FB: Empire 8

[boobyhasgameyo]

Ithaca loses their top two running backs to injury, which should help Fisher a lot in two weeks.

Meanwhile, the triple option doesn't work at Butterfield. Period. Salisbury did nothing on offense all game. (8 first downs, 141 yards) But they also put the ball on the ground six times, and were pretty awful passing. I know what Bomber23 said about matchups, but honestly, it still blows my mind that Fisher can have so much trouble with these guys on defense, and Ithaca really has never had much difficulty.

Total rushing yards allowed by Fisher each game this year:


Otterbein - 150 yards
Brockport - 180 yards
Frostburg - 38 yards
Salisbury  - 312 yards
Hartwick  - 22 yards
Utica  - 29 yards
Alfred State - negative 4 yards

Yeah, I'd say it is a matchup problem. 

[Upstate]

I believe a huge chunk of those yards surrendered to OTT was on 2 runs, one went for an 82 yd TD out of the "wildcat"...

If you line up and try to run straight at them with no deception type of action/motion good luck...

They've been good all year vs traditional run looks...

[dewcrew88]

Pep's Picks

St. John Fisher College 56, Alfred State 6
Alfred U. 33, Frostburg State 24
Ithaca 24, Salisbury 21
Buffalo State 31, Utica 21
Brockport State 56, Hartwick 49

Go AU!

Got the score right but the teams backwards! UC is 5-3!

[AUPepBand]

Pep's Picks

St. John Fisher College 56, Alfred State 6
Alfred U. 33, Frostburg State 24
Ithaca 24, Salisbury 21
Buffalo State 31, Utica 21
Brockport State 56, Hartwick 49

Go AU!

Got the score right but the teams backwards! UC is 5-3!

...and Pep is 4-1 on his picks this week!!

[Bengalsrule]

   Here's to hoping that my BENGALS continue their "streak" against a good Utica team. Defensively the Pioneers present a number of problem for BSC! Their #1 passing defense will cause my BENGALS "O" many problems. Pioneer receiver Acevedo will be the toughest receiver that our secondary will face to date! In the past, tough receiver's have been a problem for my BENGALS. 

Ouch How I wish that I was wrong! Utica held us to 75 yards rushing (100 plus less than 178 per game avg) and 194 passing (50 less than season avg of 244). And ACEVEDO!!!  OOwweee 4 catches, 128 yards (32 yds per catch ) and the "toe tippinest" ( I think thats a word) touchdown I've ever seen at Coyer field. He must have tiptoed the last 15 yards before he dove for the end zone on his 35 yd t.d.. The kid is special. He doubled his yards per catch avg (18.2) versus my boys. And he made it look easy. Heck, his q.b. missed him in the 1st quarter on the same play touchdown play  (a fade) where he had the corner beat by at least 5. Kudos to the Pioneers, they were clearly the better team today.

As bad as we played today, we still have a "Chance". Being 3-2 with the ultimate tie breaking game ahead of us next weekend....what more could a 5-2 team ask for? If you want to be the best then you have to beat the best. And clearly SJF is the cream of the crop in the E8, and 1 of the tops in the country. I'm hoping that my BENGALS shake this 1 off quickly (and I believe that Coach Boyes has already put this 1 behind him) and get ready for thier toughest test of the season.

Im hoping for the best. I love these boys!!

Go BENGALS!!!

[sjfcards]

Ithaca loses their top two running backs to injury, which should help Fisher a lot in two weeks.

Meanwhile, the triple option doesn't work at Butterfield. Period. Salisbury did nothing on offense all game. (8 first downs, 141 yards) But they also put the ball on the ground six times, and were pretty awful passing. I know what Bomber23 said about matchups, but honestly, it still blows my mind that Fisher can have so much trouble with these guys on defense, and Ithaca really has never had much difficulty.

