Alright, so here we are, at the culmination of more than 1,100 games and after 236 teams have been eliminated from contention for the 2007 Division III football national championship, with Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. The fans are already tailgating in the parking lot, getting ready for our 4 p.m. kickoff. We’ll keep you updated here throughout the day on all the goings-on and help you follow along.
Don’t forget to turn down the audio on ESPN (Pam Ward on play by play) and turn up our audio broadcast. Those of you with a DVR may find the delay is manageable by pausing the television. We’ll pronounce names correctly, etc. 🙂
Join Gordon Mann, Frank Rossi and Ryan Tipps on our game day show starting at 2 p.m. Keith McMillan and I will take over leading up to the 4 p.m. kickoff, with Frank on the sidelines.
Some more audio to tide you over until we hit the air at 2 — I was interviewed on Western Wisconsin Sports Saturday this morning about the Stagg Bowl and recorded most of it for the audience here.
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WHAT A WIN! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GO WARHAWKS
So, any reason to doubt that UWW won’t open 2008 as the #1 ranked team in NCAA Division III? Yes, we lost 23 seniors, but think of all the talent that will transfer TO Whitewater after today’s win.
Danny Jones, you certainly made us proud. Derek Stanley and Justin Jacobs, Ryan Kleppe and others were GREAT players, but you were the final difference.
Whitewater begins to understand how hard it is to stay #1, TOMORROW! tonight we’re the undisputed #1.
Congrats to Mount Union on another amazing season. This win wouldn’t mean as much unless it came against “the standard” set up Mount Union College and their historic program, run of NCAA titles, and 36 game winning streak.
I don’t think i’ve ever been so proud (as today) to be a UWW alumni!
VIVA WHITEWATER! See you next year in Salem 🙂
According to the post game press conference, Beaver has been playing for the past few weeks with a broken rib.
I am really excited to see that Micheli and Kmic will return next year, can hardly wait.
WarhawkBadger,
Criminy, loks like we’re complete enemies. Me with the Buckeyes, you with the Badgers. Me with MUC, you with UWW.
My solace is that the last time MUC lost the Stagg Bowl the Buckeyes beat the unbeatable Miami Hurricane to win the NC. And now the Buckeyes are playing again in a few weeks. Perhaps it will be their time again.
Grats to your team. They played like champions. 8)
bleedpurple,
Win win dignity, lose with dignity. Show some?
“well well the warhawks had their day finally… they got LUCKY against THE VERY BEST TEAM THE MOUNT UNION RAIDERS in Division 3 football, and the Raiders will be tere again next year. The better team did not win today.”
Of course. UWW must have been lucky. Establishing a 17-0 lead. Winning the game by 10 points, and Justin Beaver going off for 253. But then again, UWW wasn’t supposed to win because some feel that MUC has a God given right to win. They don’t. They didn’t. If a team is the BEST TEAM, they don’t allow another team to get lucky in the championship game. The best team is the team that wins. in 2005 and 2006, the best team was Mount Union. In 2007. The best team is UWW. Period.
The ESPN crew did an excellent job, We were glad that we did not have to listen to the audio crap
“The best team is the team that wins. in 2005 and 2006, the best team was Mount Union. In 2007. The best team is UWW. Period.”
Yes, they are. Congrats. Now go out and celebrate and toss down some colds ones. Enjoy.
😎
Great game today UWW… I watched the Mount team most the year from working the games and that was not the same team. That could be credited to the team they played plus I think it seems they were a little too full of themselves.
It was awful to see VK, the head coaches son out there whining. Can’t really be too upset over this loss because we were out played in every area of the game, just upsetting that my fellow seniors have to go out on a loss after a great career.
Justin Beaver deserved a championship though, I really enjoyed watching him run the past few Stagg Bowls. Enjoy the day UWW, hope to see another game between these two as it is turning into a good rivalry.
Buckeye,
Congratulations to the Mount Union fans, players, and coaches for an outstanding season. They are a program that has set the standard for D3 and given all the rest of the programs something to shoot for.
That being said, one of the great things about these message boards is that we can all be held accountable for comments we have made before and after games. A handful of Mount fans have shown relatively the same amount of dignity as the Mount coach running on the field or Pierre Garcon. Nice move not lining up and shaking UWW hands after the game. I have all the respect in the world for the Mount program. My hats off to them. However, dignity wasn’t running through the entire coaching staff or roster of Mount today. It hasn’t extended through the entire Mount fan base on this board either.
How’s that humble pie taste purpoo raider fans?
