FB: Liberty League

[Frank Rossi]

Connelly is the "one that got away" from Cragg / Dewall during the 07-08 recruiting season and Hobart may end up paying for it (we're already 0-1 vs. that kid) for the next 3 years.

He's a huge talent.  U89 has heard that he is also throwing the ball very well so far, but the team is not even in pads yet. 

Dlip were they in pads today? 

The team was in pads today.

[Frank Rossi]

Does Union do webcasts?  I'm going to do a cookout and have my family, accountant, tennis team and whoever else I can get to come over for that game.  Trying to spread the Bart loved down here. 

Frank "The Consigliore" Rossi (or Frankie Facebook) would probably know. 

TGP guesses that ECAC.tv will also be broadcasting the game (probably for ~$7) as well.

Yes.  They are on a pay-per-view basis.  I'm working with the athletic department to improve the quality of the broadcasts this year, but the improvements might not be in place by the Hobart game.  Either way, http://unionathletics.com should have more details under the football tab.

[pumkinattack]

Thanks, I wasn't sure.  Bart's are funny because you have Ted Baker, who's really good and then they bring in some random student.  I can recall one talking about taking it to the 55 yard line.  They've occassionally lost the ball too, but hopefully my $7 per is going towards improving that. 

I thought I read something more explicit about the RPI - Endicott game, but maybe not.  Either way, they should beat Endicott, but they did lose to Merchant Marine last year and have a number of those games over the last 5-6 years (SLU I think, Utica, somebody else) and are starting off with a new QB.

[mattvsmith]

in honor of the last friday w/o football and they tee it up for real next thursday and the start of another football season....the lamp is lit...

PBR,

In honor of the LLPP's tradition of lighting the lamp every Friday, The Rev went over to his friend's bar in Busan 13 hours ahead of Eastern time to get the weekend started.
The lamp was lit, and there was a fit bird for every light on the lamp pictured above.  The Rev's friend might be a madame.  Seriously, I don't know where she gets all these chicks that work at her bar.  All The Rev knows is that a group of guys would walk into the bar, and about a minute later, a girl that looks like she walked off a page in a magazine appears out of no where, sits down with the guys, serves drinks and helps them finish bottles of booze and they get charged about $50 an hour for her companionship at the table.  The guys stick around for a few hours.  If they sing Karaoke, she puts another $50 charge on their tab.  A table of guys might run up a tab of a thousand dollars without batting an eye.  The girls are there to help them run up the tab.  The Rev just sits back and watches in awe.

Last night started off a little slow, to The Rev got the party started by getting up to sing Karaoke.  Ended up playing role of Lounge Singer.  Got a standing lap dance from one of the fittest birds humanly imaginable (at least through the goggles) while belting out Santana's Smooth.  Said bird was with another dood, but he left her at the bar to pass out on top of The Rev at his table.  

The Rev just got a text from one of last night's birds, but can't remember now which one.

Two observations:
1. Being the bar-owner's friend is the best.  All the perks (i.e. free drinks) and none of the responsibilities (no clean up).
2.  Busan, Korea is better than Yuma, AZ.

Let's put it this way.  It's 2 am, Sunday Korea time and The Rev just woke up from his Friday-Saturday lamp lighting ceremony.  This is the time that The Rev is going to have to wake up to watch The Statesmen on ECAC TV or listen to the live broadcast on WEOS.

There can only be one meaning to this:  The Rev has received the Omen that Hobart is going to take it past the second round this year.  What other meaning could last night have?  Obviously, The Rev's adventures overseas bode well for the Statesmen.

[dlippiel]

Anyone going to the U intersquad Scrimmage tomorrow?

[Reno Hightower]

Anyone going to the U intersquad Scrimmage tomorrow?

Did you go Dlip? How about another update?

[stimulator]

Made it out to the RPI scrimmage vs HVCC this AM. 

As said before here and Stim will agree wholeheartedly..scrimmages are just that and nothing more.  Most of RPI's starters played only a bit more than 1 quarter except for the 2 freshman QB's and O-line. 

Pretty impressed with both of the QB's..... extremely good for freshman.  Both threw a few TD passes I think and the kid from SC looks very poised and scrambled very well.  Made one hellacious 30 yard throw across his body on the run to the back of the end zone for a score.  Didn't seem to panic and made good decisions. 

The QB who transferred from Army started and got more comfortable after the first two series.  He has a legitimate D1 arm and threw some lasers into tight spots over the middle.  Glad the Stim is not making the call as to who will start against Endicott

I think Costa might have had 5 carries for like 80 yards and 1 - 30 yard score.   As only a Jr this year he's flown a bit under the radar with Robertson and Savasli plus had a knee strain in the middle of the season last year..  A HS track star he may have a really solid season as he gets a few more carries behind a O-Line that returns all 5.