Total rushing yards allowed by Fisher each game this year:


Otterbein - 150 yards
Brockport - 180 yards
Frostburg - 38 yards
Salisbury  - 312 yards
Hartwick  - 22 yards
Utica  - 29 yards
Alfred State - negative 4 yards

Yeah, I'd say it is a matchup problem.

One of these things is not like the other...

[Bombers798891]

I'm just going to say it: At the very very top, Division III football is largely unwatchable this season.

You can talk all day about how the elite teams have earned this and it's the responsibility of everyone else to catch up, and I won't argue. The bottom line is, the elite teams win by laughable margins constantly, and the sport suffers for it.

Look at five of your top 7 teams right now:

Mount: No game closer than 41 points, never scored less than 58 in an game
UMHB: Has won 73-7, 56-9, 72-16 in the last four weeks
Wesley: Last three weeks have seen 54-0, 70-2, 75-12 wins, and they might as well be playing a high school next week.
Linfield: Won 59-0, 65-13, 59-7 the last three weeks
John Carroll: Won 69-0, 80-0, 71-7 in the last three weeks

Yes, every team/year has blowouts. But give me a break. Mount Union kicked field goals on first down FIVE TIMES today. And hey, I seriously applaud them for trying to keep the game under 150-0. But in terms of actual football? That's a joke.

[boobyhasgameyo]

I wouldn't classify John Carroll as elite, since they've done nothing to earn that designation.  Unless you were referencing the truly elites, and then extending it out to the current top 7?  Either way, destroying the bottom 6 teams of the OAC is exactly what they did last year.  I have a feeling they are not as legit as their margins of victory would suggest, much like a Johns Hopkins or Hobart.  Are those teams good?  Sure.  Destroying teams that suck every week make it hard to tell how good though.  But I get the sense that Mount Union is for real again.  I will be interested to see that showdown in a few weeks.  If John Carroll keeps it within 14 points then I will be impressed.  Bet you they lose by more though. 

[Bombers798891]

I guess my point wasn't really to figure out who's "elite" or put teams in tiers or whatever. The main thing was, you've got fa handful at the top of the rankings who are winning games in an obscene manner week after week after week, and I just think it's bad for the sport.

[wesleydad]

I'm just going to say it: At the very very top, Division III football is largely unwatchable this season.

You can talk all day about how the elite teams have earned this and it's the responsibility of everyone else to catch up, and I won't argue. The bottom line is, the elite teams win by laughable margins constantly, and the sport suffers for it.

Look at five of your top 7 teams right now:

Mount: No game closer than 41 points, never scored less than 58 in an game
UMHB: Has won 73-7, 56-9, 72-16 in the last four weeks
Wesley: Last three weeks have seen 54-0, 70-2, 75-12 wins, and they might as well be playing a high school next week.
Linfield: Won 59-0, 65-13, 59-7 the last three weeks
John Carroll: Won 69-0, 80-0, 71-7 in the last three weeks

Yes, every team/year has blowouts. But give me a break. Mount Union kicked field goals on first down FIVE TIMES today. And hey, I seriously applaud them for trying to keep the game under 150-0. But in terms of actual football? That's a joke.

Bombers, I agree.  The next time I have any interest in going and watching Wesley play will be in the playoffs and the first round game may be as ugly as the last 3 have been.  I can't imagine it is even fun for the players since crushing teams gets to be boring.

On another note the E8 went wacky again yesterday and I agree, that is much more fun each week then the beatdowns that are occuring elsewhere.  Fisher wins out and they are champs.  Still baffled by how they can not beat Salisbury.

[boobyhasgameyo]

Yeah, I figured that wasn't your main point, I guess I was just saying that for some of those teams (MHB, UMU, etc.) those blowouts are a yearly thing and can be a tired demonstration of their continued dominance.  For teams like John Carroll however, it's likely a case of horrendous competition mixed with them being talented.  Johns Hopkins has been doing it in recent years in the CC.  Blowout after blowout, and while it's not fun, you know if they were in the MIAC, E8, etc. that there is noooo way they would do that. 

