FB: Liberty League

[jmcozenlaw]

Ice Bear would agree that Ithaca sits well atop the LL at this point in the season. Ice says there is also no doubt in his mind that 3 of the top 4 are somewhat down this year in relation to their place in the national picture (which usually sits around #12-#30 in the nation.

Ice isn't shocked by RPI's lack of O and absolutely excellent defense. He knows damn well their O will have it together by the Shoes game. The Bear is purring with Hobart's explosion yesterday. Even though it was against an overmatched opponent it may have been exactly what Krewson and company needed to refocus, regain some confidence, and push forward into LL play. Ice says a W at home against the mighty Bombers and it's all of a sudden pumpkin season again. Ice believes IC is very good. We'll see how good next week on the road at the Boz Family Pumpkin Patch.

Ice shudders and turns his focus to his beloved Dutchmen. As the Bear reflects that may have been one of the most hot/cold games he's seen Union play...ever (anyone who knows Ice knows that says a lot, as he's been sitting in front of the frat house since before running water.

Ice absolutely loves and respects this coaching staff through and through. He'll leave that right there but as a fan he is just going to make some observations regarding yesterday.

Ice says first and foremost the Dutchmen defense got absolutely ****ing manhandled. They received a free second half colonoscopy performed by the hands of Nate Palmer and Braeden Zenelovic. Palmer is very quick and Zenelovic is a very big, strong, athletic, and accurate quarterback. He's the real deal at the D3 level. Ice heard Zenelovic yell at his team while walking off the field in the first half, "If they can score 24 in a half so can we." He was right. Union's secondary was carved up, out played, and out coached. Admittedly, they were on the field a ton as a result of the anemic second half offense. Ice hasn't seen a team have their way with the Dutchmen D like that in a while.

Ice says there seemingly was not a plan in place for backup QB Stratton Sherman. Sherman, who Ice understands has very little to no college game experience just couldn't get anything going behind center. There was no passing game at all. Ice saw the aforementioned pass to Ross out of the endzone at least 5 yards short of any space Ross could have gone. Ice could be wrong about that and trusts Palooza, but that's just what he saw. To Ice, Sherman was completely out of his element. Ice hopes that Sherman comes out and proves him wrong next week as Ice knows he was a very strong HS player. 

Ice also says yes, Ross has his moments and is a hell of a receiver but, he feels the Dutch don't go to him as often as one would think because of he is very injury prone. Once Pacatte was out, the box was stacked and Union could simply not function from the one dimensional place they were forced into.

Ice is also is curious about two other things. One, how on earth the Dutch kept running Pacatte as much as they did? It's only a matter of time at this level that you can run your QB over and over and not have him get hurt. Ice says the game is too physical. Ice understands that that option and skill set are very valuable and helps keep the D on their toes. Yet you have arguably one of the top 10 RB's in the nation and arguably the strongest four deep set of RB's in the country. Two, how there was no change on the return team after the same player made 3 mistakes??? Ice supports the kid and has seen the kid do well. Ice says it just wasn't his day and my goodness how long can you do the same thing and expect different results?

Anyway just Ice's thoughts. Overall Ice loves this staff and team. He is just talking some football here and sharing his perspective on what was a crazy game. Ice congrats Utica on never giving up and completely dominating the second half. This is a solid Pioneer team that may give Cortland a challenge if the Utica D can stand up. Onto Buffalo State.

Ice, can you honestly see anybody beating Ithaca in the Liberty League? If so, who is most likely to do so and who has an outside shot if everything breaks right?

[Ice Bear]

Ice Bear would agree that Ithaca sits well atop the LL at this point in the season. Ice says there is also no doubt in his mind that 3 of the top 4 are somewhat down this year in relation to their place in the national picture (which usually sits around #12-#30 in the nation.

Ice isn't shocked by RPI's lack of O and absolutely excellent defense. He knows damn well their O will have it together by the Shoes game. The Bear is purring with Hobart's explosion yesterday. Even though it was against an overmatched opponent it may have been exactly what Krewson and company needed to refocus, regain some confidence, and push forward into LL play. Ice says a W at home against the mighty Bombers and it's all of a sudden pumpkin season again. Ice believes IC is very good. We'll see how good next week on the road at the Boz Family Pumpkin Patch.

Ice shudders and turns his focus to his beloved Dutchmen. As the Bear reflects that may have been one of the most hot/cold games he's seen Union play...ever (anyone who knows Ice knows that says a lot, as he's been sitting in front of the frat house since before running water.

