UWW Football

Patience, Poise, and Power


Most UW-W fans would agree that the 2010 edition of the Warhawks football team has been patient.  In fact, far more patient than most fans.  During the regular season, this has not been much of an issue.  When a team outscores their opponents by an average margin of 34 points per game, they don't exactly test the patience of their fan base.  In fact, the atmosphere at Perkins Stadium has often been pretty laid back, especially early in the game. It was interesting to observe the Warhawks gain 5 yards on a rushing play and hear a louder cheer from the opposing fans than the Warhawk fans.  Spoiled? Probably.  Confident? Most certainly.


However, as we moved to the third week of November, the Road to Salem began.  The Warhawks hosted 24th ranked Franklin College.  Over the previous four years, UW-W had beaten their first round opponents by an average of over 38 points per game.  On a beautiful afternoon, most Warhawk fans expected a similar result.  However, Franklin hung around the entire first half as UW-W led only 21-14 at halftime. While most Warhawk backers probably weren't concerned about losing, they were most definitely wondering why the game was so close.  However, UW-W took just over 3 minutes of the third quarter to assume control of the game as they scored ten quick points to push their lead to 17 points.  The Hawks then cruised to a 31 point victory.


In the second round, UW-W hosted their second straight Gagliardi finalist QB as Eric Watt and Trine University came to town.  The first half resembled a track meet as teams traded scores with UW-W taking a harrowing 31-24 lead into the half.  Trine scored the only points in the third quarter, taking advantage of a rare UW-W turnover and the Warhawk fans looked on nervously as their team went into the fourth quarter tied 31-31.  However, the fourth quarter was all Whitewater, as UW-W controlled the ball for all but 2:47 of the fourth quarter. Levell Coppage scored on a pair of 9 yard scoring runs as UW-W advanced to the third round.


In the Quarter Finals, UW-W took to the road against the #1 Regional seed, North Central College. In a hard fought defensive game, UW-W trailed 10-7 after 3 quarters.  Once again Warhawk fans saw their patience tested.  But once again, UW-W dominated the fourth quarter as they outscored the Cardinals 13-0 to secure a 20-10 victory and advance to the national semi-finals for the sixth consecutive year.


In analyzing the playoff personality of this years' Warhawks, three traits have emerged.  


Patience
With the injury to starting QB Matt Blanchard, Lee Brekke has made his first three collegiate starts in these playoffs.  Although UW-W hasn't curtailed their game plan entirely, there has been a subtle change to the UW-W offense. While the Hawks still strive for balance, they have been running plays that have exposed them to less risk than the relative wide open offense led by Blanchard.  They have preferred a patient approach to the quick strike attack, at least since the first half of the Trine game.  It appears that UW-W is confident that as long as they play their game and don't make mistakes, they will win the battle over 60 minutes.


Poise
As hard as they may be on the fans, the players seem to be thriving on the close games.  The energy level, the body language, the animation, the execution, and the intensity shown by this team as the 2nd half wears on is impressive on every level.  Performance during crunch time has defined many athletes and many teams.  This UW-W team is impervious to pressure.  In fact, they appear to thrive on it.  This trend over the last three weeks will serve them very, very well over the next two.  


Power
Sixty minutes of football is a long time. Especially against UW-W.  For sixty minutes, UW-W just keeps banging.  Physical. Every series. Every play. Every player. For sixty minutes.  Three consecutive Top 25 teams have succumbed to the sixty minute brand of football played by UW-W.  People reading box scores won't be impressed.  However, people watching the games realize that UW-W has SO MUCH more left in the tank than their opponents for the entire fourth quarter.  Running plays that gained 1 or 2 yards in the first half, begin to open for 4, 5, or 6 yards.  Offensive lines who held up reasonably well in the first half, begin to be overwhelmed as the 2nd half wears on.  As a result, quarterbacks who had time to throw in the first half become rushed into mistakes by the fourth quarter.  And running backs and receivers who have been hit hard the whole game, begin to drop passes and lose possession of the ball in the late stages.  Fatigue is very hard to play through. Especially against UW-W, who tends to go in for the kill when the opponent has softened.  


The Warhawks personality and style may not show dominance in the box score.  And it may test the patience of the fans.  But at the end of the day, it makes for a football team that is very hard to beat.  And one statistic does shine brightly.  UW-W has outscored their three Top 25 playoff opponents 48-0 in the fourth quarter.  As a result the Warhawks find themselves in the National Semi-Finals.  Again.