Quote from: Bartman on December 21, 2024, 08:00:12 AMCongratulations to Vincente Lyon, Hobart's Punter, for being named to the AP All America, First Team.

Not surprised.  Hopefully the right thing happens and he gets 1st team d3football.com!

Kid is a stud. 

I think we have seen enough past two years to conclude that the "east" has caught up with the rest of the country in terms of competing with the top teams.  We don't need to look up box scores of playoff games to justify which team looks better because in round 1 there was a close game between team a and team b. 

I think it is natural to use SOS and the like to rank teams, but I also think many of these playoff games can take drastic turns for the home team in all rounds.  This seems to be consistent in many college playoff games across divisions.

I'm not shocked that JHU played MU tough.  I am shocked that Sus got hammered just like I was shocked last year as to how Ithaca got smoked by RM.  But those games happen and again, there are enough games the last two years where east teams have proven they not only belong, but are even/past the rest of the country except for the top team this year. 

Quote from: Bartman on December 22, 2024, 07:42:35 AMI know NCC is a great team , but the monkey stomp they put on Sasquatch was crazy and unfortunately it taints any judgement that compares relative strength of the regions despite the Cortland win last year.

Meh I don't like the way everyone looks at college football like this these days.  Same for the d1 playoffs.  Indiana, Tenn, SMU had good football teams.  Even Alabama's loss vs the "bad" Oklahoma team kinda pisses me off because playing at Oklahoma is tough.  D1 FBS is seeing what we have seen at the d3/d2/FCS level for a long time now.  You are going to have some blowouts, especially home teams blowing out away teams. 

That being said, we also have to take in account the JHU and Springfield seasons, which basically tell me the d3 landscape is different than it was from 1995 to 2020.  The east has competed the past two years despite a few hiccups like this Sasquatch game.   Plus NCC is the best team in the country and is smoking everyone from every region. 

It is interesting as I've seen a few Hail Mary type plays at all levels of football the past few years where the refs are not calling any holding on 3 man rushes like the one in this game.  And this was a hold, but if he wasn't held he still was not making a play.  I think the refs could have let this one slide.

.   

Quote from: Machiavelli on December 09, 2024, 12:07:57 PMKind of got the vibe right from the jump Saturday that Springfield had brought their A-game. They also confirmed that Cortland just wasn't the same team as last year, which I think everyone kind of felt all season long. Reality though is while Cortland might not be as strong, they are still top tier looking at what Susquehanna is doing. Puts Hobart in a pretty good light as well IMO, even with a loss. I think Cortland's defense and special teams just put them in a tough spot to where they have seemingly been needing to come back more than they had hoped several times this year.

Springfield can always beat anyone if they get out to the lead. I feel like it's always been that way, but they are definitely a little more dynamic and less one-dimensional this year as well. We all know NCC is phenomenal, but Springfield impressed me and if they aren't overly intimidated, they could definitely hold their own next week. If they start poorly, it's also possible they lose by 4+ TDs.

I think Sasquatch has a really good shot at getting to the next round seeing Bethel got beat up by St. John's twice.

I think Salisbury knocks off Mt. Union. Though I also hope they do it gracefully compared to what I've seen them do in past seasons.

Mary Hardin-Baylor kind of snuck up on everyone, and I think they are definitely a dark horse to win the entire thing again, but Johnny Hopkins is hitting their stride(again adding to the LL wasn't THAT down conversation).

It's a fun final 8. Would love to see 2-3 'regulars' get knocked off next week.

Yup, I think the common theme the past two years is that the top "east" teams (Cortland, Ithaca, Hobart, RPI, Endicott, and now Springfield) are competing and beating the top teams from the rest of the country.  Not sure if we count JHU, Salisbury or Sasquatch in the east group, but those teams are obviously there too. 

I'd love to see Springfield roll North Central but that will be a tough task for sure. 

