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Janesville native Todd Glaser prepares Eau Claire for No. 1-rated Whitewater

Todd Glaser says he's treating Saturday's football game against UW-Whitewater as he would most other Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contests.

"We're just worrying about ourselves," the Janesville native and UW-Eau Claire coach said. "The thing about Whitewater is if you make mistakes, they're going to capitalize on them."

The Blugolds (3-2, 1-1 in the WIAC) host the No. 1-rated Warhawks at 3 p.m. at Carson Park.

Whitewater (5-0, 2-0) is coming off a 30-7 victory over UW-Stout. Many observers consider the Blue Devils as the second-best team in the WIAC.

Eau Claire, meanwhile, is 3-0 at home, including overtime victories over St. John's (Minn.) and UW-Stevens Point.

But the Blugolds followed up the 20-13 victory over the Pointers with a 35-14 loss at UW-Platteville last Saturday. The Warhawks defeated the Pioneers at Platteville, 49-17, Sept. 30.

Glaser said the loss to the Pioneers was a reflection of his team's inexperience and not a byproduct of looking ahead to the Warhawk matchup.

"We weren't ready to play," Glaser said. "We have a young team, and they found out what it's like playing a road game in our conference."

Whitewater coach Lance Leipold says the Blugolds have established themselves as a quality team.

"They lost a close game at Bethel of Tennessee (35-31), beat St. John's, played a very, very good North Central team on the road (losing, 20-6), and then beat Stevens Point," Leipold said. "They've had a very difficult schedule."

With South Carolina defeating Alabama last week, the Warhawks have the longest active winning streak in NCAA football at 20 games.

The Warhawks lead seven of the eight major team statistical categories in the WIAC. They are averaging 44.2 points a game, 13 more than No. 2 Stevens Point.

The defense is allowing an average of just 7.6 points, which is a touchdown less than the No. 2 Stout (15.0).

The Warhawks average 310 yards rushing and 243 yards passing. The Whitewater defense is allowing an average of 37 yards rushing and 164 yards passing.

Those numbers don't allow opponents any wiggle room, as Glaser knows.

"They are really, really good," Glaser said. "They're coached well and don't make a lot of mistakes. That's why they keep winning."

The Warhawks likely will be without tailback Booker Stanley, who injured an arm against Stout. Leipold said Stanley was limited in practice, and the coach does not expect him to play.