Quote from: pumkinattack on May 03, 2018, 11:42:32 PM
Mark Raymond never beat Hobart.  Even when they back footed into the playoffs we beat him on their field. 

The conversation came full circle on etiquette and respect but I really noticed Hobart was never mentioned.  Here's a few names to look up:

Shane Sweeney
Brandon Shed
Tyre Coleman
Devin Worthington
Ali Marpet
DeAndre Smith
Art Garvey/Tyler Garvey
Marcus Jemison
Bobby Dougherty

I think you'll find every one of them would've been first team all NESCAC multiple years had they been in the league.  Probably another 10-15 guys since 2011.

He did in 2010, in what was a rough year for the LL.

It's an impressive list of players for sure.

Props to Middleybury's soccer coach for bringing in and cutting Hauschka!

Quote from: Oline79 on April 26, 2018, 02:23:20 PM
Biting my lip about recent post on NESCAC board, comparing NESCAC football to LL/E8....hope I can make it through the day

I put in my two cents - feel free to add on.

Quote from: hamgrand on April 25, 2018, 09:43:58 PM
Former Maine high school standout quarterback Austin McCrum will transfer from Lafayette to Bowdoin this upcoming Fall.


This is one big difference between the NESCAC and the other D3 leagues.  Seems there are many D1 transfers into the NESCAC but i do not see that in the other D3 programs or leagues.

To be clear, I am not talking about Mount Union, Whitewater, etc. ... frankly that league they play in could be considered D1 talent and I am sure most of the teams in that league could beat many of the New England D2 teams.

What I am talking about is the Liberty League and other NY, New England and East Coast D3 teams. My nephew starts for RPI who won the Liberty League and went to the D3 playoffs last year. He was a first team All Liberty League player and 1st team district COSIDA All American.  So he is a very good player and great kid!   But he did not really get recruited in the NESCAC.  Also, RPI's best WR played with my son in HS so Iknow first hand the type of player he is.  Very Good player for sure,  but not recruited in the NESCAC.

I have watched hmy nephew play a couple games in each of the last three years, and now that my sons have both graduated from the NESCAC I will spend next fall watching and supporting him.  I even bought an RPI hat and T-shirt in anticipation of the event.  So In addition to spending the last 7 years watching the NESCAC, I have seen RPI play several times against, Union, MIT, Alfred, WPI, William Patterson, Norwich, Hudson Valley.  I can confidently say that None of these teams (except the Alfred team I saw) would compete in the NESCAC.  The Alfred team reminded me of the big powerful Trinity teams, but the rest of the teams would finish at best ahead of Bowdoin and Colby.  While they do have much larger rosters, they lack size and speed  IMHO.  The roster size hurts the NESCAC, because the Liberty League has so many more "second string" players on their rosters.  But best 11 vs best 11and the NESCAC wins 8 times out of ten.

The biggest differences in my opinion is size of the lineman, and QB play.  The RPI team that won the Liberty League last year did not have any big lineman and was fairly slow in my opinion.  While many of the top NESCAC teams have decent size O-lines and several border line D1 players.  They also get D1 transfers as evidenced many times over. 

And the QB play is much better in the NESCAC in my opinion.  Look at all the good QBs currently on NESCAC rosters fo the last few years. The Liberty league does not have close to that talent.  The RPI team that won the liberty league last year would be competitive with Hamilton.  But would get beat by at least 20 by Trinity, Middlebury, Amherst, Wesleyan, Tufts and Williams.

Obviously my opinion can be debated to the end of time, but I have watched a lot of college football in person over the last several years, and feel confident that the NESCAC is a very competitive brand of D3 football. 

And it sounds like it is getting more competitive each year.  Certainly 2017 seemed like a nice competitive season.  I hope this transfer helps the Bowdoin team get to the next level.  It will make the NESCAc even more enjoyable to watch in the future.

A few thoughts...

*Hobart's QB Sweeney was a transfer from UAlbany and was throwing to perhaps the best D3 WR in the country who may or may not be drafted this weekend. If Shed does get drafted, that would be the second player from Hobart and the LL drafted in 4 years. Yes steven hauschka is impressive no doubt, the LL also had Andrew Franks. RPI may have another Kicker make it this year.

