UWW Football

Semi-Final Review


The UW-Whitewater Warhawks defeated Wesley College, the NCAA's #1 seed, at Dover, Delaware on Saturday, December 11th.  The Warhawks advance to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl against the University of Mount Union on Saturday, December 18th, at 2:30 PM Central Time.  The game will be televised on ESPNU.  


Here is a review of the key factors in Whitewater's Semi-Final win over Wesley:


Defensive Key: Pressure
The Warhawks harassed Wolverine QB Justin Sottilare into five interceptions that killed the Wolverines hopes for a national championship.  The Hawks also got to Sottilare for 4 sacks.  Sottilare finished the day completing 24 of 44 passes. Throughout the afternoon, Sottilare was forced to throw the ball earlier than he wanted, often leading to an incompletion or an interception.  In addition, the Warhawks flew to the ball and defeated blocks at the line of scrimmage to hold Wesley to (-7) yards rushing.  The dominance at the line of scrimmage was decisive, especially for a national semi-final matchup.  The front seven of UW-W established the tempo all day long, leaving Wesley with unmanageable 3rd downs and little opportunity to develop a rhythm.  Things would have been even worse for the Wolverines, but UW-W didn't recover any of their four fumbles. 


Offensive Key: Balance
The Warhawks, directed by sophomore QB Lee Brekke, generated enough from the passing game to keep the Wolverines honest.  Although Brekke threw only 19 passes, he completed 13 of them, with 9 achieving first downs.  Brekke also hit Adam Brandes for a 35 yard 2nd quarter touchdown.  Whitewater once again deployed a power running game which was effective and served to wear down it's opponent.  The Warhawks pounded the ball 41 times for 172 yards and 2 TD's. Levell Coppage led the way with 146 yards and both TD's.  The offensive line continues to be dominant.  They gave Brekke adequate time to throw all day and they kept pounding Wesley's defensive front all afternoon long to keep the running game strong.  


Other Semi-Finals Notes:
The Warhawks held Wesley to 249 yards of total offense, more than 200 yards under their season average.


Kris Rosholt's hanging punts led to (-3) punt return yards.  Rosholt once again placed one inside the 10.


Eric Kindler nailed both of his FG attempts. It's getting harder and harder to remember his last miss.


While the pressure was great, it does appear the UW-W secondary is making good progress.


Booker Stanley ran hard in his nine attempts in relief of Coppage.  


Once again, the UW-W second half adjustments were impeccable. 


NOTE:  Check back Wednesday, when I discuss a little talked about attribute of the 2010 Hawks