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Fun may be over for Warhawk football

WHITEWATER — Three games. Three blowouts.

The way the UW-Whitewater football team is playing, the regular season may be nothing more than a formality as the Warhawks set their sights on a fifth straight berth in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

But the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference may have somegthing to say about that.

Whitewater (3-0) begins WIAC portion of its schedule at 1 p.m. Saturday by hosting UW-Platteville (2-1) at Perkins Stadium.

And even though his team has outscored its first three opponents 138-10, Whitewater coach Lance Leipold knows the WIAC is a whole different brand of football.

“We’re where we want to be as far as our record and some things being answered about our football team,” Leipold said. “But it didn’t take our coaches long to realize by watching film that Platteville is by far the best team we will have seen yet this season.

“The first quarter of our schedule went well, but now quarter two starts with a whole lot more at stake. We’ll see how our kids react.”

Whitewater has dominated the series (73-24-4) between the two schools. The Warhawks have won the last four meetings with the Pioneers, including a decisive 52-13 victory last season, and 15 out of the last 17.

The Pioneers, led by quarterback Nick Anderson, bring a balanced attack to Perkins Stadium. Six receivers are averaging more than 10 yards per catch, and Anderson is averaging 5.1 yards per rush.

Platteville’s offensive line has allowed only one sack in three games, and placekicker Tony Smidl is a perfect 4-for-4 on the season.

“We really haven’t been tested this season, but there’s a good chance that will change come Saturday,” Leipold said. “Platteville’s got a nice balance on offense, and defensively, some playmakers.”

It’s hard to spotlight any opponent with the staggering numbers the Warhawks are putting up on both sides of the ball.

Coach Brian Borland’s defense has given up one touchdown all season—that came late in last Saturday’s 42-7 throttling of Puget Sound University—and the Warhawk offense is averaging a whopping 46 points per game.

The second-ranked Warhawks are spreading the wealth on offense. Quarterback Jeff Donovan has completed 71 percent of his passes for eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

Levell Coppage (5.2 yards per carry), Antwann Anderson (6.3) and C.J. Miller (6.0) have been unstoppable on the ground, while placekicker Jeff Schebler continues to add to his record-setting career. Schebler is now the WIAC’s all-time leading scorer with 369 points and is within 14 points of the all-time record for kickers in Division III.