Fifteen weeks and 1,100 games have led to this, Stagg Bowl XXXV, between Mount Union and UW-Whitewater.
If you’re new to Division III, these teams have met in the Stagg Bowl each of the previous two years as well. How have things changed since? What can UW-Whitewater do differently in 2007 than it did in 2006 and 2005? What will the Stagg Bowl be like with a healthy Pierre Garcon and Justin Beaver?
Get ready for the Stagg Bowl with Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman’s take in this week’s Around the Nation podcast.
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Bleed great post!
Hey does anyone know if ESPN is going to do any type of pre-game this year. Or is it going to be the usual covereage that starts 10 seconds before game time?
Well, The D3 Football Champiosnship, AKA the Mt. Union Championship Invitational, is upon us. In past years Rowan was the kicking post now UWW has been invited to provide at least one (repeat) quality opponent for them. I understand the teamhouse in Salem has an exta set of lockers with MUC uniforms so they don’t have to bring them. Even for a passionate D3 fan this is getting old. Though they have a team who plays to the end, with a balanced offense I can’t see UWW contending with the overwhelming amount of strength, consistency and weapons that MUC possesses. The season ends in Salem with MUC 42 UWW 10.
dlippiel-
i looked on their website and it looks like they are starting coverage at 3pm cst unfortunately:(
at least it is televised nationwide and in hd 🙂
If I remember correctly, they put a basketball game just before the Stagg and last year the basketball game went into overtime which delayed the broadcast. Let’s hope that isn’t the case this year. DI just usually takes precedence.
I would think that ESPN would hype the game because of it being the third installment of MUC/UWW.
9isfine (and all other stat junkies):
The most outstanding defensive game I witnessed was the John Carroll/Mount game. This was an away game for Mount and they held John Carroll (a solid team) to -2 yards of TOTAL offense for the ENTIRE GAME!!! I realize the game was late in the year and John Carroll had nowhere to go but home but negative yards for the game? And you know that the second string was playing a good bit of the second half due to the final being 53-0.
And UMHB has a better defense? Not sure about that.
Not to take anything away from mounts effort against JC, but that school has publicly said they are gonna de-emphasize football and continue to focus on academics. Whatever that means, I guess they better leave the OAC. It’s too good of a conference. The bottom line is you dont run against mount. you cant run against mount. It will be a long day for a great running back named Beaver. You have to be a team that throws and runs equally well to have any inkling of a chance, and those teams dont exist in D III.
UWW needs to run short pass routes to keep the D line from pressuring Jones, mix in the run, and be unpredictable. Mount has great team speed. You don’t out run them at all. Plus with their depth, they can keep up the intensity with fresh legs.
The game will be very entertaining!
Congrats to Beaver as well. Great football player and a great kid.
I agree MU’s stats (including playoffs) are dominating, staggering, & impressive. You don’t get those types of stats by accident. Avg.s & stats are misleading, however, which is why they play the games (unlike the joke of system in D1). MHB has a kid who might have a shot on sundays, and I saw their O put them in some tough spots. In any event, I’ll find out Saturday.
WW has seen great defenses this year, and handled them OK. It’s the barrage of MU weapons on O (line included) that really scares me. I know we haven’t seen something like that this year.
I can’t recall a team dominating all of D3 like MU has on both sides of the ball. It’s mind boggling. I just hope these Hawks can put something together and make it a game against the top program in the country. I wish I could be there.
Go Hawks!!
Don’t count on a blowout, on either side, this Saturday, folks. While the weather around here(I live an hour East of Salem) has been warm the past few days, and will be for a couple more, the forecast for Saturday is cold(highs in the low to mid-40s) and rainy. Salem Stadium is a great place to play, but it can become a swamp at times when it rains.
OK.Iv been reading all of the comments on here from both side of the fans.Theres some that i agree with then theres some that i dont agree with.The one that bothered me was the one sayiny “that all UWW defence has to do is stop Kmic and you’ll be fine” Well if you stop Kmic you still have 5 other RB on the field that the QB could throw the ball to.And you CAN stop Garcon but you have 5 other WR that could run the ball to the endzone either way UWW cant stop Mounts runs they have the number one defence and offence in the nation.Either way one team has to win and one team has to loose and ALL of the fans will find out on Saturday who the best is in D3 football but i have somthing else to add.If u look at mounts statics they had like 7 shutout games like 55-0 60-0 something like that and UWW has had none.Mount played 3 teams in the playoffs this year that they never had played and they blew them out example the St. John Fisher game they (mount) won 52-10 i mean that sounds like a mount game.I dont think UWW has another chance this year to beat the undeniable,unbeatable,awsome team the MOUNT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS!!!!! this year is for the SENIORS OF MOUNT UNION!!!!!
