Hello everyone and welcome to Salem Stadium. This is John McGraw for D3football.com and I’ll be blogging throughout today’s game between Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan are broadcasting live on NCAASports.com and Pat Cummings is down on the sidelines. Gordon Mann and I will be handling the half time show and already hosted the opening part of the pre-game show.
Kick-off is officially scheduled for 4:13 PM EST. The stands are just about completely full on the home side of the field, full of purple and black clad Mount Union fans. UW-Whitewater will be the visitor and their fans take up about 2/3 of the bleachers on the other side of the field. Fans are still making their way into the stadium from the tailgate. There was a great turn-out at the Stone Station tailgate and we thank the Bridgewater folks for their great hospitality.
It’s a gorgeous afternoon for football. Temperatures right now are in the 60s and there’s not a cloud in the sky. You couldn’t pick out better weather for a football game in mid-December.
For Mount Union, Pierre Garcon was warming up without any type of protective cast on his hand. He looked good in warm-ups catching passes, so we’ll see how he does once the game begins.
Don’t forget, later on tonight, the D3football.com All-America team will be posted on D3football.com. We made the official announcement during the pre-game show. Congratulations to all of those selected.
More from Salem to come. We’ll have scoreboard updates on the front page of the web site.
radel:
I see your point about SJU playing a “better” game, but the reason the Johnnies keep having to come to Whitewater is because the Warhawks have earned the higher seed. Roles may very well be reversed next year, but until that happens you have to play with the cards you’re dealt.
And as far as the field conditions go, SJU just happens to keep showing up the day or two after a major snowstorm. This year we had nearly a foot and a half of snow just the day before. Considering what the grounds crew had to deal with, I’d say the field was in pretty darn good shape.
Ridiculous? One guy, rushing for 370 is ridiculous.
The bottom line: The Purple Raiders didn’t need to pass to beat SJF. They found that out on the third play of the game. They ran the ball for a simple reason: it worked.
Here’s a bit of play-by-play with MUC leading 19-14 in the fourth.
M 1-10 M20 Nate Kmic rush for 5 yards
M 2-5 M25 Nate Kmic rush for 33 yards
M 1-10 F42 Nate Kmic rush for 8 yards
M 2-2 F34 Nate Kmic rush for 1 yard
M 3-1 F33 Nate Kmic rush for 8 yards
M 1-10 F25 Nate Kmic rush for 8 yards
M 2-2 F17 Nate Kmic rush for 7 yards
M 1-G F10 Nate Kmic rush for 5 yards
M 2-G F05 Nate Kmic rush for 5 yards
If MUC needed to pass, this was the time. Instead, they got at least 5 yards rushing on all but one snap. I’m sure confidence in the MUC defense also had something to do with the offensive game planning.
sjfc81, you point out how close the game was in the 2nd half. If MUC was using its full arsenal, why did they only throw twice in the half? Why show more when you’ve got a guy getting nearly 9 per carry?
radedlphtrjohnnie2:
Bottom line, however, UWW earned both the home fields and the victories the past two years. Had SJU taken care of the ball, they could have one at least this season’s game. They didn’t UWW made them pay. That’s the game.
Whining about sloppy fields and “every year” doesn’t do much for your credibility. SJU got stuck on the road because it couldn’t get it done vs. Bethel. Even if it had won, UWW played a better non-conference sked and deserved the top seed. Simple as that.
sjfc81,
If you think you saw even half of the MUC offense that day you are dreaming.
I am also pretty sure that on another day if MUC played SJF that KMIC would not get 371 yards either. He would probably get about 200 get taken out at the 7 minute mark of the fourth quarter, after MUC had a lead that was comfortable and with three touchdown passes (two to Garcon) with 500 yards of total offense.
