FB: Liberty League

[PBR...]

Attention PBR

How do you expect your Iggles to win any games when there are distractions like these prowling the sidelines?



_{click to enlarge, you know you want to}

phew...thank u gro for that...pbr just finished buying her dinner....she kept droning on and on something about puppy dawgs and ice cream in thug mansion...

[Findtheball]

 Boy - OH BOY don't I love them puppies

[PBR...]

KS had today off, he headed to his VFW post to help set up for hotdogs and beer after the Veterans Day ceremony in Secaucus this morning.  KS got to see some of the WWII vets that only come out for special occasions.  The sad thing is there is less of them each year.  KS had a few pops, had a good time, and is now watching war movies on TV in keeping with a tradition KS started as a kid with dad KS.

right on KS...pbr is watchin' midway right now on amc channel...luv this movie and have seen it 100 times. pop pbr made pbr watch it from the time pbr was a rugrat crawlin' around..

[Knightstalker]

KS had today off, he headed to his VFW post to help set up for hotdogs and beer after the Veterans Day ceremony in Secaucus this morning.  KS got to see some of the WWII vets that only come out for special occasions.  The sad thing is there is less of them each year.  KS had a few pops, had a good time, and is now watching war movies on TV in keeping with a tradition KS started as a kid with dad KS.

right on KS...pbr is watchin' midway right now on amc channel...luv this movie and have seen it 100 times. pop pbr made pbr watch it from the time pbr was a rugrat crawlin' around..

KS is watching the same movie, watched the Longest Day before Midway.  Watched Guns of Navaronne at the post.

[redswarm81]

KS had today off, he headed to his VFW post to help set up for hotdogs and beer after the Veterans Day ceremony in Secaucus this morning.  KS got to see some of the WWII vets that only come out for special occasions.  The sad thing is there is less of them each year.  KS had a few pops, had a good time, and is now watching war movies on TV in keeping with a tradition KS started as a kid with dad KS.

right on KS...pbr is watchin' midway right now on amc channel...luv this movie and have seen it 100 times. pop pbr made pbr watch it from the time pbr was a rugrat crawlin' around..

Midway is historically pinpoint accurate (I just wish they'd omitted that Father-son b.s. between Charlton Heston and Edward Albert).

The Dirty Dozen - I will watch it every time, and one of these times Jim Brown is going to make it!

[labart96]

Here's some more scroll down material:

Hobart 20 - Rensselaer 17

"Vella [is] the holder.  Snap is low, gets it down.  Kick is on the way.  THE KICK is.....GOOOOOD!
HOBART WINS THE GAME!!!!" – Ted Baker, WEOS broadcaster

The Hobart Statesmen (7-1, 5-1) upset the then #17 AFCA/#20 D3football.com ranked Rensselaer (7-1, 5-1) on a FY PK Conor Callahan 37 yard field goal with no time remaining to spoil the '86 Field Finale for the black-clad (in lieu of their traditional red and white) Engineer football team. 

The win puts the Statesmen in the driver's seat to earn their fifth consecutive NCAA football tournament bid and at least another share of the League Championship.  Hobart must now defeat Rochester (3-6, 3-3) in their season finale to secure at least a share of the league championship (RPI will be named co-Champions if they defeat the Maritime Academy this Saturday) and the Pool A bid.   

Although the Engineers out-gained the Statesmen by a mark of 392 to 259 yards (including an impressive 157 – 47 advantage in rushing offense), Hobart made the big plays when needed in order to get the win.  The loss takes RPI's playoff destiny out of their own hands, and after a season of being the front-runners, Rensselaer needs help in order to receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs. 

In TGP's opinion, there were four key aspects from last Saturday's game that lead to a Hobart victory:

