All
Three Phases Fuel 5-0 Start.
How good
are the 2013 Warhawks? The first
five games of a football season do not necessarily tell the full story of where
a team will finish. But ask the
five opponents who UW-W played so far and you will likely find they are
convinced the Hawks are pretty good.
While five games does not make a season, it is enough time for a team to
begin to create an identity. And
when the football team starts the season 5-0, there is probably a lot to like
about that identity. That is certainly true for the 2013 Warhawks. UW-W seems to be improving every week
on their way to outscoring their first five opponents by a decisive 239 to 37
margin.
Defensively,
the Warhawks rank 4th
nationally in scoring defense yielding merely 7.4 points per game. When it comes to yardage, the Hawks
rank 3rd in the nation holding opponents to only 208.2 yards per
game. One of the dilemmas faced by offensive coordinators is exactly how to
attack Whitewater’s stubborn defense. The Warhawks rank 6th nationally
in passing yards allowed, permitting a meager 128.6 yards per game. and they
also possess the 14th ranked rushing defense giving up only 79.8
yards per game. The Warhawks’
defense also has a penchant for making the big play, recording 6 interceptions,
7 fumble recoveries, and 3 touchdowns.
Heading
into the 2013, a veteran linebacking corps expected to lead the way defensively
for the Hawks. The unit has been
every bit as good as advertised as Cole Klots, Kyle Wismer, Josh Williams, and
Ryan Cortez lead the team in tackles.
Brady
Grayvold leads the UW-W defense with 3 interceptions and Louis Minett leads the
way with 3 sacks. But as seems to
be the case every year, triggering the big plays is an entire defense that has
been physical and assignment sure.
The mastermind behind the defense is long-time defensive coordinator
Brian Borland.
When asked
about Borland this week, Coach Lance Leipold stated emphatically, “Brian is the
best. If anyone wanted to really
dig down and take a look at our program, not to take away from anyone else, it
is always a team effort, but if you look at the transition of this program,
there is a heavy correlation to Brian becoming the defensive coordinator and
the success of this program. He’s
the best at this level. He is as good as anyone at putting together a game
plan.”
Offensively, UW-W brought a young group into the 2013 season led by junior QB Matt Behrendt who
had started merely 3 games before this season. Behrendt is off to an excellent start completing 62% of his
passes for 1183 yards, with 14 touchdowns and no interceptions. Clearly one of UW-W’s deepest positions
is wide receiver. Through five games, Jake Kumerow leads the receivers with 27
receptions, 567 yards, and 7 touchdowns.
Newcomer Justin Howard, a transfer from North Dakota State has caught 18
passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Tyler Huber, who returns after a medical redshirt in 2012, has played in
4 games and has 15 receptions for 221 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sophomore Joe Worth and seniors Zach
Howard and Steve Morris round out this deep and talented unit.
While the
wide receiver depth has not been a
surprise, the Warhawks have uncovered some surprising depth in the
backfield. Returning running backs
Ryan Givens (junior) and Nick Patterson (sophomore) were expected to carry a
large part of the load this year.
But because both of them have experienced some injuries, sophomores
Jordan Ratliff and Dennis Moore lead the team in rushing. As they get healthy, both Givens and
Patterson are expected to continue to contribute. Freshman Booker Ross could also be a factor as the season
continues to progress. Unfortunately, it appears Moore is lost for the season due to a knee injury.
The young
offensive line continues to gel and improve with each game. With the production
of both the running game and the passing game, Coach Leipold indicates the
unit could be one of the strengths of the team by the end of the year. “They’ve done a fine job to this point.
(Coach) Darryl Agpalsa has done a nice job of putting a group together and
finding the right pieces and putting them in the right places. We are
encouraged by not only the first unit, but we are starting to develop some
depth there as well. As we know, going into this season it was an area of
concern just based on the youth. Very soon it will become an area of nice depth
and a strength of our team.”
With
several new coaches on the offensive side of the ball including Offensive
Coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, one question that needed to be answered heading
into the season was regarding the chemistry that would develop between the
coaches. “I couldn’t be more
pleased” said Leipold. “It’s not
just based on our record. The chemistry, the work ethic of the staff, how they
relate to the players, the teaching aspect. Like I said, I couldn’t be more
pleased.”
The look of
the entire offense has changed from a year ago. Moving from a run first, take care of the ball, and wear
teams out mentality to an offense looking to create big plays by getting the ball to
their playmakers in space. Is this change a matter of simply utilizing the
players on the current roster or is it a philosophical change to continue to
grow and improve the program?
“It’s probably some of each. We knew we needed to be more aggressive.
And like I’ve said before, that is probably more on myself than it is on any
previous play caller. I probably made us a little too conservative. We were
playing some excellent defense. We were doing some things and we allowed some
people to load up the box on us and things like that. And then you put in the
case to how our depth was at receiver and some other things. We were transitioning ourselves to a
lot of the things you are seeing in the spring before we even had more staff
turnover. But Andy has really added
his touch as well as the other coaches. With all of it, we are probably
even more apparently different than we even thought we would be.”
Nowhere is
the Warhawks’ new identity more apparent than in the area of big plays. Through five games in 2012, the
Warhawks had 28 plays that went for 15 yards or more. Through the first five
games of 2013, that number has skyrocketed to 42 plays, a 50% increase in big
plays. And the big plays haven’t
been limited to the offense or the defense. The 2013 special teams units have significant big play
ability as well. UW-W ranks 3rd
nationally in kickoff returns with a 32.27 yard per return average. Justin Howard has returned 7 kickoffs
for an average of 29.6 yards per return including a 77 yard return for a
touchdown. Marcus McLin has
returned four kickoffs for a 37.0 yard per return average including returns of
61 yards and 50 yards.
In
addition, Howard is the leading punt returner in the WIAC with a 9.8 yard per
return average. Eric Kindler has
connected on 9 of 10 fields goals (long of 50 yards) and all 30 of his extra
point attempts. Freshman Lake
Bachar has been handling the kickoff duties registering 17 touchbacks on his 36
kickoffs.
Without
a doubt, five games do not a season make.
But the 2013 Warhawks are well on their way to establishing their own
identity. That identity has been
too much to handle for the first five opponents. And if the Hawks continue to
improve week by week, the final five opponents will find them very hard to
handle as well.
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