FB: Liberty League

[wally_wabash]

Nice to see RPI get at least 1 vote in the poll, though I think they probably deserve a few more than that. 7-1 with an OT loss to the #15 team isn't too shabby, but traditionally RPI doesn't tend to get a lot of poll love until the final week of the season. Hopefully they'll take care of business and we'll see it again this year. Should see the SOS improve over the next 2 games. I think 8-1 RPI vs. 8-1 Union will be a great battle for the LL so hopefully the squad can knock off Hobart in style and set up the matchup we all want to see.

RPI is only 99th nationally in TOP, so I'm not sure what you expect voters to do here. 

[Jonny Utah]

Nice to see RPI get at least 1 vote in the poll, though I think they probably deserve a few more than that. 7-1 with an OT loss to the #15 team isn't too shabby, but traditionally RPI doesn't tend to get a lot of poll love until the final week of the season. Hopefully they'll take care of business and we'll see it again this year. Should see the SOS improve over the next 2 games. I think 8-1 RPI vs. 8-1 Union will be a great battle for the LL so hopefully the squad can knock off Hobart in style and set up the matchup we all want to see.

RPI is only 99th nationally in TOP, so I'm not sure what you expect voters to do here.

Great point Wally.  After getting smoked by Rochester they are lucky if they keep their coach,

[ICAlum16]

One thing Swanstrom did do was get the bombers ready for Cortland.  Ithaca had lost to Cortland seven times in a row in Welch's last seven years and Swanstrom won 3 in a row before that odd game at Cortland in 2021.

This strikes me as a bit unfair to Mike. The Bombers lost a lot of weird games to Cortland in that 7 game losing streak. The botched FG is the one people remember, but there was also:

The 2010 game where IC blew at 17-3 lead in part because a punter dropped to one knee to catch a snap and handed Cortland great field position
The 2012 goal line stand
Babin's catch and Boffoli's fumble in 2013
The 2015 game when Ithaca's top 17 receivers were all hurt

I don't think Mike didn't have them prepared. They lost some fluky games, and they had a few where the talent was simply not there (2011 and 2016 notably).

But his teams were always well prepared.

There are only two games in the Welch Era where I thought IC was not ready to play. The 1999 ECAC game against Union, where they no-showed and got embarrassed, and the 2008 playoff game against Curry when IC was almost certainly thinking about a Round 2 rematch with Cortland.

If Mike had a flaw as a coach, I think it was that his best teams — in terms of raw roster talent — tended to underachieve, especially late in games. And by the end, the talent was just not coming in the door.

But give him a solid yet undermanned team — his 1994 team, the 2001 team that had to go on a playoff run with its backup QB, the 2007 team that actually hung with Mount Union for a half, the 2013, and 2014 E8 champs — that was his bread and butter. It sort of made for a frustrating experience at times, but I always thought he had them ready to play

I was on four of these losing teams at the end of the Coach Welch era and man did they sting. To be perfectly honest at that time if really felt like there was a curse over us and we just couldn't get by Cortland. They were easily more talented than us in 2012 and 2015. In 2013 Jordan Babin turned into Randy Moss and well 2014 is as historic as they come (also we had a halftime lead).

I played for Coach Welch during the end of his tenure and I have so much respect for him and what he did as a coach and a leader and his love for Ithaca. I do agree that by the end we just were not getting the same talent in the door and it was time for change. He always had us ready to play cortland and that is never more evident than that 2015 game. I believe Cortland was undefeated that year and ended up losing to Linfield in round 2 of the playoffs. We had a SEVERE lack of offensive talent on that 2015 especially by Cortaca, as someone pointed out all of our weapons were injured. Yet somehow, we stfiled a Cortland offense that was averaging probably almost 40 points per game that year and lost a heartbreaking 11-8 ball game that included a snap over the punters head for a safety.

The previous posts were also correct about some bad losses. 2013 at Hartwick where Dempsey came in for an injured Phil Neumann. I was on that team and on the sideline for that game and we just came out as flat as a team can be plus the best Hartwick team in that programs history spelled disaster for us that day. In 2014 we lost in double OT on the road at Frostburg state which at the time hurt but that was the start of a really successful period for that Frostburg program. Finally, in 2015 we lost to Utica in OT after trailing 24-3 at halftime and then losing to Brockport at home 17-27 after being up 17-7 at halftime.

I had fond memories of the Swanstrom era once he started to beat Cortland reguarly because everyone associated with the program was starving for a jug victory. However, I started to sour towards the end when missing the playoffs became more and more frustrating with all that talent, especially the aformentioned 2019 team.

I wil end my blabbering with saying I loved my time playing for coach Welch and he embodied Ithaca Bomber football. It is unfortunate how his last few years ended but you were always going to get a dog fight with a Mike Welch coached team.

