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But UW-L, which will play its four home games at Winona State University, would like to be a finished product sooner than the stadium, scheduled for a spring 2009 opening.
The Eagles, coming off a 5-4 (3-4 WIAC) season, were picked to finish third in the conference behind Whitewater and Eau Claire.
Here are the five things to follow — besides the construction work — as the Eagles prepare for their Sept. 6 opener against Hardin-Simmons (Texas) at WSU.
1. Can the defense improve under Jeff Conway?
Eagles coach Larry Terry and senior linebacker Drew Kiefer spent much of their time at WIAC Media Day talking about how the team’s defense had to, and would, improve. UW-L wasn’t necessarily bad, ranking fifth in total defense (361.3 yards per game) and sixth in scoring defense (25.6 points per game), but produced a conference-low 19 turnovers and suffered lapses at crucial times. Ten starters return, including Kiefer, free safety Nick Ihde and defensive end Joe Troia, to work with Conway, who moved up to defensive coordinator from the linebackers coach job after Mike Durnin left to become the head coach at Luther (Iowa).
2. Is Griffin Moe’s shoulder healthy and can he duplicate 2007?
Quarterback Griffin Moe led the WIAC in passing (228 ypg.) last year, with 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions, missing one game with a concussion. Moe said this spring that his right (throwing) shoulder bothered him the last half of the season and Terry indicated he’d keep a close eye on Moe’s arm strength this fall. If Moe, a senior, isn’t where Terry would like him to be, look for sophomore Alex Seguin (439 yards, 2 TDs) to step in at least temporarily.
3. Do the Eagles have the best offensive backfield in the WIAC?
Eric Donoval ranks fourth in rushing yards among returning running backs in the conference, but Donoval wasn’t a full-time starter, while the others were. Donoval still ranked 10th with 360 yards on 62 carries and his 5.8 yards per carry top all returning backs. Donoval, a senior, has sprinter’s speed — he was on the UW-L track team before committing fully to football — and will play around 195 pounds. Junior Reid Oldenburg, a 215-pound tailback who averaged 7.5 yards per carry last year, offers a more punishing running style. Versatile fullback Chris Johnson, 225 pounds, can block for and catch passes alongside the tailbacks.
4. Will the kicking game improve?
UW-L hit just three of nine field goals last season and averaged 53.8 yards on kickoff length, both last in the conference. PAT conversions were respectable (31-for-36). Junior Dylan Rude and sophomore Kyle Wojcik return, and freshmen Tyler Funk, Christopher Hemmer and Dylan Pronschinske will try to get in the mix. The Eagles are likely to keep one one or two of the placekickers, and need one to step up as a reliable weapon.
5. Will playing “home” games at Winona State affect the season?
Terry called it a “non-issue” for the team on media day. So did Johnson. But consider that in the Eagles’ four playoff seasons under Terry, they went 19-5 in the friendly atmosphere of Veterans Memorial Field. UW-L will practice at its usual site next to the stadium, with some adjustments for construction, then move 30 miles north to play its four home games on WSU’s artificial field turf. Two of those games will be against top-notch teams, including Hardin-Simmons (Texas) (6-4 in 2007) and Eau Claire (9-3), and the other two will be against teams picked to finish sixth and eighth in the conference, respectively, in River Falls (3-7) and Platteville (2-8).
Joel Badzinski can be reached at (608) 791-8402 or joel.badzinski@lee.net
