FB: Liberty League

[Ice Bear]

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.

Ice thought Utah sprained his left pinky finger posting the other day and is unavailable for Saturday's game...medical staff must be working miracles. Ice Bear says we've come so far.

[Jonny Utah]

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.

Ice thought Utah sprained his left pinky finger posting the other day and is unavailable for Saturday's game...medical staff must be working miracles. Ice Bear says we've come so far.

I am ready to go.  Unfortunately the West Coast Offense is dead and I died with it.....

[Jonny Utah]

Back to Cortaca:

The only reason you would start Nabi over Joe G is if Joe did something totally off base in terms of his playing style the last two weeks, or some other off the field reason or situation where his attitude is a detriment to the team.  We have zero evidence of the latter, and in terms of his actual QB play the last two weeks I don't fault him either.  From my own amateur HS coaching eye, Union and RPI had extra defensive passing help, and gave Joe G. an area of the field that in my mind doesn't give you a whole lot of success (flat).  Union and RPI (and a few other teams which is a concern that people are overlooking) were able to get a good pass rush as well.  Ithaca has a predictable run game and when you combine the two/three (weak pass blocking, weak run game/scheme which forces you to throw into extra dback sets), you are bound to fail against teams that are able to match up with you.  Joe G. cannot control his oline blocking, he doesn't call the plays, and he doesn't design the offensive scheme.  It is tough to tell on my end how many of Ithaca's plays are RPO's, as their style is different than most standard RPO teams although again, I'm just an amateur HS coach.

[Jonny Utah]

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.

Ithaca ran the same offense last year for the most part though too.  I don't see that much of a difference.  No huddle, tempo, one back, no H back, an occasional trip formation with a TE, etc.

The TOP numbers should be consistent with teams that run this offense correct? And the defense is also a factor.  If you can't stop the other team, the TOP numbers will show that.  If you're saying IC needs a better run game I agree.

Ithaca's TOP numbers are interesting though:

IC      OPP
26      33
30      29
25      34
30      29
30      29
32      27
30      29
23      36
24      35   

[Machiavelli]

Back to Cortaca:

The only reason you would start Nabi over Joe G is if Joe did something totally off base in terms of his playing style the last two weeks, or some other off the field reason or situation where his attitude is a detriment to the team.  We have zero evidence of the latter, and in terms of his actual QB play the last two weeks I don't fault him either.  From my own amateur HS coaching eye, Union and RPI had extra defensive passing help, and gave Joe G. an area of the field that in my mind doesn't give you a whole lot of success (flat).  Union and RPI (and a few other teams which is a concern that people are overlooking) were able to get a good pass rush as well.  Ithaca has a predictable run game and when you combine the two/three (weak pass blocking, weak run game/scheme which forces you to throw into extra dback sets), you are bound to fail against teams that are able to match up with you.  Joe G. cannot control his oline blocking, he doesn't call the plays, and he doesn't design the offensive scheme.  It is tough to tell on my end how many of Ithaca's plays are RPO's, as their style is different than most standard RPO teams although again, I'm just an amateur HS coach.

Hey Utah, Beat it! Take a hike with your amateur, logical, well thought out reasoning, actually explaining things that happen in between the sidelines. Clearly you didn't get the memo that this has nothing to do with X's and O's.

That said, Ithaca's defense was nails last year.

[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.

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

As for this gem....

BURN! Total BURN! You got me Frank. Good one! Props to you! You should be very very proud of this one all day today. Hell, all week! Hold your head up high! Pretend you're 6 feet tall all day long. As always, you win again. Wasn't even a contest. Never is, never was. I hope it was well worth coming out of your LLPP Troll Cave.

[Jonny Utah]

Since no one really reads the NEWMAC page, I'll post it here:

http://www.uscgasports.com/sports/fball/2019-20/releases/20191108ia1ym2

Bill George is retiring from the Coast Guard Academy and his last game is this Saturday against Merchant Marine.  For those of you who don't know Coach George, he is a character and hell of a man.  Can't believe he has been there for 21 years, makes me feel real old.  (George played at Ithaca and coached their in various capacities from the 1980s to late 1990s when he left to go to CGA)

[Ithaca798891]

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.

RPI offense vs IC:
2018: 162 yards of offense, 9 FD, 3.2 YPP
2019: 345 yards of offense, 20 FD, 5.6 YPP

Union offense vs IC:
2018: 185 yards of offense, 10 FD, 2.9 YPP
2019: 417 yards of offense, 23 FD, 5.5 YPP

[Bartman]

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.

RPI offense vs IC:
2018: 162 yards of offense, 9 FD, 3.2 YPP
2019: 345 yards of offense, 20 FD, 5.6 YPP

Union offense vs IC:
2018: 185 yards of offense, 10 FD, 2.9 YPP
2019: 417 yards of offense, 23 FD, 5.5 YPP

Cortland offense v. IC
2018:    282 yards of offense, 14 FD, 4.9 YPP
2019:    500 yards of offense, 29 FD,  7.3 YPP(Projected based on sample base above)

Head on a swivel game? No choice but to start The Germ.....final score 59-55.....not a typical D3 game, but good for D3 football on the big stage.

[Doid23]

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.