Mount Union or MHB in any other conference?  They are still going to blow everyone out, save for the conferences that happen to have one of the handful of teams that could put up a fight. 

Which by the way, I believe Fisher is in that category this season.  They are better than last year's team.  I keep thinking "just don't screw it up, win out and get to the playoffs."  For whatever reason they seem to be more focused in the playoffs and live up to whatever potential they have.  In 2011 I said that team with that limited offense had a ceiling of the 3rd round, but to their credit that's where they made it to.  Really the only instance in which I felt they lost a game they should have won (as opposed to could have like last year against UMHB)  in the playoffs was against Delaware Valley in 2004. 

[sjfcards]

I'm just going to say it: At the very very top, Division III football is largely unwatchable this season.

You can talk all day about how the elite teams have earned this and it's the responsibility of everyone else to catch up, and I won't argue. The bottom line is, the elite teams win by laughable margins constantly, and the sport suffers for it.

Look at five of your top 7 teams right now:

Mount: No game closer than 41 points, never scored less than 58 in an game
UMHB: Has won 73-7, 56-9, 72-16 in the last four weeks
Wesley: Last three weeks have seen 54-0, 70-2, 75-12 wins, and they might as well be playing a high school next week.
Linfield: Won 59-0, 65-13, 59-7 the last three weeks
John Carroll: Won 69-0, 80-0, 71-7 in the last three weeks

Yes, every team/year has blowouts. But give me a break. Mount Union kicked field goals on first down FIVE TIMES today. And hey, I seriously applaud them for trying to keep the game under 150-0. But in terms of actual football? That's a joke.

I could not agree with this post more. The fact that two (in most seasons) or maybe 3 (UMHB) teams have a legitimate chance of getting to and winning the national championship can not be good for D3 football. Yes, UMU and UWW have a lot of name recognition which for most football fans is 100% of their knowledge of football at this level. However, there is more people out there like us. People that would cheer for and follow their school but what is the point really?

It is not UMU or UWWs fault or problem. They follow the rules and are just doing things better than everyone else. But the whole division of football would benefit from those teams going away or coming back to earth.

I don't know how to make the point better than the 2006 Fisher team. The coaching staff put together a team that was loaded. A team with 4 players on the D3football.com all decade team. That team was as loaded with talent as any team that has not been UMU or UWW in recent history (IMHO). We all thought it was a huge step forward as a program to play close with UMU that year. You could make an argument that last years UMHB team has a similar story. Earlier this week we briefly discussed the excitement around the Fisher campus as that team made it's run. More teams/schools should have a chance to experience that. And the national championship should be an attainable goal for teams and players. If more teams had that chance, some fans would jump on and stay on the bandwagon. I am sure their are Fisher fans (maybe not on this board) that still follow Fisher because of that 2006 run. We need more of that and less of purple on purple in the only ESPN game every year.

[bomber23]

Just returning from the Bombers game as I camped out overnight... a few observations from the game...

1.) The bombers Special Teams is back? Hopefully? The incosistency on the ST has been a concern but yesterday was a pretty solid effort. Other than a muffed punt that was recovered by IC, their ST unit was good. Great field position all day and a few game changing plays. The muffed punt by Salisbury recovered by IC set up their 1st TD of the game and you could feel the energy come right out of Salisbury.  Getting ahead of them early and making them try to play catch up is as important as anything against SU. Oliver had a muffed punt again which is a cause for concern.  Turnovers kill any team but I feel like if IC turns the ball over more than once, its gonna be hard for them to win.  Id maybe rather have a sure handed returner (Carney) back there who may get 10-20 yards and not fumble than a gamebreaker who may cough it up.

2.) ICs RB are banged up. Hopefully they can get healthy but seeing the young backs in a boot and not dressed wasnt a good sight to see after the game. With the experienced O line hopefully they can get healthy or Padula who ran hard yesterday can fill in.  Brown played a little yesterday but only had 6 carries. The Oline is really good and experienced so that will help whoever is running it.