GO MOUNT WE’LL BE CHEERING FOR YA BACK HERE AT HOME….
Cardsrul,
If they put that new sport turf in properly, the drainage should be sufficient to handle up to 10″ of rain. The field should not be an issue.
samething to Cardsrul…Mount wont have a problem playing the rain,snow,sleet and hail they play their best in that stuff so the rain wont bother them.
Well if you stop Kmic you still have 5 other RB on the field that the QB could throw the ball to.And you CAN stop Garcon but you have 5 other WR that could run the ball to the endzone either way UWW cant stop Mounts runs they have the number one defence and offence in the nation.
No wonder Mount Union is so good, they have five RBs and WRs on the field at the same time! You’re right Whitewater won’t have a chance against that.
I hope UWW will win.
That is not a knock on MUC – I think it would be healthier for the game if there was some variability in result of an MUC game.
Go UWW.
QB, 5 RB’s, 5 WR’s, 5 Linemen…
Sounds like the first team all-conference squad for some conferences.
😉
5 RB’s and 5 WR’s? Wow. That would be tough.
Which ties right into Pam Ward during the ESPN broadcast last year saying Mount runs a 5-2-5 defense. No wonder they’re so good!
lmao! Would UWW get to play 16 on defense? I think the point raiderfan was trying to make was that the offense is not just Kmic or Garcon as has been said earlier.
Besides, he said “5 other” for both Kmic and Garcon so that would be 18 total. Even more awesome!!!
SJF Fan – the lack of variability in the result of an MUC game did not happen overnight. As has been mentioned earlier, Linfield, St. John, etc. have all been there. Mount is just on a roll right now with talent, coaching, etc. I think it is great for the game for several reasons but I will mention two:
1. It brings the spotlight on DIII. With this dynasty, casual observers and fans take notice of the whole program. Maybe the focus would be on Mount but, the entire DIII program benefits from the pub.
2. The model Mount has created is there for all who are willing to study, learn, and try to replicate. Rather than hope for Mount to fail, work to bring your program up to that level. There is no smoke and mirrors, just a non-stop work ethic, a great coaching staff, a beautiful campus, great location in a football hot-spot, a great learning environment, tradition, and, of course, great talent.
I will admit to not having first hand experience at many other DIII schools outside of Ohio but I would be willing to bet that Mount’s example could be replicated at a host of other schools.
I am a Mount Union fan but, more importantly, I am a fan of DIII sports and I am looking forward to a competitive game by two great schools! Anything less in the National Championship game would not hold the casual fan’s attention.
SJF Fan,
You again? I thought for sure Mount got rid of you when we Annihilated your team. ( if 52-10 falls into that category) Well, I’m very happy you are rooting for UWW, with you on their side they are doomed for sure. By the way, if the game is played by two teams who deserve to be in the game, whatever the score may be is healthy for the game. Whatever that means.
Good Lord, I hope Raiderfan isn’t a Mount grad. His writing skills are atrocious.
Great post raiderdude.
Now Now R24. Take it easy on poor SJF. His Cardinals have another shot at the Mount in ’08 and ’09 to prove they belong near the top. He is just a fan.
And yeah, I knew what you meant. The two best are duking it out and earned the right to play instead of by a computer ranking. That is always good for the integrity of the game!
Thanks Raidergal!
By the way, I hope I don’t get graded on my posts. The occassional misspelling is due more to fat fingers than to grammatical deficiency.
I think I am starting to really like SJF. Maybe after the next two seasons we can adopt the little fellow. Can We?
If nothing else, I respect SJF for his undying belief in his team. He may not always be right but he is guided by his loyalty. Can’t fault a guy for that!
Besides, I truly believe he respects the Mount and DIII. Just sometimes doesn’t articulate his thoughts quite on point.
It’s the difference between rooting through your heart over your mind. His heart says SJF but his mind screams MUC. Hard to muffle the mind sometimes.
Thx u Raiderdude what i was trying to say is that Mount has more than just Kmic and Garcon they have 5 other RB and WR.Their not all out on the field at once come on peaple its commen sence.AND IM A GIRL.
You adopt SJF and we will adopt MHB. Is anyone noticeing that the weather report for Sat is getting worse and worse by the day. I am glad they will have field turf to play on! Can’t wait to see the game Sat.
P.S. please put space between your sentances, they are much easier to read that way.
latest weather forecast, according to the weather channel:
36-31, light rain and sleet. 60% chance of precip
oh boy.
UMHB will adopt both UWW and MUC since all of us are the power house of D3. UMHB should be great again next year, we have a lot of people coming back.
Please don’t tell me Pam Ward is doing the Stagg again this year. She is the true results of placing someone in a position because of gender or diversity; poor results!