[Machiavelli]

Nice to see RPI get at least 1 vote in the poll, though I think they probably deserve a few more than that. 7-1 with an OT loss to the #15 team isn't too shabby, but traditionally RPI doesn't tend to get a lot of poll love until the final week of the season. Hopefully they'll take care of business and we'll see it again this year. Should see the SOS improve over the next 2 games. I think 8-1 RPI vs. 8-1 Union will be a great battle for the LL so hopefully the squad can knock off Hobart in style and set up the matchup we all want to see.

RPI is only 99th nationally in TOP, so I'm not sure what you expect voters to do here.

Great point Wally.  After getting smoked by Rochester they are lucky if they keep their coach,

Damnit! I posted before taking a closer look at the real details. I digress.

[Ice Bear]

I'm a bit of a cheerleader today but I appreciate IC16's post and insight regarding his experience under Coach Welch. +k

It's never easy to suppress that inner fan/critic/voice when faced with the reality of TOP. What else can we say. Our friend Mach wears his heart on his sleeve. I for one applaud him for that.

[Jonny Utah]

Ok LL riddle me this:

Springfield and Berry have the top two rushing offenses in the country at 393 and 343 rushing yards per game respectively.

Springfield is 2nd in the country in TOP, while Berry is #233.

Both are good teams and Berry is ranked.  What's the deal with the TOP numbers though?  I'm guessing Berry is no huddle/spread and Springfield huddles and runs the clock?!

Or is it because Berry has one of the top RBs in the country (over a 12 ypg average!) and he just scores or gets out of bounds every play?

[MRMIKESMITH]

Ok LL riddle me this:

Springfield and Berry have the top two rushing offenses in the country at 393 and 343 rushing yards per game respectively.

Springfield is 2nd in the country in TOP, while Berry is #233.

Both are good teams and Berry is ranked.  What's the deal with the TOP numbers though?  I'm guessing Berry is no huddle/spread and Springfield huddles and runs the clock?!

Or is it because Berry has one of the top RBs in the country (over a 12 ypg average!) and he just scores or gets out of bounds every play?

One runs it 100% of the time. As such not stopping the clock.

[Bartman]

STANDINGS/with 2 weeks left....5 week minimum for % correct....prizes TBD
CONGRATS to Oline for the most accurate pick of the week HOBART 35- SLU 0
Everyone who picked last week got all 3 correct.


Participant                           Wins per week.                        Total.             Percentage



ICAlum(the instigator).      5/6/5/-/3/3/4/-/-#                            26/29*.           .896
UnionPalooza.                   7/5/-/4/2/3/4/4/3#                            32/35.            .914
Bartman.                          6/7/5/5/2/2/4/3/3#                          37/42.            .881
Ice Bear.                          6/6/4/5/2/3/4/3/3#                           36/42.             .857
Jersey 42.                        6/-/-/5 /-/-/-/4/3                               18/19.             .947
Machiavelli                       -/5/6/5/3/2/4/3/3 #                           31/35.            .886
Oline.                              -/4/-/-/2/- /4/3/3#                             16/21.            .761
IC798891.                       -/-/5./-/-/0/-/-/-                                   5/7.              .714
UFAN.                              -/-/-/4/2/3/3/4/3 #                             19/22.            .865    .

Jersey42, leading highest % contest needs 1 more week
# met 5 week minimum
* no selection for the first  Friday night  game was made

[Bartman]

    Hobart v RPI is almost always a great game and I'm expecting another one this Saturday. RPI will be favored , as they deserve based on a single blemish, an OT loss to Ithaca. However, Hobart has won the last 3 games against RPI at the BOZ, including a 10-9 cliffhanger win in 2021, the year RPI sailed thru the playoffs only to be stopped by North Central . The series is tied 34-34-1 all time , and Hobart is 3-2 in the last 5 and 6-4 in the last 10 contests.
    Hobart must play a similar game that they played against Ithaca by relying on the run but also mixing in some passing. RPI pass defense stats are vulnerable, so hopefully Colombi can be accurate for most of the game, tuck it away when necessary for a first down and take a few shots downfield. Hobart must score at least 21 to win the game.
    The Hobart defense was totally pissed after the Union game when they looked like crap in the second half. They took it out on SLU and wanted the shutout badly. After the game they did not celebrate too much, as they know they need to save the season by focusing on finishing against RPI and Rochester. I think DC Green will have a solid game plan against the potent RPI passing attack and will put a lot of pressure on Kazanowsky. The RPI offense will get their scores, but Hobart needs to limit them in the red zone to FGs as much as possible to hold the score down.
     This will be another great game between 2 of the top 4 of the LL, but I think the magic of the BOZ keeps the streak alive at home with a 24-20 victory. I know this ruins the setup for a dramatic potential Pool C winner take all  Shoeless game with Union, but finishing the season with pride for the Pumpkinheads  and a chance to host an ECAC Bowl is my preference.

