---

Franklin College, 10-1, and UW-Whitewater, 11-0, will meet at Perkins Stadium in the second round of the 2011 NCAA III playoffs. This is the third time these two teams have met in a 12 month span. They met for the first time in the first round game of 2010 NCAA III playoffs that UW-W won 52-21 at Perkins Stadium. They also met earlier this year in a non-conference match-up on September 10, where the Warhawks defeated the Grizzlies 45-0 in Indiana.   When you look at Franklin's lineup, sophomores in key positions, you will see that the Grizzlies have developed into a markedly different team over the course of a season, so take the past performances with a grain (or more) of salt.

UW-Whitewater postseason website
 
Past NCAA Appearances
Franklin College is making its fourth appearance in five years in the NCAA playoffs, since becoming affiliated with the NCAA in 1992. The Grizzlies made playoff appearances in 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011, with a record of 3-3. UW-Whitewater returns to the postseason for the tenth time since joining the NCAA in 1980, and seventh consecutive year, with an overall record of 28-6.  UW-W is the defending two-time Division III champion.  Three of Whitewater's playoff losses came in the championship game with the Warhawks finishing as the runners-up in 2005 and 2006 under head coach Bob Berezowitz and in 2008 under Lance Leipold. The Warhawks won the title under Leipold in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
 
Last Year in the Playoffs
The first score of the game started with the Whitewater defense.  Noah Timm picked off a Kyle Ray pass and returned it to the 25 of Franklin.  Three plays later Lee Brekke connected with Aaron Rusch on a ten yard scoring play.

Franklin responded immediately, their next drive covering 57 yards in eight plays.  Ray hit Kyle Linville for 26 yards for the tying score at 4:14.

The next score came at 6:00 in the second quarter, with UW-W junior Levell Coppage running 55 yards to put the Warhawks up 14-7.

Ray and Linville hooked up again to knot the score at 14-14, this on a 51 yard pass with 3:12 left in the half. 

Not content to run out the clock, UW-W went 70 yards on 10 plays, with 45 of the yards coming on Brekke to Rusch passes, one for a 15 yard TD to send the Warhawks into the locker room leading 21-14.

Whitewater took the second half kickoff, and helped by Corey Knapp 30 yard kickoff return, required just two plays, the second a 54 yard Brekke to Adam Brandes touchdown to give UW-W a 28-14 lead at the 14:13 mark in the third.

The next time the Warhawk offense took the field it had the ball at the Franklin 30 yard line as the result of a 12 yard punt.  Eric Kindler booted a 31 yard field goal to boost Whitewater's margin to 31-14 with 11:44 left in the third.

Late in the third Franklin put together its final drive of the day, covering 50 yards in 11 plays.  Ray passed to Matt Zimich, seven yards, for the Grizzlie's score.  Ray accounted for 40 of the yards on the drive, hitting 5-7 passes for 34 yards and rushing once for six yards.

Whitewater took the ensuing kickoff, with Knapp going 39 yards with the return, and covered the remaining 50 yards in five plays.  Brekke and Rusch connected for their third TD of the day, 23 yards, to make it 38-21 Whitewater. 

The Warhawk defense set up the next score, on Franklin's next possession, with UW-W linebacker Lane Olson forcing a fumble that teammate Greg Arnold picked up and returned 33 yards to the Franklin 31. 

The Warhawk drive that followed resulted in Coppage scoring from 13 yards out to make it 45-21 with 11:29 left in the game.

Again, Whitewater's defense set up the offense, with Matt McCulloch picking off Ray and returning the ball to the Franklin 32.   Eight plays later Booker Stanley ended the scoring with a five yard touchdown run.

The game featured a couple of statistical oddities.  UW-W quarterbacks had been sacked just three times all season coming in to the game, but the Grizzlie defense recorded three sacks Saturday.  And Franklin QB Kyle Ray had thrown just six interceptions in the ten previous games, but was picked off three times by the Warhawks.

The team stats also told a story.  Whitewater rushed for 157, 134 of those by Coppage, and the Warhawk defense limited Franklin to minus 11 yards on 26 carries.  (The second lowest total allowed by the Whitewater defense.  UW-Platteville had minus 12 September 30.)   Admittedly some of those minus yards came on sacks (college rules), because Franklin definitely came in planning on throwing the ball.  The Grizzlies attempted 72 passes, completed 40 for 373 yards.  Zimich caught 17 of Ray's throws for 171 yards and the touchdown. 

