FB: Liberty League

[Bartman]

Congratulations to the Dutchmen for staying undefeated, although it sounds from UFanBill that it may have been a costly win. Hopefully the team will heal. RPI is waiting to pounce, so beware. Surviving a trap game is a sign of a good team.We need our League Champ to finish and represent us well in the NCAAs.

WTF happened to Ithaca ? I think it is on Swanstrom and Germinerio for not getting the team to wake up and make it a game after it was 21-0.Never take an Insernia team for granted Pool C is gone, for sure. Very disappointing for the LL.

Congratulations to Grochot and the Saints for an another awesome passing performance today.

The Hobart Statesmen have continued to play well without a letdown following the disappointing losses to IC and Union, as the young offensive line matures and shows significant improvement in run blocking that should carry over to next year. Also congratulations to Boswell for his first KO Return for a TD, many more to come based on his talent level.

 

[Caz Bombers]

we're gonna lose Cortaca 42-0. Caz hopes Shirley and Susan fire Swanstrom on the 50 yard line at MetLife.

EDIT: hey look it's our 1,000th post! Getting mad online at IC football, very on brand for Caz.

[XREDDRAGON77]

Don't get so down! We almost lost to Hartwick. Never know next week!

[Jonny Utah]

we're gonna lose Cortaca 42-0. Caz hopes Shirley and Susan fire Swanstrom on the 50 yard line at MetLife.

EDIT: hey look it's our 1,000th post! Getting mad online at IC football, very on brand for Caz.

I think in general the coaching is too good in the LL to look past any team on any given Saturday.  I'd put my money on RPI next week, and Ithaca can get their moment in the sun and then onto next year which should be an interesting twilight zone scenario with Nabi coming back and hopefully some new blood.  They still lose some big guys on the defensive front line and Gladney, but other than that they should be good and potentially content for an LL title again.

[Ice Bear]

Ice Bear says congratulations to SLU, Hobart, RPI, and Union on their wins yesterday. Ice Bear loves the SLU QB. Good things to come for SLU.

Ice was shocked with the Bombers loss at the hands of RPI yesterday. Swanstrom certainly didn't have the boys ready yesterday. Ice is really pulling for the Bombers next week at Met Life. He'd love to see the Bombers rebound, get it together, and take down Cortland in front of a record D3 crowd. Go Bombers!

Ice says as far as his beloved Dutchmen yesterday they did what they needed to do. Credit to Utica on a very gritty and physical performance. To Ice Union looked like they were going through the motions at times and just wanted to get off the field. It certainly was a trap game and a let down after the big win over Ithaca. However someone failed to let Utica know. There were some good moments and some poor moments but good teams find ways to win right? That's what Union did. Just a quick message out to the awesome Dutchman coaching staff. Please don't forget about Griffin Beal. He is arguably the unsung hero for the Dutch so far this season and yesterday afternoon in the 2nd half it seemed as if they forgot he was in the game. He has really come through in clutch situations all season.

Ice just is hoping everyone is healthy and ready to go next week for the shoes against what will most certainly be a rejuvenated RPI squad. Again, congrats to Troylet Polytechnic Institute on there huge win  yesterday. To Ice it says a lot they just didn't pack it in after a couple of tough losses.

[Machiavelli]

I am not shocked by the RPI win. 1, they own JG, 2, they own Ithaca, and 3, RPI basically was what Ithaca is now, only 4 weeks earlier. RPI was ranked pretty high and ultimately came out unprepared with poor game plans and execution in their losses. I won't be even a little surprised if they return the favor to the Doucheman and spoil their perfect season as Union did to them last year. It ultimately didn't hurt RPI, but it made Union's season and gave some positive momentum coming into this year. I could see a very similar outcome next week, the following weeks for Union(if they can get healthy), and next year for RPI.

I also would've liked to see what Ithaca could do in the postseason but they choked and wasted a really strong opportunity and now I hope Cortland destroys them, just because. All of the JG bitching and moaning just doesn't matter anymore now does it? Either the kid is a bad egg or the Ithaca coaches lack a clue. Or both. Huge wasted opportunity for Ithaca, the LL, and the East.

But I'll certainly take the win.

[Ice Bear]

Ice Bear asks if Mach remembers 2006? Ah that was the worst Union loss for Ice at the hands of RPI. U came into the shoes game undefeated and nationally ranked only to take a physical beating and big defeat on 86' field. This beating totally deflated Ice's Dutch and ended their season IIBHO. The completely deflated Garnet went out to Pittsford for a round 1 NCAA game against SJF the following week a shell of their former selves and we're completely listless.

Ice is worried about this happening again. Congrats to your Engineers on the W yesterday.

[Bartman]

I am not shocked by the RPI win. 1, they own JG, 2, they own Ithaca, and 3, RPI basically was what Ithaca is now, only 4 weeks earlier. RPI was ranked pretty high and ultimately came out unprepared with poor game plans and execution in their losses. I won't be even a little surprised if they return the favor to the Doucheman and spoil their perfect season as Union did to them last year. It ultimately didn't hurt RPI, but it made Union's season and gave some positive momentum coming into this year. I could see a very similar outcome next week, the following weeks for Union(if they can get healthy), and next year for RPI.