[Jonny Utah]

    Hobart v RPI is almost always a great game and I'm expecting another one this Saturday. RPI will be favored , as they deserve based on a single blemish, an OT loss to Ithaca. However, Hobart has won the last 3 games against RPI at the BOZ, including a 10-9 cliffhanger win in 2021, the year RPI sailed thru the playoffs only to be stopped by North Central . The series is tied 34-34-1 all time , and Hobart is 3-2 in the last 5 and 6-4 in the last 10 contests.
    Hobart must play a similar game that they played against Ithaca by relying on the run but also mixing in some passing. RPI pass defense stats are vulnerable, so hopefully Colombi can be accurate for most of the game, tuck it away when necessary for a first down and take a few shots downfield. Hobart must score at least 21 to win the game.
    The Hobart defense was totally pissed after the Union game when they looked like crap in the second half. They took it out on SLU and wanted the shutout badly. After the game they did not celebrate too much, as they know they need to save the season by focusing on finishing against RPI and Rochester. I think DC Green will have a solid game plan against the potent RPI passing attack and will put a lot of pressure on Kazanowsky. The RPI offense will get their scores, but Hobart needs to limit them in the red zone to FGs as much as possible to hold the score down.
     This will be another great game between 2 of the top 4 of the LL, but I think the magic of the BOZ keeps the streak alive at home with a 24-20 victory. I know this ruins the setup for a dramatic potential Pool C winner take all  Shoeless game with Union, but finishing the season with pride for the Pumpkinheads  and a chance to host an ECAC Bowl is my preference.

Should be a good game that comes down to who wants it more.  RPI is a well rounded team that also had a bunch of grad students on the field at various times. They do a lot on offense with motion and shifts and love to have crossers and RB/WR flat passes that seem to be open because their oline does a great job protecting the QB.  Their defense seems to be the difference maker as they don't get beat deep and always seem to have a ton of guys around the ball.  Their QB on paper has maybe the best stats in the league but he threw two INTs in the Ithaca game and maybe Hobart can buckle down and force him into some bad throws. 

[ICAlum16]

ICAlum is headed out of the country this evening for a few days so let me make my picks now

RPI 24 Hobart 16 - This is the only game that really deserves much breakdown this week. I like what RPI has done on offense throughout the year and I have more confidence in the RPI coaches than Hobart to have the team fully ready to play and most importantly, not commit costly turnovers and penalties. Making my prediction based off the fact that I think RPI will make less mistakes in this game.

Ithaca 38 SLU 13 - Cortaca Next week!!!!!!

Union 55 Buff St 7

[Ice Bear]

I am certainly looking forward to the Hobart/RPI matchup this Saturday. I'm thinking a lot of this game depends on the play of Colombi. I like this young man but so far this season he has struggled with his accuracy which has really hurt the flow of the Statesmen offense. I do believe he has improved as the year has gone on and will continue to do so. The question for me is can he make enough timely throws on Saturday to keep drives going and allow the Hobart run game to really pick it's spots and keep RPI's poised D guessing.

From the other side I'm looking to see if RPI's running game can do enough to allow Kazanowsky the time and space he needs to punish Hobart. I'm confident the line play of RPI will be stellar, but will the Engineer run game get into a flow on drives enough to make the Statesmen secondary cheat and allow receivers to run both crossing routes and deep routes with space? I think we will see a lot of this come Saturday. If RPI is able to work that short passing game I will give them the edge here. I do think both defenses will be tough. Lots to think about.

[Machiavelli]

Not sure if I'm being homerish, but I don't expect as close a game with the RPI/Hobart clash this weekend as everyone else. The common opponents scores are pretty similar for both teams and on paper, this could be a nail biter, but I just have a feeling RPI will come out guns ablazing and looking to dominate. Looks like the weather will be relatively cooperative given a November game in Geneva, and I just feel like RPI will be firing on all cylinders and will win by 14+. Just my $.02.

[unionpalooza]

Regional rankings her out. For reasons I do not understand at all, only 7 teams per region. 

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/d3/regional-rankings

[Jersey42]

Regional rankings her out. For reasons I do not understand at all, only 7 teams per region. 

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/d3/regional-rankings

Top seven were as expected, but I too thought there were going to be eight teams based on a recent podcast with Matt Moore who is the chair of the Division III football championship committee.  There are still more critical games to be played.  By the way there were eight teams in 2021 and seven last year. Before that, there were only 4 regions.

https://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/2023/10/26/atn-podcast-340-a-chat-with-the-chair/