Do not adjust your screens: the current WIAC football standings do not have the familiar programs inhabiting the top spots. Instead, UW-Stout football is crashing the party.
After the first two conference games this season, none of the usual gang of contenders in the WIAC reside in first place. In fact, the three schools who have had a hand in the last 21 conference championships since 2002–Whitewater, La Crosse, and Oshkosh–are nowhere to be found.
Enter the UW-Stout Blue Devils, coached by Clayt Birmingham since 2010. In Birmingham’s first year, Stout finished tied for third place in the WIAC, the high-water mark in his tenure; the Blue Devils have never finished higher than a tie for fourth since, and have not captured the conference championship since 2000. After dropping their season opener to Carroll University, 21-16, on September 5th, UW-Stout has reeled off four wins in a row, including a 29-27 thriller over then-ranked #8 UW-Whitewater on October 12th, and are tied for the WIAC top spot with UW-Platteville. It was the first time the Blue Devils knocked off the perennial-power Warhawks since 2001.
UW-STOUT NOT RESTING ON EARLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The upcoming schedule does not do the Blue Devils any favors as they travel to UW-River Falls (4-1) on Saturday, October 19th, to face the #10 Falcons. However, coach Birmingham is not looking past any program on his team’s schedule.
When asked how he intends to keep his team’s early-season successes rolling, Birmingham replied: “This league is crazy this year. All we ever tell our guys is that we want to improve each week. You can’t look at the big picture until after the season. Our job is to just get ready for the next game and the next play. Any team can win any game this year in our league.”
Including UW-River Falls, the Blue Devils will face four nationally ranked teams in the next five weeks, and Birmingham knows that all four of those programs pose a daunting challenge to his squad. “All of the teams in our league have good players and are well coached. It really comes down to scheme match ups, making the explosive plays, and staying healthy. Some schemes just match up better to other team’s schemes, most games come down to a few plays, who’s going to make them? And it’s hard to win if you don’t have your best players playing.”
BLUE DEVILS BUYING INTO TRUE TEAM CONCEPT
The old saying “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team'” is one that holds great significance to this year’s UW-Stout program.Although junior quarterback Adam Moen leads the team in passing and rushing through five games, coach Birmingham believes his team’s strength lies in the “we not me” mentality, that his players are not only unselfish and good teammates but developing into outstanding additions to society because of it.
“I’m not sure we have any “main players” this year. We have 8 captains this year, voted on by our team, but everybody just knows their role and different people lead at different times. Our guys have a lot of respect for each other. We treat each other like men, and we expect each other to act like men. Pretty simple process that hopefully carries over to the “real world”.
TIME WILL TELL FOR UW-STOUT
No championships in any sport at any level have ever been determined after only half of the schedule was played. Coach Birmingham knows that although his team’s start is a welcome sight, their quest to regain conference dominance for the first time in 24 years is not only formidable and harrowing but full of twists and turns along the way. However, he understands the need to enjoy the journey and soak in and accept the challenges they will face. “All we ever tell our guys is that we want to improve each week. You can’t look at the big picture until after the season. Our job is to just get ready for the next game and the next play.”