Your ability to run the ball a little bit is what kept you in the game and avoided a blowout. As you saw in the Stagg Bowl and in the Semis MUC seems to get stronger as the game goes on.
i know im not saying we lost cuz of that but that is a part of it because whitewater scored 10 points off our turnovers…but i guartee u next year if st.johns plays uww at home…sju will win
Well as soon as the Johnnies EARN that home game against UWW, we’ll see if that prediction holds. No disrespect the SJU, but being in MN, it’s not like you’re a stranger to bad weather. It’s part of football. You played a good game against us this year and lost due in large part to some big turnovers. I’m just not seeing how the field had that much, if anything, to do with that.
im not saying st. johns lost to the cold….im saying PART of the reason was the sloppy field…one of our corners lost his football jumping up for a ball that was catch by that freshman wide reciver at the 2 yard line…i know st. johns has to earn it but IF st. johns plays at home against uww…they will win…st. johns rarely has 3-4 turnovers during games…
My top 5 are: remember UMHB held UWW’s offense scoreless.
MUC
WW
CAP
UMHB
SJU
Maybe he didn’t have the right shoes 🙂 Ok…done with this topic. Both teams played on the field. SJU played well, but not well enough. Good luck next year.
“could have one at least this season’s game.”
Yikes, I mean “could have won at least this season’s game” of course.
Bottom line, radel, give it a rest. Take a little longer term perspective. UWW EARNED the last two west titles and two runner-up finishes, just as sju earned four west titles and one title since 2000.
radelphatjohnnie2
My 2 cents worth plink, plink.
I was at both SJU vs WW games the past two years.
8 TO’s last year was a death sentence against WW and the field played no part in that.
3 TO’s in this years game turned out to be the same story only in a smaller proportion. I actually had St Johns winning this game but once again with a TO ration of a -3 and two to those resulted directly into points! Kofed’s INT in the third quarter was huge. That old “M” word really swung. But as much as he maybe should not have thrown it, the defensive pressure was what caused the hurry. Just plain good football with a lousy result for SJU, my second favorite team as you may know. To SJU’s credit they did not let that series of events knock them down and they continued to play a good game and had additional chances to tie/win the game but just didn’t get it done.
Both teams also missed field goals so that might have changed things too.
Field in my opinion was just fine and not a factor. I am sure there was a WW receiver who slipped on a route that may have cost them a completion and a first down too.
Getting ready to crawl into a corner and start going through withdrawl until next August. LOL
One more National Champion to crown this year ……
GO BUCKEYES!
repete and joelmama – I believe someone said earlier that MUC attempted 14 passes in the game, with only two of the attempts coming in the second half. LK is a great coach and he did what all great coaches would do in a game – go with what is working. That is why they ran the ball so much in the second half – because it worked. What was not working was their passing game. Garcon (sp?) did not have any impact whatsoever. Not because of an injury (which by the way he looked great against UWW), but because he was covered. MUC tried to get him the ball on several occasions, but they failed. So my point is now that SJF knows how great of a rb Kmic really is, a second game between these two teams MAY have had a different outcome. I am not saying that SJF would have beaten them, but I think they would have given MUC a better game.
Also, joelmama, you stated that SJF’s ability to run the ball is what kept them in the game. Well, it was MUC’s ability to run the ball that won them the game.
O-H!
81:
“So my point is now that SJF knows how great of a rb Kmic really is, a second game between these two teams MAY have had a different outcome.”
If SJF didn’t know that then they didn’t deserve to win the game. That’s just silly to suggest that.
sjfc81,
If Nate Kmic stays healthy he will probably be in a position to break the alltime rushing yards record for all divisions. How could SJF NOT know how good a running back he is?
I-O
I O
If MUC played SJF right now, I think Kmic would run for more than 371 yards…the SJF defensive line was getting beat like they stole something…
I dont care if they played ten more times, they physically would not be able to stop the run, b/c the MUC O-line was just that good…you put that O-Line with a great runner like Kmic, and that equals the trouncing SJF got via the run… MUC could run the ball every single play of the game, and SJF still wouldnt stop him…teams who want to win playoff games dont need a second look at a running back to see he’s good…
joelmamma and repete come on, I didn’t want to say it before but I think it does need to be said. I love MUC, they are a better team than SJF, they are the best team in the nation period. I think you guys just cannot handle that for the second year in a row an Eastern team came into Alliance and gave MUC a game. Ask LK, he’ll tell you that the game was very close and SJF had an opportunity in the 3rd Qurter to take the lead. 371 yds is amazing, and it clearly shows MUC’s line dominated SJF’s. Yet it was a close game, and to even imply that MUC held back in a close game is a joke. Running the ball was obviously working so they stayed with it, but I know for sure if they couldhave thrown the ball more and put the game away easily they would have. So I think it is time to deal with the truth, SJFC deserves to be in any talk about the top 4 or 5 spots. I think they played MUC just as good as UWW did and SJFC only had one shot.