I am pulling for the Hawks since UMHB and UWW play during the regular season. By the way, do they play in Belton next year? I hope so because I have a feeling UMHB wins that game.
Does anybody know how I can get a copy of the UWW-UMHB game? Maybe a replay or something so I can record it. You Warhawk fans should be able to help me here since the game was on TV up there. I would be willing to pay someone for the CD and pay postage. Call me if you want 780-4440 or email artyj@vvm.com.
I’m going to the game and would love to see an archive of a Mt. Union game. Does anybody know if there is an archive available (I won’t tell UWW of the weakness in Mt’s game).
Really, it would be fun for me and the kid to watch them before the game.
HS Coach,
I appreciated your post on the previous Stagg Bowl games between UWW and MUC. I admit I’m a UWW guy, but I too feel that the 2005 UWW team could have/should have won the game, but they didn’t adjust to the atmosphere until too late. MUC was too strong last year with Micheli having a great game and getting everyone involved.
Going forward, it’s really hard to envision how good Micheli must be with a full year of starting under his belt- the stats bear out that he is a star-amongst the other big names at MUC.
Even if UWW can hold its own or even win the line of scrimmage, there is so much speed and ability in MUC’s skill positions that quick plays can still hurt us.
I’m getting tired of talking myself out of hope. There is always a way- The Jets did it, Appalacian State did it, the US Olympic Hockey team did it, Rocky did it- Yes, UWW can do it.
mikem17,
I have last year’s Stagg Bowl still recorded on my DishNetwork DVR. Come on down to FL and you can watch. 🙂
RE: Last year’s game:
Unfortunately, it was a Texas Tech BB game where Bobby Knight was breaking or tying the all time win record, so they kept that on during the start of the Stagg Bowl. Who frickin’ cares??? You can watch ESPN slobber all over Bobby all night long on SportsCenter and ESPNews, but we only get one DIII Game Televised all year. I was not happy last year. I even recorded the replay of the game, but it was shortened due to time restraints so part of that recording was missing.
I also remember Pam Ward keep referring to the Raider D as a 5-2-5 and Mike Gottfried sounding like he had too many adult beverages prior to the game. They also referred to #1 on UWW last year as Piere Garcon.
miekm said: “There is always a way- The Jets did it, Appalacian State did it, the US Olympic Hockey team did it, Rocky did it- Yes, UWW can do it.”
Danny Jones is no Broadway Joe
Lloyd Carr is no Larry Kehres
Mount Union will not be overconfident
That was a movie
All kidding aside, I think this will be a really, really good game.
Pam Ward is horrible. Horrible. Horrible. She did one of the games this weekend, I think it was the Delaware game but it may have been the Grand Valley State game. Anyway those are the two I saw parts of.
ric,was that an attempt to haiku? better check your syllables. try this: jones no broadway joe carr is no larry kehres overconfident?
ric was that an attempt at an “haiku” ? try: jones is no broadway joe carr is no larry kehres overconfident?
As I mentioned yesterday, the Mount/UWW version III is bringing attention to DIII. My hope is with that attention comes an upgrade in commentators.
I mean, think of the parallels. Mount playing UWW for the THIRD time in the Stagg Bowl, Mount going for it’s THIRD consecutive championship in Division THREE. Not to mention that was THREE references to the word THREE (or derivations thereof). Look for #THREE Chris Kappas to have THREE pass breakups for MUC and #THREE Mitch Moore to have THREE catches for UWW.
Kinda eerie isn’t it?
Also, Raiderfan……….
Sorry for referring to you as a “he”. My bad. Made an assumption and you know what happens when you assume.
Garcon to NFL article. Plus other mount article links.
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=391011&originalStoryID=391013&r=
Ok, now that it looks as though everybody is in agreement that Mount is going to win their 10th Nat’l Championship. It’s time for my pet peeve. How can Mount Union have such a dominating defense, and not ONE player make first team AFCA All American? Nate Kmic is on the threshold of being the Div. III all time leading rusher and he not a 1st team All American? Not even mentioned for the Gagliardi award? Justin Beaver was more than deserving of the Gagliardi. But for Kmic not to even be in the running (excuse the pun). I will never understand these awards. Then again they are set up so you can’t understand them.
mountzilla, let’s try this.
Jones no Broadway Joe
Carr is no Larry Kehres
Overconfident
R24:
While Mount has tremendous talent, the beauty of their defense in particular is they way they play as a team. Sure you can point to individuals like McCullogh, Rees, and Kostelnik as difference makers but that would not do justice to the rest of the guys. This defense is where it is because you can’t key on one player. Their team speed and strength makes it extremely difficult to double team a player because they close the gaps so quickly. Sacks are had by the line but are caused by great coverage downfield. Other schools have great talent also but certain players stand out as “key” guys because the overall talent isn’t the same. I know it stinks at times but that’s the double edged sword of playing on a talent-rich team.
