Things don’t get any bigger than this in NCAA Division III football.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (14-0) returns to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl Saturday seeking revenge against Mount Union (14-0), who beat the Warhawks in the Division IIII championship game, 35-28, last season.
If that isn’t big enough, the game will be the last for longtime Whitewater coach Bob Berezowitz, who is retiring.
Berezowitz has compiled a 158-72-4 record at Whitewater and recently won his seventh WIAC Coach of the Year Award. A victory against Mount Union would likely lead to his selection as the American Football Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year.
But, Berezowitz is downplaying his farewell at this point. He refused to let players carry him off the field after the Warhawks beat Wesley, 44-7, Saturday to earn the right to play in the title game.
He joked, “I’m too heavy.” But, he later added, “Because there is some unfinished business we have to take care of. We didn't win anything today."
While the Warhawks undoubtedly are thinking about sending their coach out as a champion, revenge also is on their minds.
“After our game with Mount Union last year, we had a sour taste in our mouth," Whitewater defensive end Ryan Kleppe said. "We all wanted a second opportunity to play them again. This time, we're going hungry for the whole thing."
The matchup has the promise of being a classic. The Warhawks looked outstanding while dismantling Wesley.
“That's the finest first half of football we've played probably in the last month," Berezowitz said. "The past two weeks I thought they were nervous; they were playing to win, but they were scared to death to lose. Today they came out on a mission."
Justin Jacobs, the WIAC Player of the Year, passed for five touchdowns in the first half of the victory over Wesley. Derek Stanley caught three of them. Justin Beaver, who missed much of the season with a broken collarbone, has returned for the playoffs and has given the Warhawks offense balance with his hardnosed running.
The Warhawks’ defense has also played great and completely shut down the Wesley offense last weekend.
Mount Union is a powerhouse. Nate Kmic rushed for a school-record 371 yards as the Purple Raiders beat St. John Fisher of New York, 26-14, to wrap up their ninth trip to the final in 11 years.
After 14 weeks of play this season, Kmic has 2,254 yards rushing - 49 yards shy of breaking the college’s single-season record of 2,303 held by Dan Pugh (’02). Kmic has 3,473 career rushing yards – placing him third on the all-time Raiders rushing list.
Kmic has 876 yards rushing on 115 carries in the four playoff contests this fall. In 2005, he broke the Division III playoff mark of 998 yards by rushing for 1,040 yards on 176 attempts in five games.
While Kmic provides most of Mount Union’s offense, the Raiders are known for their defense.
“Our defense has been the strength of our team all season long,” Raiders’ coach Larry Kehres said after the victory over St. John Fisher. “Our offense has been like a yo-yo this season. Our defense has certainly been more consistent and they did an outstanding job again today.”
While nobody from Whitewater wants to talk much about the Berezowitz factor, it certainly has added incentive for the Warhawks throughout the season.
Berezowitz recently was named the NCAA Division III Region 5 Coach of the Year by the AFCA for the second consecutive season.
This marks the fourth time that Berezowitz has won the honor after receiving the award in 1988 and 1990. The National Division III Coach of the Year will be named at the AFCA Coach of the Year convention January 10, 2007 in San Antonio. Berezowitz, in his 21st year at Whitewater, was the AFCA Coach of the Year in 2005.
Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the Warhawks are 27-1 with their only loss coming in the Stagg Bowl last season.
Berezowitz has been named WIAC Coach of the Year seven times, Wisconsin College Coach of the Year twice and coached 17 All-Americans at UW-Whitewater. He is a member of the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District 14 Hall of Fame and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
There would be no better end to his long career than winning a national championship.
This will mark the fourth time in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history a team has appeared in the NCAA Division III football national title contest. UW-La Crosse made trips in 1992 and 1995, winning the national crown both years.
The contest will be aired live on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. on Saturday from Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (14-0) returns to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl Saturday seeking revenge against Mount Union (14-0), who beat the Warhawks in the Division IIII championship game, 35-28, last season.
