Game Preview: Wisconsin Lutheran @ Concordia Wisconsin
Warriors look for third straight Lutheran Bowl victory
November 8, 2012
The Warriors and Falcons meet Saturday at 12 p.m. in Mequon, Wis.Wisconsin Lutheran (7-2, 5-1 NAC)
vs.
Concordia Wisconsin (6-3, 5-1 NAC)
Game #10 | Saturday, November 10, 2012 | 12 p.m.
Tomasini Stadium (1,200) | Mequon, Wis.
Live Audio | Live Stats | Live Video | Directions to Tomasini Stadium
MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Lutheran College football team closes out its 2012 season Saturday when it travels to Mequon, Wis., to take on Northern Athletics Conference rival Concordia Wisconsin in the fifth annual Lutheran Bowl. Both teams enter the contest with identical 5-1 conference records and the winner will secure at least a second-place outright finish in the final conference standings. The game kicks-off at 12 p.m.
WARRIORS ON THE WEB: All 10 Warriors football games will be webcast live on wlcsports.com with the pregame show beginning 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Scott Warras (play-by-play) and Sam Siemers (color analyst) will call the action from the booth all season long. All games, which are archived back to the 2002 season, are accessible to listeners at wlcsports.com.
LUTHERAN BOWL: Saturday’s conference clash will mark the fifth annual Lutheran Bowl between the two Lutheran-affiliated institutions, with the winner bringing home the Luther Cup, a traveling trophy that will remain in the possession of the winning team until the following year’s Lutheran Bowl. Each team has won two Lutheran Bowl games as CUW won the first two, while WLC has responded with wins each of the past two seasons.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's game marks the 12th all-time meeting between Wisconsin Lutheran and Concordia Wisconsin, with the Falcons holding a 9-2 advantage in the series. WLC has won each of the past two meetings, including a 35-28 victory at Raabe Stadium last season.
10/29/11 – @ WLC 35, CUW 28
10/30/10 – WLC 13, @ CUW 12
10/22/09 – CUW 13, @ WLC 0
10/25/08 – @ CUW 31, WLC 17
09/15/07 – @ CUW 32, WLC 14
09/16/06 – CUW 39, @ WLC 0
09/17/05 – @ CUW 40, WLC 13
09/18/04 – CUW 34, @ WLC 21
09/20/03 – @ CUW 21, WLC 16
09/21/02 – CUW 24, @ WLC 7
09/16/00 – CUW 22, @ WLC 0
LAST MEETING: The Warriors defeated Concordia Wisconsin 35-28 last season to retain possession of the Luther Cup. Zach Shaw (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) threw for two touchdowns in the win, while running back Jesse Muldrow rushed for 104 yards. Eric Zeitler (Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) led the defense by recording 10 tackles, intercepting a pass, and recovering a fumble. The Warriors held a 35-14 lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons scored twice in the final 1:09 to make the final score 35-28. Austin Damaschke threw for 274 yards and rushed for 84 while accounting for four touchdowns to lead CUW offensively. Garrett Wenzelburger hauled in three touchdown catches for the Falcons.
LAST WEEK: WLC received a career day from sophomore running back Mike Reeves (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates) as it rushed past Rockford 34-14. Reeves rushed for a school-record four touchdowns, while gaining 137 yards on just 13 carries to lead WLC. The Warriors totaled five touchdowns on the ground as Donavin Tucker (Brookfield, Wis./East) also added a rushing touchdown. Defensively, Josh Gordon (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast) recorded two sacks, forced one fumble, and recovered another as the defense allowed its first touchdown in three weeks. Concordia Wisconsin won 45-31 on the road over Aurora last week as Damaschke threw for 390 yards and five touchdowns, three to Wenzelburger who hauled in eight passes for 148 yards. Damaschke also added a rushing touchdown in the Falcons win.
ROAMING THE SIDELINES: Wisconsin Lutheran is guided by 13th-year head coach Dr. Dennis Miller. WLC’s first and only head coach, Miller enters Saturday's game with a 48-80 record. Before arriving at Wisconsin Lutheran, Miller spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Northern State University, a NCAA Division II school in Aberdeen, S.D. He owns a career coaching record of 125-135 in his 25th season.
ACROSS THE FIELD: Greg Etter is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Falcons. Prior to his arrival at Concordia Wisconsin, Etter spent five seasons as the defensive coordinator at Carthage. He enters the game today with an overall collegiate coaching record of 22-27.
2011 WARRIORS FLASHBACK: The Warriors finished 6-4 a season ago, which tied for a program-best record, including a program-best 5-2 conference record. WLC ended the season on a school-record four-game winning streak, culminating with a 23-21 win over Benedictine.
2011 FALCONS FLASHBACK: Concordia Wisconsin posted an overall record of 4-6 last season, including 4-3 in the NAC for a third-place tie with Lakeland.
WISCONSIN LUTHERAN UPDATE: The Warriors won their seventh game last weekend, setting a program record for wins in a season. The defense remains second in NCAA Division III in pass defense, allowing just 114.2 yards per game. The Warriors defensive unit also ranks in the top 10 in the country in pass efficiency defense, total defense, and scoring defense. Offensively, WLC continues to be led by Josh Stodola (Denmark, Wis./Denmark) as he ranks second in the NAC in receiving yards per game (85.4) and touchdowns (10).
WARRIORS IN THE RANKINGS:
Category (Rank) Actual Stat National Leader Actual Stat
Pass Defense (2nd) 114.2 YPG Mount Union 105.6 YPG
Pass Efficiency Defense (3rd) 79.05 Mount Union 69.81
Total Defense (6th) 230.4 YPG Mount Union 142.8 YPG
Scoring Defense (10th) 12.6 PPG Mount Union 3.11 PPG
Longest Rush (T-13th) 88 Yards (Reeves) Three Players 99 Yards
SCOUTING CONCORDIA WISCONSIN: The Warriors top-rated NAC pass defense will be tested Saturday as CUW brings in the league’s top passing attack, averaging 260.3 yards per game through the air. Damaschke leads the conference with 24 passing touchdowns, 10 of those to Wenzelburger. Matt Upson leads the Falcons defense with 95 tackles, ranking third in the conference.
IN THE POLLS: Wisconsin Lutheran garnered two first-place votes in the 2012 NAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll and was picked to finish third by the league’s head coaches with 52 poll points. Benedictine was predicted to win the league with 58 poll points and five first-place votes. The Falcons were predicted for a fourth-place finish with 40 points.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2013: Wisconsin Lutheran will open its season for the fourth consecutive year by facing non-conference opponent Ripon. The game will be played Saturday, September 7 at Raabe Stadium. The Warriors are scheduled to begin NAC play October 5 at Lakeland.
LAST WEEK'S NAC RESULTS:
Concordia Chicago def. Lakeland, 37-3
Concordia Wisconsin def. Aurora, 45-31
Wisconsin Lutheran def. Rockford, 34-14
Benedictine def. Maranatha, 34-6
THIS WEEK’S NAC GAMES:
Concordia Chicago @ Maranatha, 12 p.m.
Wisconsin Lutheran @ Concordia Wisconsin, 12 p.m.
Aurora @ Rockford, 12 p.m.
Benedictine @ Lakeland, 12 p.m.
