FB: Liberty League

[Machiavelli]

2003
RPI 21
Ithaca 16

2017
RPI 27
Ithaca 14

2018
RPI 10
Ithaca 9

RPI 21
JG's Brockport 13

2019
RPI 38
Ithaca 12

Or whatever....

Good news, if you were born the day Ithaca last beat RPI, you'd be able to buy scratchies and cigarettes this month.

[Jonny Utah]

2003
RPI 21
Ithaca 16

2017
RPI 27
Ithaca 14

2018
RPI 10
Ithaca 9

RPI 21
JG's Brockport 13

2019
RPI 38
Ithaca 12

Or whatever....

Good news, if you were born the day Ithaca last beat RPI, you'd be able to buy scratchies and cigarettes this month.

To be fair Mach, RPI was pretty bad in 2001.  A lot of terds on that team.  I wouldn't even count that as an Ithaca win. 

[Machiavelli]

2003
RPI 21
Ithaca 16

2017
RPI 27
Ithaca 14

2018
RPI 10
Ithaca 9

RPI 21
JG's Brockport 13

2019
RPI 38
Ithaca 12

Or whatever....

Good news, if you were born the day Ithaca last beat RPI, you'd be able to buy scratchies and cigarettes this month.

To be fair Mach, RPI was pretty bad in 2001.  A lot of terds on that team.  I wouldn't even count that as an Ithaca win.

100%

[Ithaca798891]

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.

They've won 8, 8, and 7 games (so far) in the past three seasons, and you're talking about firing the coach lest we turn into Rochester and Hartwick?

Sure 

[Bartman]

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.

They've won 8, 8, and 7 games (so far) in the past three seasons, and you're talking about firing the coach lest we turn into Rochester and Hartwick?

Sure

Winning at Metlife and winning an ECAC game should calm things down. It is just annoying that IC has given Mach and RPI life again.

[Machiavelli]

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.

They've won 8, 8, and 7 games (so far) in the past three seasons, and you're talking about firing the coach lest we turn into Rochester and Hartwick?

Sure

Winning at Metlife and winning an ECAC game should calm things down. It is just annoying that IC has given Mach and RPI life again.

I still have no life. It's all good.

[Oline89]

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.

Bartman, are you sure about the 3 way tiebreaker?  I thought it was mentioned that a three way tie is broken by record against teams .500 or better

[Oline89]

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.

Joe G made spectacular plays against Hobart, I really don't think Nabi would have mad them.  Does Swanstrom now look to 2020 and get Nabi involved Cortica?  Probably not, you play to win the game......

[ITH radio]

FWIW under Nabi and any backup during his injury, Ithaca lost a total of two league games in two years. I think that's getting lost in the shuffle. Last year a backup lost the game to RPI by 1.  This year, when RPI is clearly a lesser version of its 2018 selves, RPI won by 26.

[Machiavelli]

FWIW under Nabi and any backup during his injury, Ithaca lost a total of two league games in two years. I think that's getting lost in the shuffle. Last year a backup lost the game to RPI by 1.  This year, when RPI is clearly a lesser version of its 2018 selves, RPI won by 26.

I can't even believe this is a real post. JG is probably one of the most talented QBs(and overall playmakers) the LL and E8 have seen in quite a while. Stop the witch hunt and the mud slinging. Ithaca didn't get it done 2 weeks in a row. They'd probably have 3 losses with the other kid. We'll never know and it doesn't matter at this point. It is what it is. Ithaca lost. 1 player did not lose. FWIW of course.

[Frank Rossi]

FWIW under Nabi and any backup during his injury, Ithaca lost a total of two league games in two years. I think that's getting lost in the shuffle. Last year a backup lost the game to RPI by 1.  This year, when RPI is clearly a lesser version of its 2018 selves, RPI won by 26.

I can't even believe this is a real post. JG is probably one of the most talented QBs(and overall playmakers) the LL and E8 have seen in quite a while. Stop the witch hunt and the mud slinging. Ithaca didn't get it done 2 weeks in a row. They'd probably have 3 losses with the other kid. We'll never know and it doesn't matter at this point. It is what it is. Ithaca lost. 1 player did not lose. FWIW of course.

...and they call me a "classless" "bully"... 🤣

[ITH radio]

That's neither here nor there. Ultimately my comment has absolutely nothing to do with Joe. He's gifted. I've seen him destroy my alma mater 3 years running. All I will say is that the IC defense, bc of the change of offensive philosophy by the coaching staff, has been fundamentally changed and it's caught up to them in the last 2 weeks. Just look at the TOP stats.

It's not that complicated.

[Machiavelli]

That's neither here nor there. Ultimately my comment has absolutely nothing to do with Joe. He's gifted. I've seen him destroy my alma mater 3 years running. All I will say is that the IC defense, bc of the change of offensive philosophy by the coaching staff, has been fundamentally changed and it's caught up to them in the last 2 weeks. Just look at the TOP stats.

It's not that complicated.

I can wholeheartedly accept that comment. Makes a ton of sense and isn't directed at who is taking snaps.

[ITH radio]

Ok, but I do think given what we've seen, Nabi should start Saturday. I don't expect that to happen and I'm 99% confident it won't.

Cortland's run defense looked bad (terrible?) vs Hartwick. I'd go with a ball control, short pass, D'Haiti run focused offense. Give the D a break after being sold out Vs Union and RPI.

Hopefully it will be a game worthy of the history it'll make.

[Machiavelli]

Ok, but I do think given what we've seen, Nabi should start Saturday. I don't expect that to happen and I'm 99% confident it won't.

Cortland's run defense looked bad (terrible?) vs Hartwick. I'd go with a ball control, short pass, D'Haiti run focused offense. Give the D a break after being sold out Vs Union and RPI.

Hopefully it will be a game worthy of the history it'll make.

If the game wasn't where it is in the setting it is, maybe. Why not? But I'd bet Ithaca wants the best product on the field to showcase to a large number of people and news outlets. Maybe there will be a few platoon series if either team gets up by a few. As of right now, this is the most confusing 'what is gonna happen Saturday?' game of the season. There are literally so many possible storylines one can come up with. Not sure if anything would be a surprise outside of Jonny Utah pulling in a late TD in garbage time.