*There are plenty of D1 transfers, maybe not so much at RPI because of the nature of the school, and I say that as a major compliment. RPI's engineering program is exquisite. Rosters are littered with kids who 'Were recruited by D1 and D2 schools'. Ivies and Patriot League Schools? Maybe, maybe not. CAA, Northeast, NE-10? You betcha.

*It was a down year for the LL for sure, but moving forward - yikes. Tons of young talent and great rosters coming back, and the traditional bottom-dwelling teams have been dropped. Though you can say that about all leagues.

*Having played and coached/recruited in the Northeast - The E8, LL, MAC, NJAC are stronger conferences. With that being said, the gap is closing and no question the top NESCAC teams could be at the top of any of those conferences.

*I will say that many, not all, but many head coaches and the main assistants are 'better' coaches because budgets are much higher. Those positions are more sought after. The schools can pretty much recruit themselves, but coaches are restricted compared to other leagues as far as recruiting abilities.

*Mount Union, Whitewater (in its prime), and UMHB would beat NE D2 teams. They are getting better football recruits out of high school. Not necessarily better student-atheletes.

*I would agree NESCAC QBs are more talented actually. They are also going up against inferior defenses.

*Practice time, Preseason camp, and (to an extent) roster size make a difference. Of course a smaller roster can beat bigger roster, but sometimes it is a game of numbers.

Any updates from respective camps?

Quote from: dlip on June 02, 2017, 10:31:04 AM

Quote from: ITH radio on May 17, 2017, 12:15:28 PM
I would agree. They've established themselves as an annual playoff contender and probably the top D3FB program in New England (that participates in the playoffs, at least). The fact that Service and Dietrich are back for their SR seasons will make them tough to beat. The production of Connell will need to be replaced but my guess is they "promote" Aiken and be just fine. Most of the defense will be back too.

The one thing that may be tougher in matching last season's 11-1 record is the fact the OOC schedule this year will be much tougher, but that said, the GBs will probably be favorites in all of them, except maybe (and that's a big maybe b/c of losses to graduation) St. Lawrence.


I think I said this on the LL thread awhile back - but with the tremendous losses to the St Lawrence defense and the hunger WNE should bring wanting to prove their strength, could be big trouble for the Larries.

Endicott had a strong recruiting class and should be improved and Salve is lurking as well.

Nice post ITH. Western New England has come a long way in the past decade. They have established themselves as a program to be reckoned with in NE and the East Region. They are most definitely the kinds of NE and have showed that by consistently putting down determined Springfield teams the past few seasons. To dlip, with the return of both of the excellent players ITH named they should remain on top of the NE mountain and give fits to SLU and most certainly RPI.

Quote from: ITH radio on May 02, 2017, 12:10:07 PM
Payne is a good back so I can see him setting up and having a better year, but SLU under Coach Puck is a more spread offense like Hobart's now. The questions I have for the Saints is how they'll reload after graduating both Gallager and Gardiner, not to mention a ton of defensive talent.

Richardson proved to a be a strong QB, just not sure who's coming back in 2017 to fill in the gaps?

Tough to say. With a tough schedule this year and losing so many starters on defense I'm not sure what to expect out of SLU this year. The two TEs in Gallagher and Gardiner will hurt as they were so big and versatile, but I think the offense will be just fine. Richardson will be back at QB as well as leading wr ferraro, rb Payne, maybe new rb in williams from albany, plus most of the offensive line. It's the defense that will be the questions mark. I don't think anyone can stop the sweeney + shed train from hobart anyway.

Quote from: Bartman on May 02, 2017, 12:37:32 AM

Quote from: stlawus on May 01, 2017, 10:03:39 PM
Looks like SLU just picked up a D-1 transfer at RB.  SLU football has come a long ways.

We may need to check his transcripts to verify the academic prowess.....especially if he gets more than 5 YPC this year.... good luck to the Saints ...see you and your new transfer RB in Geneva this year

UAlbany transfer who didn't get any carries it looks like. Was a stud recruit out of Choate and from Brockton, MA.

Quote from: ITH radio on April 12, 2017, 06:38:55 AM

Quote from: Stlarry on April 10, 2017, 12:56:57 PM
SLU rolling out some of their commits on twitter: https://twitter.com/SLU_Football

Smart move with programs like Hobart and Utica having done it for a couple of seasons now. Looks like SLU is getting some good talent.

