FB: Empire 8

[D3MAFAN]

They just added Husson and Husson hasn't posted all the games to its schedule yet.

Okay, thanks!

[AUPepBand]

Okay, it's June 4 and Pep has already read Lindy's football magazine (Fisher fans won't like his D3 Top 25) and Pat's story in the USA Today Football Magazine (Fisher, Pep thinks, is in at #10 in the land)...and is thinking that maybe it's time to get some chatter on the E8 boards. Here's Pep's prediction on how the 2014 season will pan out:

Ithaca Salisbury SJF Brockport Buff State Alfred Frostburg Utica Hartwick all tied for first (and last) with 4-4 conference records. Discuss! 

On Saxon Warriors!

[D3MAFAN]

Okay, it's June 4 and Pep has already read Lindy's football magazine (Fisher fans won't like his D3 Top 25) and Pat's story in the USA Today Football Magazine (Fisher, Pep thinks, is in at #10 in the land)...and is thinking that maybe it's time to get some chatter on the E8 boards. Here's Pep's prediction on how the 2014 season will pan out:

Ithaca Salisbury SJF Brockport Buff State Alfred Frostburg Utica Hartwick all tied for first (and last) with 4-4 conference records. Discuss! 

On Saxon Warriors!

I wonder how the champion would be decided? The infamous coin flip(s) or last team to make a playoff appearance, which I not a fan of or head-to-head results and OOC SOS.

[Bombers798891]

Okay, it's June 4 and Pep has already read Lindy's football magazine (Fisher fans won't like his D3 Top 25) and Pat's story in the USA Today Football Magazine (Fisher, Pep thinks, is in at #10 in the land)...and is thinking that maybe it's time to get some chatter on the E8 boards. Here's Pep's prediction on how the 2014 season will pan out:

Ithaca Salisbury SJF Brockport Buff State Alfred Frostburg Utica Hartwick all tied for first (and last) with 4-4 conference records. Discuss! 

On Saxon Warriors!

Once we get past the whole "Lindy's doesn't really follow D-III football like Pat and the guys do" angle, which is totally valid, one of the things which I think hurts Fisher, at least recently, is that their regular season seems to stand in contrast to their postseason.

Last year Fisher was 5-2, and trailing 20-0 at home to Utica. They looked pretty dead in the water, and if I recall, there were some Fisher fans wondering if perhaps the Cardinals should start Naton for the rest of the season to get a jump on next year. Naturally, they rallied to win that game, stomped Alfred in what might have been a Pool C play in game, and then played extremely well in the postseason, even giving UMHB a scare.

In 2011, they had an 8-2 regular season where the two losses were butt kickings, and a couple of the wins (Buff State, Ithaca) were nailbiters. I saw them barely able to beat the worst IC team in 40 years. We heard endlessly about the "running back playing quarterback". Naturally, they wound up in the final 8 again, because Fisher.

I think the problem is, Fisher spends half the year underachieving and looking like a team that won't even make the playoffs, and the other half looking like a team absolutely no one wants to play. So at the end of the year, the people who don't follow D-III football closely see a 3-loss team and slot them accordingly. Is that fair? No. Is it surprising? No.

Honestly, while I get Salisbury's just a bad matchup for them, I have no idea why these Fisher teams that wind up being really good randomly struggle so much in the regular season. How could they take Dan Juvan to the cleaners every year, but need overtime to beat Jason Hendel? Why in the world are they trailing 20-0 at home to a 3-7 Utica team? Why did they turn the ball over 32 times against IC last year?

We know better than to doubt Fisher, and that usually, the Cardinals are better than they look in Week 7. I question if others do the same

[Bombers798891]

Since we're talking football again...

The other day, at my parents I found a video labeled '1991 Ithaca Football Season.' I popped it in, and was an NFL-Films style, week-by-week recap of Ithaca's season, complete with game-highlights, player interviews and features. Some of the best moments:

1. Realizing that under today's rules, Ithaca's best WR, Nick Ismailoff, absolutely would have cost the Bombers at least three touchdowns thanks to taunting. That, or Butterfield would have killed him after the first one.

2. Forgetting how, thanks to playing two D-II schools back to back, Ithaca was insanely close to missing the playoffs.

3. Finding out that heading into the 1991 Jug game, Cortland was ranked #1 in Upstate New York, but their starting QB was hurt. This is apparently patient zero for the weird epidemic where Cortland always seems to be on their 8th-sting quarterback in the Jug. Also, the crowd was like, three feet from the field with no barriers and I'm amazed that no one died, or that Ismailoff didn't start a fight with 20 people.

4. Right at the start of the highlights of the playoff home game against Union, the narrator says that Union was upset that despite being undefeated, they were not given the #1 seed in NY, but they would soon find out why Ithaca was. This seemed like a totally random thing to include, and then I remember Union spent Butterfield's entire career ducking the Bombers, which absolutely ticked them off. Then its inclusion made total sense, and it was hilarious. I'd forgotten how insufferable IC people thought Union was back then. If I had to wager, I'd say that was probably the 2nd most satisfying with of the season for the Bombers. 

[fisheralum91]

Fisher coming in at no.10 makes sense, but preseason rankings always give me the willies.
An early loss to either Otterbein or B'port coupled with a early season bye would send them into a tumble.
I dont think that will happen, and the real meat of the schedule doesnt begin until October 4 when Sals. comes to town.
Game one should set the tone

[ITH radio]

Surprised IC didn't get more preseason consideration. True 3 losses is a killer but they beat SJF and lost to Wesley by only 8 in the playoffs. Hartwick loss is inexplible but I can see the Bombers making some noise in 14.

[pg04]

I don't have much to add other than I'm really looking forward to 2.5 months from now and Brockport being part of this conference. I've had long enough without (American) football. Time to speed this up!

[fisheralum91]

I hate to speed the summer away- since we havent even really had one yet, but im chomping at the bit for Football!

[Bombers798891]

Surprised IC didn't get more preseason consideration. True 3 losses is a killer but they beat SJF and lost to Wesley by only 8 in the playoffs. Hartwick loss is inexplible but I can see the Bombers making some noise in 14.

Ithaca is graduating nearly its entire defense, which was by for more responsible for its success in '13 than the offense

[pg04]

I hate to speed the summer away- since we havent even really had one yet, but im chomping at the bit for Football!

I feel you, FA91. Especially those of you actually in NY. It's been pretty warm here for a while, but yeah I don't really want to wish away the summer either. The World Cup will help the transition a little..

[D3viewer]

Looks like Rankl at AU has hired an OC. Puccio must be out (at least as OC). Scott Linn spent 5 years at Hartwick coaching every defensive position and was asst Hc there his last season.
Spent last season at Rhodes (TN) as DB ST Coord. Coached RB's at AU a few years back (Vinson Hendrix).
Rankl is obviously familiar with him.

[saxontad]

D3viewer.  Do you have a source?  I hadn't heard this.


On Saxon Warriors!!

[bleedpurple]

D3viewer.  Do you have a source?  I hadn't heard this.

On Saxon Warriors!!

http://www.footballscoop.com/the-scoop

[saxontad]

Thanks bleedpurple!!


On Saxon Warriors!!