I also would've liked to see what Ithaca could do in the postseason but they choked and wasted a really strong opportunity and now I hope Cortland destroys them, just because. All of the JG bitching and moaning just doesn't matter anymore now does it? Either the kid is a bad egg or the Ithaca coaches lack a clue. Or both. Huge wasted opportunity for Ithaca, the LL, and the East.

But I'll certainly take the win.

I would have bet my own dog a few weeks ago that this was a fake post by Mach. Who would have thunk it?
Congratulations to the Engineers. This will definitely make the Dutchmen nervous that they might go Shoeless . The Shoes game has more drama than Metlife next Saturday.....Metlife is where teams go to die these days ...my Giants sure did today. I say start Nabi for the emotional edge and to reward the most loyal player in the LL...I guarantee you Ithaca would win .

[Oline89]

After watching IC play a perfect game against Hobart, then watching RPI get completely manhandled by Hobart and then sleep walk against SLU, I am amazed that they pounded IC.  I guess everyone predicted preseason that the top 4 would beat each other up (now add SLU to the mix), so overall the LL is acting like the WIAC.  Great teams, run the gauntlet of the regular season, best record goes to the NCAA.  However, knowing that on any given Saturday, any of the top 4 (?5) can win.

[jmcozenlaw]

I am not shocked by the RPI win. 1, they own JG, 2, they own Ithaca, and 3, RPI basically was what Ithaca is now, only 4 weeks earlier. RPI was ranked pretty high and ultimately came out unprepared with poor game plans and execution in their losses. I won't be even a little surprised if they return the favor to the Doucheman and spoil their perfect season as Union did to them last year. It ultimately didn't hurt RPI, but it made Union's season and gave some positive momentum coming into this year. I could see a very similar outcome next week, the following weeks for Union(if they can get healthy), and next year for RPI.

I also would've liked to see what Ithaca could do in the postseason but they choked and wasted a really strong opportunity and now I hope Cortland destroys them, just because. All of the JG bitching and moaning just doesn't matter anymore now does it? Either the kid is a bad egg or the Ithaca coaches lack a clue. Or both. Huge wasted opportunity for Ithaca, the LL, and the East.

But I'll certainly take the win.

I have heard that many of Joey G's ex-teammates were ragging on him pretty hard after Ithaca got destroyed. He didn't leave on great terms apparently and Brockport seemingly got the last laugh.

[Oline89]

I am not shocked by the RPI win. 1, they own JG, 2, they own Ithaca, and 3, RPI basically was what Ithaca is now, only 4 weeks earlier. RPI was ranked pretty high and ultimately came out unprepared with poor game plans and execution in their losses. I won't be even a little surprised if they return the favor to the Doucheman and spoil their perfect season as Union did to them last year. It ultimately didn't hurt RPI, but it made Union's season and gave some positive momentum coming into this year. I could see a very similar outcome next week, the following weeks for Union(if they can get healthy), and next year for RPI.

I also would've liked to see what Ithaca could do in the postseason but they choked and wasted a really strong opportunity and now I hope Cortland destroys them, just because. All of the JG bitching and moaning just doesn't matter anymore now does it? Either the kid is a bad egg or the Ithaca coaches lack a clue. Or both. Huge wasted opportunity for Ithaca, the LL, and the East.

But I'll certainly take the win.

I have heard that many of Joey G's ex-teammates were ragging on him pretty hard after Ithaca got destroyed. He didn't leave on great terms apparently and Brockport seemingly got the last laugh.

Understatement of the year

[Ithaca798891]

Just saw the IC-RPI score. What in the smoking hell was that all about???

Injuries? Flat, not ready to go? Bad gameplan? If it was either of the second two, then quite frankly, fire Dan Swanstrom. Dead serious.

Look, like any IC fan (and probably many inside the program), I'm disappointed by the past two weeks, and that a season that began with this much optimism has sort of faded. But let's get some perspective here.

--Coming off of 4-6 and 5-5 seasons, the Bombers have won 7+ regular seasons games each of the past three years. The last time they did that was from 2007 to 2009 (which was also the last time they won consecutive Cortaca Jug games).

--Swanstrom has gone 22-7 in his first three regular seasons, which is a better record than Mike Welch had in his first three. Yes, the Bombers' played a tougher schedule back then. They also weren't coming off of a pair of 5-5 and 4-6 seasons.

Yes, it would be great to make the playoffs. But it's also important to remember that the Bombers' weren't a perennial playoff contender at the end of Mike Welch's career. They had just two appearances in the last 8 seasons (as hardly dominating 8-2 and 7-3 Pool A teams)—a stretch where they also lost 7 of 8 Jug games. The win over Framingham State in 2013 was the only playoff win they had under Welch in his last 12 seasons.

