5 INGREDIENTS OF A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

In reflecting back on the amazing season that was 2009 UW-Whitewater Warhawk football, I have been contemplating some of the various elements that went into the National Championship season. There are so many things that have to come together for a team to accomplish as much as UW-W did in 2009. So the list I've formed is not all of the ingredients of the championship recipe. And the list is NOT in order of importance. There are too many interrelated factors to begin dicing and splicing and putting them in an order. Here goes:

1. TALENT

The talent on this football team was phenomenal. There was not one game this year in which the opponent appeared more talented than UW-W. And the talent spread much deeper and wider than Jeff Donovan, Level Coppage, and the other headliners. The Hawks' talent spread throughout every position group and through the depth of the roster. The talented roster allowed UW-W to survive some early season injuries, especially to the linebacker position. The breadth of the talent allowed UW-W to be a very balanced football team both offensively and defensively. The depth of the roster is exemplified by talented players like QB Matt Blanchard, RB's Antwan Anderson and CJ Miller, WR's Adam Brandes, Corey Robinson, and David Leaf, LB's Josh Williams, Greg Arnold, and Tim Depies, and DB Jeremy Deibert. These guys along with others I've not mentioned could form the nucleus of a very formidable Division 3 team and none of them were starters on offense or defense for the 2009 Warhawks. But they added valuable depth and made great contributions on special teams.

2. LEADERSHIP

From the coaching staff to the senior leaders, those who had a responsibility to lead, lead exceptionally well. Coach Lance Leipold, the D3Football Coach of the Year, set the pace with a day by day focused approach culminating with UW-Whitewater's second National Championship in his three years as Head Coach. To his credit, Leipold gives Offensive Coordinator Jim Zebrowski and Defensive Coordinator Brian Borland great latitude and voice in game planning. Both coordinators took full advantage as they instilled an aggressive personality into their respective units. Zebrowski utilized his talent with creative schemes, personnel groupings, and play calling. Borland's unit played sound fundamental football with an emphasis on controlling the line of scrimmage, sound tackling, and hard hitting. It should be pointed out that a team does not win a National Championship without tremendous senior leadership. From the beginning of the second semester of the 2008-2009 school year, the Senior class took the mantle of leadership and led the way in preparation from the off-season workouts all the way through the Stagg Bowl victory.

3. TEAM FIRST MENTALITY

The chemistry on this football team was something special. The guys really liked each other, they played hard for each other, and they watched each others' backs. There was a noticeable absence of prima donnas and players from the various position groups genuinely rooted for the players who happened to be in the game to succeed. There was a unity on this football team that allowed the whole to become even greater than the very talented parts. When the post season challenges presented themselves, there was a tangible calmness and confidence that propelled the Warhawks to finish strong in each of the last three playoff games, leading to their championship.

4. STRONG OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY

The dominance up front propelled a Warhawk offense that was explosive, consistent, and dominant. Led by sophomore First Team All-American and First Team All-WIAC left guard Matt Weber, junior First Team All-WIAC left tackle Robbie Ustruck, and senior center First Team All-WIAC Garth Coats, the offensive line arguably won the battle at the line of scrimmage in all 15 contests in 2009. UWW averaged 489.6 yards per game in total offense. Only once were the Warhawks held under 400 yards of total offense, when they gained 397 yards against Wittenberg, who had the #1 ranked defense in the nation, allowing only 172.67 yards per game. The offensive line paved the way for Levell Coppage to lead the nation in rushing with 2107 yards and 35 TD's. As a team, UW-W rushed for a mind boggling 54 TD's. They also were a solid wall of protection for the 3rd rated passer in the nation, Jeff Donovan. As a team, UW-W QB's dropped back to pass 405 times. Amazingly they were only sacked 9 times. The dominance by UW-W's offensive line unleashed the talented skill players to do their thing in an offense that averaged 42.5 points per game.

5. TEAM DEFENSE

The Warhawk defense was a hard hitting, assignment sure, opportunistic defense. The strength of the defense was in shutting down the run. The Hawks gave up only 2.5 yards per carry and 79.1 yards per game on the ground. In addition, the UW-W defense gave up only 6 rushing TD's all year while their offense was piling up 54 TD's on the ground. The Warhawks ranked 4th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up a mere 10.4 points per game. In the Stagg Bowl, the hard hitting Warhawks forced defending national champion Mount Union to fumble 5 times, recovering 3 of them.

These are just 5 of the ingredients that went into the Warhawks second national championship in the last three years. 2009 was a year to remember in the annals of UW-Whitewater football and many people contributed. Congratulations to everyone involved with the best NCAA Division 3 football team in the land in 2009.