2021 UW-Whitewater bracket
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UW-Whitewater Warhawks
| Seed: | No. 1, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 3, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Whitewater, Wisconsin |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 9901 |
| Stadium: | Perkins Stadium (13500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | WIAC |
| Head coach: | Kevin Bullis (Minn.-Morris '89) |
| Career record: | 67-9 (.881) |
| Base offense: | Multiple pro set |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 55-10 (1988, 1990, 1997, 2005-11, 2013-16, 2018-19) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 401 | 119 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, WIAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Alex Peete proverbially pounds the proverbial rock, and the defense keeps the opposing offense contained. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Max Meylor is forced to settle for underneath routes and can't hit Derek Kumerow or Ryan Wisniewski for big gains, and a mobile quarterback makes the defense look more than a little lost on occasion. |
| This season's turning point: | After UW-River Falls hit a big play up the left sideline for a game-tying touchdown with less than 6 minutes remaining in the game, Jaylon Edmonson provided his offense a big lift, returning the kickoff 46 yards to give the Warhawks a spot in the red zone. And after a field goal, Daniel Baggett and Kyle Koelblinger teamed up to force and recover a fumble at the UWRF 14, setting up a second late field goal and a 34-28 win. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .573 (12) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 201.7/239.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 71.7/205.1 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/4.4 |
| Leading passer: | Max Meylor, 227.1 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Alex Peete, 92.1 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Ryan Wisniewski, 82.8 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Egon Hein, 46 (32 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Mackenzie Balanganayi, Niko Lemke , 4.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Kyle Koelblinger, Ryan Liszka, Thomas Tojnowski, 2 |
| How far can they go? | The quarterfinals, obviously. The semifinals, probably. The Stagg Bowl, perhaps. |
Central Dutch
| Seed: | Likely No. 2 seed, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 8, Week 11, 2021 |
| Location: | Pella, Iowa |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1179 |
| Stadium: | Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium (6000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | ARC |
| Head coach: | Jeff McMartin (Central '90) |
| Career record: | 136-42 (.764) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 21-19 (1974, 1977, 1984-90, 1992, 1994-95, 1998-2001, 2005-07, 2009, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 1974 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 590 | 153 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, ARC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Blaine Hawkins and the offense take whatever the opposing defense give them, rather than try to force something which doesn't work, and neither side gives up unnecessary penalties to extend drives. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The Dutch don't take care of the ball and the defense has to carry the offense. |
| This season's turning point: | Hawkins and the key pieces of the offense returned for the fall and the Dutch were able to survive the loss of Logan Mont, who caught 14 passes in Week 1 but was injured and is not ready to return. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .476 (173) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 212.4/407.7 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 106.0/198.5 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.6/4.2 |
| Leading passer: | Blaine Hawkins, 342.4 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Jason Hopp, 92.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Tanner Schminke, 107.6 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Brayden Egli, 54 (30 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Hunter Maddy, 8.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Brayden Egli, 5 |
| How far can they go? | As far as Blaine Hawkins can carry them. |
Wheaton (Ill.) Thunder
| Seed: | Likely No. 3, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 6, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Wheaton, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2367 |
| Stadium: | McCully FIeld (5000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | CCIW |
| Head coach: | Jesse Scott (Wheaton '09) |
| Career record: | 9-1 (.900) |
| Base offense: | Multiple/pro style |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 16-11 (1995, 2002-04, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014-16, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 488 | 104 |
| How they got here: | Pool C |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Wheaton is No. 1 defense in the nation in sacks and No. 3 in rush defense Behind a super senior defensive front. If defensive tackles Dallas McRae and Jake Holaday are racking up sacks and tackles for loss, while running back Giovanni Weeks is getting into the other team's secondary before he is touched, the Thunder are rolling. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense can't get pressure without blitzing. The secondary is young and big plays in the passing game are available. If Wheaton can't run the ball, and Luke Anthony is only completing 50% of his passes, the Thunder are in trouble. |
| This season's turning point: | Early in the season, the Wheaton defense, with a young secondary but a super senior front, gave up 47 points in two weeks to North Central and North Park. They returned with renewed determination and gave up just 56 points in the next seven games combined while sacking the quarterback a nation-leading 43 times and recording 93 tackles for loss. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .481 (162) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 248.3/235.6 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 39.2/187.9 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.6/3.6 |
| Leading passer: | Luke Anthony, 206.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Giovanni Weeks, 132.3 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Adam Terrini, 55.0 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Ryan Schwartz, 76 (55 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Dallas McRae, Jake Holaday, 9 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Caleb Egbert, 4 |
| How far can they go? | Depends strongly upon the defense, which is lined up to face two troublesome quarterbacks in the first two weeks of the playoffs. |
DePauw Tigers
| Seed: | Likely No. 4 seed, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 25, Week 10 2021 |
| Location: | Greencastle, Indiana |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2237 |
| Stadium: | Blackstock Stadium (4000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NCAC |
| Head coach: | Brett Dietz (Hanover '04) |
| Career record: | 10-2 (.857) |
| Base offense: | Multiple spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-2 (2009-10) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 366 | 186 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, NCAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The defense is forcing turnovers. DePauw is 8th in the nation in turnover margin. DePauw had a negative turnover margin in just two games in 2021- both ended in losses. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Gus Baumgartner disappears from the offense. Chase Andries has been great all season at quarterback for the Tigers, but without Baumgartner as a compliment, DePauw loses much needed balance. |
| This season's turning point: | Trailing by three with four minutes to play at Wittenberg, Chase Andries engineered a 73-yard scoring drive to lift DePauw to a 17-14 victory. The program's first win in Springfield proved to be a springboard to DePauw's first NCAC title. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .503 (110) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 162.4/286.4 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 100.0/210.7 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.8/4.5 |
