FB: Empire 8

[boobyhasgameyo]

I believe the box score showed that Salisbury only had 5 first downs the entire game. 

How does that happen??  Especially to a team that runs the option.  I know that Wesley is a very talented team but I am curious if the truth lies somewhere in between them being that good and Salisbury being that bad.  After all just last week Salisbury beat a usually talented CN team.  CN just lost by a score to the #24 team in the country, so it's not as though they are scrubs. 

I'm just making excuses in case Fisher falls to the steaks again this year.  If ever a team in our region has our number these past 5 or 6 years, it is them. 

[sjfcards]

Salisbury is getting killllllled right now.  Maybe they aren't that good this year?  Maybe it's a fluke.

After allowing 30+ against CNU and now this, I think it's safe to say the defense has major issues. No excuses for Fisher this year. They need to take Salisbury down

I don't know how good or bad Salisbury is, but until Fisher does best them, the stakes are the favorite against Fisher in my mind.

[wesleydad]

E8 guys, I was at the game between Wesley and Salisbury and it was no fluke.  Let me start by saying this is likely the best Wesley team they have had in the last 8 years, certainly the best defense.  In week 1 the defense held the nations leading rusher last to under 100 yards, he avg close to 200 a game last year.  Coach Drass has come up with a game plan to stop the option and it shows, Wesley has won the last 8 or 9 games I believe.

Now, about the Gulls.  They are not as good as they have been.  The QB is a tough kid, took a beating last night and kept getting up.  I have to question the coaches as to why he was still in the game trailing 40 - 3 with his knee wrapped from a hit he took in the first half.  They do not have any killer backs.  They are good, but not like they usually have.  The QB is not much of a threat to throw, especially when they have to if you stop the run.  There defense is adequate at best.  There secondary gives 10 yard cushions which Wesley has a field day with.  Wesley was stopped inside the 15 on 2 drives and did not attempt the field goal either time.  So the score could have been much worse.  The best players they have are the kickers.  The punter is the best I have seen, probably ever, which explains his AA status on D3.  He will change the field position.  The place kickers, I think they use different ones for kick offs and field goals are nice.  Watched the field goal kicker nailing 50 yarders with ease at halftime.  I think the top level teams should beat this Gulls team.  They are off this week so the Buff St game will tell where they are.  I left the game a bit early, drizzling and damp and not close, and listened to their radio guys.  They said that Coach Sherman has said that they are thin after the starters, so if that is where they are it could be a long year for the Gulls.

[middlerelief]

I'm guessing it has been covered - just in case

watched the Brockport Cortland game -- quite possibly the ugliest college football game I have ever watched. Complete botch job by Cortland coaches at the end. 

None the less - B'Port 2-0 heading into Courage Bowl!

[boobyhasgameyo]

E8 guys, I was at the game between Wesley and Salisbury and it was no fluke.  Let me start by saying this is likely the best Wesley team they have had in the last 8 years, certainly the best defense.  In week 1 the defense held the nations leading rusher last to under 100 yards, he avg close to 200 a game last year.  Coach Drass has come up with a game plan to stop the option and it shows, Wesley has won the last 8 or 9 games I believe.

Now, about the Gulls.  They are not as good as they have been.  The QB is a tough kid, took a beating last night and kept getting up.  I have to question the coaches as to why he was still in the game trailing 40 - 3 with his knee wrapped from a hit he took in the first half.  They do not have any killer backs.  They are good, but not like they usually have.  The QB is not much of a threat to throw, especially when they have to if you stop the run.  There defense is adequate at best.  There secondary gives 10 yard cushions which Wesley has a field day with.  Wesley was stopped inside the 15 on 2 drives and did not attempt the field goal either time.  So the score could have been much worse.  The best players they have are the kickers.  The punter is the best I have seen, probably ever, which explains his AA status on D3.  He will change the field position.  The place kickers, I think they use different ones for kick offs and field goals are nice.  Watched the field goal kicker nailing 50 yarders with ease at halftime.  I think the top level teams should beat this Gulls team.  They are off this week so the Buff St game will tell where they are.  I left the game a bit early, drizzling and damp and not close, and listened to their radio guys.  They said that Coach Sherman has said that they are thin after the starters, so if that is where they are it could be a long year for the Gulls.

Thanks for the recap Wesleydad.  I remember their punter having a huge impact last year...which is crazy to say.  I hope the Fisher coaches watch the film from the Wesley game to watch how you contain their offense so effectively.  I'm still inclined to believe it was more of a matchup problem for Salisbury than an indication of how good or bad their team may be.  Thomas More plays Wesley within 2 scores yet Salisbury loses by 38?  I would wager that if Thomas More and Salisbury faced off it would be a pretty competitive game, much like their week one win over Christopher Newport. 