Quote from: Bartman on December 05, 2024, 12:23:48 PMWas 2024 a down year for the LL? On balance, the answer is yes , but some of that is the best teams just did not get it done against a more difficult OOC schedule.  LL was 24-10 last year against a lighter OOC schedule, but having a 14-15 result in 2024 was not good. Last year we had 2 teams in the playoffs but only had our automatic this year. Ithaca and Union were rewarded with top 25 rankings by both going 1-1 in the NCAA playoffs last year.  Unfortunately, Hobart will unlikely crack the Top 25 in the D3.com poll. Perhaps the NPI rankings were more accurate where Hobart was #20. Quick team review:

Hobart(+), improved over 2023 but couldn't beat 2 strong OOC teams
Ithaca(NC), looked about the same as last year except for the loss to a stronger Hobart team
Union(--), dropped from an NCAA playoff team to a losing record
RPI(-), was slightly down compared to a bowl win last year , lost to Rochester
Rochester(+), improved considerably but lacked the depth to finish well
St Lawrence(NC) , St.Lawrence, beating a down Union team not enough to show improvement
Buffalo State(+), slight improvement over last years performance, beating Uof R

So 3 teams improved( Hobart, UofR and Buffalo), 2 teams were unchanged(Ithaca and SLU) and two of the traditionally "top 4 " had down years, with Union having the biggest drop off.This is , my opinion only, but based on performance in the post season, I think Hobart rallying in a 42-35 loss to #6 SU was a better look for the league than Ithaca getting crushed 42-0 by #7 Randolph Macon in the 2023 playoff. Bottom line, yes it was a down year for the LL overall and will be reflected in the D3.com league rankings when the dust settles.

I think as Oline89 has pointed out the QB situation is the biggest issue this year.  I also don't think Ithaca is the same as they were last year although they did figure out their QB situation as the season progressed.  But Wingfield made IC a different team than IC was after they got hurt.  Not sure what happened to the RPI QB but he dropped a notch as did the RPI QB.  I only saw the Hobart QB once and he was not impressive (compared to a Boyes type player).  But that is how football generally goes.  You need that QB to separate yourself from the rest of the pack.

Ithaca has like 125 players on the roster but on the road they have the same 60 players that play at home.  Having a JV team with young talent can be an advantage but in the end it's a minor obstacle that Nescac teams can figure out how to get around. 

Quote from: NEd3ALUM on November 28, 2024, 02:21:48 PMWelch may have the bigger tree then Butterfield as previously stated. Welch himself is part of both the Butterfield and Ford trees.

Glenn Caruso - HFC @ St. Thomas
Brian Angelichio - NFL POS. coach
Mark Raymond - HFC @ Williams
Mark McDonough - DC @ Williams
Mark Ross - Previous DC @ Bloomsburg
Mike Hatcher - Cornell WRs
Dan Puckhaber - HC @ SLU
Jack Mrozinski - HC @ Hiram
Mike Cerasuolo - HC @ Springfield College

I thought Cerasulo was the GA in 1993 with Siriani (W&J).  I could be wrong.

Quote from: XREDDRAGON77 on November 28, 2024, 12:09:28 PMLarry Czarnecki was an IC hammer.  Believe he played under Butterfield and then made his way to Cortland as a HC. While at Cortland, was loved and revered! Later on, he came back and served as a great positional coach, coordinator, and outstanding guy in general.

Czar was the man.  Maybe the best coach I've ever had.  Also was one of those weight room coaches who just knew great ways to get the most out of each exercise. 

Quote from: IC798891 on November 27, 2024, 08:06:26 PM

Quote from: unionpalooza on November 27, 2024, 11:30:59 AMIf anyone ever wrote a book about Northeast college football coaching trees, I'd definitely read it.  Speaking of, I know there are big Bob Ford and Al Bagnoli coaching trees, but what about Jim Butterfield?  Does he have a similar coaching true?  (Given all his success, I have to imagine he does!)

I don't think Butterfield has a big one, beyond two obvious guys: Welch and Boyes. I guess it kind of depends how much a brief stopover counts. Dan Macneill at Cortland, for example, was a coach at IC for, a year. Dave Murray was a GA for a year and then had his career. But I don't think of them as IC guys

Mike Welch actually probably has the biggest branch, as his former OC Brian Angelichio, has been an HFL position coach forever.

As mentioned above, not all coached with Butterfield but played for him. 

A lot of Butterfield guys were also Bob Ford guys as well (Welch).  Tony Wise might be the biggest. Stlaws also forgot Brian Angelichio who is an SLU grad who coached at Ithaca and is now the TE coach/Passing game co for the Vikings (I think he was a GA in 1993 but may have been 1994 when Butterfield was gone).  Also in Minn country is Glen Caruso the HC at St. Thomas (IC 1996). Mike Sirianni (W&J head coach) was a GA under Butterfield in 1993.  Mike Cerrasulo (Springfield HC) was a GA that same year (1993).  Dave Murry (Hamilton HC and former Alfred and Cortland HC) coached at Ithaca in the 1980s.  Former Cortland HC Dan McNeill also coached at Ithaca in the early 1980s. 

