FB: Empire 8

[Bombers798891]

Pep is thinking the 28-14 loss at Ithaca in 2005 is one that he'd like back (and perhaps Gatto would like that post back as well). A pick-6 gave the Saxons some hope in the third quarter (and a 14-13 lead). A couple of coverage lapses and the Bombers rally for the win and go 6-0 in the E8. The 13-7 win at Fisher the next week should have gotten AU in the dance, but an error-riddled 36-22 opening season loss at Washington & Lee was a blot on the AU resume.

AU had a sick defense that year with LB Brenton Brady dominating opposing offenses.  The AU offense, with Fisher reject QB Paul Keeley, Elmer "The Train" Newsome and elusive RB (Me And) Julio (Down by the Goal Line) Fuentes, TE Chris Reger....was more potent than previous Saxon squads.

On Saxon Warriors!

That's one of the games that made me convinced Alfred was like Springfield and the offense just didn't work on ICs grass. Ithaca allowed 26 PPG and 378 YPG yet Alfred had one decent drive all game. I have no idea how IC managed to allow just seven defensive points

[AUPepBand]

Pep is thinking the 28-14 loss at Ithaca in 2005 is one that he'd like back (and perhaps Gatto would like that post back as well). A pick-6 gave the Saxons some hope in the third quarter (and a 14-13 lead). A couple of coverage lapses and the Bombers rally for the win and go 6-0 in the E8. The 13-7 win at Fisher the next week should have gotten AU in the dance, but an error-riddled 36-22 opening season loss at Washington & Lee was a blot on the AU resume.

AU had a sick defense that year with LB Brenton Brady dominating opposing offenses.  The AU offense, with Fisher reject QB Paul Keeley, Elmer "The Train" Newsome and elusive RB (Me And) Julio (Down by the Goal Line) Fuentes, TE Chris Reger....was more potent than previous Saxon squads.

On Saxon Warriors!

That's one of the games that made me convinced Alfred was like Springfield and the offense just didn't work on ICs grass. Ithaca allowed 26 PPG and 378 YPG yet Alfred had one decent drive all game. I have no idea how IC managed to allow just seven defensive points

You may be right. Speed is neutralized on a field of TALLLLLLLLLLL grass (and Pep contends that the First Down Club saw to it that mowing of the field was cancelled and instead was well watered.) History was not in the Saxons' favor as AU seldom plays well on South Hill. Nevertheless, the Bomber offense delivered. Pep vaguely recalls the Bombers getting a key WR back in action after sitting out much of the season injured, who had an ESPN fourth quarter. Saxons were not ready for that. Gatto's post didn't help either. 

On Saxon Warriors!

[D3viewer]

RE : Alfred's recruits (thanks for the link )

The one that stands out for me is the 6-6 265 lb fullback ! Misprint ? or TE/ Offensive lineman in waiting. Cause you don't see NFL or D1 fullbacks that big.
Interesting.

[D3viewer]

Meet Alfred's new defensive coordinator. Rob Rankl has plucked another Rhodes College staffer (they must be loving this guy). The new OC must've needed a roomie.
So.. to recap..AU's new DC was going to be Rhodes' OC. He previously coached DBs. AU's new OC was going to coach Rhodes' DBs. Makes sense to me. Or just a random tongue twister. These 2 coaches sound almost interchangeable. Maybe that was the idea. If neither works out..they can just switch jobs.

http://www.rhodeslynx.com/coaches.aspx?rc=392&path=football

[AUPepBand]

RE : Alfred's recruits (thanks for the link )

The one that stands out for me is the 6-6 265 lb fullback ! Misprint ? or TE/ Offensive lineman in waiting. Cause you don't see NFL or D1 fullbacks that big.
Interesting.

That stood out to Pep as well. Will indeed be interesting.

[AUPepBand]

AUPepBand,
How is the pep band looking for this year! You should post some videos of them this year.
Good luck to your team and most importantly, your band!

Thanks for asking, dahlby....had a solid trio of freshman trumpets in 2013, all who return. Will miss our Pep Band Hall of Famer Tuba Player as he's entered the work-a-day world but may make it back for a game or two. Got a solid drummer returning for his sophomore year and will likely add a few lower brass. We're thin but LOUD and spirited....just as Pep likes it.

The band's new president has initiated the band participating in Orientation by teaching all the new students the fight song at First Year Olympics, which is contested on Merrill Field on Sunday, August 24. The band has had complaints that students would join in the fight song if they knew the words....so if all goes well, the band will become a participant in orientation!!

On Saxon Warriors!

[fisheralum91]

Preseason no.9!!!!!
Go Fisher!

[D3MAFAN]

Preseason no.9!!!!!
Go Fisher!

Well deserved.