Whitewater's Brekke, who was making his first collegiate start and who had only thrown two passes this season, started the game in place of injured Matt Blanchard (Lake Zurich, IL/Lake Zurich).  You would not have known that watching Brekke go 23-30 for 292 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.  Brekke and Rusch combined for 12 receptions for 169 yards and the three scores.
 
Earlier in 2011
UW-Whitewater, ranked number one in Division III, used five consecutive possessions to score 35 points in seventeen minutes to roll over #21 Franklin College 45-0 Saturday afternoon at Faught Stadium in Franklin, Indiana. 

The win ups UW-Whitewater's win streak to 32 consecutive games, longest in any Division of NCAA football.  That string includes 18 straight non-conference wins.

The game started slowly, each team trying to establish identity, the Warhawks methodically running the ball, Franklin throwing the ball out of a no huddle attack.  Neither team put any points up early, but the groundwork (no pun intended) laid by the offensive line paid off later as Franklin wore down. 

Whitewater's final possession of the first quarter began at 5:21 on their own 32.  Six plays later, five of them Levell Coppage (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park) rushes, senior quarterback Matt Blanchard (Lake Zurich, IL/Lake Zurich) caught the Franklin defense biting on a play action pass to Steve Morris (Racine/Horlick) for a 25 yard touchdown with 2:03 left in the quarter. 

The Warhawk defense ended Franklin's next drive prematurely when cornerback Jesse Hamilton (Racine/Park) forced FC back Craig Reece to fumble, and safety Ryan Wenkman (Wisconsin Dells/Wisconsin Dells) recovered it at the Franklin 29.  UW-W used five straight runs to punch the ball in, the last two yards supplied by Desmin Ward (Milwaukee/Hamilton) on the first play of the second quarter to make it 14-0.

Franklin faced a third and ten on their 28 when UW-W linebacker Ryan Cortez (Palatine, IL/Palatine, IL) picked off a West pass and returned it to the 15.  On the next play Coppage went 15 yards to up Whitewater's margin to 21-0. 

After a Jake Keeser (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson) sack, Shane Covington (Milwaukee/Riverside)' provided a 20 yard punt return to set up Whitewater's next possession on the Franklin side of the field at the 47.  It took just five plays, ending with Coppage's five yard scoring run, to up the lead to 28-0 with 9:42 left in the half.

The next score began when Whitewater went for the block of a Franklin punt and junior Jaren Borland (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson) got a piece of the kick, causing the ball to roll dead at the Franklin 34.  Seven plays later, with 4:44 left in the quarter, Ward powered over for his second touchdown of the day to increase the lead to 35-0, ending the one quarter blitz that also trapped the Grizzlies last year when the teams met in the first round of the NCAA playoffs at Perkins Stadium.  In that game UW-W used 21 fourth quarter points on the way to a 52-21 win.

Coppage was already over 100 yards by intermission, with 119 on 18 carries.  Blanchard complimented the run with 9-14 passing for 91 yards.  UW-W piled up 269 yards in the half while limiting Franklin to 103.  Grizzlie QB Jonny West went 6-20 in the half.  Although Franklin considers a fast paced game to its advantage, the fact they had the ball 11:18 in the first half, to 18:42 for Whitewater, demonstrated control of the line of scrimmage by the offensive line and Whitewater's defense forcing the Grizzlies off the field.

Whitewater received the kickoff in the second half and covered 61 yards in nine plays to make it 42-0.  Blanchard hit fullback Bernie Tamsett (Waterford/Waterford Union) with a two yard swing pass at 10:46. 

Warhawk defensive back Jared Kiesow (Horicon/Horicon) ended Franklin's next drive, forcing a fumble that Jesse Hamilton (Racine/Park) picked up at the UW-W 46.

An Eric Kindler (Germantown/Germantown) 31 yard field goal with 10:51 left in the game ended the scoring.

