FB: Liberty League

[BomberJeff]

Ithaca's start in the Liberty League ends with a tough loss to Alfred.  Was very much a story of two halves: Ithaca did well in the first putting together some good drives.  However, halftime came and whatever adjustments were made on the Ithaca end did not work and did for Alfred.  Bombers got 233 yards on offense in the first, 74 in the second.

When the Bombers weren't able to move the ball, the defense got left in a tough position.  With notably more time spent on the field (35+ minutes of possession for the Saxons today), it is a really big ask for a defense not to give up a single score in a half.  Ithaca's new offense is going to have to figure out how to better handle the clock, it felt like they were a bit overeager to run the next play.

Not a bad first game for the new IC, just one that didn't see them last to the end.

[UfanBill]

What a remarkable day in D3 football. Pre-season Top 25 teams Wisc. Whitewater,John Carroll,Wesley,Hobart,Stevenson, St.John Fisher and W. NewEngland ALL lost. (albeit a couple played other top 25 teams) The score that really jumped out at me though was St. John's 98-0 over St. Scholastica. Now that's a monkeystomp! You might be thinking...how can they run up that score? Isn't St. Scholastica a decent team, they were 7-3 last year? The real question is...how good is St. John's? In looking at the box score, the halftime score was 63-0. What's remarkable is that St.John's didn't pile it on intentionally. They used 14 different ball carriers, 3 QBs, 10 different receivers caught passes and even 3 different kickers! EVERYONE got in. What's also interesting is that the St. Scholastica head coach is a St. John.s graduate! 

[UfanBill]

More on that St. John's vs St. Scholastica game. from the box score, participation log, the Johnnies played an unbelievable 98 players, including 7 different guys who wore #5. That's in today's GAME, not a scrimmage! It was 98-0 with 10 minutes left when they finally let off the petal...Mercy...

[stlawus]

Awful first half for SLU at Utica.  Defense was playing well until giving up a 60 yard rushing TD.  Richardson is absolutely terrible right now.  I don't think he completed a pass in the 2nd quarter.

[stlawus]

Gonna need a QB change for SLU.  Richardson is absolutely horrible.

[stlawus]

Extremely awful performance by SLU.  Defense played well for 29 minutes before giving up a bad 60 yard TD to end the half.  Can't fault them too much though, they spent a lot of time on the field.  Offense...ho boy.  Richardson had the worst performance by a SLU QB in 5 years.  Had guys open all night and couldn't hit them.  Wasted tons of time at the end of the 4th quarter.  Could have saved at least another 2 minutes if the offense actually hurried up.  Special teams were poor as well.  All around terrible game.  Utica played well, they have a very good running game.  Might be a rough year for SLU.

[Bartman]

A really bad performance by the Statesman and an impressive performance by the Golden Eagles yesterday. The last time I saw the Statesman they played their hearts out against a top level team in Mount Union , but today was a different story......unless Brockport is Mount Union this year..... The Brockport lines were clearly superior , except towards the fourth quarter as they tired on a warm day. Sweeney did not have enough time to pass(the loss of Testani from graduation is evident), but sometimes he did not get the ball out in time. The Hobart run game was contained most of the day except for some nice bursts by Ty Barfield .
Take aways:
    ~Brockport should win the E8......Germinerio is the real thing..... Brockport has solid lines , speed and a QB who can run, throw and had great instincts .....Justin Morrison looks like a nice back to follow Andrews
    ~Based on today's Hobart performance the league title is wide open with RPI and Ithaca looking like the favorites(SLU looked as bad as Hobart yesterday) unless the Hobart coaching staff turns things around...frankly, I am glad the Ithaca game is 4 weeks away as this team will need a few more games to pull things together...I think they can do it, but simply winning the LL will be a struggle based on today's performance .
~I could be wrong and Hobart really is #14 , and Brockport will be in the Stagg Bowl....... maybe, but unlikely....we will see
Going over to see the Hobart JV play the Alfred JV....I hope we show better today

[AUPepBand]

A really bad performance by the Statesman and an impressive performance by the Golden Eagles yesterday. The last time I saw the Statesman they played their hearts out against a top level team in Mount Union , but today was a different story......unless Brockport is Mount Union this year..... The Brockport lines were clearly superior , except towards the fourth quarter as they tired on a warm day. Sweeney did not have enough time to pass(the loss of Testani from graduation is evident), but sometimes he did not get the ball out in time. The Hobart run game was contained most of the day except for some nice bursts by Ty Barfield .
Take aways:
    ~Brockport should win the E8......Germinerio is the real thing..... Brockport has solid lines , speed and a QB who can run, throw and had great instincts .....Justin Morrison looks like a nice back to follow Andrews
    ~Based on today's Hobart performance the league title is wide open with RPI and Ithaca looking like the favorites(SLU looked as bad as Hobart yesterday) unless the Hobart coaching staff turns things around...frankly, I am glad the Ithaca game is 4 weeks away as this team will need a few more games to pull things together...I think they can do it, but simply winning the LL will be a struggle based on today's performance .
~I could be wrong and Hobart really is #14 , and Brockport will be in the Stagg Bowl....... maybe, but unlikely....we will see
Going over to see the Hobart JV play the Alfred JV....I hope we show better today

Pep hopes you'll have a report on that JV game...if it were in Mayberry, Pep would be there! Curious about a first year QB for Alfred. He'll get playing time but AU usually shares series among the freshman and sophomore QBs.