Ice absolutely loves and respects this coaching staff through and through. He'll leave that right there but as a fan he is just going to make some observations regarding yesterday.

Ice says first and foremost the Dutchmen defense got absolutely ****ing manhandled. They received a free second half colonoscopy performed by the hands of Nate Palmer and Braeden Zenelovic. Palmer is very quick and Zenelovic is a very big, strong, athletic, and accurate quarterback. He's the real deal at the D3 level. Ice heard Zenelovic yell at his team while walking off the field in the first half, "If they can score 24 in a half so can we." He was right. Union's secondary was carved up, out played, and out coached. Admittedly, they were on the field a ton as a result of the anemic second half offense. Ice hasn't seen a team have their way with the Dutchmen D like that in a while.

Ice says there seemingly was not a plan in place for backup QB Stratton Sherman. Sherman, who Ice understands has very little to no college game experience just couldn't get anything going behind center. There was no passing game at all. Ice saw the aforementioned pass to Ross out of the endzone at least 5 yards short of any space Ross could have gone. Ice could be wrong about that and trusts Palooza, but that's just what he saw. To Ice, Sherman was completely out of his element. Ice hopes that Sherman comes out and proves him wrong next week as Ice knows he was a very strong HS player. 

Ice also says yes, Ross has his moments and is a hell of a receiver but, he feels the Dutch don't go to him as often as one would think because of he is very injury prone. Once Pacatte was out, the box was stacked and Union could simply not function from the one dimensional place they were forced into.

Ice is also is curious about two other things. One, how on earth the Dutch kept running Pacatte as much as they did? It's only a matter of time at this level that you can run your QB over and over and not have him get hurt. Ice says the game is too physical. Ice understands that that option and skill set are very valuable and helps keep the D on their toes. Yet you have arguably one of the top 10 RB's in the nation and arguably the strongest four deep set of RB's in the country. Two, how there was no change on the return team after the same player made 3 mistakes??? Ice supports the kid and has seen the kid do well. Ice says it just wasn't his day and my goodness how long can you do the same thing and expect different results?

Anyway just Ice's thoughts. Overall Ice loves this staff and team. He is just talking some football here and sharing his perspective on what was a crazy game. Ice congrats Utica on never giving up and completely dominating the second half. This is a solid Pioneer team that may give Cortland a challenge if the Utica D can stand up. Onto Buffalo State.

Ice, can you honestly see anybody beating Ithaca in the Liberty League? If so, who is most likely to do so and who has an outside shot if everything breaks right?

Ice certainly favors IC and would be a bit surprised to see them lose to any of the other three top teams. Ice says with that being said, by Ice, he believes last year many thought Union was a clear favorite heading out to Butterfield and Union was dismantled, ineffective, and beaten by a better team in IC. So one never knows.

This season the Pumpkins have a tough D that he believes hasn't really shown it's true colors yet and an offense that, when healthy and clicking, can be very good. The Bear believes the red wall in Troylet is very real, but so are the offensive questions that are plaguing the Engineers. The Bear believes after yesterday, unless the Union D does a very big about face, specifically the secondary, Union won't be able to keep the mistake free Bombers in check. and of course we have the QB questions looming.

Ice says, so to answer your question, no, if your asking him today, right now, he doesn't see any of the three beating the Bombers in 2022.

Ice Bear says thoughts anyone?

[NedM]

The announcers for the Union game mentioned several times that the competition for the starting QB role was nip and tuck between Pacatte and Sherman in the pre-season but it certainly seemed the coaches had little confidence in Sherman's passing abilities.

Still: sitting here hundreds of miles from the action watching my rather small monitor I side with Mr. palooza; when Sherman launched that long ball to Ross I said to myself "He's got him!!" only to see Ross pull up. Had they completed that one I think the Dutchmen would have held on for the win.

Ned

[IC798891]

We should remember that Union, like most LL teams, is a run-first team, and they had a 24-7 lead.

So here's the results of Union's non-QB rushes in the second half:

-5, 0, 5, -2, 7, -1, -3, 1, -2, 3

For those wondering, that's 10 carries for 3 yards. Six of the 10 carries went for 0 yards or fewer.

Sure, Utica was playing the run. But there's a difference between struggling to run clock and pick up firsts and guys being in the backfield on every play. Better defenses than Utica's are on the schedule, and that's not going to cut it.