1. Hobart's Pass Defense – Hobart's #4 ranking in the NCAA lived up to the hype, limiting SR RPI QB Jimmy Robertson to 18 of 44 passing (40.9%) which was almost 30 percentage points below his season average (68.6).  Robertson's 235 passing yards were also below his season average and Hobart SR FS Lance Boyington picked off Robertson's only third interception of the season – killing an RPI scoring opportunity.  Losing SR WR Eren Savasli to a broken collarbone certainly did not help the RPI passing attack, but Hobart got enough pressure (including two sacks for -19 yards) to disrupt RPI's spread offense.
2. Red Zone Offense/Defense – Putting it simply, Hobart went three for three (100%) on red zone offense while keeping the RPI offense at 50% (two for four) inside the red zone.  Although Hobart only scored one offensive TD, they found other ways to generate points, namely:
a.  Special teams offense - Callahan going two for two on FGs – the same Callahan that went zero for three against Union back in October; and
b.  Special teams defense – converting a SR OLB Ryan Robinson punt block into a 32 yard TD run to open the scoring with 57 seconds to play in the first quarter; and
c.  SR LB Justin Hager blocking a 19-yard field goal attempt by RPI JR PK Peter Nilson with 19 seconds left in the first half keeping Hobart's 10-3 lead going into half-time.
3. Third Downs – The Statesmen defense limited the RPI offense to an incredible four for 17 (23.5%) on third downs.  Although RPI did successfully convert two of three fourth down opportunities – probably the biggest highlight for RPI being a 50 yard Robertson to SO WR Patrick McCarthy touchdown reception to tie the game at 17 with under 2:35 to play – Hobart's defense created a lot of three and outs, sending the RPI offense back to the sideline.
4. Time of possession – Hobart's best defense was controlling the clock and keeping Jimmy Robertson and the RPI offense off the field.  The Statesmen won the TOP battle 32:04 to 27:56 with an incredible 11:45 to 3:15 advantage in the fourth quarter.  The drives of the game were orchestrated by FY QB Doug Vella (seven of 11 passing for 82 yards, 1 touchdown and 43 yards rushing) who was forced into duty when Hobart SR QB Rich Doyle (16 for 32 passing for 130 yards and 1 interception) had to leave the game due to an injury.  Vella orchestrated a 17-play, 84-yard scoring drive that ended with Vella finding SO WR Andy Schettine in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal play from the 1-yard line.  Following the 50 yard RPI touchdown bomb, Vella drove the Hobart offense in a 9-play, 53-yard drive in the final 2:28 which Callahan finished with the longest field goal of his career.  Vella also successfully filled in for Doyle's kick holding duties, digging out a low snap from center and positioning the ball just in time for his classmate to make the winning kick.

The upset victory propelled the Statesmen to a #24 ranking in the D3football.com poll.  Hobart's SR LB Jeff Sanders (game high 14 tackles, ½ sack and a fumble recovery), Conor Callahan (game winning FG) and Doug Vella (Rookie Award) all earned player of the week awards from the league for their efforts on Saturday.

[labart96]

Centennial Cup Preview – Hobart vs. University of Rochester

The Statesmen (7-1, 5-1) will face their oldest active rival, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets, this Saturday in the final regular season game at the “old” Boswell Field.  Following the 2008 football season, Boswell Field and adjacent Elliott Varsity House are slated to undergo major renovations as a part of Campaign for the Colleges.  The grass of the “Boz” will be replaced with an artificial surface, all seating and the track will be replaced and lights will be added for night games.  Additionally, locker room space will be expanded and existing locker rooms refurbished.

The "Boz" has played host to dozens of NCAA Lacrosse Championship Tournament games, including the 2000 NCAA Division I North First Round Doubleheader, and in 2000 hosted its first NCAA Division III Football Tournament game, a 25-0 win over Bridgewater State College.

Hobart will look to even up the 101 year old series with Rochester as the Jackets own a one game advantage (46-47-7) over Hobart.  To honor the 100th meeting, both schools inaugurated the “Centennial Cup” which is awarded to the victor of the game.  Last season Hobart won the Cup thanks to a 30-14 victory. 

This season, Rochester has failed to replicate their 5-2 league mark, stumbling out of the gate and to date earning a record of 3-6 (3-3 in the LL).  Last weekend, the Jackets defeated St. Lawrence (1-8, 1-5) 34-20 on Senior Day at Fauver Stadium.  Although Rochester played without their starting QB (FY Brazen Subick) and RB (SO Clarence Onyiriuka), the Jackets rarely missed a beat.  Two first-time starters – SO QB Patrick Keegan and SR RB Mike Sondericker – combined for all five of Rochester’s TDs.

Keegan completed 13 of 23 passing for 158 yards and four touchdowns.  Keegan tied a Rochester record for TD passes in a game, set originally in 1967 and matched three other times before today.  Sondericker rushed 28 times for a career high 202 yards and added one TD.  Keegan earned a player of the week award from the league for his four TD day.

Although Rochester comes into the game as the underdog, the Jackets have played spoiler to the Statesmen in prior seasons.  Hobart has won the last four contests dating back to 2004.  Rochester upset Hobart by a score of 17-13 back in 2003.  Still, before then the Statesmen had not lost to the Jackets since 1995, meaning Hobart is an impressive 9-1 against Rochester in the past 10 seasons.

Although Hobart leads Rochester in virtually every statistical category this season, the Jackets do possess the #1 time of possession offense and third rated red zone defense.  Rochester can put points (19.3 PPG) and yards (302.4 YPG on average) on the board.  What has killed the Jackets offensively has been 21 turnovers (vs. 13 on defense, so -8 on the season).

Rochester is lead on defense by FY LB Chris Bickford (73 tackles, five sacks), SR DB Sean Simpson (68 tackles, one sack) and SR DB Matt Stack (59 tackles).

Pending the status of Rich Doyle, the Statesmen may start a freshman QB for the first time since the 1993 season (dating myself a bit here) when Scott Pinker ’97 was QB for the Statesmen (although Greg Helmer ’97 won Rookie of the Year awards following the 1994 season, he technically was a transfer from Colgate and not a true freshman starter).

