2008 Woodie Awards
Successful beginning to new era
Matt Cullen
Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Sports
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The 2007 season started out the same as the 2006 season for the Warhawk football team, with the Lakeland College Muskies as the first test. However, whereas in 2006 you knew what you were going to get with the purple and black, Saturday's kickoff had plenty of uncertainties surrounding it.
There was the departure of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Justin Jacobs, and the arrival of transfer quarterback Danny Jones, a relative unknown around UW-Whitewater until two weeks ago. Jacobs tied a school record against the Muskies last season by throwing five touchdown passes, but Jones' stats (17-27 passing, 213 yards, TD) on Saturday were more than respectable.
There was also the loss of NFL campers Derek Stanley and Pete Schmitt, as well as first-team All-American left tackle Max Sakellaris, to an explosive offense that put up points in bunches and gobbled up yards like a well-oiled machine. The 2007 Warhawk "O"? 513 yards, 41 points, and zero turnovers thus far. Next question, please.
But surely the 'Hawks couldn't overcome the loss of All-American defensive tackle Ryan Kleppe, as well as two other starting defensive lineman, and an All-American linebacker. While it's true that UW-Whitewater's defense was tested early on, 110 yards of total offense and one touchdown are numbers that I'll take any day.
Oh yeah, it was also new Head Coach Lance Leipold's first game leading his alma mater. Taking over for someone as legendary and as respected as Bob Berezowitz had to be nerve-racking to begin with, but to inherit a program that hasn't lost a regular-season game since 2004, a program that now has such high expectations placed upon it? That's like volunteering to be a tackling dummy - minus the pads.
"Everyone is going to be giving you their best shot," Leipold said. "Everyone can get their program catapulted in another direction … by a win over a team that's had success like Whitewater."
No matter how you look at it, the job that Leipold has done since taking the reins of the Warhawks is beyond commendable. Besides replacing Berezowitz, he's had to insert his own coaching philosophy and lead a team that was used to a certain style for a long time. And while it's true that the cupboard was not exactly bare as far as talent and leadership go, there definitely were some question marks for the start of the season. If Saturday provided any indication for the rest of the season, it's that Leipold has the Warhawks steered in the right direction.
"It's still about the team," Leipold said. "More than I was thinking about that first win, I was already thinking about what we have to do to try and get ready to play St. Cloud State."
It's true that there are still tests to be faced later on (St. Cloud State and UW-La Crosse, to name just two). But if the victory over Lakeland provided any answers, it's that the 'Hawks might not be as different from 2006 as they seem.
There was the departure of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Justin Jacobs, and the arrival of transfer quarterback Danny Jones, a relative unknown around UW-Whitewater until two weeks ago. Jacobs tied a school record against the Muskies last season by throwing five touchdown passes, but Jones' stats (17-27 passing, 213 yards, TD) on Saturday were more than respectable.
There was also the loss of NFL campers Derek Stanley and Pete Schmitt, as well as first-team All-American left tackle Max Sakellaris, to an explosive offense that put up points in bunches and gobbled up yards like a well-oiled machine. The 2007 Warhawk "O"? 513 yards, 41 points, and zero turnovers thus far. Next question, please.
But surely the 'Hawks couldn't overcome the loss of All-American defensive tackle Ryan Kleppe, as well as two other starting defensive lineman, and an All-American linebacker. While it's true that UW-Whitewater's defense was tested early on, 110 yards of total offense and one touchdown are numbers that I'll take any day.
Oh yeah, it was also new Head Coach Lance Leipold's first game leading his alma mater. Taking over for someone as legendary and as respected as Bob Berezowitz had to be nerve-racking to begin with, but to inherit a program that hasn't lost a regular-season game since 2004, a program that now has such high expectations placed upon it? That's like volunteering to be a tackling dummy - minus the pads.
"Everyone is going to be giving you their best shot," Leipold said. "Everyone can get their program catapulted in another direction … by a win over a team that's had success like Whitewater."
No matter how you look at it, the job that Leipold has done since taking the reins of the Warhawks is beyond commendable. Besides replacing Berezowitz, he's had to insert his own coaching philosophy and lead a team that was used to a certain style for a long time. And while it's true that the cupboard was not exactly bare as far as talent and leadership go, there definitely were some question marks for the start of the season. If Saturday provided any indication for the rest of the season, it's that Leipold has the Warhawks steered in the right direction.
"It's still about the team," Leipold said. "More than I was thinking about that first win, I was already thinking about what we have to do to try and get ready to play St. Cloud State."
It's true that there are still tests to be faced later on (St. Cloud State and UW-La Crosse, to name just two). But if the victory over Lakeland provided any answers, it's that the 'Hawks might not be as different from 2006 as they seem.
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