Quote from: JacketsPride on November 22, 2024, 10:51:02 AMAppreciate you trying to be the parent but the negative inferences about U of R football have been consistent from Day 1.

The reason RPI and Ithaca didn't get the bid is because they never "applied."  Application deadline was 11/11.  Jackets got lucky and honestly don't deserve it.  14 schools applied.  6 got in.  Out of the other 8, 3 went to the tournament, 3 went to other bowls and the other 2 had losing records.  Getting in was a fluke and frankly not something I am looking forward to.  We are hurt everywhere and playing a huge and angry BP team is not appealing at all. I'm hopefully that our kids don't get injured.

This year despite our finish will end positively and help in the future.  There is no doubt that football wise we are behind the top four and appreciate those people who love D3 football like I do.

Not trying to be the parent but people here have always liked Rochester and have cheered for them.  The fact is they have just not been very good for all sorts of reasons.  So when people pick against them or "forget" them it doesn't mean they are being negative, it just means they think they won't win a game.  You always get moody about it and that is on you, not on anyone else. 

Whatever.  Good luck to Rochester.  I'm rooting for them despite their emotional parents.

Quote from: Bartman on November 22, 2024, 10:15:45 AMMach,
    I agree with your analysis , but maybe a 30-40 % chance. We scrimmaged Cortland , a similar team, and were able to score on them, but our passing D wasn't ready for Boyes early in the season, I think we're improved there but it will be a challenge. I checked the size of lines, etc and it is similar. IF we can beat Sasquatch and Wisc Lacrosse beats St John's ( very possible) , we would host the Farmboys from Lacrosse. I'm not sure they would fit in our visitors locker room .

Hobart has a gritty team on offense and defense and their redzone defense is very good.  Ithaca did run the ball on them with relative ease but Hobart may have adjusted since then.  Columbi is going to need to be on his game if Hobart wants any chance to go forward in the playoffs.  He has the potential but from what I've seen when Ithaca plays him he gets rattled easily.  But to give Ithaca credit they also have a great defense that actually might be better than what Hobart will see in the first couple rounds. 

Quote from: JacketsPride on November 22, 2024, 10:21:01 AMBartman- never trolling just don't like bullies and negativity. 

As mentioned Rochester has the deck stacked against them vs. Brockport.  The hope is that QB#2 Creighton Wise will return.  He is a threat with his legs but will probably not throw that much.  Pretty sure the Golden Eagles won't either with their Freshmen back who had 3 picks vs. Alfred. The problem is Isaiah
Simmons who ran for over 1300 yards and 16 TD's this season.  He is the real deal.  Not sure he can be stopped but rather contained.
To have any chance, the Jackets need to find some offense which has been non existent since Paps went down.  On a similar note, I know a lot was discussed about all conference selection misses but I do appreciate LL Coaches recognizing Paps despite him missing the last three games.

It was clear that Mach looks at d3football.com schedules and then picks the games from that list.  They left the Brockport/Rochester game off it so he didn't pick the game.  You then took it personal and fired off a trolling/negative post (which still doesn't make sense because the Chapman Bowl people would have died for RPI or Ithaca to have been in the game over Rochester but that is a story for another day) 

I get it, Rochester's best season in 50 years was the middle 3 weeks of 2024.  As sad as it is, maybe they benefit from it.  Nice to see a new fan on the boards though.  But we all get a little sensitive here, even me.  But don't act like you are above everyone else....especially here.

D3football AA for quarterback will be interesting as well with this St. John's QB moving into the mix.  He does not run at all but his passing numbers beat everyone else for a good team.

So Vincente Lyon should be an AA candidate for Hobart at punter.  I see the three preseason AAs for d3football.com are all in the top of the nation for punting stats (although the Linfield punter is not listed on the national NCAA stats).  That being said Lyon punted in situations that I think won games for Hobart.  That cannot be said for at least the Hamilton kicker and I have no idea about the Rose-Hulman kicker who has slightly better stats but their team isn't as good as Hobart. 

So since Pat reads this board he should know that Lyon probably is the best punter in the country and deserves the 1st team AA award.