[mattvsmith]

Good report, Stim.  Sounds like RPI has a few kids who are the real deal.  This may turn out to be another nail-biter of a season that may not be worked out until the final game, as last year.

By the way, The Rev read that Susquehanna will leave the LL.  Rev missed the reason(s) why, though.  The only joined a couple years ago and now they're leaving?  What's up with that?  Did The Rev misread something?

['gro]

Good report, Stim.  Sounds like RPI has a few kids who are the real deal.  This may turn out to be another nail-biter of a season that may not be worked out until the final game, as last year.

By the way, The Rev read that Susquehanna will leave the LL.  Rev missed the reason(s) why, though.  The only joined a couple years ago and now they're leaving?  What's up with that?  Did The Rev misread something?

From the notables...

Susquehanna moving to Centennial
The Centennial Conference announced that Susquehanna has accepted an invitation to join the Centennial as an associate member in football and women's golf beginning in 2010. Susquehanna's football team currently competes in the Liberty League as an associate member, and will continue to do so in 2009.

rest of article

[mattvsmith]

Thanks, 'Gro.

[labart96]

I think Costa might have had 5 carries for like 80 yards and 1 - 30 yard score.   As only a Jr this year he's flown a bit under the radar with Robertson and Savasli plus had a knee strain in the middle of the season last year..  A HS track star he may have a really solid season as he gets a few more carries behind a O-Line that returns all 5.

TGP's remembers Costa's 102 yards (21 att) vs Bart last year.  Coney is still probably the front runner, but Costa a legit contender in this year's LL rushing title. 

[dlippiel]

I think Costa might have had 5 carries for like 80 yards and 1 - 30 yard score.   As only a Jr this year he's flown a bit under the radar with Robertson and Savasli plus had a knee strain in the middle of the season last year..  A HS track star he may have a really solid season as he gets a few more carries behind a O-Line that returns all 5.

TGP's remembers Costa's 102 yards (21 att) vs Bart last year.  Coney is still probably the front runner, but Costa a legit contender in this year's LL rushing title. 

Costa can really hurt you and dlippiel thinks this year he will show everyone just how much he can. dlippiel is also not surprised to hear that RPI's QB's seem to be of high quality. King always has a way of finding and fostering solid QB's. Hence one of the reasons dlippiel respects King so much. How did HVCC look? dlippiel remembers when he went there he took a math class with a huge dude who got a full ride to Rutgers. dlippiel recalls that he wasn't the only one going D1 out of that program.

[stimulator]

Not sure about a rushing title... but he will be in the mix as one of the best backs in the LL.  Stim thinks Susq will ride Paveltz (sp?) so I assume he will get 20+ carries a game and certainly seems to be a able to consistently grind out 4+ a carry and can hurt you with a 20+ if you don't wrap him up. 

But Costa is for real and he can hurt you for 6 if it turns into a foot race.  Runs a quick 40 (times mean nothing to me if not electronically timed) and as mentioned I think he was was a pretty big deal in HS track.  Plus if you've seen him play he runs much harder than you would expect from 5'6" and 185.  He can and has run over a bunch of folks in his short career.

HVCC honestly did not look all that good.  I heard they had a few kids that didn't qualify medically (didn't get their physicals?) so maybe what I saw wasn't indicative of where they will end up.  It must be hard for a coaching staff to get them started in the spring as a 2 yr school with only 1/2 to 1/3 of their team having any experience with the system.  I know the annual scrimmage RPI usually handles them pretty easily and then 1/2 way through the season, they play the RPI JV's and return the favor.

[Frank Rossi]

Not sure about a rushing title... but he will be in the mix as one of the best backs in the LL.  Stim thinks Susq will ride Paveltz (sp?) so I assume he will get 20+ carries a game and certainly seems to be a able to consistently grind out 4+ a carry and can hurt you with a 20+ if you don't wrap him up. 

Gotta throw Union's Coney into that mix, too.  They were a hair apart in 2008 for the LL rushing title.  If Union can get clicking like they did in 2005 with Arcidiacono (who, by the way, returns to the Union sideline this season as an assistant coach) and Marotti with a quality QB/RB tandem, the offensive numbers could be through the roof in 2009.

[stimulator]

Absolutely.. certainly didn't mean to leave him out.  He's a 60 yard TD waiting to happen on every carry.  Last year RPI had him pretty much bottled up all game and one carry to the house and they were back in it.

Remember watching him his freshman yr at Bailey and thinking oh boy he's gonna be good when he's the featured back.  I would think that if Connely can up the accuracy and Gallo and Gourier can keep defenses respecting the pass, Coney may have big time #'s.