Does anyone know anything about any of the recruits? Not just for SLU but for any teams. Can't say i'm up to speed on the high school talent.

Quote from: Bombers798891 on March 06, 2017, 03:56:06 PM

Quote from: ITH radio on March 06, 2017, 12:23:55 PM
SLU just tweeted their 2017 schedule. Looks strong but not a lot of home games until October.
@Utica (night game)
@Norwich
vs. IC
(Bye)
@WNEU (playoff team from 2016)
@ Union
vs. Buff St
vs. UofR
vs. RPI
@ Hobart
vs. Brockport

Oh, and props to IC for scheduling Alfred in Wk 1. Great matchup to open the new season.

I hate unbalanced H/R schedules like this. There's nothing worse than realizing "Well, I'll barely get to see my team for half the season." I like being able to watch players (in person) throughout the year. In 2011, Ithaca opened at home, and then played five of the next six on the road. Throw in a bye week and they were home once from September 10 to October 22. Lousy, from a fan perspective

Completely agree, tougher to gage fan interest as well without the nicer/warmer days at home in the north country. Pretty impressive job scheduling though. Looks like Endicott said bye bye after getting walloped twice in a row. Good for the E8 and LL for scheduling each other even more. Would like love an Empire conference with a Liberty division and something else clever to name the other division with the empire 8 teams. The WNEU game scares me a little because SLU will most likely take a step back and WNEU will be jacked up to prove they are for real. Overall, the home/away ratio stinks but a pretty solid schedule.

I would not say SLU was overrated. They dominated the teams they should dominate and the incredible air attack of Sweeney and Shed exposed their one major flaw. WPI is a good team as evidenced by the previous three losses by a combined 9 points. A flukey pick six the bounced off of the receivers hands and timely penalties aided the game in being very close.

Congrats to the statesman on the win. I really do not like how they are "co champs" with SLU. Hobart won the head to head tiebreak and should be sole champs. The fact that RPI got rings last year that said LL Champs drives me bananas. Great season - but you did not win your league.

Hoping for a good matchup for Hobart in rd 1 and beyond. A good showing heading into next year when adding Ithaca can be the first step in the right direction for the league. And for the minuscule chance SLU gets in, let's hope it isn't a 3rd trip to Mt Union in 6 years (although MU lost today).

Just as I was worried about - Sweeney and Co came to play.

Quote from: Frank Rossi on November 01, 2016, 05:44:58 PM
Without looking too deeply, here's my thought on how tomorrow will look.  Note the major SOS difference between SLU/WNEU/Salve and Fisher/Hobart/Salisbury.  The RPI common result was close for both Hobart and SLU despite a W vs. a L.  It's razor thin between them.

1) Alfred
2) Stevenson
3) Fisher
4) Hobart
5) SLU
6) Salisbury
7) WNEU
8) Salve
9) Wesley
10) Frostburg

I get the reasoning and I expect a very close game, but against 5 mutual opponents SLU is 5-0 and +92 against Hobart who is 4-1 and +30. Would be very surprised to see Hobart ahead of this week before the big matchup.

SLU's non-conference opponents have really performed poorly this year. SUNY Morrisville was a very good team the past few years and could be heading for an 0-10 or 1-9 record (last game against Alfred State). Norwich will win at least one more game as should endicott. Plus, they haven't played Hobart or WPI yet, each with winning records. But you are right, the lower SOS and Hobart continuing to finish strong is very worrisome.

Hope the feed is fixed by next week as well. Like we said earlier, it is usually very very good and free. 

I'll be perfectly honest here...

SLU is the better team, but Hobart's late game heroics and big WRs combined with the rocket arm of Sweeney has me thinking this game could be in favor of the pumpkinheads.

Hoping for a great matchup where the refs swallow their whistles and let the boys play. A lot of bad blood between these two teams over the past two years with some extremely close games. The SLU senior class has yet to beat Hobart and will get their last shot at them. Hobart's senior class knows the importance of this game as they look to finish back on top . Should be a great one, looking forward to the ITH podcast this week to discuss.

Very surprised, the feed is usually A+. Does not compare to RPI or Ithaca, but usually very good. Must be having some technical issues up there. The weather does look a little suspect.