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Warhawks, Linfield College to meet again Saturday

WHITEWATER — Linfield College and UW-Whitewater are two of the most successful NCAA Division III football programs in history.

Saturday's semifinal opponents are a combined 47-22 in the postseason, including two national championships.

Despite being so good for so long, the two storied programs have only met once. But that one game may go down as one of the greatest in Whitewater history, besides the 2007 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl win over Mount Union (Ohio).

Whitewater traveled to McMinnville, Ore., in 2005 for a Division III semifinal game that featured two unbeaten teams. Whitewater, behind Gagliardi Trophy winner Justin Beaver, escaped with a 44-41 win.

The game featured 10 lead changes, 1,069 yards of offense and a Beaver 1-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left that proved to be the game-winner.

"I wasn't here yet," current Whitewater coach Lance Leipold said of the epic battle, "but that was the one game that everybody talked about when I came here.

"It's still referred to around here as ‘The Game.' "

The two teams will meet for the second time Saturday at Perkins Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, with the winner advancing to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va.

Whitewater has played Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl the last four years, including its national title in 2007.

Leipold hopes the foot of snow and cold temperatures play right into the Warhawks' hands.

"Linfield's had a stretch of home games, but now they have to go on the road," Leipold said. "That's never easy, but they'll be playing in the same elements we are, whatever they might be.

"Our fans and our crowds have been great. And I hope that can have a big impact for us again this Saturday."

Linfield is in the midst of its 54th consecutive winning season—an all-time, all-divisions record. The Wildcats are ranked fifth in Division III and are scoring points in bunches, averaging nearly 40 points per game.

"When you get to this point of the season, you're obviously executing very well on both sides of the ball," Leipold said. "And that's exactly what you see with Linfield.

"They've got a great tradition, and they execute as well as anybody we've seen on film. It's going to be another great challenge for us."

The second-ranked Warhawks counter with a defense and offense that both rank in the top five in the country.

The Whitewater offense, led by senior quarterback Jeff Donovan, is averaging a staggering 493 yards per game. Donovan is fourth in Division III with a 183.1 passer rating, and has thrown for 3,083 yards 27 touchdowns.

Warhawk sophomore tailback Levell Coppage has been equally impressive. Coppage has a school season-record 30 touchdowns and has rushed for 1,887 yards. Jeff Schebler, a Gagliardi Trophy finalist, is the all-time leading scorer for kickers in NCAA history.

The Whitewater defense is allowing only 8.5 points a game has been partciularly tough to start the half. The Warhawks have allowed only 15 points the entire season in the first and third quarters.