The QB play wasn't good either, but Union should have been able to run the clock, flip the field a bit. And the defense/special teams was a whole other train wreck.

[IC798891]

As far as IC being the favorite in the LL goes...

This seems insane to me

Here's what Hobart's defense has allowed this year:

Week 1: A 1-play, 11-yard TD drive following a pick
Week 2: A 12-play, 82 yard TD drive, A 22-yard FG after a punt return to the 6
Week 3: Nothing
Week 4: A meaningless 77-yard drive in the 4th quarter up 52-0.

In other words, Hobart's defense has allowed 1 meaningful TD drive in 4 games.

Here's what RPI's defense has allowed:

Week 1: A 2-play, 60 yard drive with a 57 yard TD
Week 2: A FG following an 8 play, 73- yard drive, a TD on a drive that started at their 1 following a pick
Week 3: Nothing
Week 4: A 13-play, 55 yard drive ending in a FG

In other words, RPI's defense has allowed 1 meaningful TD drive in 4 games.

I think IC could lose either, or both of those games

[Ice Bear]

The announcers for the Union game mentioned several times that the competition for the starting QB role was nip and tuck between Pacatte and Sherman in the pre-season but it certainly seemed the coaches had little confidence in Sherman's passing abilities.

Still: sitting here hundreds of miles from the action watching my rather small monitor I side with Mr. palooza; when Sherman launched that long ball to Ross I said to myself "He's got him!!" only to see Ross pull up. Had they completed that one I think the Dutchmen would have held on for the win.

Ned

Ice appreciates this perspective Ned and it provides him some hope. 

[Ice Bear]

We should remember that Union, like most LL teams, is a run-first team, and they had a 24-7 lead.

So here's the results of Union's non-QB rushes in the second half:

-5, 0, 5, -2, 7, -1, -3, 1, -2, 3

For those wondering, that's 10 carries for 3 yards. Six of the 10 carries went for 0 yards or fewer.

Sure, Utica was playing the run. But there's a difference between struggling to run clock and pick up firsts and guys being in the backfield on every play. Better defenses than Utica's are on the schedule, and that's not going to cut it.

The QB play wasn't good either, but Union should have been able to run the clock, flip the field a bit. And the defense/special teams was a whole other train wreck.

Ice Bear says no question IC. The game was really won by the Pioneer D on the line of scrimmage throughout the entire second half. They ****ing owned it. Ice says this was one of the reasons why this half was so devastating to watch. The Dutch were a fish out of water, powerless and floundering around unable to do anything...especially their bread and butter which is exactly what you said, the running game. Ice says great point!

[Bartman]

Looking forward to the OPPORTUNITY of getting the Bombers monkey off the Statesmen's back since Ithaca joined the LL. Hobart has not won the LL since the addition of IC. IC always has a solid team and has a 29-4 record against Hobart over the history of the programs. Those 4 wins were 4 of the last 5 contests played at the Boz. Krewson is totally motivated to defend the BOZ and there is enough talent on this team to get a win. Ithaca looks very good, but why did the Brockport game stall for the Bombers after the first quarter?  Both of these teams still have some young players that haven't had enough experience yet, but they also have some veterans that have been in some close contests and will not be intimidated by the importance of the game. Ithaca had a bye week and the time to focus on well practiced  game plan at the BOZ. Hobart had a great opportunity to fine tune the Offense and defense against Keystone as well as give some serious playing time to the depth chart that may serve them well on Saturday. I expect a very hard hitting game and unfortunately injuries often follow the intensity of a game like this. Depth will be important at all of the skill positions, and I think Hobart has developed some in the last 4 games.
    So, I expect Hobart to be double digit underdogs(essentially due to the Morrisville loss), but I am not looking at the game without some confidence that the BOZ magic, the drive by Krewson, etal to keep in contention for the first LL title since 2016, will make for a GREAT early season LL game.GOBART!

[Bartman]

As far as IC being the favorite in the LL goes...

This seems insane to me

Here's what Hobart's defense has allowed this year:

Week 1: A 1-play, 11-yard TD drive following a pick
Week 2: A 12-play, 82 yard TD drive, A 22-yard FG after a punt return to the 6
Week 3: Nothing
Week 4: A meaningless 77-yard drive in the 4th quarter up 52-0.

In other words, Hobart's defense has allowed 1 meaningful TD drive in 4 games.