Following the dramatic RPI victory you may think there’s a chance Hobart could be caught in a “trap game” against the Jackets, but TGP doesn’t see Coach Cragg and the coaching staff allowing that to happen.  Not to mention the upper-classmen players who have all been to the NCAA tournament during their Statesmen careers.  Although Rochester has the personnel to obtain big gains on the ground, TGP likes Hobart’s defense to keep the Yellow Jackets grounded for most of the game.

In similar fashion to the RPI game, expect to see and hear from new Statesmen players as several starters – SR QB Rich Doyle, SR TE Matt Duliba and SR RB Anthony Hobaica may be out. 

In the end, TGP predicts a 28-14 victory will put Hobart in a position – pending the final NCAA East Region Polls out tomorrow and Saturday's results from around the nation - to potentially earn another opportunity to host a first round NCAA play-off game at (the "old") Boswell Field.

Some one go tell Bob Toner to turn the sprinklers on!

[Frank Rossi]

I think I might change my vote -- you're a helluva lot better than Frank Rossi, TGP... We need to find a better nickname for you.

[Frank Rossi]

Am I the only one that's a little bit blah about the announcement that ESPN is making a play for the BCS games (other than the Rose Bowl which defected to ABC)?  While I understand that the Big 4 Networks might not have the same ratings appeal they once had, they still create much-needed publicity and ratings when it comes to games that might otherwise only have regional alumni appeal.

[Reno Hightower]

Frank has anyone dropped their ECAC bid? Heard a rumor that Curry did. Wondering how that is affecting Unions chances (provided they win of course!)?

[Jonny Utah]

Am I the only one that's a little bit blah about the announcement that ESPN is making a play for the BCS games (other than the Rose Bowl which defected to ABC)?  While I understand that the Big 4 Networks might not have the same ratings appeal they once had, they still create much-needed publicity and ratings when it comes to games that might otherwise only have regional alumni appeal.

Im suprised that ESPN (or another network) hasn't approached the NCAA and offered them 1 billion dollars to run an 8/16 d1 playoff for x amount of years.  To me, the only way we are going to get rid of this silly BCS thing is for someone to throw a lot of money at the NCAA.  I mean, Im thinking college football would generate 10X the amount of interest over basketball with a new playoff system.  Its kind of a tired subject now, but its a matter of time when it does happen, and we will all be saying 'why didn't we do this 30 years ago'.

[redswarm81]

Am I the only one that's a little bit blah about the announcement that ESPN is making a play for the BCS games (other than the Rose Bowl which defected to ABC)?  While I understand that the Big 4 Networks might not have the same ratings appeal they once had, they still create much-needed publicity and ratings when it comes to games that might otherwise only have regional alumni appeal.

Im suprised that ESPN (or another network) hasn't approached the NCAA and offered them 1 billion dollars to run an 8/16 d1 playoff for x amount of years.  To me, the only way we are going to get rid of this silly BCS thing is for someone to throw a lot of money at the NCAA.  I mean, Im thinking college football would generate 10X the amount of interest over basketball with a new playoff system.  Its kind of a tired subject now, but its a matter of time when it does happen, and we will all be saying 'why didn't we do this 30 years ago'.

I'm not disagreeing with you.

More money in college athletics.  Won't that be great.

[Frank Rossi]

Frank has anyone dropped their ECAC bid? Heard a rumor that Curry did. Wondering how that is affecting Unions chances (provided they win of course!)?

I have a message pending regarding this question -- I sent it directly to the Director of Football Championships and hope to hear back in short order regarding any late declarations and any withdrawals.

If there is one less non-NCAA Playoff implicated team left in the ECAC pool, then Union would gain entry into the ECACs if any THREE of the following teams were to be selected by the NCAA for the Big Dance:

RPI
Hobart
Husson
Ithaca
St. John Fisher
Alfred
Hartwick

If Curry and the rest remain as-is, then FOUR of those teams would need to gain entry.

[Reno Hightower]

Frank has anyone dropped their ECAC bid? Heard a rumor that Curry did. Wondering how that is affecting Unions chances (provided they win of course!)?

I have a message pending regarding this question -- I sent it directly to the Director of Football Championships and hope to hear back in short order regarding any late declarations and any withdrawals.

If there is one less non-NCAA Playoff implicated team left in the ECAC pool, then Union would gain entry into the ECACs if any THREE of the following teams were to be selected by the NCAA for the Big Dance:

RPI
Hobart
Husson
Ithaca
St. John Fisher
Alfred
Hartwick

If Curry and the rest remain as-is, then FOUR of those teams would need to gain entry.

I feel pretty good about that possibility. I dont see a scenario where 3 E8/LL teams arent invited to NCAAs.
Will be interesting to hear if Curry did drop out then.

[lewdogg11]

Frank has anyone dropped their ECAC bid? Heard a rumor that Curry did. Wondering how that is affecting Unions chances (provided they win of course!)?

If this is true, that is ridiculous.  You know it's more than likely that it isn't a choice from the players or coaches, but probably the Administration not wanting to spend more money.  You would have a potential chance to better the program and you might back out?  Well if it is true, it really does sum up the NEFC in a nutshell.