Nicely said dlippiel. There is no doubt that MUC is the best team in the country. I just think that SJF is the second best.
I’ve got no problem with SJF at No. 4 and I’ve already mentioned that the East was obviously improved (even if its avoidance of the Stagg continues).
I never said LK “held back,” I said he didn’t show all of his cards. When you throw 14 passes and rarely look downfield, there were cards MUC didn’t show. When your line is dominating, you manage the offense differently than when you’re in a more balanced matchup. Sorry you took that as a slam, but given the matchups on that semifinal Sunday, MUC didn’t need its whole playbook. No one’s saying SJF wasn’t tough, but the Raiders found what worked best early on and rode it to Salem.
I’m curious, SJFC, as to the basis of your argument that SJF should have been ranked higher than both Capital and Whitewater. I could at least see the argument regarding Capital in that, though they played MUC tougher in the playoffs, they were blown out in the regular season. That said, SJF lost by a significant margin to Springfield in the regular season. Though Springfield was a very good team, Cap’s regular season loss was certainly to a better team.
But I really don’t see the argument that SJF should have been ranked ahead of UWW. Is it just the four-point differenential in scores? I don’t think that means a lot, especially considering that both teams lost by two touchdowns. If Garcon was hurt as badly as he seemed to be against SJF, MUC was missing a huge weapon, but was still able to win with a one-dimensional offense.
Perhaps this is just my pro-West bias, but I also think that UWW had to beat better teams to get to the semis. The Warhawks had to beat #5 SJU and #6 UW-La Crosse; SJF beat #10 Springfield, #12 Rowan, and #25 Union. Add to this the fact that the Warhawks were perfect in what is, top to bottom, the toughest conference in the country, and I think they’re an extremely deserving #2.
So if Garcon wasn’t a factor in the SJF/MUC game because he was covered, I think it’s safe to say that he was still certainly serving a purpose because I don’t think anybody in d3 can cover him one on one, so assuming at least two guys were on him, that leaves one less to stop the run…
Also, Garcon wasn’t really a factor in the first half of the Stagg Bowl either. The difference is that they kept going to him in the second half because UWW was shutting down (or at least containing) Kmic. Maybe if SJF had done the same, they would have seen what the MUC offense was really capable of.
SJU Nick I think you make some valid points here. I do not think SJFC should be #2, I also do agree that UWW had a more diffiuclt time getting to the semis than SJFC (although SJFC did beat some quality opponents like you said). My point is is that SJFC has the right, they earned the right to be compared to the likes of a UWW. As I stated earlier I think UWW is the better team, but my problem lies with UWW fans and other western fans that seem offended by the fact that SJFC is being mentioned alongside their teams. I don’t care if Kmic (who I like a lot) ran for 500 yards against SJFC, the game was in Alliance, it was the first time SJFC has ever been exposed to the D3 elite, they walked into the most difficult place to play in the last 14 years and played a good game. They did not get killed, not even close. 371 yards is a lot but nobody can say that game was anything but a good fottball game. The better team won, then and in Salem. For that UWW has to be in the mix of the debate about who will be #2. I think UWW should be #2 but that is not the basis of this debate
This may belong on a different blog but why not share thoughts, right?
I was reading Coach Fredenberg’s article in the local paper where he thinks it’s time for UMHB to get their own stadium. I agree recruiting would be better, plus UMHB is on the national stage each year. We have won 75 out of 100 games since adding football as a sport. I know we help pay for the turf at the high school etc but it’s time to put stadium plans into action.