Duke-
This is going to sound crazy- but I couldn’t agree more with you on your Garcon post. I see arena league for him. I would love to be at his free agent tryout(that’s right free-agent) when a 6’3″ 220 pd safety who runs faster than him lays a couple of hits on him.
Seeing Garcon and a few other players and coaches act like babies was priceless- made my day!
I found it funny where I read some Mt Union fans scoffing at the notion that none of the game predictions had Mt. scoring 40 points…I find it even more amusing now!!
the warhawks were just plain lucky to win….
First off, I would like to congratulate MU on yet another great season. The show week in and week out why they are the dynasty of D3 football. All of us D3 fans should be thankful for having seen such a great championship game. We do it right at D3 with a playoff system (and for as long as I’ve followed D3 have seen the 2 best teams make the finals). A huge thanks to Pat & Keith & all the other D3.com guys for keeping D3 on the map. You guys do a fantastic job all year and provide all of us with great information that otherwise would not be reported on. Finally, congrats Warhawks. You completed a phenominal season; time to start getting ready for next year. We all know MU is already preparing for a return trip to Salem; can’t wait for the 08 season to begin!
bleedpurple,
UMHB gave UWW a much better game, a game played on UWW turf at that. Admit that UWW is just the better team and don’t be such a Homer.
UMHB held Beaver to 138 yards total in 2 games played. I now know just how good the cru was this year and how close we came to win it all.
I admit it, Cru Crushed. UWW is just the better team.
Kmic and Micheli return 2008 roll PurpleRaiders.
Yep, warhawkgrad, it’s definitely wait til next year time for all Cubs fans, Bengals fans, Bears fans, Michigan fans, and, well, you.
I might have graduated from U W Whitewater, but i have been out in Ohio for a few years and like the successful championship program @Mt.Union that the Purple Raiders have built, and I believe they will be in Salem again next year, and that a whole new win streak wil start in the fall of 08′. The Purple Raiders are Champions many times, and yes they are WInners as well. The better team did not win today.
Nice comments, warhawkgrad…I’m a UW-La Crosse grad that thinks you’re wrong with that last sentence.
Warhawkgrad the MUC fan,
I understand your admiration for the MUC program. They have been highly successful. They have won nine national championships. But the last I checked, the rules have not been changed for them. They still have to score more points than the other team to win a football game. Maybe you would propose UWW donate their 2008 National Championship they EARNED today to Mount Union so they can give their coach “one for the other thumb” or whatever the silly phrase is that is getting thrown around. In fact, why don’t we just say MUC has NEVER LOST A GAME? On those days they happen to score fewer points than the other team, the other team clearly got lucky.
And please don’t tell me you are really a UWW grad with that awful run-on sentence you just threw out there. It’s kind of hard for me to believe.
Oops…2007 National Championship. I suppose I deserve a shot for that warhawkgrad after cracking on your English!
First, I’m REALLY happy my prediction was wrong. Good to see the machine break down. Second, the ESPN announcing crew did a credible job. Nothing to dis on Pam Ward in my book.
To Pat, Keith, Gordon, et al….thanks so much again for the past season and all past seasons. You make coming to this website fun!
Lg1970:
It’s an overused phrase but, in this case, an accurate one. It’s our pleasure. 🙂
I’m happy to say my prediction was right. If you think I’m lying, check out my posts this week. I had WW winning 31-24….off by 3.
I also said MHB had a better D than MUC and the WW O could handle them….the MUC gave me grief but I told ya so.
I was wrong about 1 thing. The weather affected both teams and I said it would be a bigger disadvantage to MUC….I think it affected the WW O more than I thought.
Great Win against the top program in the country. MUC may have lost, but they are still a great program and the one all D3 teams strive for.
As a former Hawk, I couldn’t be more proud the last 3 years…even losing the last 2 games was something to be proud of and those teams have nothing to be ashamed of. Today was just the culmination of everything Brez, Stan, and the whole program has been striving for a long time. I had been a part of that success over the years, but never got the job done. Great day to be a Hawk.
I’m out.
The better team is one that is defined by winning 9 national championships
yellow_jacket98 – Your agreeing with my Garcon post doesn’t sound crazy……it’s just two brilliant minds thinking alike!!! As we really enter into the teeth of the holiday season, I want to let you know that I meant nothing personal in our previous back and forth posts…..just having a little fun. Truce?!
Have a happy and healthy holiday season yellow_jacket98……and the same to you SJF FAN as well!!!!