Here's what RPI's defense has allowed:

Week 1: A 2-play, 60 yard drive with a 57 yard TD
Week 2: A FG following an 8 play, 73- yard drive, a TD on a drive that started at their 1 following a pick
Week 3: Nothing
Week 4: A 13-play, 55 yard drive ending in a FG

In other words, RPI's defense has allowed 1 meaningful TD drive in 4 games.

I think IC could lose either, or both of those games

Nice analysis, but I am concerned that the Hobart Defense has not faced a passing game like Ithaca's. I think our Dline and Linebackers have filled well from last year's departures but we had some big holes to fill in the secondary. We'll see what the Bombers coaching staff has cooked up for Saturday.

[IC798891]

Ithaca looks very good, but why did the Brockport game stall for the Bombers after the first quarter? 

Port has an excellent defense, and the Bombers don't have a ton of playmakers on the outside like they had the previous years. They did miss a FG, and overthrow an open TD on a non-scoring drive.

But still, I do not expect much scoring. This feels like a 20-17 type game

[Jersey42]

Here's what RPI's defense has allowed:

Week 1: A 2-play, 60 yard drive with a 57 yard TD
Week 2: A FG following an 8 play, 73- yard drive, a TD on a drive that started at their 1 following a pick
Week 3: Nothing
Week 4: A 13-play, 55 yard drive ending in a FG

In other words, RPI's defense has allowed 1 meaningful TD drive in 4 games.

Yes - RPI's defense has been superb all season long.  The one "meaningful TD" came on the second play of the season on a tipped pass that fell into the hands a Dickinson player who ran untouched to the end zone.  The defense is more than good enough to win any of their LL contests.

But the offense is another story.  They couldn't even win the last game when giving up only three points. They did score some points against WPI when they dominated the line play on both offense and defense.  But in that game they lost arguably their top offensive threat (Peter Lombardi) in Q1 after catching four passes, including two touchdowns.  I have no inside knowledge regarding a possible return, but the injury did not look good. Dylan Burnett was excellent that day as their top ball carrier.

In the other games

Week 1: 2 touchdowns. The first after a bad snap on a punt. The other on blown coverage leaving a wide open receiver for a 52 yd score.
Week 2: 1 touchdown. 7 play 80 yard drive lead by the backup QB in the last three minutes of the game.
Week 4: Nothing

Time will tell with the offense.  Maybe they are just trying to lull the rest of the league into a false sense of security. 

[Jersey42]

I think RPI is still trying to figure out their QB situation as recently graduated George Marinopoulos played most of the snaps for the past 3 1/2 seasons (not counting Ithaca last year).  Matt Petercuskie, the senior has gotten all of the starts and most of the snaps.  But sophomore Jake Kazanowski has played in every game.

They still have lots of other QBs on their roster.  One freshman was the Albany Times Union small school player of the year.  He was also 1st team NYSSWA Class C at QB. I don't think any of this is much of a predictor for college success, especially with the smaller schools.  I mention it because his brother also played QB at the same high school a few years ago, but he made 2nd team all state on defense.  His brother has been mentioned several times on these boards over the last few days - Stratton Sherman of Union.

[IC798891]

Here's what I think's odd about the RPI situation:

In Week 2, RPI switched from Petercuskie to Kazanowsky at the end, and he drove them down the field for a TD, and started another (ultimately doomed drive). They went back to Petercuskie for everything meaningful in Week 3. And then in Week 4, Kazanowsky came in at the end to try to rally them again.

Ithaca had QB problems in 2011, where Jason Hendel and Phil Neumann both struggled, but both players got shots as starters and to play full games.

It's worth noting that Petercuskie's last play in Week 4 was a sack, so maybe he was a bit banged up. But this reads (to a total outsider) as a team that is saying: "This guy starts every game, and if he's struggling and we're trailing, we're making a move to try for a spark."

This seems not ideal for the long term. It's gotta be challenging for Petercuskie if he's wondering if this is the series a switch is happening. And it's gotta be hard for Kazanowsky to be a guy who they're turning to when they're down late and then he's not the starter next week, even if he plays reasonably well.

I could be totally wrong. Maybe this is what works for everyone and they're all comfortable. Maybe there's stuff in practice I'm not seeing. I'm not trying to get in their heads. I'm just trying to remember the last time I saw a struggling team on offense handle a QB situation like this.

