Weekend Warriors: One Watt falls, but another keeps rising
The big story of the week as it relates to current players at the next level, of course, was the Houston Texans placing Pewaukee native J.J. Watt on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. Watt, who experienced a recurrence of a back injury that required surgery in the offseason, will not get a chance to play his first NFL game at Lambeau Field on Dec. 4 when the Texans pay a visit, though his team did move to 3-1 on Sunday.
One week after getting named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, TJ Watt (Pewaukee) was just as dominant against Michigan in a 14-7 loss for the Wisconsin Badgers. Watt racked up 11 tackles, two tackles for loss (one sack) and a QB hurry as the Badgers' defense rose to the occasion.
Chikwe Obasih (Brookfield Central) registered half a sack, Alec James (Brookfield East) notched a full sack and Zack Baun (Brown Deer) made two tackles, including one for loss.
Ben Bredeson (Arrowhead), a true freshman, saw the field for Michigan.
Derek Watt (Pewaukee) has seen his offensive snaps drop each game for the San Diego Chargers, but he did see 22 snaps on special teams on Sunday. The Chargers, however, dropped a 35-34 loss to New Orleans, the second heartbreaker of the year for the Chargers (1-3).
Joe Thomas (Brookfield Central) was his usual dominant self for the Cleveland Browns against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, but Cleveland remains on the lookout for its first victory.
Brad Nortman (Brookfield Central) is fourth in net punting average in the NFL, and his Jacksonville Jaguars notched their first win Sunday in London against the Indianapolis Colts.
Brian Smith (Brookfield East) caught seven passes for 101 yards for Minnesota on Saturday, but the Gophers fell in overtime to Penn State, 29-26.
Conor Blount (Waukesha West) split time at quarterback for Oregon State on Saturday in a 47-6 rout at the hands of Colorado. Blount, a true freshman walk-on, was the surprise choice to play last week after the starter went down with injury.
Alec Kocour (Illinois State) had 14 tackles to lead Illinois State, but his team couldn't upset No. 1 ranked North Dakota State (FCS) in a 31-10 loss. Adam Conley (Franklin) made four tackles, and Mitchell Brees (Greendale) made seven.
Colin Downing (Whitefish Bay) had three punts averaging greater than 51 yards when his Iowa state team nearly upset Baylor, a game the Bears won as time expired, 45-42.
Levon Myers (Franklin) and Josh Ruka (Greenfield) started next to each other on the offensive line for Northern Illinois as it downed Ball State, 31-24, for its first win of the year, taking the MAC opener.
Colin Buck (Franklin) made an interception with 16 seconds left that sealed a 30-24 win for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater over UW-Platteville, and he also led the Warhawks with eight tackles. Mickey Morgan (Wauwatosa West) also had a sack and forced fumble.
Drew Patterson (Sussex Hamilton) had 100 yards rushing, and Canton Larson (Oconomowoc) caught a touchdown.
For UW-Oshkosh, Sam Mentkowski (Whitnall) ran for a touchdown and also caught three passes for 78 yards. Dom Todarello (Arrowhead) also had an active day on offense, and AJ Plewa (South Milwaukee) had an interception in a 45-17 win over UW-Stout. The biggie comes next week, when undefeated Whitewater and undefeated Oshkosh collide at 1 p.m. at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater.