I apologize to everybody on what was a clearly EXTREMELY distorted view I had on the 2011 Alfred Saxons. This team is clearly not even close to as good as I had thought, god this game is embarrassing. It's not just the offense either....I've never seen an AU defense get torn apart like this. This Alfred team is not a top 25 squad, and they've proven that the past 3 weeks. What a depressing reality to a season that (as you folks know) I thought was gonna be a dream team.

My picks:


IC-Union: Both of these teams are off to very undewhelming starts, and I agree that this should be an ugly game. It could go either way, i'll go with 17-14 IC.

Salisbury-Christopher Newport: From what little I know about CN (Basically looking at their d3football profile), they seem like a solid program, but maybe not quite in Salisbury's class. Salisbury gets top 25 votes next week after a 38-20 win

Springfield-Husson: Husson got stomped by a historically average team in week one, this will be ugly. 56-0 Springfield

Utica-Frostburg: I think Utica will play better then they did against union, I am a big believer in this team. They'll distinguish themselves in a 41-20 thrashing

Alfred-St. Lawrence: Alfred played like a well oiled machine against RPI, and St Lawrence has not looked impressive. Every aspect of the Saxons looks solid, and that D will continue to go after their opponent in the same hard hitting, smash mouthed fashion. 45-13 Alfred

Hartwick-Norwich: This is a tough one. On one hand, Norwich won last year and Hartwick has not been impressive. On the other hand....I just cant pick an ECFC team after seeing how uncompetitive a team that beat Norwich was against Alfred. I know transitive property doesnt apply....but it was so drastic i cant disregard it. 17-10 Hartwick

SJF-Rochester: A lot of people going towards Rochester in this one, and though I originally thought Fisher our friend Pep has made me believe the hype on Rochester. 28-21 Rochester.

A few thoughts on the Alfred game:

-Rankl always finds a way to patch together a good OLine, and the OLine was impressive today. They opened up holes for a 224 yard rushing day, and kept Secky on his feet pretty much the whole game not allowing one sack. If this unit can replicate this performance against the better teams on the schedule, this team will score a TON of points. The offense was unstoppable for pretty much the whole first half.

-Tyler DeRosa is the real deal. Though he had only 60 rush yards (and a 42 yard reception) to Dwyer's 108 (and 0 TD's compared to Dwyer's 3), I would say he looked more impressive then Dwyer today and I for one am extremely excited to see what he can do. He is a very different back from Dwyer, he is a bruiser, smash mouth "fall forward" type. Though today he showed incredible quickness as well. He really appeared to be the whole package, though it was only one game.

-Tom Secky had a very good game, throwing for 328 yards and 3 TDs. He used a variety of recievers, but his main target was Josh Phillips who had an incredible 201 yard 2 TD game. Secky managed the game well and methodically lead the Saxons to TD's on their first 6 possessions.

-The defense was hard hitting, smash mouth, and suffocating all game. There were several massive hits and the defense carries a certain swagger that can only come with experienced success. They held RPI to 51 yards rushing and controlled the point of attack all game.

-As a result of both sides of the ball performing excellently, AU outgained RPI a staggering 561-227. This team will be tough to beat.

-The crowd was awesome! It was one of the biggest i've seen at Merrill in a while, and the AU faithful were rocking all game!

-St Lawrence seems to be a little down thus far this year, I think the game may get ugly. Only beating Norwich by 2 TD's doesnt bode well for a matchup with Alfred. I felt like the LL performance indicated that (while the jury is out on Hobart) their top tier will be a notch below the top tier in the E8 this year.

-Speaking of the top tier, I think we may have added some evidence to that picture. To me, Alfred and Salisbury are the clear frontrunners at this juncture. They both put together impressive performances against impressive teams. Springfield will contend for sure, Fisher looked shaky but will probably also contend, and after that (at this juncture) I cant see anyone else contending for the championship. 

-In conclusion, as scary as it sounds, I think Alfred can improve on this performance. I think OLine play will continue to get better as less experienced starters gain experience, DeRosa gets more familiar in the system, I thought the secondary did not play as well as they did towards the end of last year (and have to think they'll rise back to that level, as all 4 starters return).

Nothing like gameday! Can't wait to see the Saxons go to work!

I'll take a stab at this weekends games as well.

Salisbury-Ithaca: I feel like this one will help to shape the "two tiers" that I believe are going to develop in this years E8. Salisbury has a great offense, but also a great D. I think Ithaca's D will keep it close atleast midway through the 3rd quarter, but when all is said and done i'll say 28-6 Salisbury

Alfred-RPI: The Saxons begin a highly anticipated 2011 campaign with a team who beat them last season. Now, looking at the weather report, it isnt supposed to be especially windy. That was what did the Saxons in last year, averaging something like 19 yards per punt and giving RPI the ball inside the 50 several times in the first quarter. For the following three quarters, AU dominated statistically but could not climb out of that early hole. I think the punting will be better this time around, and RPI will have real problems moving the ball on the AU defense. 31-10 Alfred.

Fisher-Buff State: Buff State played Cortland VERY tough, leading at the half and being within striking distance well into the 4th quarter. They'll play Fisher tough too, but when all is said and done they too will come up short. 35-24 SJF

Springfield-Frostburg: I was very glad to see Frostburg get a win for their fallen teammate week one. I wish them all the luck in the world this season. That all being said, I don't see this one ending well for them. Springfield brings back too much talent, too much experience, and it's a pretty long trip from Frostburg to Springfield. 42-14 SC

Utica-Union: Utica had a pretty impressive performance last weekend against defending LL Champ St Lawrence. They far exceeded historical expectations of their program. Union, on the other hand, lost to a Salve Regina team who is historically much worse then they are. Utica will look at this game as a chance to try to break into the "top tier" of the conference (which, right now, is Alfred, Fisher, Springfield and Salisbury). I think that, while they won't be in that top tier, they will distinguish themselves as the best of the 2nd tier and that's good enough to beat a struggling Union squad. 38-21 Utica

Hartwick-Norwich: This one is tough to pick. On one hand, it's hard for me to pick an ECFC team over an E8 team. On the other, Hartwick was not impressive against Mo'ville and lost to Norwich last season. Hartwick did improve towards the end of last season, and I can't get the 60-0 thrashing AU put on Maritime out of my head (I know, 2 different teams, but its impossible to just discount that after seeing how uncompetitive it really was. FAR moreso then the AU-Hartwick game). I'll say 20-14 Hartwick.

Here's my look around the E8 after week one (I hope to make this a weekly thing):

-At THIS stage, and it is early and nothing is even close to settled....I have a hard time putting Ithaca ahead of Utica in my mind after today's action. Having actually seen Ithaca today at Butterfield, I came away unimpressed. Brockport is not a good team and they gave Ithaca all they could handle. Ithaca's D was good, but they have a battle going on at QB and their running game looked less then stellar. By contrast, Utica blew out defending LL Champ St Lawrence, embarrassing their defense for the first three quarters. Utica beat a much better team by a lot more, I think they look better right now. Wouldn't be surprised if Salisbury makes it ugly in week 2. 

-Morrisville gave Hartwick all they could handle. This does not bode well for the Hawks, as Morrisville is historically even worse then Brockport. Wick only being able to put up 14 makes me think they will once again be bottom tier in the E8.

-Salisbury manhandled Newport News, 42-3. Good win for Salisbury, who goes into their first E8 matchup against Ithaca. They stuffed any offense Newport News had, and it is hard for me to imagine Ithaca faring well against this defense.

-Was very glad to see Frostburg was able to pull out an emotional 34-21 win against Geneva. That football family must be hurting after the loss of their teammate, and it's good on that level to see them get it. It's good also on the level of I don't see them winning another game this year, besides possibly Hartwick. Their upcoming schedule is nothing short of brutal (@ Springfield, vs. Utica, vs. Randolph-Macon, @ Wesley, @ SJF, vs. Alfred), and i have a hard time predicting they'll be anything other then 1-6 after this stretch (though stranger things have happened). With that group, this team will take some beatings in all likelyhood, but atleast they got this one for their teammate and for the seniors. I wish them the best of luck!

Looking to next week, the premire matchup will be Ithaca vs. Salisbury, the first true "clash of giants" in the E8. Alfred matches up w/ RPI,  and Fisher will take on a Buff State team that showed a lot today. Frostburg will travel to a very good Springfield team, and Utica takes on a Union team that had a bad loss today.

I'll say:

Salisbury over Ithaca
Alfred over RPI
Fisher over Buff State
Springfield over Frostburg
Utica over Union

For what it's worth, in their scrimmage last week Alfred and Brockport both played their first teams for just the first quarter, and at the end of that quarter it was 20-0 Alfred. Obviously a scrimmage isn't a real game, but i'd be concerned if I were Ithaca right now.

Quote from: pg04 on September 03, 2011, 04:01:43 PM
I hope this means that Brockport is improving more than Ithaca is dropping.  In Previous few years the score would have been a lot worse.  Good luck to the Bombers rest of the season.

Oh wow, color me very dense! I now get that joke! Haha

We are on the eve of two a days, cant a guy be a little optimistic?! 

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on August 17, 2011, 08:40:47 PM

Quote from: AUSaxons on August 17, 2011, 05:35:53 PM
AU released their new football roster online today! One thing that struck me is how BIG the incoming freshmen are listed at. The majority of the highest weights listed are freshmen. Obviously that does not always translate.....but Murray recruited a TON of BIG linemen! 

"a TON of BIG linemen" is only 6 or 7 of them - hopefully he did better than that!

AU released their new football roster online today! One thing that struck me is how BIG the incoming freshmen are listed at. The majority of the highest weights listed are freshmen. Obviously that does not always translate.....but Murray recruited a TON of BIG linemen! 

Alfred starts on wednesday!

No, you can project whatever you want, this is just my opinion on it. I guess I dont understand what you're saying....AU and Cortland return feature backs who abused IC's run D, and Salisbury was very solid and you have to figure they should put on a good showing with what they have coming back. I think it's reasonable to say that those 3 teams SHOULD be favored over IC.

Quote from: Bombers798891 on August 12, 2011, 10:03:35 PM

Quote from: AUSaxons on August 12, 2011, 06:12:05 PM
I don't see where you IC guys think all of this offense is going to come from to beat teams like Springfield, AU, Salisbury, Cortland....Zappia and their WR's were their whole offense and nearly all of that is gone. Their defense got abused by AU and Cortland on the ground last year, what happens to change that? They lost 3 starting DLinemen. Yeah they have great linebackers, but honestly AU's will be just as good. Salisbury's will probably be just as good (they had a solid D statistically last year). What stops Dwyer from getting 275 more yards? The fact that it's on grass? What makes IC's offense competent enough to put up points on an AU defense that played very well against Mount Union given the circumstances, that returns 9 of 11 starters. Salisbury played right with 3 NCAA teams (though ultimately lost all 3) and was really fantastic on D last year. How will IC move the ball on them? I understand preseason excitement for sure, but I'd say 7-3 is IC's ceiling this coming year. AU SJF and Salisbury are all probable losses, if you go on who's returning to project next season IMO.

So to start you say...

"Their defense got abused by AU and Cortland on the ground last year"

And to end you say...

"AU SJF and Salisbury are all probable losses, if you go on who's returning to project next season IMO."

Based on who was returning last season, who saw Dwyer running for 275 yards, or Autera running for like 250 against IC? So what, people can come out of nowhere to light up the Bombers, but a year later, we're not allowed to project that it may work the other way?

I don't see where you IC guys think all of this offense is going to come from to beat teams like Springfield, AU, Salisbury, Cortland....Zappia and their WR's were their whole offense and nearly all of that is gone. Their defense got abused by AU and Cortland on the ground last year, what happens to change that? They lost 3 starting DLinemen. Yeah they have great linebackers, but honestly AU's will be just as good. Salisbury's will probably be just as good (they had a solid D statistically last year). What stops Dwyer from getting 275 more yards? The fact that it's on grass? What makes IC's offense competent enough to put up points on an AU defense that played very well against Mount Union given the circumstances, that returns 9 of 11 starters. Salisbury played right with 3 NCAA teams (though ultimately lost all 3) and was really fantastic on D last year. How will IC move the ball on them? I understand preseason excitement for sure, but I'd say 7-3 is IC's ceiling this coming year. AU SJF and Salisbury are all probable losses, if you go on who's returning to project next season IMO.

Mark my words: OLine play will be a problem for Fisher. With 9 of 10 from last years 2 deep graduating, they'll be relying on recruits and, basically, their JV oline from last season.  I saw their JV oline play, it was decent for JV but that is not a viable answer to the glaring hole in the line. They'll need 2 good freshmen to start just to have a shot, IMO. If not, their oline problem could cost them a fair amount of games.

Quote from: sjfcards on August 10, 2011, 09:45:28 PM

Quote from: SJFF82 on August 10, 2011, 04:32:36 PM

Quote from: sjfcards on August 10, 2011, 04:12:15 PM

Quote from: Cardinal Pride on August 05, 2011, 07:24:39 PM
Hello,  I would just like to introduce myself to the board.  I have been reading the posts on this forum for awhile now and decided to join in.  My son will be a member of the Cardinal football team this year.  I have been bringing him to home games and Fisher camps for years so I guess this was bound to be his choice.  I probably won't post alot because I have noticed that there are far more knowledgable fans on this board than me.  I enjoy the insight many of you have regarding the game as well as the league.   I can't wait for the season to begin.

Welcome to the boards CP. It is always nice to have another Fisher poster along for the ride.

I feel like I have been away from the boards forever, and I am way behind on my typical pre-season research. I know Fisher has some weapons returning on offense (Kramer, Francis, Forum), but I have no clue on Defense or at the QB position. Any information out there? How about Kramer at QB this year?

My understanding is that Kramer is in the mix for QB....no word on defensive weapons other than a change in scheme to a 3-3 stack defense, except against Springfield I hope, where we cannot stop the run with 12 in the box

I think Kramer at Quarterback makes a lot of sense. He is a playmaker and that would get the ball in his hands every play. Fisher would lose a lot as far as arm strength goes, but I would imagine there is going to be a drop off there no matter who plays at QB.

I actually think that Fisher has a chace to be better than most expect this year. They will still have plenty of offense, especially if Zemaitis comes back. I think they may look a little more like Fisher teams of the past that relied more on the run with Borum and Kramer in the backfield. They have another All American on the O line, which should help, and they may be able to wear some teams down over the course of a game.

To me the Fisher season all comes down to the defense. I like the change in scheme, but there is no doubt that there has been a major drop off on that side of the ball since Faggiano left. THey need to get off the field, and get the playmakers on the field. If Fisher can figure out that side of the ball, I think they can be good again this year.

AU will be a handful, but at least that game is at home for Fisher this year. Who knows. I am probably just optimistic, but that is what makes me a fan, right?

Talking Football feels pretty good. My wife is pregnant, and because of that I was planning on stying home most saterdays this fall. I think that decision may need to be reviewed.

Don't forget about Beauford, he displayed solid hands, speed and agility in his time last year. I think he could very easily be the most improved offensive player next season stats wise just because I think they'll throw it to him more in his sophomore campaign.

Quote from: AUKaz00 on August 02, 2011, 04:00:16 PM

Quote from: AUSaxons on August 01, 2011, 04:47:08 PM
WR-Though the loss of Thon will hurt, there are several recievers returning with experience. McCloud, Phillips and Beauford all produced last season. There is also a wide reciever, Polino, who was absolutely fantastic on JV last season, I think he could step up and contribute on varsity this season.

I'm high on Phillips (and why not, it was his route that resulted in our only points against Mount Union), but McCloud, while likely the fastest player on the team, seems to have trouble hauling in the ball.  Last year he pulled in likely the longest play from scrimmage when he beat his coverage, but juggled the ball a half dozen times before securing it and running down the sideline.  Tighter coverage and he doesn't get a chance to make that catch.  Then again, he was a converted running back, so that may be indicitive of what we can expect from any of the incoming backs who are trying to land a receiving spot.