If that isn’t big enough, the game will be the last for longtime Whitewater coach Bob Berezowitz, who is retiring.
Berezowitz has compiled a 158-72-4 record at Whitewater and recently won his seventh WIAC Coach of the Year Award. A victory against Mount Union would likely lead to his selection as the American Football Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year.
But, Berezowitz is downplaying his farewell at this point. He refused to let players carry him off the field after the Warhawks beat Wesley, 44-7, Saturday to earn the right to play in the title game.
He joked, “I’m too heavy.” But, he later added, “Because there is some unfinished business we have to take care of. We didn't win anything today."
While the Warhawks undoubtedly are thinking about sending their coach out as a champion, revenge also is on their minds.
“After our game with Mount Union last year, we had a sour taste in our mouth," Whitewater defensive end Ryan Kleppe said. "We all wanted a second opportunity to play them again. This time, we're going hungry for the whole thing."
The matchup has the promise of being a classic. The Warhawks looked outstanding while dismantling Wesley.
“That's the finest first half of football we've played probably in the last month," Berezowitz said. "The past two weeks I thought they were nervous; they were playing to win, but they were scared to death to lose. Today they came out on a mission."
Justin Jacobs, the WIAC Player of the Year, passed for five touchdowns in the first half of the victory over Wesley. Derek Stanley caught three of them. Justin Beaver, who missed much of the season with a broken collarbone, has returned for the playoffs and has given the Warhawks offense balance with his hardnosed running.
The Warhawks’ defense has also played great and completely shut down the Wesley offense last weekend.
Mount Union is a powerhouse. Nate Kmic rushed for a school-record 371 yards as the Purple Raiders beat St. John Fisher of New York, 26-14, to wrap up their ninth trip to the final in 11 years.
After 14 weeks of play this season, Kmic has 2,254 yards rushing - 49 yards shy of breaking the college’s single-season record of 2,303 held by Dan Pugh (’02). Kmic has 3,473 career rushing yards – placing him third on the all-time Raiders rushing list.
Kmic has 876 yards rushing on 115 carries in the four playoff contests this fall. In 2005, he broke the Division III playoff mark of 998 yards by rushing for 1,040 yards on 176 attempts in five games.
While Kmic provides most of Mount Union’s offense, the Raiders are known for their defense.
“Our defense has been the strength of our team all season long,” Raiders’ coach Larry Kehres said after the victory over St. John Fisher. “Our offense has been like a yo-yo this season. Our defense has certainly been more consistent and they did an outstanding job again today.”
While nobody from Whitewater wants to talk much about the Berezowitz factor, it certainly has added incentive for the Warhawks throughout the season.
Berezowitz recently was named the NCAA Division III Region 5 Coach of the Year by the AFCA for the second consecutive season.
This marks the fourth time that Berezowitz has won the honor after receiving the award in 1988 and 1990. The National Division III Coach of the Year will be named at the AFCA Coach of the Year convention January 10, 2007 in San Antonio. Berezowitz, in his 21st year at Whitewater, was the AFCA Coach of the Year in 2005.
Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the Warhawks are 27-1 with their only loss coming in the Stagg Bowl last season.
Berezowitz has been named WIAC Coach of the Year seven times, Wisconsin College Coach of the Year twice and coached 17 All-Americans at UW-Whitewater. He is a member of the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District 14 Hall of Fame and Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
There would be no better end to his long career than winning a national championship.
This will mark the fourth time in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history a team has appeared in the NCAA Division III football national title contest. UW-La Crosse made trips in 1992 and 1995, winning the national crown both years.
The contest will be aired live on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. on Saturday from Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia.
Gregg Hoffmann is a veteran journalist, author and publisher of Midwest Diamond Report and Old School Collectibles Web sites. Hoffmann, a retired senior lecturer in journalism at UWM, writes The State Sports Buzz and Beyond Milwaukee on a monthly basis for OMC.