Not only was UWW’s head to head playoff run tougher than SJF’s road, but runner-up SJU needed to beat two undefeated top-10 teams just to reach the West final. UW-LX was undefeated outside of UWW with a victory over a solid D-1AA team. Three teams in the West bracket came from conferences that had won Staggs in the previous three years.
I think that “pedigree” probably played a factor in UWW’s landing of the No. 2 spot — which seems consistent with the views of unbiased observers. The d3football 25 is probably one of the best though-out rankings out there (at least until I disagree). Most voters seem to do their homework and it’s usually hard to find anything way out of whack.
RE: Garcon vs. SJFU.
I don’t have an official count, but Garcon probably saw action in less than half the offensive plays vs. SJFU. He only ran one deep route in the first half and missed a close one. He maybe had 2 other balls thrown to him. One a nice hit by the DB and the other was a catch but short gain. I think that once Kmic started rolling and Garcon wasn’t needed, they pulled him to save his hand. If needed, he maybe would have played more. But he was definatly platooning in the plays at WR in the first half.
I must say that I really enjoy reading and participating in the Daily Dose. I have had a great time arguing why I think SJFC should be #2. However, now that the final rankings are out, I must say that I am very pleased to see that they ended up #4. It was a big jump from prior to the playoffs when SJFC was ranked #16. I also think that SJFC has earned the respect of all the great programs in D3 – MUC, UWW, Capital, St. Johns…..
With that said, now comes the hard part for SJFC – to maintain their success. I have no doubt that SJFC will be a great team again next season, better than the ’06 squad (I believe they have 16 of their starters returning in ’07) but things will certainly be different – they will be the team in the East with the target on their backs. But just like this season, I think the ’07 team will step up to the challenge and win the East again. Hopefully the result in Alliance will be different (my very early prediction: SJFC 31, MUC 21).
SJU Nick – the basis of my argument that SJFC should be #2 was the fact that I, I repeat, I thought that SJFC played MUC tougher than UWW did. Now I must admit that my opinion is probably a little biased, but I had to throw it out there. However, like I just said, I am very happy to see them #4 in the final rankings – the highest ever for SJFC.
I am now hooked to the DD. I look forward to discussing the offseason with all of you.
Well said sjfc81
Agree. Good Reply sjfc81.
its not even a week after the stagg bowl, and already we have sjf coming into alliance in getting it done…sorry, not buying it…
MUCnash I agree with that, I think some tend to be hopeful and build upon this years solid effort against MUC. I guess to be the best or to show you belong with the best you must claim to be able to beat them. I am a huge East fan but I don’t buy it either.
Like I said, it is a very early prediction. However, SJF will be very tough to beat next year – especially in the East. I am being very optimistic that SJF will beat MUC next season. But I don’t think it is that much of a reach. This season gave the SJF underclassman the experience and confidence that they need to beat MUC in ’07. With that said, along with the fact that I am a SJF fan, my predicition remains 31-21.
Who does MUC lose this year? I know that Kmic, Garcon and Micheli (the qb – sp?) return, but please tell me they are losing some big names. How about UWW, Capital….. The big losses for SJFC will be Robinson on offense and Lang on defense. However, they do have very skilled and capable replacements – Reile and … I can not think of the backup MLB right now.
Mount returns 7 on offense, and 7 on defense. Plus they had two starting lineman that got hurt early that will be back. The important thing is: they have 100% of their skill position guys coming back.
^^^^^^^
In other words, if you think you’re going to jack up 31 on Mount Union next year and hold them to 21 you’re probably dreaming. It’s great that you’re a fan but at least be realistic.
Since 1995 Mount Union is 162 wins with 5 defeats. That’s a 97% win clip. Picking ANY Division 3 team to beat them is a reach.
Any team, Bucks? I know one that’s outscored MUC 31-16 in two Stagg meetings …
And that team lost one of those games, didn’t they? 😎
I was at the 24-6 loss to SJU. Mount Union killed itself with penalties in the first half when they were moving the ball well.
A punt return for a TD and a 100 yard interception for a TD (on a terrible, terrible pass) and that one was also a 10-6 game. I give credit where credit is due though. SJU deserved to win that day. They were relentless and played great.
