FB: Empire 8

[fisheralum91]

Any word on the Fisher/UR scrimmage?
QB choice for Fisher?

September 2 is right around the corner and from all accounts- the first 3 games of the Fisher schedule are brutal

[Bengalsrule]

  I guess I'm one of the fortunate ones today. I'm 18 minutes from watching this years pre season #14 Hobart Statesmen, take on my beloved Buffalo State Bengals, at Coyer field,  in a controlled scrimmage.  Great measuring stick for my Bengals!

Stay tuned!!!

I heard it was a great tune up for both teams. The Bengals are totally respected by Hobart coaches.  I know Hobart did not want to keep the first string out too long to avoid injury , but really needed to figure out the depth chart with some live action.

i agree Bartman. I left at halftime (10-10 with Hobart kicking a filed goal as time expired at the end of 1st half...(and then Buffalo State kicked a fg right after Hobart's successful kick). Bengal faithful were clearly pleased at what they had seen in the 1st half against a quality program such as Hobart (BTW my little brother Eric is Hobart class of '*89 and in Hobart Hall of Fame). 2 dropped (potential) t.d. passes by Hoppy in 2nd quarter, could have further Buff State excitement had Bengal receivers held on!  Some serious hitting also took place on both sides!! 

Called me encouraged after seeing Buff State vs.a high quality opponent!  Plus Bengals were missing both starting corners (glad to see Rey Jordon, who was out with a bad elbow vs Hobart,  return to football field after taking last season off to play just basketball last year). A 2015 1st team all conference corner returning, after a year off, should help Boyes sleep a little better at night!

[D3viewer]

Sattaglance

Bridgewater St (MA) 8-3 MASCAC @ Buff St 5-5    12PM   Teddy Bridgewater St lost in OT to Alfred in 1st round of NCAA playoffs last year
Brockport 7-4 @ Hobart  9-2                                12PM   rematch of last years barnburner. Brockport has a bunch of underclassmen who started on D last year not on the roster this year
Augustana (IL) 3-7 CCIW @ Cortland 5-6              12PM  Augustana won 4 straight NCAA D3 championships in the early/mid 80s. 2 of their victims were Union and Ithaca. This is not that team
Norwich (VT) 5-5 ECFC @ Morrisville 1-9               12PM  Ex Utica HC Mike Kemp is on Norwich's staff as QB coach
Alfred 12-1 @ Ithaca 5-5                                      1PM    Old rivalry with mystery on both sides. New AU QB vs new IC HC. Pep and Bombers honorary captains.
SJF (8-3) @ W & J (9-2) PAC                                1PM    Solid looking matchup. Both teams featuring new QBs. Fisher only team with somewhat long out of state trip (SW PA)
W. Conn St (5-5) MASCAC @ Hartwick (2-8)          5 PM  Odd 5 o clock start. These 2 teams love each other, interstate bromance .
St Lawrence (9-1) @ Utica Club (7-4)                    7PM Only night game of the day. UC to be tested right away. Get out your chicken riggies, tomato pies and half moon cookies. 

[AUPepBand]

Sattaglance

Bridgewater St (MA) 8-3 MASCAC @ Buff St 5-5    12PM   Teddy Bridgewater St lost in OT to Alfred in 1st round of NCAA playoffs last year
Brockport 7-4 @ Hobart  9-2                                12PM   rematch of last years barnburner. Brockport has a bunch of underclassmen who started on D last year not on the roster this year
Augustana (IL) 3-7 CCIW @ Cortland 5-6              12PM  Augustana won 4 straight NCAA D3 championships in the early/mid 80s. 2 of their victims were Union and Ithaca. This is not that team
Norwich (VT) 5-5 ECFC @ Morrisville 1-9               12PM  Ex Utica HC Mike Kemp is on Norwich's staff as QB coach
Alfred 12-1 @ Ithaca 5-5                                      1PM    Old rivalry with mystery on both sides. New AU QB vs new IC HC. Pep and Bombers honorary captains.
SJF (8-3) @ W & J (9-2) PAC                                1PM    Solid looking matchup. Both teams featuring new QBs. Fisher only team with somewhat long out of state trip (SW PA)
W. Conn St (5-5) MASCAC @ Hartwick (2-8)          5 PM  Odd 5 o clock start. These 2 teams love each other, interstate bromance .
St Lawrence (9-1) @ Utica Club (7-4)                    7PM Only night game of the day. UC to be tested right away. Get out your chicken riggies, tomato pies and half moon cookies.

Teddy graduated its outstanding QB Higgins...will be interesting to see how the Bears match up with the Bengals.
Pep wonders whether Johnson can adequately describe AU's offensive schemes when he was AU's scheme last year...AU struggles in that deep grass.
Pep got himself some of dem half moon cookies after the AU 35, Utica 21 game for the ride home last year!

+K to D3 for the preview!

[fisheralum91]

Where is the love for the Utica Club and greens?

[D3viewer]

Where is the love for the Utica Club and greens?

Check who St Lawrence is playing.

[fisheralum91]

Saw it after the fact----Well played....

Perhaps I should have said Saranac!