And yes, I'm absolutely expecting them to make me eat my words when they go like 18-for-25 for 235 and two scores as they beat IC 21-17. I'm not trying to give bulletin board material here. It's just been strange to watch

[ITH radio]

Looking forward to the OPPORTUNITY of getting the Bombers monkey off the Statesmen's back since Ithaca joined the LL. Hobart has not won the LL since the addition of IC. IC always has a solid team and has a 29-4 record against Hobart over the history of the programs. Those 4 wins were 4 of the last 5 contests played at the Boz. Krewson is totally motivated to defend the BOZ and there is enough talent on this team to get a win. Ithaca looks very good, but why did the Brockport game stall for the Bombers after the first quarter?  Both of these teams still have some young players that haven't had enough experience yet, but they also have some veterans that have been in some close contests and will not be intimidated by the importance of the game. Ithaca had a bye week and the time to focus on well practiced  game plan at the BOZ. Hobart had a great opportunity to fine tune the Offense and defense against Keystone as well as give some serious playing time to the depth chart that may serve them well on Saturday. I expect a very hard hitting game and unfortunately injuries often follow the intensity of a game like this. Depth will be important at all of the skill positions, and I think Hobart has developed some in the last 4 games.
    So, I expect Hobart to be double digit underdogs(essentially due to the Morrisville loss), but I am not looking at the game without some confidence that the BOZ magic, the drive by Krewson, etal to keep in contention for the first LL title since 2016, will make for a GREAT early season LL game.GOBART!

Actually, Bart has 5 wins in the series, last coming in 2016.

Here's something I wrote on Monday for you LL fans:

http://gohobart.blogspot.com/2022/09/week-5-ithaca-game-preview.html

[Jonny Utah]

Looking forward to the OPPORTUNITY of getting the Bombers monkey off the Statesmen's back since Ithaca joined the LL. Hobart has not won the LL since the addition of IC. IC always has a solid team and has a 29-4 record against Hobart over the history of the programs. Those 4 wins were 4 of the last 5 contests played at the Boz. Krewson is totally motivated to defend the BOZ and there is enough talent on this team to get a win. Ithaca looks very good, but why did the Brockport game stall for the Bombers after the first quarter?  Both of these teams still have some young players that haven't had enough experience yet, but they also have some veterans that have been in some close contests and will not be intimidated by the importance of the game. Ithaca had a bye week and the time to focus on well practiced  game plan at the BOZ. Hobart had a great opportunity to fine tune the Offense and defense against Keystone as well as give some serious playing time to the depth chart that may serve them well on Saturday. I expect a very hard hitting game and unfortunately injuries often follow the intensity of a game like this. Depth will be important at all of the skill positions, and I think Hobart has developed some in the last 4 games.
    So, I expect Hobart to be double digit underdogs(essentially due to the Morrisville loss), but I am not looking at the game without some confidence that the BOZ magic, the drive by Krewson, etal to keep in contention for the first LL title since 2016, will make for a GREAT early season LL game.GOBART!

Actually, Bart has 5 wins in the series, last coming in 2016.

Here's something I wrote on Monday for you LL fans:

http://gohobart.blogspot.com/2022/09/week-5-ithaca-game-preview.html

Nice write up ITH.  A few other things that I have found interesting about Ithaca and this matchup.

Ithaca is 187th out of 229 teams in passing yards per completion.  They throw more WR screens for 4-6 yards than probably anyone which impacts this stat, but it also may show their lack of a deep threat.  #3 Anderson for them is clearly their most dangerous WR with speed but he isn't a big guy and doesn't get separation deep.  Ithaca seems to get him open on special plays and he is dangerous there, but if Hobart wants to gamble a little more with their SS that might force Wingfield into deep throws he might not want to make. 

Ithaca is 6th in the country in kickoff returns and Hobart is 12th.  Both elite return groups that need to be accounted for.  Ithaca is also 31st in punt returns, with Anderson being their primary punt returner and Anthony D'Addetta being their other Kickoff return man.  Hobart is 167th in punt returns but with only 7 returns so far the stat might not mean that much.

Ithaca has 10 penalties in 3 games so far putting them tied at 11th in the country. 

Hobart is first (tied) in the country in 4th down conversion as they are 4-4. 

Hobart has blocked 4 kicks this year (tied for 4th nationally).  That may come into play if Ithaca wants to try a deep FG which they like to do.

Across the board they look pretty even without much to compare too.  Both played some good teams and some bad teams but I think ITH had something when he noted that starting strong and moving the chains will be key in this game.  Ithaca has been hot in the first quarter and first half so far.