And Mike Welch was a really good, really successful coach. But it's undeniable that, these last two weeks included, they've been more successful than they had been in a long time.

And yeah, it's frustrating to think that RPI "owns" them or whatever. Until two weeks ago, IC had "owned" Union. These things happen.

Tough ending to the year, but I really hope IC fans don't turn into those fans who want new coaches every time there's a playoff drought of a few years

[Bartman]

Swanstrom is safe even if IC loses Cortaca......I'm sure he will produce a good plan Saturday, but execution will be key after such a surprising loss. Heck , if RPI beats Union in the Shoes game there will be a 3 way tie for second , and RPI with the win over the league champ gets the bid to the NYS Bowl....so, 2 interesting games on Saturday.

[unionpalooza]

Just saw the IC-RPI score. What in the smoking hell was that all about???

Injuries? Flat, not ready to go? Bad gameplan? If it was either of the second two, then quite frankly, fire Dan Swanstrom. Dead serious.

Look, like any IC fan (and probably many inside the program), I'm disappointed by the past two weeks, and that a season that began with this much optimism has sort of faded. But let's get some perspective here.

--Coming off of 4-6 and 5-5 seasons, the Bombers have won 7+ regular seasons games each of the past three years. The last time they did that was from 2007 to 2009 (which was also the last time they won consecutive Cortaca Jug games).

--Swanstrom has gone 22-7 in his first three regular seasons, which is a better record than Mike Welch had in his first three. Yes, the Bombers' played a tougher schedule back then. They also weren't coming off of a pair of 5-5 and 4-6 seasons.

Yes, it would be great to make the playoffs. But it's also important to remember that the Bombers' weren't a perennial playoff contender at the end of Mike Welch's career. They had just two appearances in the last 8 seasons (as hardly dominating 8-2 and 7-3 Pool A teams)—a stretch where they also lost 7 of 8 Jug games. The win over Framingham State in 2013 was the only playoff win they had under Welch in his last 12 seasons.

And Mike Welch was a really good, really successful coach. But it's undeniable that, these last two weeks included, they've been more successful than they had been in a long time.

And yeah, it's frustrating to think that RPI "owns" them or whatever. Until two weeks ago, IC had "owned" Union. These things happen.

Tough ending to the year, but I really hope IC fans don't turn into those fans who want new coaches every time there's a playoff drought of a few years

I agree that a little patience is deserved here.  All this does make me wonder, however, about how weird the whole Joe G thing has turned out.  I think it seems pretty likely that, had he stayed at Brockport, he'd of been making a playoff run with a pretty stacked team.  And as for Ithaca, they'll finish 7-2 at best, which is probably where they would have been with Nabi, and they head into next with a QB with a whole year of game experience missing.  I also kind of wonder whether, oddly, IC might have matched up better with Union or Hobart had they had Nabi and (presumably) a bunch more balanced offense.  I think there fatal flaw this year was that they were built as a one-trick pony, and D3 at its best requires you have multiple ways of winning any given game.

[Caz Bombers]

Just saw the IC-RPI score. What in the smoking hell was that all about???

Injuries? Flat, not ready to go? Bad gameplan? If it was either of the second two, then quite frankly, fire Dan Swanstrom. Dead serious.

Look, like any IC fan (and probably many inside the program), I'm disappointed by the past two weeks, and that a season that began with this much optimism has sort of faded. But let's get some perspective here.

--Coming off of 4-6 and 5-5 seasons, the Bombers have won 7+ regular seasons games each of the past three years. The last time they did that was from 2007 to 2009 (which was also the last time they won consecutive Cortaca Jug games).

--Swanstrom has gone 22-7 in his first three regular seasons, which is a better record than Mike Welch had in his first three. Yes, the Bombers' played a tougher schedule back then. They also weren't coming off of a pair of 5-5 and 4-6 seasons.

Yes, it would be great to make the playoffs. But it's also important to remember that the Bombers' weren't a perennial playoff contender at the end of Mike Welch's career. They had just two appearances in the last 8 seasons (as hardly dominating 8-2 and 7-3 Pool A teams)—a stretch where they also lost 7 of 8 Jug games. The win over Framingham State in 2013 was the only playoff win they had under Welch in his last 12 seasons.

And Mike Welch was a really good, really successful coach. But it's undeniable that, these last two weeks included, they've been more successful than they had been in a long time.

And yeah, it's frustrating to think that RPI "owns" them or whatever. Until two weeks ago, IC had "owned" Union. These things happen.

Tough ending to the year, but I really hope IC fans don't turn into those fans who want new coaches every time there's a playoff drought of a few years

yes, let's definitely become Hartwick or Rochester, that sounds like a lot of fun. I get that it's all just laughs and games to you, but have SOME standards, man. Or you'll look up one day and realize we haven't made the playoffs in 13 years with a bunch of 4 and 5 win seasons. But hey, these things happen, right?

EDIT: oh, and I don't care about Mike Welch's record either. He should have been let go at least 5 years before he actually walked away, but I guess that's only what a real program would have done.