FB: Liberty League

[SaintsFAN]

How about that LLPPFFL? 

SF demolished JT's crew.... quite surprising. 

This week the Cincinnati Bowties take on Two Audinos One Cup. 


** SF saw how dlip finally unloaded one of the two defenses he drafted... and would like to congratulate him...

[Knightstalker]

Adrian Peterson practically outscored Dr. Rosenpenis all by himself.

[union89]

U89 was just thinking.....U89 could be the only dude in all of Post Patterns who enjoyed his favorite teams thrilling last minute victories (Union & New England Patriots).

On the flip side of it, tough weekend to be a Bomber fan from Buffalo.....honestly, not a jab....just an interesting parallel.

[SaintsFAN]

U89 was just thinking.....U89 could be the only dude in all of Post Patterns who enjoyed his favorite teams thrilling last minute victories (Union & New England Patriots).

On the flip side of it, tough weekend to be a Bomber fan from Buffalo.....honestly, not a jab....just an interesting parallel.

Why was Tom Brady running off the field last night after the game and trying to NOT give Suzy Kolber an interview?  Was it because he was upset Erin Andrews wasn't there?  SF thought this to be poor form... 

[Regulator]

U89 was just thinking.....U89 could be the only dude in all of Post Patterns who enjoyed his favorite teams thrilling last minute victories (Union & New England Patriots).

On the flip side of it, tough weekend to be a Bomber fan from Buffalo.....honestly, not a jab....just an interesting parallel.

Why was Tom Brady running off the field last night after the game and trying to NOT give Suzy Kolber an interview?  Was it because he was upset Erin Andrews wasn't there?  SF thought this to be poor form...  

He was probably upset that all the loyal NE fans ran away with their tails between their legs about mid way through the 4th q.  Seriously, did you hear how quiet the stadium was even after NE scored the first time in the 4th q?

[dlippiel]

How about that LLPPFFL? 

SF demolished JT's crew.... quite surprising. 

This week the Cincinnati Bowties take on Two Audinos One Cup. 


** SF saw how dlip finally unloaded one of the two defenses he drafted... and would like to congratulate him...

Taking baby steps here SF thanks for recognizing the effort +k 

[redswarm81]

I'm pretty sure that a good deal of people are spelling it with an 'i' on purpose.

My bad I missed the spelling issue ...  ITHACA ... RJ

Rookie.

[RJ]

TGP's Carnegie Mellon vs. Hobart Preview (re-posted from my Hobart blog - see link below):

The Hobart Statesmen football team started a new quarterback and suffered a tough loss to Dickinson College. The following weekend, the Statesmen welcomed an undefeated Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Tartan team to Boswell Field.

Sound familiar?

It should to Hobart (and CMU) fans. In 2007 Andy Strom '08 took a loss in his first start as QB in Carlisle but rallied the team the following week to defeat the then #22 Tartans 27-26 in Geneva.

Last season Hobart defeated CMU 21-16 in Pittsburg in a sloppy game that featured five interceptions by QBs Rich Doyle '09 (three) and Phil Pantalone (two). The Statesmen and Tartans traded touchdowns in the first and second halves until Hobart won the field position battle and returned a punt to the CMU 34 with approximately seven minutes in the game. On the next play, Doyle found WR Zach Schultz '10 open and Hobart had a quick touchdown to put them up 21-14. The Statesmen defense held for the remainder of the game – lead by record-setting performances by LBs Justin Hager '09 (21 tackles) and Jeff Sanders '09 (20 tackles) – with the offense taking an intentional safety with three seconds on the clock to preserve the victory.

Last weekend CMU (2-0) outlasted Grove City (0-2) by a score of 45-40. The Tartans had previously beaten Ohio Wesleyan (0-1) in Week 1 by a score of 19-7. Against the Wolverines of GCC, the Tartans ran their Wing-T to the tune of 73 plays from scrimmage - paced by 64 carries that amassed 317 rushing yards. Two CMU RBs eclipsed the 100 yard mark on the day: JR Justin Pratt (26 carries for 157 yards and three touchdowns) and SO Chris Garcia (21 carries for 107 yards and 1 touchdown as well as one 35 yard touchdown reception). The Wing-T was so effective that SR QB Phil Pantalone only attempted nine passes (he completed four for 83 yards and two touchdowns). Given the large number of running plays it's not surprising that CMU also dominated the time of possession by a wide (36:02 – 23:58) margin.

Although the CMU defense did allow 500 total yards against Grove City, they did so mostly after the Tartan offense had run out to a 31-7 lead with 12:30 to play in the third quarter.

Going into Week 3 against Hobart, here's what I know about the 2009 Tartans:

Their offense is averaging:
• 32 points per game
• 218.5 rushing yards per game
• 64 passing yards per game (based on 18 attempts in two games)
• 100% scoring success rate (including four touchdowns and 1 FG) in the red zone
The defense is averaging:
• Allowing 23.5 PPG
• 0 rushing touchdowns
• +5 in turnovers
• Great special teams coverage – only allowing .6 yard/punt return average

For Hobart (0-1) to get back on track in 2009, the Statesmen will need to have history repeat itself against the Tartans. Here are my keys to a Hobart victory on Saturday:

1. Revive the offense with a dose of PASSING – CMU has allowed an average of 247 yards passing on the season. The CMU defense is relatively tough against the run (158 yards allowed average – no rushing TDs scored) and given the struggles in the running game against Dickinson, Hobart should look to capitalize on the size (6' 4" and 240 lbs) and experience of SR TE David Degan. Last season all of Hobart's touchdowns where delivered by Doyle via airmail – two to TE Matt Duliba '09 who Degan backed up during the 2008 season. So far in 2009 CMU has allowed seven passing TDs to their opponents. Bottom line is if Hobart doesn't improve on their 65 yard passing performance from last week, the Statesmen will be 0-2