[Bartman]

Sattaglance

Bridgewater St (MA) 8-3 MASCAC @ Buff St 5-5    12PM   Teddy Bridgewater St lost in OT to Alfred in 1st round of NCAA playoffs last year
Brockport 7-4 @ Hobart  9-2                                12PM   rematch of last years barnburner. Brockport has a bunch of underclassmen who started on D last year not on the roster this year
Augustana (IL) 3-7 CCIW @ Cortland 5-6              12PM  Augustana won 4 straight NCAA D3 championships in the early/mid 80s. 2 of their victims were Union and Ithaca. This is not that team
Norwich (VT) 5-5 ECFC @ Morrisville 1-9               12PM  Ex Utica HC Mike Kemp is on Norwich's staff as QB coach
Alfred 12-1 @ Ithaca 5-5                                      1PM    Old rivalry with mystery on both sides. New AU QB vs new IC HC. Pep and Bombers honorary captains.
SJF (8-3) @ W & J (9-2) PAC                                1PM    Solid looking matchup. Both teams featuring new QBs. Fisher only team with somewhat long out of state trip (SW PA)
W. Conn St (5-5) MASCAC @ Hartwick (2-8)          5 PM  Odd 5 o clock start. These 2 teams love each other, interstate bromance .
St Lawrence (9-1) @ Utica Club (7-4)                    7PM Only night game of the day. UC to be tested right away. Get out your chicken riggies, tomato pies and half moon cookies.

Viewer ,
    Nice insights(+k)....looking forward to the Brockport -Hobart contest...Rain in the forecast, so TOs could be key. Good luck to the Golden Eagles....Can't wait for the season to start in Bartland ....hoping the Liberty League sweeps the E8.....Ithaca and SLU defenses and Hobart offense will need to carry the day but a tall order against these solid E8 teams

[fisheralum91]

The Fisher W&J matchup has me perplexed.
This one could go one of two ways.
An absolute battle or blowout.
It is just too early to tell as nobody other than the coaching staffs have a real handle on what teams they have.
Here is hoping that Fisher has shored up the D in a big way and Coach Keyes improves over last year.
The QB question is staring us in the face and god knows that whoever it is has ample weapons to deliver the ball too.

Very intriguing indeed!

[ITH radio]

We got the podcast up and Facebook video online this am, but I'll cop to whiffing on the fact Augustana is playing Cortland, not Fisher. Caught me a little by surprise, next time will be more prepared. Hope you guys like the new format.

[fisheralum91]

Josh Michels out of Brockport gets the start for the Cardinals against W&J this weekend.
Game notes just came out.
Looking to see how he does out of the gate.

[Bengalsrule]

If the old adage that "Steel sharpens steel" then Bengals Coach Boyes has the right idea. Scrimmaged 2016 NCAA participant Hobart last weekend and opens vs another 2016 NCAA participant this weekend (Bridgewater State)!  I'll call it the "NCAA Double". Can't ask for much tougher competition to help determine what your boys are made of. I hope that the results warrant the schedule. I hope that the Kyle Hoppy to Stephen Johnson senior combo has worked out the kinks from last weekends game vs Hobart( 1 drop and 2 overthrows).  The defense looks like they are ready for whatever! BOYES BOYS ( I gotta coin that phrase) have gone 5-0 in the last 5 season openers (Otterbein twice and Cortland 3 times).

Here's to hoping my BENGALS make it 6 openers in a row!!

Go BENGALS

[Upstate]

Josh Michels out of Brockport gets the start for the Cardinals against W&J this weekend.
Game notes just came out.
Looking to see how he does out of the gate.

I was surprised to see him on the roster going into the Fall. I believe he was at Fisher or supposed to go to Fisher last fall but it didn't work out.

http://www.hudl.com/v/27J8e6

Here's his Sr. year highlights from Brockport HS.

Looks like a Naton-ish type of pocket passer that's a good deep ball passer with some good touch dropping some throws into a bucket.

Hopefully he can get the ball to the WRs!

[fisheralum91]

I saw the hudl page yesterday-
he does look like a gunslinger
He as weapons galore on the outside so any issues wont come from lack of talent on the WR corps
The D seems to be a little older this year- smaller in some cases but hopefully smarter and faster.

I think the thing that killed me the most was crazy penalties-on both sides of the ball.
Keeping a cool head and not getting that 15 yd personal foul late hit out of bounds or similar penalty would go a long way for this team

[AUPepBand]

I saw the hudl page yesterday-
he does look like a gunslinger
He as weapons galore on the outside so any issues wont come from lack of talent on the WR corps
The D seems to be a little older this year- smaller in some cases but hopefully smarter and faster.

I think the thing that killed me the most was crazy penalties-on both sides of the ball.
Keeping a cool head and not getting that 15 yd personal foul late hit out of bounds or similar penalty would go a long way for this team

[/b]

Pep saw a couple of them in the AU-SJF game at a critical point in the game. Fisher was driving in Saxon territory. AU had a run blitz where they dropped Fusco for a loss. An AU defender gave Fusco an extra push after he was down. Fusco got up and, out of frustration, retaliated but with very little force. The AU defender who must have been enrolled in a theatre class, did a flop. Ref tossed his flag in the air. Pep would have given the AU kid a "D" for the performance. He didn't sell me. Looked too fake. The Fisher drive stalls and SJF punts deep inside the AU 10. AU punt returner starts to get up and Fisher kid shoved him back down. And that was no act on the part of the AU punt returner. I remember seeing it and saying to Kaz, "That was stupid....but that 15 yards certainly helps us!"

Curious to see the "new" Ithaca Bombers under the Rhodes Scholar...and the Saxons sans Johnson. (Well, he'll actually be there, but on the other side of ButterField.)

On Saxon Warriors!