The UW-Whitewater football team clinched a share of their fifth consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title last week but claimed it outright this Saturday with a 58-21 victory over UW-La Crosse in La Crosse.  The 'Hawks finish the regular season 10-0 and earn an automatic berth into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Championship.  The 'Hawks will likely host a first round game next Saturday, November 15, against an opponent that will be determined tomorrow, Sunday.  The NCAA Division III Football Committee will announce the 32-team field for the 2009 championship between 2 and 2:30 pm on Sunday on ESPNews. ESPNews can be found on DirecTV at channel 207 and on Dish Network at channel 142.

Box Score

The Warhawks got down to business early with a two touchdown first quarter that gave them a 14-0 lead.  Jeff Donovan (Wauwatosa/East) hooked up with Jordan Wells (Elgin, IL/Elgin) for both touchdowns, the first a four-yard toss and the second a 61-yard strike.

La Crosse scored a touchdown roughly two and a half minutes into the second quarter on a one yard touchdown run by Lee Lauters after a Warhawk turnover.

UW-W extended their lead to 21-7 on another Donovan touchdown toss, this time to Adam Brandes (Burlington/Catholic Central), at the 8:23 mark of the second quarter.  The Warhawks blocked a punt that went out of the end zone in the last minute of the first half to go into the locker room with a 23-7 lead.

Levell Coppage (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park) got things going for himself in the second half scoring two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter.  Coppage has 24 touchdowns this season which ties him for first in the Warhawk record book with Justin Beaver for touchdowns in a season.  Beaver accomplished the feat in the 2005 season.  Coppage has also rushed for 1,434 yards this season, 144 on just 15 carries on Saturday, to place him eighth in the record books for rushing yards in a season.  Coppage, just a sophomore, also broke the career rushing touchdown record on Saturday as he eclipsed Beaver's mark of 44 on his second touchdown of the afternoon.

Antwan Anderson (Madison/Madison Memorial) got in on the action with two rushing touchdowns of his own, both in the fourth quarter.  Anderson carried the ball 18 times in the game for 69 yards.

The 'Hawks tacked on their fifth rushing touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter when CJ Miller (Verona/Verona) punched one across the goal line after an eight yard run.

UW-L did score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one on a one-yard rush and the other on a nine-yard pass, to tighten the score.

The 21 points given up by UW-W is the most in one game this season, however, UW-W has not allowed an opponent to score in the first quarter all season.  The Warhawks have outscored their opponents 426-84.  This was the second time this season that the Warhawks had scored 58 points.  The first came in a 58-0 victory over Midland Lutheran College on September 12 in Whitewater.

Jeff Donovan (Wauwatosa/East) went 13-for-22 in the game and totaled 259 yards.  Donovan has thrown 37 touchdowns this season, a new UW-W record for TD's in a season.  The previous record of 36 was accomplished by Justin Jacobs in 2006.

Jeff Schebler (Davenport, IA/Assumption) inched closer to the all-time, all-division scoring mark by successfully converting all 8 extra point attempts.  Schebler now has 427 career points.  The NCAA leader is Art Carmody (2004-2007) of the University of Louisville with 433 points.

The Warhawks racked up 594 yards of total offense compared to the Eagles' 288.  The Warhawks more than tripled UW-L's rushing output by covering 313 yards on 43 rushes compared to UW-L's 98 yards on 40 rushes.

The Warhawks went 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions and scored 7 times in 7 chances in the red-zone.

The win puts the Warhawks in a position that they are familiar with, earning a spot in the NCAA Division III Championship.  The Warhawks will find out their first round opponent on Sunday, November 15.  The 'Hawks, who are likely to host a first round game, have made it to the Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III Championship game, the past four seasons, winning it in 2007.  UW-W is 35-1 at home in Perkins Stadium since the start of the 2005 season and are 64-5 overall in that same time frame.

For additional information, Lance Leipold