OSHKOSH – Kobe Berghammer will have the opportunity to take UW-Oshkosh to a back-to-back football name from the Wisconsin Intercolegal Athletic Conference and the NCAA Division III championship this fall after a remarkable freshman season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 6-foot-2 quarterback led the Titans with 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing more than 50% of their passes. He is also the team’s most sensible runner with 706 yards, adding nine scores in 133 runs.
After last season, Berghammer had high hopes of fitting a better player and watching the team advance even further to the playoffs. He took the time to communicate with USA TODAY-Wisconsin about his brilliant first season and the sadness of not being able to play this year.
Q: What did it mean to be named WIAC’s newcomer of the year in its first year?
A: It meant a lot to me to be named wiAC’s newcomer of the year. There are many wonderful players at the convention and many wonderful newcomers. It’s wonderful, but I owe it all to my teammates. They make my homework a lot easier, especially as a rookie. Our coaches summon the big games to put us in a smart position to succeed. But, personally, I know I could have been more wonderful. I know I have to be more wonderful to get where we need to be. It’s a wonderful achievement to win this award, but I know there’s still a lot of paintings to be done.
Q: What was your first mind when you learned that WIAC had canceled what would have been next season?
A: At first, I was devastated. I even thought if they passed by to replace something, they’d push us back in the spring and then see where things would happen from there. Football has been my favorite activity since I was a kid. I’ve been in football all my life. Having to spend a total year without it will be very complicated because I know how much I’ve painted this low season and I know how much all my teammates have painted to get back to where we were at the end of the season and be better. Players. Even though we failed in the last game, we knew how hard we had to paint to get to this point and how much we had to paint to get where we wanted to go.
Q: To what extent does the resolution have you separately in terms of your hopes and plans to return to your season time and lead the Titans again, after the impressive first-year season you had as a quarterback?
A: I’m in a lot of pain because I was hoping to start last year and become a much more wonderful player. My teammates made it very simple with the O line blocking their crosses, receivers and midfields opening and catching balls and making big plays. Our defense played very well last year, giving us a wonderful position in the area and many opportunities to pass and score. Besides, the other shifts helped me a lot. They’d tell me what they’d watch and help me every time I had questions. All those points have made my job easier. The hardest component is knowing all those things, knowing that most of our guys are coming back and how excited we were at the end of last season of coming back and playing football and not being able to play all year round. It’s hard, but we have to maintain a positive attitude and know that we can only do what we can and that we paint as hard as possible to be more wonderful and get to where we need to get to when we can play again.
Q: How complicated is the news for you, especially after last year’s thrilling season finale with the UW-Whitewater win?
A: The news was very difficult to understand. I don’t know if they’ve really happened yet. I think it’s actually happening when we’re all back in school and deserve to bet on the game we all love and just can’t. That’s going to be the hardest part. We would have had a wonderful organization of boys coming back. We lost some wonderful seniors last year, however, I know how hard my teammates worked to fill their shoes and how hard the seniors worked to get this team where we need to be. These guys were massive leaders for me and for all young people. We didn’t lose many seniors last year, which gave the juniors and other young people (a chance) for themselves and be more leaders, which will help us in the long run when we can come back and play again. We had a thrilling victory at the end of the normal season, but the playoffs didn’t pass as we needed, which gave us confidence and motivation for the next season. That’s why the canceled season is so complicated.
Q: What did UW-Oshkosh do to you for a position closer to your hometown (Cumberland)?
A: I chose Oshkosh because I felt at home here. I also love the training staff here. During the recruitment process, I met many coaches, but Oshkosh just felt different. The coaches put it all there and were very comfortable with me. That’s all you can ask for when you gather about your school. They told me everything they had built about their culture and I sought to be a component of it.
Q: What is the transition from the high school of gambling to college?
A: It’s actually another one because the game is accelerating a little bit. Everyone in college, especially at WIAC, is very smart gamers. Having smart teammates makes things easier. But in the end, football is football. Everyone is smart and whatever team makes the best plays, they’ll probably win the game.
Q: What’s your favorite memory of your first year?
A: Victory over UW-Platteville was a wonderful victory for us as a team. Doing a two-minute workout and landing to advance in this game was a laughing game. But the most productive will be the victory over UW-Whitewater. Winning that game and getting a place in the playoffs and getting a percentage of the convention name was amazing. We’ve had so many good memories as a team this year. It’s hard to decide on one.
Q: What makes Titans so meaningful to you?
A: Playing UWO is special. When they hired me, the coaches told me all about their team and the culture they have. What struck me was that they were a fraternity. Everyone takes care of each other, as the circle of relatives does. Even when I got here, the older guys took everyone right away.
Contact Jordan Jacobson at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at ‘jordanjacob91’.