FB: Liberty League

[Bombers798891]

Any word on the pecking order of the QB group at Ithaca?

Have heard nothing. But I continue to believe in Occam's Razor, and my stance remains unchanged:

Do I think the two-time East Region Offensive Player of the Year, who was an HM AA in 2017, is going to transfer somewhere if he thinks he's to spend his final year of eligibility as a backup?

I'm not saying he just announced the transfer and now there's no competition at the position. I'm just saying, I think he probably considered the likelihood of earning a starting position when deciding where to transfer to

[Oline89]

Any word on the pecking order of the QB group at Ithaca?

Have heard nothing. But I continue to believe in Occam's Razor, and my stance remains unchanged:

Do I think the two-time East Region Offensive Player of the Year, who was an HM AA in 2017, is going to transfer somewhere if he thinks he's to spend his final year of eligibility as a backup?

I'm not saying he just announced the transfer and now there's no competition at the position. I'm just saying, I think he probably considered the likelihood of earning a starting position when deciding where to transfer to

He is a grad student at this point, isn't he?  Perhaps IC also offered a degree in something he is specializing in?

[Bombers798891]

Any word on the pecking order of the QB group at Ithaca?

Have heard nothing. But I continue to believe in Occam's Razor, and my stance remains unchanged:

Do I think the two-time East Region Offensive Player of the Year, who was an HM AA in 2017, is going to transfer somewhere if he thinks he's to spend his final year of eligibility as a backup?

I'm not saying he just announced the transfer and now there's no competition at the position. I'm just saying, I think he probably considered the likelihood of earning a starting position when deciding where to transfer to

He is a grad student at this point, isn't he?  Perhaps IC also offered a degree in something he is specializing in?

I'm sure. Whether that degree is specific enough to IC, I do not know. I stand by my statement, though.

[Bartman]

As far as the Liberty League in 2019, I think the addition of Joey G. to the Ithaca offense might put them over the top. Here is my quick and dirty initial ranking based on last year( does not take into account recruits that could have an impact this year). Without disrespecting Buff State( I don't have comparative numbers since they were not in the LL last year), I have limited the teams in contention to RPI, Union,Ithaca and Hobart. SLU could be a surprise with a strong offense but I don't think so and The Yellow Jackets are still without a stinger until proven otherwise. The stats in parens are the record against the other "contenders" in 2018, points scored and yielded in those games and yards gained and yielded.

4. Union (1-2, 62-63,807-1005). Union's whole season was the Shoes game where they clobbered the Engineers 34-10, principally by forcing 5 turnovers. They had a close loss to Hobart and were dominated by Ithaca. Union has lost 3 starters on offense and 5 on defense and the losses of Linebackers  Reilly(D3 AA) and Ordukhanga( D3 East) are critical. Bellamy will still have two great receivers in Ross and Beal to throw to. So was the RPI game a fluke or indicative of where they may be 2019...we will see.

3. RPI (2-1, 51-67, 769- 1191) . Based on these numbers against the other contenders in 2018, and how successful RPI was in the playoffs, it makes the rest of the LL look pretty strong. RPI loses 5 starters on Offense and 6 starters on Defense. Losing some great LB's and CBs on defense and game changers Cella and Davies on offense seems like too much to make up. But this is a great coaching staff and don't be surprised if they overcome the loss of their starters.

2. Hobart(1-2, 56-69, 1,109- 1007). The Hobart ofense moved the ball better than anyone against the LL contenders, but they didn't convert enough of those yards into points against RPI or Ithaca. The Statesmen defense was on par with Unions but couldn't touch the Bombers stoppers. The good news for Hobart is that they only lose one starter from this efficient offense(Matt Woods , best TE in the LL) and their defense only loses 3 senior starters, with strong replacements that started some games and had substantial minutes. I think this is what Dominick DiRenzo saw when he ranked Hobart in the top 20 in Lindy's College Football...a very competitive team in 2018 against the top teams in the LL with the most returning talent. Also , in close games Hobart has the best kicking weapon in Kyle Hackett who went 37-37 on PATs and 9-9 in FGs.