On Saxon Warriors!

[dlippiel]

While dlip was away watching the Yanks/Sox in NYC his beloved Dutchmen battled Husson to a 20-7 defeat. Seems like a lot of things went well for Union and some other things not so good. Seems as if the Dutchmen we're a few steps short. With that said dlip applauds the Dutchmen effort and is certainly looking forward to next weeks home opener vs. Coast Guard.

[AUPepBand]

While dlip was away watching the Yanks/Sox in NYC his beloved Dutchmen battled Husson to a 20-7 defeat. Seems like a lot of things went well for Union and some other things not so good. Seems as if the Dutchmen we're a few steps short. With that said dlip applauds the Dutchmen effort and is certainly looking forward to next weeks home opener vs. Coast Guard.

Pep will say it again. Husson may be in the second weakest conference in the land, but the Eagles are a tough out. Saxon defensive players rate John Smith among the toughest running backs they faced last year. And their QB is tough as well. Union actually outgained Husson. Dutchmen are a rising bunch. After seeing Saterday's results, Pep is thinking the Liberty League is going to be a slug fest this season.

[D3viewer]

RPI respells to "RIP" and lays a tombstone on Willy P 47-0.  And UR already got a week off ? Shoulda looked at the LL schedule sooner.

[Caz Bombers]

why do I get the sinking feeling that by season's end we'll be calling Ithaca the best 2-8 team in the country?

Solid effort against Alfred, but that schedule going forward looks mean. Not sure who IC would be favored against besides UR and Union.

[Bartman]

A really bad performance by the Statesman and an impressive performance by the Golden Eagles yesterday. The last time I saw the Statesman they played their hearts out against a top level team in Mount Union , but today was a different story......unless Brockport is Mount Union this year..... The Brockport lines were clearly superior , except towards the fourth quarter as they tired on a warm day. Sweeney did not have enough time to pass(the loss of Testani from graduation is evident), but sometimes he did not get the ball out in time. The Hobart run game was contained most of the day except for some nice bursts by Ty Barfield .
Take aways:
    ~Brockport should win the E8......Germinerio is the real thing..... Brockport has solid lines , speed and a QB who can run, throw and had great instincts .....Justin Morrison looks like a nice back to follow Andrews
    ~Based on today's Hobart performance the league title is wide open with RPI and Ithaca looking like the favorites(SLU looked as bad as Hobart yesterday) unless the Hobart coaching staff turns things around...frankly, I am glad the Ithaca game is 4 weeks away as this team will need a few more games to pull things together...I think they can do it, but simply winning the LL will be a struggle based on today's performance .
~I could be wrong and Hobart really is #14 , and Brockport will be in the Stagg Bowl....... maybe, but unlikely....we will see
Going over to see the Hobart JV play the Alfred JV....I hope we show better today

Pep hopes you'll have a report on that JV game...if it were in Mayberry, Pep would be there! Curious about a first year QB for Alfred. He'll get playing time but AU usually shares series among the freshman and sophomore QBs.

On Saxon Warriors!

Pep,
   I watched the first half of the JV matchup and the Statesmen scored first(6-0) and then the Saxons scored a TD and made a 2 point conversion as the XPT snap was errant and the holder scrambled to the end zone( Saxons up 8-6). I heard the final score was 14-6 . The game was pretty sloppy as both teams were trying to test QBs and skill players at key positions to round out the future depth chart. I did notice that the Saxon JV was great in number(75?)....Alfred seemed to have some nice DLinemen as they pressured the young Hobart QBs. Both teams moved the ball but seemed to stall near the end zone. I think the JV games are great for player development but Hobart has only 3 games scheduled while I noticed that Alfred has a full schedule.......not sure why Hobart only schedules 3 games with such a big squad

[AUPepBand]

A really bad performance by the Statesman and an impressive performance by the Golden Eagles yesterday. The last time I saw the Statesman they played their hearts out against a top level team in Mount Union , but today was a different story......unless Brockport is Mount Union this year..... The Brockport lines were clearly superior , except towards the fourth quarter as they tired on a warm day. Sweeney did not have enough time to pass(the loss of Testani from graduation is evident), but sometimes he did not get the ball out in time. The Hobart run game was contained most of the day except for some nice bursts by Ty Barfield .
Take aways:
    ~Brockport should win the E8......Germinerio is the real thing..... Brockport has solid lines , speed and a QB who can run, throw and had great instincts .....Justin Morrison looks like a nice back to follow Andrews
    ~Based on today's Hobart performance the league title is wide open with RPI and Ithaca looking like the favorites(SLU looked as bad as Hobart yesterday) unless the Hobart coaching staff turns things around...frankly, I am glad the Ithaca game is 4 weeks away as this team will need a few more games to pull things together...I think they can do it, but simply winning the LL will be a struggle based on today's performance .
~I could be wrong and Hobart really is #14 , and Brockport will be in the Stagg Bowl....... maybe, but unlikely....we will see
Going over to see the Hobart JV play the Alfred JV....I hope we show better today

Pep hopes you'll have a report on that JV game...if it were in Mayberry, Pep would be there! Curious about a first year QB for Alfred. He'll get playing time but AU usually shares series among the freshman and sophomore QBs.