“The better team is one that is defined by winning 9 national championships”
I would change that slightly and suggest that the better program is the one defined by winning nine national championships.
warhawkgrad,
Now I understand. You’re crazy. Thanks for clearing that up.
To warhawkgrad: This season’s best team is UW-Whitewater! They proved it today. By your logic, any team that has multiple championships is by default always the best team. Flawed logic. The Yankees have won 26 world series. Were they the best team this year? No. Mount Union was the best team in the country before the game started and now, not so much. The simple fact is that the Warhawks are now the nation’s best DIII football team and will be until another team takes that title away. They worked hard to get there, are a great group of unassuming guys and deserve the title….. National Champions……
Pat,
The problem with your suggestion for warhawkgrad is that he really believes that the 9 championships makes Mount the better team TODAY. An earlier post of his indicated that UWW was LUCKY. I stand by my assessment. He’s crazy. Of course said in a non-diagnosis, non-serious, football post kind of way.
Wow, i wasn’t watching the postgame but if Garcon didn’t shake hands, that will be the signature moment of his career. I highly doubt he has what it takes for the next level. I’m biased, but he’s no Derek Stanley. He might have more physical tools, but with that attitude, he’s going nowhere fast
Mount Union has an excellent QB and RB however, and i’m curious to see which one might end up with the player of the year award next season.
Good nig
Duke-
Truce- Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Chalk my vote up for MHB as #2 in the final poll.
One last gripe- counting playoff games towards individual and team records makes no sense. Kids in these top programs are playing close to 60 games in a 4 year career- compared to 40 for 90% of everyone else. I’m just saying….
It will be interesting to see how the AFCA and NCAA has their final rankings. The D3 football rankings don’t mean a THING.
A great game to be sure, and I think we saw behavior that comes from unfamiliar situations. It was almost text book. People who are expected to win, used to winning, indeed, never having tasted defeat, and out come unssportsmanship, penalties, from coaches no less, which is really too bad, for a D3 broadcast. You rarely see this thing on a bigger scale, where these winning streaks are less common. Success does breed contempt, I fear. And I know it is not from the top down. The Warhawk’s defense was wonderful as was the O line. The drop passes on a couple of Warhawk third down plays, weren’t discouraging. Hats off to the QB. A great team effort to be sure. And quite clearly, even with the Beaver fumble in the third, the best team won.
SJFfan you must be rejoicing!
Warhawks are the BEST D3 Team in the country! Woo Hoo! We’re #1, We’re #1!
Based on the last few weeks….the rankings should be:
1. UWW
2. UMHB
3. Mount Union
UMHB played the Warhawks better than MU.
I really enjoyed the game. Hey! Here in Texas we missed the opening kickoff because of the KY-UAB game for crying out loud. Did anyone else miss the opening kick?
Eventhough I am a UMHB fan I was pulling for the Hawks and Beaver. I feel much better for the Cru because we lost by 9 to the National Champs. Now I realize just how good the Cru was this year. Remember, we had to play in UWW.
I agree with Krackem, UMHB has a better D than MUC. UMHB WOULD HAVE BEATEN THE SO CALLED MACHINE TODAY AS WELL.
I think Quincey Daniels would have gone for over 200 as well.
Does UWW play UMHB next year? I think we have a chance to beat UWW next year IF we can get a good QB to come into the program.
I started laughing when Pam Ward starting complaining about the press box facilities. She said the press box was too cold, small and the elevator needs fixed. Perhaps Salem is trying to get rid of her so they refuse to upgrade the press box. She really is out of touch and has no business calling football games.
I lost alot of respect for MUC today for the following reasons.
Garcon has a bad attitude and displays poor sportsmanship.
The out of control MUC assistant coach who came out to the center of the field cursing the referee. Who was that coach by the way?
The several cheap shots taken by MUC players. I no longer respect MUC as a team.
The officiating was very good. D3 officials deserve to do the championship.
Perhaps ESPN/NCAA will wake up and let Pat, Keith and the gang call in the future.
I’ve been trying to consider the Mount vs UMHB argument. I have no idea who would win that game. Truth be told, I do believe these three teams were very close this year. As a Warhawk fan, I am so proud that UWW did what it took to win the National Championship. Mount obviously had a dominant year until today. However, being at both of the UMHB/WW games, I have to say there was only a small difference between those two teams.
As far as who would win, I really don’t know. Which is actually quite a statement considering 80% of the nation considered Mount at a level on their own and then the rest of D3 falling at a different level. Now we are pondering whether Mount is the SECOND best team. As far as polls, I’d imagine Mount Union will have to be ranked second simply because UMHB has two losses, even though both of them were on the home field of the National Champion. UMHB fans could easily argue that the only reason Mount didn’t have two losses was that UWW was not on their regular season schedule (especially on the road).