2. Avoid turnovers and control the time of possession (TOP) – Hobart failed on both parts last weekend and it cost them. The Tartans have been opportunistic on defense and have enjoyed a +5 turnover margin only two games into the season. It cannot be understated the importance of Julian's fumble in the first quarter of the Dickinson game. It ultimately led to a 14 point swing and set a precedent from which Hobart never really recovered. Although the Statesmen OL continued to open holes against the Red Devils; as the game wore on Vella became antsy and started pressing – rushing throws and generally looking to run rather than sit back in the pocket and let plays develop. When it came to TOP, although the Statesmen took nearly 10 minutes off the clock in the opening quarter, the Red Devils dominated TOP by more than six minutes for the remainder of the contest. By late in the third quarter, the Hobart defense appeared fatigued after taking a continuous pounding from the Dickinson rushing attack. What scares me most about this game is this Tartan team is equipped to do more of the same to the Statesmen if the Hobart offense continues to struggle in the red zone. Speaking of that, perhaps the most basic, but essential key to beating CMU is:

3. Convert red zone visits into points – Sounds self-explanatory but the Statesmen had a fumble, personal foul(s) and sacks kill their scoring opportunities against the Red Devils. Hobart simply cannot afford to waste any chances to come away with points against a CMU team averaging 32 PPG on offense.

I am anxiously awaiting Saturday's game and hope the Statesmen can and will rebound after last weekend's disappointing loss. Kick-off is at noon ET and accessible online at www.weos.org.

I have a question is based on this week's defensive performance, I feel that Hobart is missing the tackling of #40  Justin Hager, #9 Jeff Sanders, #75  Ryan Aruck,  and #26  O. Patterson.  I think they made up for 45% of all tackle last season, that being said with the team allowing 298 yards of rushing from Dickinson last week. Hobart needs to address the run, last year Hobart held them to 229 on 51 rushes, DC averaged, average 257 YPG and 39 pt last season. So far this year DC is averaging 257 YPG rushing and 186.5 passing, while scoring an average of 39 points per game.
What can they do this week on D to slow down the run? Last season CMU average 223.3 YPG rushing and rushed for 210 vs. Hobart, after 2 games this year they are averaging 218.5 YPG rushing and allowing their opponent 247 YPG passing last in 2 wins. If tBart can't capitalize on the passing game and stop the running game it maybe a long afternoon.   

['gro]

The bills have perfected the art of the soul crushing loss... that game last night was like a game of Madden football where you are convinced the computer is out to get you... fighting for extra yards on a KO return while up late in the 4th?? nice move.

[Jonny Utah]

U89 was just thinking.....U89 could be the only dude in all of Post Patterns who enjoyed his favorite teams thrilling last minute victories (Union & New England Patriots).

On the flip side of it, tough weekend to be a Bomber fan from Buffalo.....honestly, not a jab....just an interesting parallel.

Why was Tom Brady running off the field last night after the game and trying to NOT give Suzy Kolber an interview?  Was it because he was upset Erin Andrews wasn't there?  SF thought this to be poor form...  

He was probably upset that all the loyal NE fans ran away with their tails between their legs about mid way through the 4th q.  Seriously, did you hear how quiet the stadium was even after NE scored the first time in the 4th q?

I know a few people who went to this game that left early.  I actually left early during a Bills/Pats game like 10 years ago in a similar comeback win for the Pats.  But if the stadium parking and traffic wasn't as bad as it is, you would have seen a lot more people stay.  That place is horrible for parking and traffic.  It literally takes you 45 minutes to walk from a satelite parking lot to your seats.

[JT]

The bills have perfected the art of the soul crushing loss... that game last night was like a game of Madden football where you are convinced the computer is out to get you... fighting for extra yards on a KO return while up late in the 4th?? nice move.

Don't forget the soul crushing 11 pts that the Pats didn't cover.  Their defense sucks.

['gro]

Opening day attendance at "The Stadium" - 3,815 (73% capacity fwiw), no thanks to those lousy gulls fans...


_{Gulls fans in attendance - 43, actual sea gulls in attendance - 16}

Ok, gro admits most fans probably sit on the stadium side to watch the game. So... Will the same # of fans come out for Utica? Will Shoes 2010 be under the lights? Is there a standing room only area in either endzone? How's the sound system, is the team warming up to Jay-Z?


_{We gonna run this town...}

[dlippiel]

How's the sound system, is the team warming up to Jay-Z?

The Jigga man in Troy!

[JT]

After watching a few Shaq vs.... JT will say Shaq coulda been a good anything.  Boxing may be his best sport other than basketball. He's now swimming against Phelps and doing pretty good.

[labart96]

RJ -

Although any team would miss players like Aruck, Sanders and Aruck (Patterson btw is a SR this season and he had 2 tackles in the DC game), Hobart's rushing D actually wasn't that great last year - especially early on in the season. 

The Statesmen allowed over 200+ yards to Dickinson, CMU and SUS before holding the Larries to 102.  The following week Union (i.e., Chris Coney) ran for over 270.  They would go on to improve their average (about 150/game by end of 08) against MMA (0), WPI (71), RPI (157) and Roch (137).  The difference was last season that Hobart was able to keep opponents out of the end zone 35% more than they have so far this year.

That said TGP expects CMU to grind out 200+ rushing yards on Saturday.  Only difference hopefully will be that Hobart toughens up in the red zone compared to last week.  Dickinson was 3 for 3 against Hobart last Saturday.