3.) I was pretty impressed with the solid WR play.  IC has 3-4 solid senior wideouts who all block, do everything good.  They dont have a game breaker at this position but they are solid.  Lynch, Bauer, and of course Boffoli are all solid.  I was most impressed with Sophmore Andrew Tabbert. Runs solid routes and catches everything.  Was open consistently and reminds me of a young Tom Vossler.  He will hopefully continue to be a solid threat for the bombers for the next 3 years.

4.) Bombers Coaches know how to shut down the triple option. They have beaten Salisbury 3 years in a row and were in a battle with a team that went to the Elite 8 when they lost.  Credit to Coaches Welch and Mcdonough and the rest of the D for their great strategy/ gameplan.

I had a feeling UC would win vs Buff State... The best way to look at how teams will fare is look at their history vs the opponents.. I think thats the best way to predict? But what do I know...

The next few weeks are going to be fun to watch in the empire 8.  Multiple teams still control their own destiny.  Fisher is still in the drivers seat but I think there are 2-4 teams that can say "if we win, were in" which is awesome. This is one of the most fun conferences to be in and watch the outcomes. Hang on for an interesting next few weeks.

[Bombers798891]

To me, it's simply that with Mount, they literally have to stop playing offense. I mean, they've been attempting FGs on 1st/2nd/3rd down all season. They have no choice. I've see teams do nothing but run into the line for a whole quarter. I've never seen a team just not put their offense on the field after a turnover, like Mount did last week.

[Bengalsrule]

Just returning from the Bombers game as I camped out overnight... a few observations from the game...

1.) The bombers Special Teams is back? Hopefully? The incosistency on the ST has been a concern but yesterday was a pretty solid effort. Other than a muffed punt that was recovered by IC, their ST unit was good. Great field position all day and a few game changing plays. The muffed punt by Salisbury recovered by IC set up their 1st TD of the game and you could feel the energy come right out of Salisbury.  Getting ahead of them early and making them try to play catch up is as important as anything against SU. Oliver had a muffed punt again which is a cause for concern.  Turnovers kill any team but I feel like if IC turns the ball over more than once, its gonna be hard for them to win.  Id maybe rather have a sure handed returner (Carney) back there who may get 10-20 yards and not fumble than a gamebreaker who may cough it up.

2.) ICs RB are banged up. Hopefully they can get healthy but seeing the young backs in a boot and not dressed wasnt a good sight to see after the game. With the experienced O line hopefully they can get healthy or Padula who ran hard yesterday can fill in.  Brown played a little yesterday but only had 6 carries. The Oline is really good and experienced so that will help whoever is running it.

3.) I was pretty impressed with the solid WR play.  IC has 3-4 solid senior wideouts who all block, do everything good.  They dont have a game breaker at this position but they are solid.  Lynch, Bauer, and of course Boffoli are all solid.  I was most impressed with Sophmore Andrew Tabbert. Runs solid routes and catches everything.  Was open consistently and reminds me of a young Tom Vossler.  He will hopefully continue to be a solid threat for the bombers for the next 3 years.

4.) Bombers Coaches know how to shut down the triple option. They have beaten Salisbury 3 years in a row and were in a battle with a team that went to the Elite 8 when they lost.  Credit to Coaches Welch and Mcdonough and the rest of the D for their great strategy/ gameplan.

I had a feeling UC would win vs Buff State... The best way to look at how teams will fare is look at their history vs the opponents.. I think thats the best way to predict? But what do I know...

The next few weeks are going to be fun to watch in the empire 8.  Multiple teams still control their own destiny.  Fisher is still in the drivers seat but I think there are 2-4 teams that can say "if we win, were in" which is awesome. This is one of the most fun conferences to be in and watch the outcomes. Hang on for an interesting next few weeks.

I couldn't agree more! E 8 has to be the SEC of D3! (That rhymes)