One thing I do feel strongly about. UWW, MUC, UMHB are at one level (with UWW earning the right to be considered #1). and there is a gap between those three and whoever is #4.
A great championship game and certainly a culmination for the UWW program. MUC certainly deserves credit for a great season, but I can’t buy the argument that they were the better team on the field today.
UWW’s defense controlled the line of scrimmage and shut down the MUC offense. Seriously – they held a team that averaged 54+ a game to 21 pts. Have to give credit to the UWW Coaching staff and especially their DC – they simply outcoached Kehres and Co.
Still says a lot about the resilency of MUC that they committed 4 turnovers and only lost by 10. Michelli will watch the tape of this game and see the opportunities to become a better QB. The ESPN broadcast called correct that he often looked to run when under pressure instead of simply waiting in the pocket. That impatience and not standing in under pressure cost MUC on more than two occasions.
Congrats to Danny Jones. Kind of a Dilfer-esque performance, but he managed the game well.
Finally, what can you say about Justin Beaver. The kid simply rose to the occasion and won a National Championship. Funny thing, though – I bet he still won’t take any credit and will compliment his teammates, coaches, family and friends. What a class act and a great example of what DIII athletics is all about.
And lastly, any respect I had for Garcon disappeared after watching him play (and act on the field) tonight. Pro prospect? Please. Coach Kehres and the MUC program should be embarrassed how this kid comported himself today. Maybe Pierre has the size and speed, but if I were an pro scout I’d pick a kid with the composure and class of an undersized Justin Beaver than a clown like Garcon.
Warhawkgrad…
It’s obvious you are not related to the Whitewater community or university in any way. We all know you are a junior high student trying to act like you are from Whitewater. Don’t bring down the great tradition, program, and class that Mount Union has earned and has shown over the many years of domination. I am a Warhawk student currently and I have never been more proud to admit that then today. Beating a team like Mount Union is like beating the Patriots, you know you have accomplished something. Buckeye, thank you for showing great class in defeat. In the past, I have been upset about Whitewater losing to Mount Union, and finally this year I came to the realization that Mount was just that good. This year I gave Whitewater little to no chance, which makes the win that much sweeter. Thank you to all MUC fans for being so classy. Teach warhawkgrad what it is like to be a champion or a fan of a champion.
Best of luck next year. It would be great to see two of the best D3 teams at the Stagg next year again.
bleedpurple,
I see your point…well stated. However, one huge difference stands out between MUC and UMHB…..defense against Beaver. UMHB held “the best player in Division III” to 137 yards total for two games, while MUC let him run all over the field for 249. These three teams are easily the best three in the country…and obivously UWW is #1.
Nobody answered my question!! Does UMHB play UWW next year?
I don’t think the 2008 schedule has been finalized yet.
I don’t doubt MHB was one of the top three teams but, it doesn’t work to compare scores to say which team should be ranked No. 2. Mary-Hardin might not have matched up against Mount, no matter what the comparative scores were. In 2003, St. John’s rallied in the last three minutes to beat St. Thomas and Bethel. That doesn’t mean those two teams were better than Mount just because St. John’s beat them by 18 in the Stagg Bowl.
Congrats to the UWW fans who get to frolic on the posts for an entire year, you guys deserve it… For two years you had to speak softly because of the Alliance exception that existed. I am happy that you don’t have that exception any longer. That is sweet!
vhwon,
You are definitely right about the UMHB run defense. UMHB did an outstanding job against Beaver both times. I dont know if UWW and UMHB plays again next year. If losing that game drops one of them to a 4 seed, it is hardly an incentive for scheduling excellent inter-regional games. Of course it didn’t matter, because UMHB emerged from the south easily even though they clearly should have been a 1 seed. Perhaps UMHB and UWW should replace each other with an OAC bottom feeder. Just kidding!
sfury,
I get your point as well. However, I am simply basing my opinion, not on the scores alone, but rather on watching these two games and how they looked. UMHB played UWW much better than MUC, bottom line…..especially on defense. Mount might have held UMHB to 30 points or less (If MUC couldn’t stop Beaver, there is no way they could have stopped Thrasher and Daniels), but I do not believe MUC would have put able to up more than 21…again after watching the team that played today. So my vote for #2 is the Crusaders of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Was waiting for you to weigh in Bigwheels!