On Saxon Warriors!

Pep,
   I watched the first half of the JV matchup and the Statesmen scored first(6-0) and then the Saxons scored a TD and made a 2 point conversion as the XPT snap was errant and the holder scrambled to the end zone( Saxons up 8-6). I heard the final score was 14-6 . The game was pretty sloppy as both teams were trying to test QBs and skill players at key positions to round out the future depth chart. I did notice that the Saxon JV was great in number(75?)....Alfred seemed to have some nice DLinemen as they pressured the young Hobart QBs. Both teams moved the ball but seemed to stall near the end zone. I think the JV games are great for player development but Hobart has only 3 games scheduled while I noticed that Alfred has a full schedule.......not sure why Hobart only schedules 3 games with such a big squad

Thanks for the update. +K 
Pep heard the final score was 14-6 but without details.

AU brought in 80+ freshmen this year and Pep believes nearly a dozen are listed on the varsity roster. At one time, AU had only three or four jayvee games. Then an alum came up with $$$ to hire another full-time assistant coach who is considered head coach of the jayvee squad, after which they scheduled more games. With that many bodies in camp, it's important to get more games (more PT for all) to give everyone a fair shake.

After seeing Ithaca yesterday and seeing yesterday's other results, Pep is fascinated with next week's matchups of Ithaca at Brockport and Fisher at Hobart.

[wesleydad]

A really bad performance by the Statesman and an impressive performance by the Golden Eagles yesterday. The last time I saw the Statesman they played their hearts out against a top level team in Mount Union , but today was a different story......unless Brockport is Mount Union this year..... The Brockport lines were clearly superior , except towards the fourth quarter as they tired on a warm day. Sweeney did not have enough time to pass(the loss of Testani from graduation is evident), but sometimes he did not get the ball out in time. The Hobart run game was contained most of the day except for some nice bursts by Ty Barfield .
Take aways:
    ~Brockport should win the E8......Germinerio is the real thing..... Brockport has solid lines , speed and a QB who can run, throw and had great instincts .....Justin Morrison looks like a nice back to follow Andrews
    ~Based on today's Hobart performance the league title is wide open with RPI and Ithaca looking like the favorites(SLU looked as bad as Hobart yesterday) unless the Hobart coaching staff turns things around...frankly, I am glad the Ithaca game is 4 weeks away as this team will need a few more games to pull things together...I think they can do it, but simply winning the LL will be a struggle based on today's performance .
~I could be wrong and Hobart really is #14 , and Brockport will be in the Stagg Bowl....... maybe, but unlikely....we will see
Going over to see the Hobart JV play the Alfred JV....I hope we show better today

Pep hopes you'll have a report on that JV game...if it were in Mayberry, Pep would be there! Curious about a first year QB for Alfred. He'll get playing time but AU usually shares series among the freshman and sophomore QBs.

On Saxon Warriors!

Pep,
   I watched the first half of the JV matchup and the Statesmen scored first(6-0) and then the Saxons scored a TD and made a 2 point conversion as the XPT snap was errant and the holder scrambled to the end zone( Saxons up 8-6). I heard the final score was 14-6 . The game was pretty sloppy as both teams were trying to test QBs and skill players at key positions to round out the future depth chart. I did notice that the Saxon JV was great in number(75?)....Alfred seemed to have some nice DLinemen as they pressured the young Hobart QBs. Both teams moved the ball but seemed to stall near the end zone. I think the JV games are great for player development but Hobart has only 3 games scheduled while I noticed that Alfred has a full schedule.......not sure why Hobart only schedules 3 games with such a big squad

Thanks for the update. +K 
Pep heard the final score was 14-6 but without details.

AU brought in 80+ freshmen this year and Pep believes nearly a dozen are listed on the varsity roster. At one time, AU had only three or four jayvee games. Then an alum came up with $$$ to hire another full-time assistant coach who is considered head coach of the jayvee squad, after which they scheduled more games. With that many bodies in camp, it's important to get more games (more PT for all) to give everyone a fair shake.

After seeing Ithaca yesterday and seeing yesterday's other results, Pep is fascinated with next week's matchups of Ithaca at Brockport and Fisher at Hobart.

Pep, Brockport will smoke Ithaca from what I saw yesterday, watched both games.  The Fisher/Hobart game is interesting.  Hobart got smoked, Fisher was in the game but ran out of offense to keep up with W&J.  I think Fisher should win, but Hobart will not likely be that bad again.