MU played a Parcellian ball-control offensive strategy. Kept game close, let their big time players make big plays, and displayed their #2 defensive ranking (really #1, since Trinity only plays NESCAC schedule). I said it last week, defense wins championships. As the “47-0” loss was a key underlying stat for Wesley last week, The 1/4 mile/plus that Linfield passed for agains UWW will be this week. Watch out, MU has shown a grind it out style the last four weeks. Maybe we’ll see an all out air attack this week. In which case, the boastful UWW faithful may find themselves on the losing side of a lopsided game. Can’t wait to see it. Only wish the deuce broadcast was available in High Def.
The great thing about Internet message boards is that everybody has a right to voice their opinion. I am not much for the trash talking, idiot fan dialogue, but to each his own.
First, I think UW-W has a great shot. While their confidence is at an all-time high (especially after sandwiching a difficult victory over Linfield on the road between a couple of easier playoff wins at home), their coaching staff has a great tool to keep their players grounded. When you play Mount Union, you know you have to play well to win. The coaching staff and players are well aware of the lopsided losses to Mount Union in 2002 and 2003. They also lost to St. John’s in the regular season back then and avenged that loss in the playoffs. Yes, UW-W is new to the Stagg Bowl, but not new to playing Mount Union, and they are not in awe, but well aware of the challenge they face. Nobody with an IQ above room temperature overlooks a team that has won seven national titles since 1993. That would be ignorant.
Second, somebody from Linfield was upset because somebody claimed that UW-W was able to win in McMinnville despite not playing well. Right or wrong, UW-W felt like having the ball inside the five three times and getting only three points kept the game closer than it should have been.
Third, somebody from Mt. Union was worried about the environment at UW-W and the lack of fan support because the stadium (I think it is the biggest in Division III, and it wasn’t built for a move to D-II, it has been there for 20+ years) never appears full. If you check, I think you will find that 3600 watched Rowan’s offense flounder against Mt. Union while 5600 watched Wesley look lost againt UW-W (and there weren’t many from Delaware).
Fourth, anybody talking conferences loses when they compare to the WIAC, Just look on this website and how they rank conferences. Don’t tell me about OAC playoff records. I readily admit that Mt. Union has been the model D-III football program for the last decade–how does the OAC look if we don’t count Mount Union’s scores in those totals. You might also consider how many times more than one team makes the playoffs from the WIAC (like almost never) because they get beat up in the league and private school coaches dominate the seeding panel. For the record, pre-season on this website top 25 (and others receiving votes) was UW-LaCrosse, UW-Whitewater, UW-Eau Claire, and UW-Stevens Point. At the end of the year, UW-Oshkosh managed to get some votes, and UW-Stout shows up in the NCAA team defense statistics, while River Falls shows up in the team rushing offense statisitics. Other than Platteville this year, nobody in the league was horrible (and they beat Augustana and Thiel last year). NOBODY matches the WIAC for depth of teams and nobody looking objectively will argue that they do. That is why Stevens Point ends up playing Linfield non-conference and UW-W ended up playing St. John’s AND Mt. Union non-conference. Most private schools in and around Wisconsin don’t want to play WIAC teams (check the scores of recent playof bound teams from St. Norbert’s and Lakeland against UW-W). Anybody know who the defending NCAA D-III champions in baseball, volleyball, and mens basketball are? (Whitewater, Whitewater, and Stevens Point)
You want to argue about who wins fine, but I think it has a chance to be every bit as good as the Linfield vs. UW-W game. Whoever turns it over will have a difficult time winning. If Kmic duplicates 48 for 160 then Mt. Union better dominate the time of possession or they will simply get outscored. This is NOT Rowan’s offense they are going to face. Both teams have had a great year, and I hope it is a great game and (of course) that UW-W wins.
My prediction
27 UW-W
20 Mt.Union
Wow! Someone mentioned Trinity (Conn.) squash and it wasn’t even me. 🙂
I agree with the comment about the WIAC
acoltfan – Just to point out a few things (mainly a good post though)….
1) What your conference baseball, basketball or volleyball teams do has nothing to do with how good your conference’s football teams are.
2) Where your teams rank in pre-Season has NOTHING to do with where they rank once the cleats hit the field.
3) If we aren’t to look at Mts’ record in the playoffs to get a look at how the OAC stands does that mean we don’t count the losses to Mt. as well since usually thats the team that knocked them out of the playoffs (not another team from another conference).
4) Complaining that the selection comittee is private school biased – come on!
5) Compairing who a team beat last year – WHY?
6)”If Kmic duplicates 48 for 160 then Mt. Union better dominate the time of possession or they will simply get outscored” – I tend to think that if a team runs close to 50 times they usually are controling the clock, it kind of goes without saying.
Is the WIAC a good conference…YES. Does that mean it’s the best or better than the OAC … NO. Your conference had 4 schools over .500 the OAC had 5 does that mean the OAC is better … maybe, but you can’t expect us to all just bow down to the WIAC because of some crazy concept you came up with to make sure that “NOBODY” would argue that they are the deepest in the country. Your argument just doesn’t have teeth.
Heh, you don’t think the OAC had more teams over .500 because the OAC had more teams? Come on, people. Don’t waste our time.