After gaining 669 yards in the season opening win at Valparaiso, the UW-W defense held the Grizzlies to 198 yards, just 40 on 27 attempts coming from rushing the ball.  UW-W averaged 5.5 yards per rush and totaled 465 yards.  Blanchard went 13-18 for 128 yards and two TD's, with five of those receptions going to Tyler Huber (Mukwonago/North Prairie).  Coppage wound up as the game's leading rusher even though he did not carry the ball in the second half.  Ward contributed 71 yards on 14 rushes.  West wound up 18-36 for 158 yards and two interceptions.  Wideout Logan Worley had five catches for FC. 
 
In the Polls 
UW-W is ranked number one in both the AFCA III poll and by D3football.com. Franklin College is ranked 16th in the AFCA III poll and 17th by D3football.com.

Purple Streak
The Warhawks have the longest active winning streak in college football, 41 games.  That is the fifth longest streak in NCAA football history, with number four on the list the University of Oklahoma's 47 game string under Bud Wilkinson (1953-57).  The Warhawks have also built streaks of 18 in a row on the road, 23 in a row at Perkins Stadium, 20 consecutive non-conference games, 23 WIAC games, and 11 in a row in the NCAA III playoffs.
 
The Coaches
Whitewater's Lance Leipold has compiled a record of 69-3, including 29-1 in the WIAC, in his fifth year as head coach.  Leipold has earned National Division III Coach of the Year honors three out of the four years and was named WIAC Coach of the Year the last three. Franklin's Mike Leonard, in his ninth year as a head coach (all at Franklin), is 67-29.  Leonard has been named Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Football Coach of the Year four of the last five years.
 
The Series
2010 was the first meeting between the schools.
 
Franklin College Notes (10-1 overall, 8-0 HCAC)
Franklin advanced to the second round with a 24-21 win over Thomas More in Franklin last Saturday.  Franklin led 17-0 at the half, but Thomas More closed within 24-14 early in the fourth, and 24-21 with a touchdown with 6:20 left, but the Grizzlies' defense held.  FC QB Jonny West completed 26-44 for 228 yards, one TD and one interception, with eight of those catches by Kyle Linville.
 
For all practical purposes the Grizzlies were the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference First Team, with almost half of the team (10-24) --- and Coach of the Year Mike Leonard.  The league's top two honors for players also went to Franklin, with sophomore quarterback Jonny West the Offensive Player of the Year and senior linebacker Dave O'Rourke the Defensive Player of the Year.  West triggers the seventh ranked (NCAA statistics) passing attack in the country, averaging 314.3 yards per game.  West is completing completes .625 of his passes, with 31 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.  Sophomore split end Kyle Linville is West's primary target, averaging 6.9 receptions per game and 100.5 yards.  Senior wingback Logan Worley is another talented receiver, averaging 4.8 catches and 63.4 yards.  Sophomore offensive tackle Colin Gallagher and junior guard Nick Schultz, both first team All-HCAC picks, provide the protection for Air Grizzly.  That adds up to 40.7 points, on average, twelfth best in Division III.
 
O'Rourke led the HCAC in sacks with 9.5, and led FC with thirteen tackles for a loss.  He was also credited with four turnovers, with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.  Sophomore cornerback Zack Corpe, who missed the first meeting with an injury, and senior defensive end Wes Kaminksi, 10.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks, were also  First Team All-HCAC picks.  Sophomore linebacker Scott Moore leads Franklin with 86 tackles.
 
And, if it isn't clear that Franklin dominated the HCAC, throw in the first team punter, (another) sophomore Michael Parks who is 13th in Division III with a 40.6 average, and six second team all-conference picks.
 
UW-Whitewater Notes (11-0 overall, 7-0 WIAC)
The Warhawks scored the first five times they had the ball on the way to a 59-0 win over Albion College last Saturday.  Two interceptions and a fumble recovery, a successful faked punt, and a blocked punt led to the five early scores and backups were able to get in some playoff snaps.
 
