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| Alex Peete ran for 209 yards on 14 carries in Saturday's second round. Photo by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
Seventeen carries. 79 yards. One touchdown. Those were the numbers UW-Whitewater running back Alex Peete produced in a 41-14 Stagg Bowl loss to North Central two years ago.
Looking back on it now, Peete will tell you that despite the struggle it was that day for not only him personally, but for the team as well, the game served as a learning experience.
It also motivated him to come back stronger than ever. And though he had to wait an extra year to see his hard work pay off on the field because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Peete looked ahead instead of back.
“I think it was about taking the initiative,” Peete said. “I had that one big run (47 yards) in the second half, and I felt like I needed more of that, to have more big plays. I wanted to take pride in my big-play ability and come through when times are hard in games.”
Peete is in the midst of his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, rushing for 1,222 yards, the second-most in his career with the Warhawks, who are 12-0 and face Central Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
He has cranked out five games of 100 or more yards and has scored two or more touchdowns seven times.
Warhawks head coach Kevin Bullis isn’t surprised by any of it.
“His explosiveness was a priority coming out of the 2019 season,” Bullis said. “He was always good at reads and was physical, but he wanted to have more breakaway runs, to find that next gear. And he’s found it.”
His work ethic and approach to each week has played a part in that. Yes, he’s been showered with accolades throughout his career, earning first-team All-WIAC honors three times and being tabbed a D3football.com second team All-American in 2018. He’s also a two-time first team D3football.com All-West Region pick.
But there’s an attitude about Peete that doesn’t allow him to become complacent.
“You can’t get content,” Peete said. “I’ll look at the film and figure out what corrections need to be made. Even if I’ve had a really big game, I’ll take a look at film, and then by Monday, I don’t look back. It’s a fresh week and a new opponent to prepare for. I just want to go out and do my thing again.”
The thing about Whitewater is it is hardly a one-man show.
Peete anchors the running attack while WIAC Offensive Player of the year and Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist Max Meylor, who has thrown for more than 2,700 yards (2,720) and 33 touchdowns, directs an offense that is cranking out 42.9 per outing and 458.2 yards per game.
Then there’s the fact that Whitewater has six receivers with 12 or more catches, including Ryan Wisniewski, who leads the way with 55 catches for 967 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Those weapons are all part of a balanced attack that the Warhawks pride themselves on.
“We use the phrase powered by tradition, and one of the traditions is having a balanced attack,” Bullis said. “It makes you less predictable, and the other part of that is in this part of the country, you never know what you are going to get for weather this time of the year. We’re fortunate to have talented players in our offense that do their jobs well and allow us to be balanced.”
Of course, without the offensive line, that balance isn’t possible. It’s a line anchored by three All-WIAC picks in Kyle Gannon, Douglas Kosch and Ethan Kee.
“If there is a position in college football that actually works like one organ, it’s the offensive line. They are like a heart and have to beat as one, and they’ve done a great job of that,” Bullis said. "Our line has done nothing but get better every week and they are the lynchpin to making that balance happen,” Bullis said.
Peete is thankful every day he has a great line to run behind.
“As a running back, I couldn’t ask for more,” Peete said. “Max would say the same thing about having time to throw. They help our offense move at the rate we want it to and get the yards we want to get. Those guys work great together. They are making blocks, seeing blitzes and helping us finish plays.”
But you also can’t talk about Whitewater without mentioning the defense, which has held six teams to single digits and has given up only seven points in two postseason games.
It’s a unit that will be put to the test against Central (12-0), which features a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist of its own in Blaine Hawkins, who has thrown for 4,189 yards and 61 touchdowns.
Bullis, though, is confident in his defensive group and has seen it continue to make strides throughout the season, especially up front.
“You talk about our defense, you have to talk about our defensive line," Bullis said. "That group has really improved with its consistency and is the foundation of our defense. Not to take anything away from our linebackers or our defensive backs, but it really does start up front.”
That defensive front is led by two-time WIAC Defensive Player of the Year Mackenzie Balanganayi, a player Bullis calls the heart and soul of the defense. He has 27 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Aaron Sturdevant leads the defense in tackles (52).
This time of the year is always special for Bullis, even if he has been through long playoff runs before in his 21 seasons with the program. He's in his seventh season as the head coach.
But this season is a little more special for him because of what was lost last season when there was no football in the fall.
“People might think it gets old because I've been around for so long," Bullis said. But every year is a new thing and it’s about the appreciation of where you are in the moment and an appreciation of the hard work that goes into getting here.
“The kids train year-round for 10 guaranteed games, and it makes it more special that we are giving them some bonus time now," Bullis continued. "I told the team when we made the playoffs, let’s go see if we can earn another game. It’s cool when you look at the big picture.”
Peete appreciates the big picture as well. And while he could have gone a lot of different directions with his athletic career coming out of high school, he chose Whitewater and would do it again.
“I wouldn’t have chosen a different path. This was the path set for me and I couldn’t ask for anything else,” Peete said. “My teammates and coaches have made this experience great and to be in a position to compete for conference championships and be in the playoffs with a chance to always make it far, that’s something anybody that plays sports would want.”