RPI offense vs IC:
2018: 162 yards of offense, 9 FD, 3.2 YPP
2019: 345 yards of offense, 20 FD, 5.6 YPP

Union offense vs IC:
2018: 185 yards of offense, 10 FD, 2.9 YPP
2019: 417 yards of offense, 23 FD, 5.5 YPP

Looking back, many of the Ithica posters have been saying that the IC defense hasn't been the same as last year, and now here are the numbers to prove it. Having seen first hand how impressive IC's defense was last year, I wasn't ready to believe the drop this year. But those are some pretty dramatic differences vs. 2018.

[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.

RPI offense vs IC:
2018: 162 yards of offense, 9 FD, 3.2 YPP
2019: 345 yards of offense, 20 FD, 5.6 YPP

Union offense vs IC:
2018: 185 yards of offense, 10 FD, 2.9 YPP
2019: 417 yards of offense, 23 FD, 5.5 YPP

Cortland offense v. IC
2018:    282 yards of offense, 14 FD, 4.9 YPP
2019:    500 yards of offense, 29 FD,  7.3 YPP(Projected based on sample base above)

Head on a swivel game? No choice but to start The Germ.....final score 59-55.....not a typical D3 game, but good for D3 football on the big stage.

More guys with stoopid stats! Grow up...

[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.

RPI offense vs IC:
2018: 162 yards of offense, 9 FD, 3.2 YPP
2019: 345 yards of offense, 20 FD, 5.6 YPP

Union offense vs IC:
2018: 185 yards of offense, 10 FD, 2.9 YPP
2019: 417 yards of offense, 23 FD, 5.5 YPP

Looking back, many of the Ithica posters have been saying that the IC defense hasn't been the same as last year, and now here are the numbers to prove it. Having seen first hand how impressive IC's defense was last year, I wasn't ready to believe the drop this year. But those are some pretty dramatic differences vs. 2018.

Have to look at these in context. TOP numbers mentioned above are a big reason the defense has struggled of late. They are on the field way longer than last season, which is in part to the offensive play calling / turnover issues.

[Oline89]

Back to Cortaca:

The only reason you would start Nabi over Joe G is if Joe did something totally off base in terms of his playing style the last two weeks, or some other off the field reason or situation where his attitude is a detriment to the team.  We have zero evidence of the latter, and in terms of his actual QB play the last two weeks I don't fault him either.  From my own amateur HS coaching eye, Union and RPI had extra defensive passing help, and gave Joe G. an area of the field that in my mind doesn't give you a whole lot of success (flat).  Union and RPI (and a few other teams which is a concern that people are overlooking) were able to get a good pass rush as well.  Ithaca has a predictable run game and when you combine the two/three (weak pass blocking, weak run game/scheme which forces you to throw into extra dback sets), you are bound to fail against teams that are able to match up with you.  Joe G. cannot control his oline blocking, he doesn't call the plays, and he doesn't design the offensive scheme.  It is tough to tell on my end how many of Ithaca's plays are RPO's, as their style is different than most standard RPO teams although again, I'm just an amateur HS coach.

I brought up the question of Nabi playing, to see when a coach decides to start looking to next year.  The answer should probably be never, win today for today's team.  I didn't see any of IC/RPI game, but looking at the Stats, it looks like Germ played fairly well (a couple of INT's is to be expected when you throw so much).  We were discussing the idea of Germ heading to the NFL next  year, I think the best prospect on the team is Gladney, what are the thought's on the board....

[hazzben]

Back to Cortaca:

The only reason you would start Nabi over Joe G is if Joe did something totally off base in terms of his playing style the last two weeks, or some other off the field reason or situation where his attitude is a detriment to the team.  We have zero evidence of the latter, and in terms of his actual QB play the last two weeks I don't fault him either.  From my own amateur HS coaching eye, Union and RPI had extra defensive passing help, and gave Joe G. an area of the field that in my mind doesn't give you a whole lot of success (flat).  Union and RPI (and a few other teams which is a concern that people are overlooking) were able to get a good pass rush as well.  Ithaca has a predictable run game and when you combine the two/three (weak pass blocking, weak run game/scheme which forces you to throw into extra dback sets), you are bound to fail against teams that are able to match up with you.  Joe G. cannot control his oline blocking, he doesn't call the plays, and he doesn't design the offensive scheme.  It is tough to tell on my end how many of Ithaca's plays are RPO's, as their style is different than most standard RPO teams although again, I'm just an amateur HS coach.

I brought up the question of Nabi playing, to see when a coach decides to start looking to next year.  The answer should probably be never, win today for today's team.  I didn't see any of IC/RPI game, but looking at the Stats, it looks like Germ played fairly well (a couple of INT's is to be expected when you throw so much).  We were discussing the idea of Germ heading to the NFL next  year, I think the best prospect on the team is Gladney, what are the thought's on the board....

It's one thing if you're sitting at the final stretch of a season and have only a few wins. But at 7-2 and going into your major rivalry game, you play your best guys. No way would I be looking towards next season. That's a disservice to the seniors going into Cortaca, IMO.

[Frank Rossi]

Nabi

2018 vs. Cortland:
13-21 209yds 2TDs 1INT 8 Rush Yds.

2017 vs. Cortland:
27-37 329yds 6TDs 1INT 18 Rush Yds.

Total: 40-58 538yds 8TDs 2INTs 26 Rush Yds.

—-

Germinerio

2018 vs. Cortland:
31-50 307yds 2TDs 2INTs 25 Rush Yds.

2017 vs. Cortland:
15-21 265yds 3TDs 1INT 95 Rush Yds. 3 Rush TDs

Total: 46-71 572yds 5TDs 3INTs 120 Rush Yds. 3 Rush TDs