[wesleydad]

E8 guys, I was at the game between Wesley and Salisbury and it was no fluke.  Let me start by saying this is likely the best Wesley team they have had in the last 8 years, certainly the best defense.  In week 1 the defense held the nations leading rusher last to under 100 yards, he avg close to 200 a game last year.  Coach Drass has come up with a game plan to stop the option and it shows, Wesley has won the last 8 or 9 games I believe.

Now, about the Gulls.  They are not as good as they have been.  The QB is a tough kid, took a beating last night and kept getting up.  I have to question the coaches as to why he was still in the game trailing 40 - 3 with his knee wrapped from a hit he took in the first half.  They do not have any killer backs.  They are good, but not like they usually have.  The QB is not much of a threat to throw, especially when they have to if you stop the run.  There defense is adequate at best.  There secondary gives 10 yard cushions which Wesley has a field day with.  Wesley was stopped inside the 15 on 2 drives and did not attempt the field goal either time.  So the score could have been much worse.  The best players they have are the kickers.  The punter is the best I have seen, probably ever, which explains his AA status on D3.  He will change the field position.  The place kickers, I think they use different ones for kick offs and field goals are nice.  Watched the field goal kicker nailing 50 yarders with ease at halftime.  I think the top level teams should beat this Gulls team.  They are off this week so the Buff St game will tell where they are.  I left the game a bit early, drizzling and damp and not close, and listened to their radio guys.  They said that Coach Sherman has said that they are thin after the starters, so if that is where they are it could be a long year for the Gulls.

Thanks for the recap Wesleydad.  I remember their punter having a huge impact last year...which is crazy to say.  I hope the Fisher coaches watch the film from the Wesley game to watch how you contain their offense so effectively.  I'm still inclined to believe it was more of a matchup problem for Salisbury than an indication of how good or bad their team may be.  Thomas More plays Wesley within 2 scores yet Salisbury loses by 38?  I would wager that if Thomas More and Salisbury faced off it would be a pretty competitive game, much like their week one win over Christopher Newport.

Booby, having seen both games I think Thomas More would beat Salisbury by 2+ TDS.  The Gulls defense would have trouble with Thomas More's offense too.  The Gulls will likely score on teams based on the offense they run, but they are going to give up points, especially if the opponent can throw the ball.

[boobyhasgameyo]

I haven't seen Thomas More in person since Fisher played them in the 2012 season, so I can't speak on it.  But I will say this - the E8 definitely has teams that can throw the ball.  So they will put that theory to the test. 

[Upstate]

The throwing ability of SUs QBs has always been the difference between defending them and defending Springfield, who except for two games Fisher was able to contain and shut down...

If SU can't throw as well as they could from previous years it could be the difference for Fisher this year...

[Bombers798891]

The throwing ability of SUs QBs has always been the difference between defending them and defending Springfield, who except for two games Fisher was able to contain and shut down...

If SU can't throw as well as they could from previous years it could be the difference for Fisher this year...

To me, the difference is the defense of Salisbury. Yes, they were playing very good teams, but Fisher's very good. So I'm not sure what there is to like about a defense that's allowed 75 points and 830 yards in two weeks. If Fisher's WRs are as good as you guys have been saying, they should win it handily from what I've seen of the teams this season.

At some point, there just can't be excuses, and if you're the better team (which Fisher is) you have to win it. I'm pulling for the Cardinals to get it done this season

[boobyhasgameyo]

But I like giving excuses 

I am rooting hard for Fisher to go undefeated this year.  But admittedly that would be quite the accomplishment for them.  For as much success as we've had in the post season, we've never made it out of the E8 unscathed.  Which means along the way we always seem to lose to somebody we probably shouldn't lose to. 

[dlippiel]

Dlip would like to congratulate Utica on their come from behind victory over Union today in Schenectady.

Happy for the conference, but man, you have to feel for union at this point. But as we learned with st Lawrence in 2010, conference play is a whole new season. Spirits up, Dlip!

Thank you bombers! +k for Dlip, yesterday was absolutely awful. Dlip will love and support the U forever. However the heartbreak has really been growing the past four seasons.

[sjfcards]

New top 25 is out. Fisher is up to 8th, Hobart 12th and Ithaca 19th. Strong showing for the East.

[boobyhasgameyo]

Do you get some sort of advanced copy mailed to your house?  I still don't see the poll up. 

[Pat Coleman]

Pays to follow us on social media!

[Saxon73]

New top 25 is out. Fisher is up to 8th, Hobart 12th and Ithaca 19th. Strong showing for the East.

Lycoming stays at 23, Widener enters at 24. Don't want to forget the MAC attack.