As far as the Gagliardi is concerned, is that a senior award? It’s hard to imagine that Kmic will not be a prohibitive favorite for next year’s award. By the time he graduates, Kmic will have broken most (if not all) MUC rushing records if not DIII. And that is without playing almost half the available playing time due to the margin of score.
While it would be nice to see more Mount players as AFCA All Americans, I think it is good for DIII to have a wide representation of teams. They may even limit the inclusion to one member per team.
I may be way off base but for what it’s worth…… it’s just my opinion.
mikeb:
Thanks for the heads up on the article. It’s a great comparison. Stanley had great numbers at UWW but Garcon’s are a bit better.
The only question I would have with Garcon is his durabilitiy. He missed playing time in his tenure with Mount due to a variety of injuries (leg, hand, etc.)
He is definitely a key piece to the MUC offense and I would hope he is given a shot at the NFL.
Mt Union has the greatest football team, the greatest coach, the greatest players, and the greatest fans.
Why are they even playing the game sat?
Here’s to another 10 championship and 200 game unbeaten streak.
Go Mt!
Indeed, the AFCA limits schools to one All-American per team.
Also, R24, since Mount Union nominated Derek Blanchard for Gagliardi it was difficult for someone to vote for Kmic. 🙂
For what’s worth, Vegas has the spread at 23 1/3 points. Kind of a gutsy wager either way.
Pat,
Thanks for the clarification.
yellow_jacket98 , Now you’ve have finally got it. You’re welcome to join the
MT. Union express. UWW will be solid and they earned the right to be in the stagg. Unlike your team. Just wondering, are you a BW follower?
A few quick points:
Bias:
I mentioned Mount was #1 in the nation on offense… whether you asked me to or not because… I do not personally agree with your assessment that Mount would be lucky to score 28 points on Saturday. A great defense assists a great offense and personally I also believe Mount has a good shot to score 40 which you said would be impossible. All I was doing was providing facts/stats to support my argument…and you provided your feelings…which is fine but not the type of discussion that I want to be a part of this week.
HSCoach:
You mentioned that MUC’s previous Stagg victories over WWW always seemed to turn on big plays. Like that’s something unusual??? Every game in every sport tends to turn on 1-3 big plays per contest. Mount is very opportunisitic and well prepared to take ADVANTAGE of those game changing opportunities. That goes back to coaching. The game is truly a reflection of your preparation.
To the Poster that said Mount may not be ready to hadle a close game:
For the past 10-15 years…EVERY game Mount plays including regular/post season is the other teams superbowl. Regardless of the score or outcome…facing Mount is the biggest game on everyone’s schedule. This is the game where Mount sees all the gadget plays and everyone trying to punch Mount in the mouth. That’s real pressure…that’s prepararation…the strive for perfection is something that most folks cannot even grasp….so I think Mount will be prepared for any situation and be able to take advantage this on Saturday…even in the face of adversity.
SJF Fan:
It’s odd that your rooting against Mount this year…since Mount is representing the East? Seems backwards…and would make SJF look worse if Mount loses to WWW? I would think your program would like the oportunity to knock off the possible pre-season #1 to kickoff ’08???
Question:
Small point but I thought I would ask…I’ve heard that Mount will be the visiting team this Saturday…I don’t know if that’s true or not but shouldn’t they be the home team again this year? I thought it rotated between E/W & N/S every year. Last year Mount was the North/South rep and they were the home team in the Stagg. If that’s the case then this year it would be the East/West rep’s turn to be home. Mount is the East rep…so wouldn’t they also be the home team??? If someone could explain that would be great.
Finally: I hope this Saturday will provide for a good contest. One thing that I know is that talent alone is not enough to win at this time of the year. You need the mental advantage. There have been teams in the past in every sport that have had the talent but cannot visualize themselves as champions. Mount has done it in the past and knows what it takes to actually win the championship. This is a big advantage….not the biggest but certainly an important ingrediant to ultimate success.
Good point yellow_jacket, I am starting to wonder if there should even be a game Saturday. We might as well just give Mount Union the crown right now.
I think that Kmic only just got or was just shy of 1000 yards in the regular season. I understand that he played less than half of most games and I also understand that this fact will probably preclude him from winning a national player of the year award.
Perhaps next year the competition in the regular season will be stiffer and he’ll be required to play deeper into the second half. Then I think you’ll see him and his teammate Micheli getting a push for the award.
Buckeye Radier:
From my understanding, stats alone don’t get you the Gagliardi Award. Community service, classroom performance and athletic skills are all taken into account. If Nate has an equally strong season on the field next year and excels in some of these other areas then I think he’ll have a good chance to win.