I was there too (as well as 2000 and last weekend) but I think you’ve got it confused.
There was no punt return for a TD.
Actually, MUC only had three penalties that day — although Larry Kinnard was completely outhustled and should have had a handful more (like the handful of jersey he had much of the day …) 🙂
Also, 2000 was 10-7 — it took that kick in the final seconds to decide it.
It’s not a stretch to say SJU has played MUC well in the Stagg.
Yes they have.
You’re right it wasn’t a punt return. It was a longish (like 50 yards or so) run (if my fading memory is correct).
Are we talking about Blake Elliott here?
That run was better maybe than the catch/non-catch. He spun off a stud DL in the backfield then shot up the gut for the run that made it 17-6.
The 100-yard INT was icing on the cake, particularly because a TD there makes it 17-12 or 14.
Went back and read some of the stuff from the 18th.
I am certain, based on my own observations, and from talking to the people involved in the games SPECIFICALLY about this question that UWW was the toughest team Mount Union played, followed closely by Capital.
That was already going to be my 1, 2, 3 and hearing a significant MUC player say that to me, without me prompting him to say which team was where, solidified that in my mind.
Fisher is 4 for me, and I doubt they would have played UWW any closer than they played MUC.
Someone asked why did UWW keep passing downfield in the Stagg Bowl … because their receivers were wide freakin’ open. A smart coach goes back to that. Jacobs didn’t hook up with some of his deep guys on this particular day, but passing the ball was definitely part of UWW’s identity. If they hadn’t tried to pass, some of you would have been criticizing him for not passing.
Same with Garcon. Although there is no doubt in my mind he is a bit of a showboat, if Kehres is complimentary of his peripheral play (i.e. blocking on run downs), then I’m willing to pass his exuberance off as “bringing energy to the game” rather than not having respect for it. This is a kid who did not complain about having 1 catch for 3 yards in the national semifinal (vs. SJF). The guy also played with a broken hand, give him a little credit, would ya?
Funny too, a lot of you are quick to criticize Pierre for supposedly disrespectful to the game, and you can’t go two sentences without disrespecting someone else on this board. Think about that for a second … and stop being hypocrites.
Micheli could always pass. They said he was a better runner than Jorris, who is more of a pocket passer, but they never said he couldn’t pass. He was completing 71% of his passes, IIRC, coming into the SJF game, compared with a “mere” 62% for Jorris. MUC QBs might not always lead the nation in passing yards or TDs, but they are always right up there in efficiency, both completion percentage and TD-to-INT (which Micheli’s was also much better than Jorris’)
UWW respected the pass, and Berezowitz made comments the week before the game saying basically if we fall for the ‘they only can run’ stuff, they’ll pass it on us all day. In Stagg Bowl ’05, Berez recalled how LK pulled out plays they ran against them in the ’02 and ’03 opener that he hadn’t run all year, to get Jorris comfortable.
He basically said how MUC was a passing team in years before Moore, Pugh and Kmic, and LK has such a capacity for offense, and calling plays, that there was no way UWW was going to forget that.
Thanks for the kind comments about the broadcast. We appreciate those.
I had UMHB 8th.
Their game vs. Whitewater may have helped them cover for the CNU loss, but it in no way, shape or form gets them put ahead of Wesley, who beat them straight up for the second year in a row.
So you at least have to put Wesley above UMHB in your rankings.
Great points about Garcon. In other years that kind of performance would have earned the MVP. But Micheli was deserving for all the things he did so well throughout. I stayed out of the showboating debate because I only saw it at game speed and it was tough to tell what his options were. As illuminating as multiple replays can be, I think at times they can alter the context.
Bucksfan – I think I am being realistic with a 31-21 score. If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is that ALL good things must come to an end. I think that ’07 will the year that the MUC dynasty does not make the National Championship and SJF does. I guess only time will tell.
sjfc81,
If LK decides to pass and if STJF and MUC both make it to the Semifinals ro the Stagg and play each other I think MUC could possibly win in a big way. Then again LK might be content with letting Kmic run for 471 yards this time.