| Leading passer: | Chase Andries, 251.0 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Gus Baumgartner, 76.6 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Trey Shaw, 76.9 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Luke Marsh, 64 (28 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Brevon Gude, 4 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Dylan Hyatt, 6 |
| How far can they go? | A second round game would be a new program best, but UW-Whitewater would be where the Tigers journey ends. |
Aurora Spartans
| Seed: | Likely No. 5 seed, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 23, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Aurora, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 3679 |
| Stadium: | Spartan Athletic Park (1,000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NACC |
| Head coach: | Don Beebe (Chadron State '89) |
| Career record: | 20-4 (.833) |
| Base offense: | Pro spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-5 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 464 | 255 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, NACC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They're aggressive on offense, playing every possession as if they were behind, and multiple players have 100 or more receiving yards.. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They can't fight off blocks and keep the opponent's running game in check and the offense plays conservative with a lead. |
| This season's turning point: | Surviving the first two games intact enough that they were able to run the table in the NACC and qualify for the playoffs. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .573 (13) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 235.2/263.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 128.7/259.3 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/5.5 |
| Leading passer: | Gavin Zimbelman, 263.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Tyran Bailey, 119.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Trey Madsen, 81.75 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Marcellus Romious, 52 (33 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Christian Bower, Brett Crissie, 3 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Sean Reyna, 7 |
| How far can they go? | Tough first-round opponent probably suggests the short trip home. |
Bethel Royals
| Seed: | Likely No. 6, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 14, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Arden Hills, Minn. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2248 |
| Stadium: | Royal Stadium (3500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MIAC |
| Head coach: | Steve Johnson (Bethel '79) |
| Career record: | 226-102-1 (.688) |
| Base offense: | Pro style |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 11-9 (2000-01, 2003, 2006-07, 2010, 2012-13, 2018) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 387 | 144 |
| How they got here: | Pool C |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Jaran Roste can hit a couple of big plays downfield. At his best, Roste is tough to bring down as a runner and is an efficient passer, but Bethel relies on the big strike a lot and needs to hit enough of them to keep things moving. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Roste has the only significant ground gains for the Bethel offense and the opponents hit enough of the big plays, or strings together enough small plays to keep the chains moving. |
| This season's turning point: | Ithaca, Union and Baldwin Wallace losing, opening up space for a team with two Division III losses to get an at-large bid. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .570 (15) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 187.1/242.4 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 115.0/287.0 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/4.4 |
| Leading passer: | Jaran Roste, 227.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Bryce Kunkle, 83 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Joey Kiddler, 99.4 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Nate Farm, 66 (38 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Aiden Thomas, 2 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Nate Farm, 6 |
| How far can they go? | Bethel could just as easily go out in the first round or the quarterfinals. |
Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers
| Seed: | Likely No. 7, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | Terre Haute, Ind. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1816 |
| Stadium: | Phil Brown (3500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | HCAC |
| Head coach: | Jeff Sokol (Kalamazoo '96) |
| Career record: | 71-35 (.670) |
| Base offense: | Multiple |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-1 (2016) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 431 | 193 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, HCAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The Engineer defense is limiting rushing touchdowns. In their 1-2 start, RHIT allowed eight rushing touchdowns while allowing just two rushing touchdowns in HCAC play. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They don't score 30 points. The Engineers are 0-2 when being held under 30; 8-0 when scoring at least 30 points. |
| This season's turning point: | The Engineers rallied from a 14-point second half deficit to defeat Hanover 31-21 on Oct. 9. RHIT dominated the remainder of their conference schedule, winning by an average of 39 points over their final five games. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .497 (124) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 138.0/302.0 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 106.2/292.7 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.9/4.3 |
| Leading passer: | Andrew Dion, 290.2 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Shane Welshans, 67.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Noah Thomas, 95.5 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Michael Stevens, 77 (49 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Deven Cobb, 3.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Tyce Miller, 6 |
| How far can they go? | It isn't out of the question for RHIT to defeat their old ICAC and SCAC rival. A second win in Whitewater is. |
Greenville Panthers
| Seed: | Likely No. 8, UW-Whitewater bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | Greenville, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 815 |
| Stadium: | Francis Field (2000) |
| Playing surface: | Grass |
| Conference: | UMAC |
| Head coach: | Robbie Schomaker (Trinity International '05) |
| Career record: | 45-41 (.523) |
| Base offense: | Multiple |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | First trip |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 371 | 246 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, UMAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Paul Garrett rushes for 100 or more yards. He has done so in every game this season, including a 37-33 win against Millikin in Week 1. Even so, his workload hasn't been too heavy, as he has never had to carry the ball more than 30 times. If he gets even close to 100 yards against Whitewater, which likes to pound rock-pounders, that will be an amazing accomplishment. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They get it pounded right back at them. In their lone Division III loss of the season, Greenville gave up 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns to Adrian's Steven Moses, a back not entirely dissimilar to what the Panthers will see in the postseason. |
| This season's turning point: | Douglas Becker forced a fumble in overtime, allowing Greenville to escape Martin Luther with a 21-14 overtime win in the conference opener on Oct. 2. After that point, Greenville went on to win the rest of its UMAC games without too much trouble. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .382 (226) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 257.0/204.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 96.4/225.1 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.5/5.0 |
| Leading passer: | Chase Butterfield, 202.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Paul Garrett, 162.4 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Delrey Crowder, 43.0 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Lakari Benjamin, 82 (27 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Turjon McLaurin, 10 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Isaac Green, 4 |
| How far can they go? | To Whitewater and back. |