[BomberJeff]

I know this is more the Empire 8 board than a general Division 3 board, but given I don't really know where to go with it elsewhere (and being an Ithaca Bomber), I thought I'd throw this out.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby took some swipes again at the NCAA today when it comes to enforcement, saying at present, cheating pays.  The notion isn't new obviously, and neither is schools running afoul of the regulations.  However, this perception/reality (it almost doesn't matter which when it comes to sports anymore) has really been sticking out like a sore thumb the last few years.  And I'm noticing that, personally, it has really begun to drag on my love for college sports.  I watch basically no Division 1 college football, and my college basketball watching is on the verge of going the same way.  I will also say it is not just the cheating, but also the feeling that a lot of people are getting a bad deal in the name of a cause that has long not been true, and the fans don't help either sometimes.

I know that the rewards are nowhere near as lucrative to cheat in Division 3 in comparison, but a sick NCAA is a drag on all involved with it.  I find myself wondering when what's going on above is going to become a problem within D3, either in terms of actual cheating or growing cynicism of the game.  It is getting harder and harder for me to not question what is going on in D3, and wonder what dark things might be lurking, including the school I root for myself.

So I guess my question is: as you view it today, do you think/feel there is a day of reckoning on the horizon for Division 3 sports?  Also, are the schools involved with Division 3 (including your own) doing enough to combat the problem whether it is real cheating or just imagined?

[ITH radio]

Well there was some D3 schools being looked at by the NCAA a couple of years ago for allegedly providing more financial aid to student athletes than the Association thought was "fair" (i.e., an allegation of basically providing athletic scholarships at the D3 level).

Given a decent portion of D3FB schools are private its really hard to judge a school's reasoning behind offering aid and/or admission at school / amount A vs. B, so this seemed (and still seems) like a wild goose chase to me by the NCAA (which is already not exactly the most well run and/or fair organization inandof itself).

That said the lack of revenue in D3 probably means no "day of reckoning" is coming. While some schools may make admissions decisions based on aiding athletics, the extent those decisions are called out for being / considered "cheating" is really in the eye of the beholder.

I do view however that the success at the D3 level is becoming tied to geography and cost of attendance; the NESCAC's being an exception [although ironically there is a great and related discussion going on re admissions / success on the NESCAC board right now].

[sjfcards]

I know this is more the Empire 8 board than a general Division 3 board, but given I don't really know where to go with it elsewhere (and being an Ithaca Bomber), I thought I'd throw this out.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby took some swipes again at the NCAA today when it comes to enforcement, saying at present, cheating pays.  The notion isn't new obviously, and neither is schools running afoul of the regulations.  However, this perception/reality (it almost doesn't matter which when it comes to sports anymore) has really been sticking out like a sore thumb the last few years.  And I'm noticing that, personally, it has really begun to drag on my love for college sports.  I watch basically no Division 1 college football, and my college basketball watching is on the verge of going the same way.  I will also say it is not just the cheating, but also the feeling that a lot of people are getting a bad deal in the name of a cause that has long not been true, and the fans don't help either sometimes.

I know that the rewards are nowhere near as lucrative to cheat in Division 3 in comparison, but a sick NCAA is a drag on all involved with it.  I find myself wondering when what's going on above is going to become a problem within D3, either in terms of actual cheating or growing cynicism of the game.  It is getting harder and harder for me to not question what is going on in D3, and wonder what dark things might be lurking, including the school I root for myself.

So I guess my question is: as you view it today, do you think/feel there is a day of reckoning on the horizon for Division 3 sports?  Also, are the schools involved with Division 3 (including your own) doing enough to combat the problem whether it is real cheating or just imagined?

The short answer to the 'day of reckoning' question, IMHO, is no. If for no other reason than the NCAA will be the group responsible for bringing that day upon us. In the world of major college football the level of tolerance seems to be based in large part on how much money that school can generate for the NCAA (see Ohio State), and less on fairness. Also, the problems in the FCS world have been around for a long time, and nothing ever really seems to change. At the D3 level, with substantially fewer dollars at stake I just don't think the NCAA cares enough to bring anything major to this level. They may pick off obvious violations but I don't think they will make any drastic moves to the D3 level.

What I am more concerned about is school presidents, AD's, and conference commissioners at the BCS level getting together and deciding they no longer need the NCAA and creating their own league. I have heard talk about this before and I am sure it has occurred to some or all of these guys that the NCAA has probably caused more harm then good to their bottom line in the past several years at least. If they do go it alone, then I could see the NCAA looking to it's remaining members (smaller schools like ours) and playing a much more active role in this level since they really won't have much else to do. That is what scares me most.

