A tale of two seasons
This feature story was written for the Oct. 10 football program.
Sometimes taking a moment to step back and look beyond the bigger picture is required to see how successful a team has been. It can really enlighten a person's perspective. This is the case when looking at Concordia University Wisconsin and its play during the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference portion of the schedule over the last seven-plus seasons. The Falcons overall win-loss record isn't the most flattering, but their win-loss mark in league play during that time is impressive and should be applauded.
CUW faces a difficult task each season of playing four non-conference games and most of the time three before they get to the meat of the schedule, with the goal of winning the NACC title. Obtaining that goal results in a trip to the NCAA Division III Playoffs, which is something the champion can brag about for years to come.
Despite the Falcons 37-38 overall record during head coach Greg Etter's tenure, it is their 32-16 record during NACC play that often gets overlooked. Their conference record is second best in the history of the NACC, behind only Benedictine. During the last seven seasons, CUW has won at least five games in league play four times and won the NACC title with an undefeated record (6-0) in 2013. This season the Falcons put a foot forward in the right direction with a 49-14 thumping of Concordia Chicago last weekend to begin NACC play.
"It gets overlooked because people measure success in wins and loss," Etter explained. "In our profession (athletics) people measure success in wins and losses and in our situation we have always played a very, very tough non-conference schedule. If you look at the overall win-loss record of this football program it is probably somewhere around .500, but if you compare apples to apples with the programs who our players are competing against; we have the second most wins since this conference was formed.
"Within our conference, it is a very competitive league and through the course of time we are second on the all-time wins list," the eighth-year head coach expounded on when talking about the NACC. "I don't think our program and players get enough credit for that. Hypothetically, a team could go through our conference undefeated with a 6-0 record and still finish the season with a 6-5 overall record, and how will the program will be perceived? People will probably look at a 6-5 record and say they are an average football team. I think when you compare numbers and facts, I am proud of what this football program has accomplished."
What else is most likely not talked about is how CUW is going about its business this season, facing adversity head on and putting together a winning standard with youth. Entering today's game the Falcons have already lost a number of key starters to season-ending injuries and because of those setbacks are asking many underclassmen to take on a heavier work load. This game's depth chart features 20 of the 42 players listed on either defense or offense of underclassmen value.
"We are young and the season-ending injuries, and the strange injuries and how they happened, has made this a unique year," Etter eluded to the difference with this season. "The goal is to understand you are preparing and playing against a set of standards that are necessary for the schemes to be successful. Those standards don't change based on our opponent and those standards of excellence is what you have to strive for. This is one of the most rewarding groups I have been around because of the progress being made in all phases of our program. This team, you can see the growth even through adversity and that is enjoyable to see."
The Falcons are also in a unique position because of the landscape the NACC gives them, having just seven football schools. Because of this, they are forced to schedule some of the toughest teams in the region as non-conference opponents. A majority of the leagues within the adjoining states have at least seven or eight conference games, while CUW plays just six. This forces them to place a greater emphasis on winning NACC matchups because there are fewer of those games on the schedule. Nonetheless, the Falcons have taken care of business recently, posting a 16-4 record over the last three-plus seasons.
"Our goal is a conference championship," Etter expressed. "If you win the NACC, you get a seat in the Playoffs and that is our goal. We want to play and practice to a set of standards and those standards won't change no matter who we are playing."
