12-6 Book to Upload - UW-Whitewater Athletics

three years including D3 crowns in 2009 and 2010. Blanchard has never been part of a loss with the
Warhawks, going 41-0 in his three seasons on the team. That span is also the longest active winning
streak in college football (any level), and the fifth longest in NCAA history (any level).
Blanchard is the fifth UW-Whitewater player that has earned a spot among the Gagliardi finalists. Running
back Justin Beaver was a finalist in 2005, and won the award in 2007. Defensive tackle Ryan Kleppe was
a finalist in 2006, Placekicker Jeff Schebler (the Fred Mitchell Award recipient) in 2009, and wide receiver
Aaron Rusch (Hartford/Hartford) was a finalist in 2010.
41-14 Win over Franklin…On to NCAA Quarterfinals
11/26/2011
Greg Arnold (Big Bend/Mukwonago) accounted for three turnovers and Levell Coppage (Oak Park,
IL/Oak Park) earned his eighth career 200+ rushing game, keying UW-Whitewater's 41-14 win over
Franklin College at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater, Wisconsin Saturday in a National Collegiate Athletic
Association Division III second round playoff victory. UW-W, 12-0, will host Salisbury University, 11-1
after a 49-47 triple overtime win over Kean University in a NCAA III quarterfinal game, at 12:00 December
3 in Perkins Stadium.
Franklin had the ball at their 28, facing a third and 24, when running back Reece Craig started right and
was hit by Warhawk defensive back Noah Timm (Two Rivers/Two Rivers), forcing a fumble that
linebacker Greg Arnold (Big Bend/Mukwonago) recovered at the Franklin 16. Two Levell Coppage (Oak
Park, IL/Oak Park) eight yard runs and Whitewater had a 7-0 lead with 6:11 left in the first quarter.
Franklin was on Whitewater's 41, facing third and ten, when sophomore Jonny West's pass was picked
off by Arnold at the 34 yard line. Nine plays later, Coppage took it over from six yards out to up
Whitewater's lead to 14-0 with 13:21 in the half. Coppage accounted for 48 of the 64 yards on the drive.
After the Warhawk defense forced a three and out, UW-W senior quarterback Matt Blanchard (Lake
Zurich, IL/Lake Zurich) switched it up a bit, hitting wide receiver Tyler Huber (Mukwonago/North Prairie)
for 21 yards, then connecting with Cory Robinson (Cambridge/Cambridge) for a 43 yard scoring pass,
Whitewater's longest completion of the day. Whitewater led 21-0 with 10:26 on the clock.
Franklin roused their following that made the six hour drive with a 13 play, 57 yard drive that consumed
4:04 and ended with a West one yard run with the Grizzlies facing fourth and one at the one yard line to
make it 21-7 UW-W.
Whitewater went back to the formula that worked earlier, riding Coppage for 48 of 56 yards on the drive,
27 coming on his third scoring run of the day for a 28-7 lead with 3:04 showing.
Franklin wasn't done, using 62 yards and ten plays to cut the lead in half. The touchdown came with the
Grizzlies looking at fourth and five at the Whitewater ten. West passed to Keith Cunningham for the
score with just 0:20 on the clock to head into the locker room with UW-W leading 28-14.
Whitewater's defense took away the running game from Franklin in the first half, with the Grizzlies totaling
minus 12 yards on 15 carries, but Franklin responded with 214 yards passing as West completed 21-38
passes. Coppage rushed 14 times for 127 yards in the half.
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