Royal Purple

Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Seisser Senior quarterback Danny Jones tossed for 213 yards and one touchdown in Saturday's 41-7 win over Lakeland College

There may have been a new face at the helm, and few new starters who put themselves on the field, but it was like déjà vu for the Warhawk football team, as they rolled to 41-7 win over the Lakeland College Muskies in week one of the 2007 season.

Senior tailback Justin Beaver rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries to lead the 'Hawks past the Muskies at Saturday. Additionally, senior transfer quarterback Danny Jones, in his debut with UW-Whitewater, was 17-27 passing for 213 yards and a touchdown, helping the offense rack up 513 yards of total offense on the afternoon.

"I was pleased with our overall performance," Leipold said. "There [are] plenty of things to work on, but overall, I was pleased with our effort."

Even though UW-Whitewater has its bye week this weekend, players and coaches will be hard at work to prepare for the 'Hawks next opponent, St. Cloud St. (Minn.). St. Cloud St., a Division II team, also won its season opener on Saturday, a 17-7 victory over Northern State (N.D.).

Even though the Warhawks defeated Lakeland for the fourth straight year, there were a few new changes that were on display against the Muskies. The 'Hawks elected to pound away at the defense mainly on the ground, totaling 54 rushing attempts in the game. By comparison, last year's 75-14 rout of Lakeland saw UW-Whitewater run 28 times, while 2005's 73-12 victory produced 27 carries for Warhawk running backs.

"I think we try to be balanced," Leipold said. "That's our goal. Not knowing what [Lakeland] was going to do, [we] stuck with some base runs … When you get up in game, you're going to start wearing them down."

Despite the commitment to the run, Jones and the Warhawk wide receivers showed that the passing game is still a very dangerous threat to opposing defenses. Jones connected with senior wide receiver Neil Mrkvicka on passes of 31, 24, and 40 yards, each of which helped set a Warhawk score. Jones also found sophomore wideout Matt Gifford for a 10-yard touchdown strike midway through the third quarter for his first touchdown strike as a Warhawk.

"We missed some guys that were open, and there are some things that we have to get better at," Leipold said. "[But] we're going to have a chance to stretch the field vertically."

Continued...

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