If both offenses live up to their averages Bryan Bidwell, the UW-W electrician, might want to make sure all the scoreboard lights are working and extras are on hand.  UW-W's offense is 22nd in scoring in D3, at 37.0 points per game.  Senior QB Matt Blanchard (Lake Zurich, IL/Lake Zurich), first team all-WIAC in 2010 and 2011, is fifth in passing efficiency in Division III.  He is completing .634 of his passes, with 20 TD's and three picks.  The offensive line is fifth best in NCAA III with just five sacks allowed this season, and that group paved the way for senior tailback Levell Coppage (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park) earning WIAC MVP honors for the second time.  Coppage is the only back in WIAC history with four 1,000+ seasons, and his 7,160 career yards are third all-time in Division III.  Backup Byron Stafford, in his most extensive playing time of the season, rushed nine times for 114 yards in the win over Albion.  Tyler Huber (North Prairie/Mukwonago) (58, 9 TD) heads a deep receiving corps that includes Luke Menzel (Sheboygan Falls/Oostburg) (39, 2), Cory Robinson (Cambridge/Cambridge) (20, 2), Jason Ford (Palatine, IL/Fremd) (24, 2) and Steve Morris (Racine /Horlick) (10, 1).  Add in Zach Howard (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park River Forest), who caught his first collegiate touchdown last week.  Even fullback Bernie Tamsett (Waterford/Waterford Union), Coppage's wingman creating holes, is in double figures with 17 receptions for four touchdowns.  Linemen Logan Allemand (Kenosha/Tremper) and Ryan Olson (Stoughton/Stoughton), first and second team all-league respectively, lead the group up front.
Like an old Gene Autry western, the Warhawks have an ace up their sleeve.  Backup QB Lee Brekke (Sun Prairie/Sun Prairie), 14-23 for two touchdowns this season, started all five playoff games last year, helping the team to the national title, when Blanchard was injured in the final regular season game.
 
Lineman Casey Casper (Dousman/Kettle Moraine), linebacker Greg Arnold (Big Bend/Mukwonago), and back Noah Timm (Two Rivers/Two Rivers) earned First Team All-WIAC this season.  They head a unit that ranks seventh in the NCAA III statistics in scoring (11.3) and fifteenth in total defense (258.2).  Casper leads the team in tackles for a loss (nine) and sacks (5.5), Arnold is the top tackler despite missing three games with an injury, and Timm leads the team with six interceptions, one more than teammate Ryan Wenkman (Wisconsin Dells/Wisconsin Dells).
The Warhawk defense has allowed a total of three points in the last eight quarters.
 
Follow the Leaders
UW-Whitewater
Passing: Matt Blanchard  175-256, .684, 209.18/game, 20 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Levell Coppage 1,556, 135/game, 5.7/att, 20 TD
Receiving: Tyler Huber  58-967, 87.91/game, 16.67/att, 9 TD
Field Goals: Eric Kindler 14-21, long of 47
Punting: Kris Rosholt 40-1462, 36.5 avg, long of 65
Defense: Kyle Wismer (Spring Grove, IL/Richmond-Burton) 47 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 5 broken up passes. Greg Arnold (Big Bend/Mukwonago) 46 total tackles 5.5
                tackles for loss, and one interception.  
 
Franklin College
Passing: Jonny West  263-421, .598, 306.5/game, 31 TD, 14 INT
Rushing: Reece Craig 741, 69.4/game, 5.7/att, 7 TD
Receiving: Kyle Linville 76/1105, 100.5/game, 14.5/att, 11 TD
Field Goals: Cole Richards 2-4, long of 30
Punting:  Michael Parks 40-1624, 40.6, long of 68
Defense:  Scott Moore 86 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 7 pass broken up. Jimmy Qualters 74 total
                tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 passes broken up.
 
By Numbers
UW-Whitewater
Offensive Line (5 players) Averages: 291.6 pounds
Defensive Line (4 players) Averages: 252.5 pounds
Offense, Class Breakdown:  6 seniors, 5 juniors
Defense, Class Breakdown:  5 seniors, 3 juniors, 3 sophomores

Franklin
Offensive Line (5 players) Averages: 257 pounds
Defensive Line (3 players) Averages: 250 pounds
Offense, Class Breakdown: 4 seniors, 1 junior, 7 sophomores,  1 freshman
Defense, Class Breakdown: 4 seniors, 1 junior, 5 sophomores, 1 freshman
 
What's Coming Up
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the third round (quarterfinals) on Saturday December 3, playing the winner of Kean University versus Salisbury University. The fourth round (semifinals) will be played Saturday December 10, and the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl will be held in Salem, Virginia on Friday December 16.