Did anyone happen to notice that 3 teams from the OAC were ranked all season? They would be Mt Union, Capital and Ohio Northern. Did you also happen to notice that john Carroll was ranked part of the season. Wow, what a weak conference!
d3 football is still the best because of the playoff system.
sat will pit the 2 best teams who earned their way to the final…no politics or deals to make money
just football
Nobody who knows anything about Division III football thinks the OAC is weak. If they say that, they’re either triyng to get under your skin or they don’t have a clue and aren’t worth listening to.
No chance? Isn’t Mount Union the No. 5 team in the country? Let’s get a little reality here! You can’t play the underdog card like that. Let’s just relax and enjoy the game without coloring it like some David vs. Goliath thing that it’s not.
Amen!
Both teams earned the right to play. But, there are a few people on this site who think Mt. Union should just stay home. I hope Larry Kehres posts these comments in the locker room. Or at least one of the coaches who I know for a fact visit this web-site. Mt. Union may not win this saturday. But, Waking up the sleeping giant might be a mistake.
Wow, you should be able to get college credit if you can understand the logic that shows up here!
Right now, it doesn’t matter which conference is best. It doesn’t matter which team is best. It only matters which team can manage can score the most points on Saturday.
I’m going to guess they (MUC) don’t need to post up some of these ridiculous comments from a website to get hyped up. It’s the Stagg Bowl.
By the way, new to this site. I’m still feeling my way around it. Looks excellent and is yet another facet to drive me away from the important things I should really be doing….
Just a quickie…some people seem to simply overlook the fact that there are only two teams that make it to the championship game. If your team lost during the single elimination process, they don’t deserve to be there. To get there you have to beat whoever is in front of you – both teams have, both are deserving.
Last thing. It seems like many MUC fans are PUSHING for them to be the underdog. Granted there may be a “line” on the game, but overstating the fact that people (as in real UW-W fans/players) are looking past MUC is proposterous. It seems as though saying you’re the underdog makes you yourself feel better about the situation. Just an observation.
Anyway, again, great site. I’m heading down to Virginia for the game. It should be a classic between the two top teams in the country.
No kidding! I was just looking for “acoltfan” to reply with some info to justify that the Wisc conf is the best.
Well, we’ll back them on that. It’s the strongest league top to bottom, they have compiled a great non-conference record year after year while playing a steady diet of D-II schools because most of the teams in the area won’t schedule them.
While other conferences are strong at the top, the WIAC in years past has had eight teams all comfortably in the Top 80 or so, the upper third of Division III. Just because their teams have happened to been seeded to play the likes of Linfield, St. John’s and Mount Union on the road the past six years (because the conference champ in a tough, balanced league rarely emerges unscathed) doesn’t mean they are not the best conference in the country.
I wrote a story to this point about a week and a half ago:
http://www.d3football.com/news.php?item=944
That does not mean we think the OAC is weak. It’s merely No. 2 or No. 3 (depending on where we rank it vs. the NWC from year to year) out of 25 or so conferences.
pcole
Thanks for the clarification. I just get a little peeved when others spout off about how great their team or conference is without any stats or info to back up their claims.
We need to just focus on Football Right now. The OAC has had it’s share of Dynastys in others sports. Marietta had Baseball locked for years. But, Right now it’s Football season at it’s best. The mighty powerfull W-W and the underdog Mt. Union Purple Raiders. Sounds like a Division 1 story of a few years ago. Anyone remember that? The Buckeye’s had no chance against Miami.
Most importantly, is there a better mascot at dancing than Whitewater’s Willie?
If there has been one area where the Warhawks have struggled lately it has been inside the opponents ten yard line. They had a hard time moving the ball against St. Johns and missed a couple of opportunities against Linfield. It could be a problem again against Mt. Union’s vaunted front seven.
Just misc. reading info for anyone interested…. On paper… Nearly identical…
http://www.muc.edu/athletics/men_s_teams/football/mount_union_vs_uw_whitewater_game_notes
P.S. hope the link actually works… it’s also at MUC.edu
I think people are just living in the past about Mount Unions greatness. They had their run and it was awesme one. UWW should win two titles with what they have coming back next year. They took their lumps couple years ago against MTU and it looks like it payed off. So I give MTU credit for showing them the way. Just no way they can stay with Whitewater in this game. In my mind it would take 5 or 6 turnovers to make this game close. Football is game of speed and athletes and UWW is on a roll right now. Jacobs doesn’t make any mistakes. MT thinks they are gonna run some guy 50 times they are wrong. UWW front seven is very tough. LBs are very athletic. Could be lots of 3 and outs if MTU trys to play smashmouth football against UWWs front seven. In whitwaters close game this year against Lacrosse they kept it close with strong corner play and a strong passing game. I dont see MTU featuring either of these two strengths!
Again the underdog statement. In my eyes (maybe I’m blind beyond belief) you are using the underdog statement as a cop-out, so to speak.
Yes, UW-W may be the favored one heading in, but no logical football fan doesn’t give MUC a chance. Of course they have a chance, a good one.
The reason for the cop-out scenerio is because 1) If Whitewater ends up winning, then we will read how they were favored all along and they were the best team in the country this year hands down, etc…..
2) BUT if Mount Union ends up winning, you will obviously say they won because they were mad about being an underdog, Whitewater is overrated, the WIAC sucks, etc. etc.
So either way, MUC wins.