1. Ithaca ( 2-1, 43-13, 950-578) In my opinion, Ithaca was the best team in the LL save the 10-9 loss to RPI where they outgained RPI 418 to 162.They had the best defense  seen in many years in the LL. Their offense wasn't too shabby either with the ever present threat of Will Gladney and a strong running attack much of the year. Unfortunately the Bombers lose 7 Starters from a defense that put all 11 starters on the All LL team from 1st team to HM. The good news is they only lose one consistent starter on offense and gain an all american at QB in Joey Germinerio via transfer. My reason for ranking IC No.1 is gaining Joe G and a tradition of recruiting and coaching solid defensive players that should fill the shoes of many of the graduations on defense. The IC games will be much closer this year as the defense gives up more points, but I think Joe G should put them over the top with his skills and experience in close games. Hobart, my no.2 team, has never won a game at Butterfield and I fear the addition of Joey G continues that string . However , if Hobart can reverse their Butterfield misfortunes, count on Hobart to get back into the NCAAs since giving Mount Union a scare deep into the third quarter in 2016 at THE BOZ.

Now, it is possible for any of these teams to "put it all together" and mess up this 'First look" forecast. I think it should be a great season with some great games. I will adjust this forecast based on errors I may have made in collecting data or "scrimmage insider info" based on new recruits , injury reports or for any reason at all.  Now we wait , BS some more and see how these teams compete outside the conference until the real games begin.

Well, having read the 2019 Kickoff predictions for the LL , I wanted to revive my earlier analysis and give my own prediction for the season:
                Bartman        Kickoff++
Ithaca         5-1                5-1
Hobart        4-2                5-1
RPI             4-2                5-1
Union          4-2                4-2
SLU            2-4                 2-4
Buff St        2-4                 1-5
Rochester    0-6                 0-6

++ Please note that the Kickoff staff, needs a new calculator as the league will have 2 more wins than losses with their predictions
       Ithaca is my pre-season favorite , but I think any of the top four have a good shot at the title. I personally think RPI has a lot of holes to fill and I don't agree with Kickoff that they will get the LL NCAA berth, but they have a great coaching staff and certainly may prove me wrong. I think this will be one of the most competitive races we have seen and I am looking forward to it.

[unionpalooza]

Union in 4th?     y'all can enjoy giving up 50 points a game to sophomore and junior skills players. 

[Caz Bombers]

Union's gonna be 7-0 when they come strutting into Butterfield on November 2 looking like Vince McMahon when his music hits after plowing through 5 or 6 tomato cans (depending on how you feel about Hey Pride) and beating Hobart by 2 when the Pumpkinheads fumble the snap on a 25-yard field goal as the clock runs out.

What happens after 1 pm that afternoon is anyone's guess.

[Ice Bear]

dlip loves himself some kickoff! He truly appreciates all the hard work that goes into making kickoff each and every year.

The ****ing LL is going to be great to watch this year. dlip is still holding out that Nabi will beat out Germinerio for the starting job at IC...but reality seems to be setting in. dlip will agree with The Manbart (dlip's new superhero name for his friend Bartman) that RPI won't be winning the league this year. dlip was super high on the Engineers impressive run last season and is admittedly very impressed with the program Isernia has put together over at that ugly ass campus. Again with that being said he thinks that the Engineers may possibly lose 3 games this season in the league. Who the **** knows? All dlip knows is that it is going to be entertaining to watch. Here is dlip's/Dutch Boy's/Douche Bag's prediction on how the LL shakes out this year.

1.) Butterfield grass is cut 2 inches shorter this season so JG can scramble as well as throw the ball all over the place. The Bomber D will be better than average (as usual) and special teams will get closer to how they were in the recent past. IC wins the league and goes undefeated.
2.) Hobart's O does some damage and just squeaks out another close one over dlip's beloved Union to finish 2nd in the league. Oh yeah, they'll beat Brockport as well but drop one to either Montclair or Rowan.
3.) Union will enjoy the light schedule and will have yet another successful season under this great coaching staff lead by Jeff B. They will once again ****ing homogenize RPI for their second consecutive Shoes win but lose a close one to Bart and Ithaca because of a young D.
4.) RPI - Dlip still believes this is a strong RPI team but the Engineers key losses to graduation may just be the difference in some very close losses this season that last year went their way. Could RPI win the league? Hell yes. dlip has a ton of respect for that **** ass program from the third worst city in the Capital Region but again, he thinks they won't get the breaks (they admittedly earned last season) this season and lose a couple close games.
5.) SLU - Seems they'll throw the ball a lot...sometimes they will also catch it.
6.) Buffalo State - Welcome, good luck and thanks for the bid. dlip believes you'll make this league stronger and may be on the top of it soon...just not this year.
7.) Rochester - Maybe playing some iron man football with their low numbers???