Will schools like IC, Fisher, etc. be willing to venture away from the NCAA if it comes to that? Is NAIA the answer, or does college sports as a whole change so drastically that we won't be able to recognize it. I love me some BCS football, but what happens at that level could have a huge impact on the lower levels which I tend to prefer as it is today.

[Jonny Utah]

I know this is more the Empire 8 board than a general Division 3 board, but given I don't really know where to go with it elsewhere (and being an Ithaca Bomber), I thought I'd throw this out.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby took some swipes again at the NCAA today when it comes to enforcement, saying at present, cheating pays.  The notion isn't new obviously, and neither is schools running afoul of the regulations.  However, this perception/reality (it almost doesn't matter which when it comes to sports anymore) has really been sticking out like a sore thumb the last few years.  And I'm noticing that, personally, it has really begun to drag on my love for college sports.  I watch basically no Division 1 college football, and my college basketball watching is on the verge of going the same way.  I will also say it is not just the cheating, but also the feeling that a lot of people are getting a bad deal in the name of a cause that has long not been true, and the fans don't help either sometimes.

I know that the rewards are nowhere near as lucrative to cheat in Division 3 in comparison, but a sick NCAA is a drag on all involved with it.  I find myself wondering when what's going on above is going to become a problem within D3, either in terms of actual cheating or growing cynicism of the game.  It is getting harder and harder for me to not question what is going on in D3, and wonder what dark things might be lurking, including the school I root for myself.

So I guess my question is: as you view it today, do you think/feel there is a day of reckoning on the horizon for Division 3 sports?  Also, are the schools involved with Division 3 (including your own) doing enough to combat the problem whether it is real cheating or just imagined?

The short answer to the 'day of reckoning' question, IMHO, is no. If for no other reason than the NCAA will be the group responsible for bringing that day upon us. In the world of major college football the level of tolerance seems to be based in large part on how much money that school can generate for the NCAA (see Ohio State), and less on fairness. Also, the problems in the FCS world have been around for a long time, and nothing ever really seems to change. At the D3 level, with substantially fewer dollars at stake I just don't think the NCAA cares enough to bring anything major to this level. They may pick off obvious violations but I don't think they will make any drastic moves to the D3 level.

What I am more concerned about is school presidents, AD's, and conference commissioners at the BCS level getting together and deciding they no longer need the NCAA and creating their own league. I have heard talk about this before and I am sure it has occurred to some or all of these guys that the NCAA has probably caused more harm then good to their bottom line in the past several years at least. If they do go it alone, then I could see the NCAA looking to it's remaining members (smaller schools like ours) and playing a much more active role in this level since they really won't have much else to do. That is what scares me most.

Will schools like IC, Fisher, etc. be willing to venture away from the NCAA if it comes to that? Is NAIA the answer, or does college sports as a whole change so drastically that we won't be able to recognize it. I love me some BCS football, but what happens at that level could have a huge impact on the lower levels which I tend to prefer as it is today.

They could start by fining coaches who know these things happen.  In the times of recorded cellphones, texts, photos, etc holding coaches responsible is probably easier.

And like you said SJF, the SEC has pretty much started backup plans if the NCAA becomes to unreasonable, or if this pay for play thing comes through.  They can simply get 2-3 others large conferences to join them and they can pretty much do what they want at that point.

[fisheralum91]

I pose this question to all of the Fisher faithful.
What will the retirement of Dr. Bain have on the Football program?
Any?
Thoughts?
I have had very interesting conversations with former players and parents and their take is surprisingly all over the board.

[sjfcards]

I pose this question to all of the Fisher faithful.
What will the retirement of Dr. Bain have on the Football program?
Any?
Thoughts?
I have had very interesting conversations with former players and parents and their take is surprisingly all over the board.

I don't think you can question what he did for the football program, and quite honestly the rest of the school in general. Budgets were up while he was running the show, and any new president will want to look at all areas. The good news from a football standpoint is that the CFO at Fisher is not leaving and she really decides where the money goes. I don't know how much of an impact it will have, but if Fisher replaces Bain with a president who has no use for athletics then it don't know how that could be a goo or even neutral thing for any of the athletic programs.

[fisheralum91]

Great point cards,
I believe that Dr. Bain saw(sees) the value in athletics.
His relationship with alum Russ Brandon has led Fisher to new heights with the Bills on campus.
His heart is 100% Fisher.
Academically and Athletically.
I had the pleasure of having Dr. Bain as my mentor back in the late 80's and early 90's.
He had (has) a vision for this college, and I believe that it encompasses all facets of the institution.
I would hope that during the search for a new president, emphasis would be made on the importance of athletics as it pertains to every fiber of the college.
There are some that would care to debate me - and I welcome that- as a matter of fact- some of you already have.
Great conversations had in the park and ride and the Haffey parking lot discussing this very topic.
Discuss!