Ahhh the season is upon us and snowflake is so looking forward to it. He and Father Snowflake will be down at a few Dutchmen practices this week and next as has been the tradition for many decades now.

[Oline89]

Every once in a while I pop over to the OAC board.  There is a great video produced by a Mt Union BBall player doing a tour of the locker room facilities.  The tour is run by their star QB (Fulford), who comes across as a nice kid.  I still am amazed at how many players they bring in to camp every year, including at least 10 QB's. 

[Ice Bear]

Every once in a while I pop over to the OAC board.  There is a great video produced by a Mt Union BBall player doing a tour of the locker room facilities.  The tour is run by their star QB (Fulford), who comes across as a nice kid.  I still am amazed at how many players they bring in to camp every year, including at least 10 QB's.

Great video Online!

[Bartman]

The real Union Dutchman...

From an article entitled "The Tradition of Traditions...Union College, March 6, 2003

"When the College's athletic teams began in the 1800s, they were called "The Garnet." The nickname "Dutchmen" was coined by twentieth-century sportswriters, and the Dutchman insignia was conceived by the manager of the Union Bookstore sometime in the 1940s. The late Bob Ridings, longtime equipment manager for the Athletic Department, regularly donned Dutchman garb at sports events and fired a small cannon to celebrate a Union score."

From 1956-91, Athletic Equipment Manager Bob Ridings dressed as the Dutchman to assist in cheerleading at home football and basketball games and to salute Union touchdowns by firing a small cannon. He is memorialized with a plaque at "The Cage" in Alumni Gym. On the plaque, the inscription reads "A very special person and a valued member of the Union College Athletic Staff for 48 years. Bob enhanced the lives of Union students, faculy, staff and alumni with his wit, warm personality, and love for people of all ages. Bob will always be remembered in the hearts and minds of the "Union Family" who had the privilege to know him." He received Union's Alumni Award for Meritorious Service in 1975. Bob died in 1998. His funeral was held on campus. It included a final blast from his cannon.

I knew Bob Ridings. Every athlete at Union knew Bob Ridings. When I first came to campus in the fall of 1968 the first person I saw was Bob at his equipment "cage". He asked me "what size cleats do you wear son"? I said 9...he gave me a 8 wide...they fit perfectly.

UFan,
    +k to you and all the Bob Ridlings in college sports, we all knew one . However, that cannon was always pretty annoying 

[Bombers798891]

Shameless self-promotion:

I'm overseeing a series of articles promoting the Cortaca Jug 2019. We've got a few more planned, so if you need a fix, feel free to check back in the coming months.

https://athletics.ithaca.edu/sports/2019/4/24/2019-cortaca-jug-game.aspx?utm_content=promo-vanity-url

[UfanBill]

UFan,
    +k to you and all the Bob Ridlings in college sports, we all knew one . However, that cannon was always pretty annoying 

Thanks Bartman. I searched for an image of Bob Ridings to add to my post and was unable to find one. If anyone has one, we'd all like to see it. I know they're out there.
The cannon blast lives still, after Union scores. Don't like it? Don't let the Dutchmen score. 

[Bartman]

Shameless self-promotion:

I'm overseeing a series of articles promoting the Cortaca Jug 2019. We've got a few more planned, so if you need a fix, feel free to check back in the coming months.

https://athletics.ithaca.edu/sports/2019/4/24/2019-cortaca-jug-game.aspx?utm_content=promo-vanity-url

This is great for D3 Football and the LL. IC communications does a great job.  Ithaca should get a big recruiting boost from this game no matter the result. My hope this season would be an upset by the Statesmen at Butterfield and a big win by the Bombers at Metlife..... Joe G and Gladney  could be the best QB-WR combo at Metlife this season

[Oline89]

SJF drove down to Geneva yesterday for a "combined practice" , I heard it went well for both teams.  Nice to hit somebody besides a teammate for a change.  Hobart-Alfred scrimmage on Wednesday. 

[Caz Bombers]

coaches sticking with RPI as favorite:

https://libertyleagueathletics.com/news/2019/8/23/football-rpi-tabbed-favorite-in-liberty-league-preseason-poll.aspx