FB: Liberty League

[Jonny Utah]

I'm ok with makeup calls 100%.  But that is one of the worst roughing the passer penalties I've seen.  If it's a makeup call I'm good. (I went back and watched it from the live feed).

[Jonny Utah]

either Ithaca got its uniforms stolen by Buffalo State or Pacatte is secretly Patrick Mahomes in disguise. This is awful.

EDIT: lucky to get out of the first half only down 21-14. Simply rancid defense - if this is who they are then might as well get exposed now and save the bother of going to the playoffs and getting worked there. FFS, Cortland is going to utterly destroy them.

Union with a great offensive game plan.  I haven't watched too much of them this year but they seem to be making some nice calls on that RPO TD to the TE and then some nice QB runs that look designed.  The WR Dunneman is a stud.

[Caz Bombers]

Better response after halftime thus far.

[unionpalooza]

Another brutal 3-point loss for Union where a missed short FG would have made the difference.  As good as the first half play-calling was, some poor choices in the second half combined with a trillion penalties makes for a loss.   Hats off to Ithaca for managing 31 points out of 330 yards of offense.   That said, Ithaca did not at all seem the juggernaut I had thought they were - pretty much on par with Utica.  I think they are going get absolutely lit up against Cartland.   

[Jonny Utah]

Another brutal 3-point loss for Union where a missed short FG would have made the difference.  As good as the first half play-calling was, some poor choices in the second half combined with a trillion penalties makes for a loss.   Hats off to Ithaca for managing 31 points out of 330 yards of offense.   That said, Ithaca did not at all seem the juggernaut I had thought they were - pretty much on par with Utica.  I think they are going get absolutely lit up against Cartland.

Yea Ithaca is not special.  No studs or playmakers but 30 guys who can all play tough.  They have been efficient and well coached throughout the year.  This was easily their worst game I've seen them play on defense this year though.  And I've never seen Wingfield play so poorly throwing a few really bad balls today.  That INT he had was real bad.  Union had a good gameplan though.  QB evaded a bunch of sacks and made some key 3rd and 4th down throws.  He seemed off though on a lot of quick hitches and curl/bench routes that looked open.  He can throw it deep though.

[Caz Bombers]

Happy to be wrong about where this one was headed. Delighted to have the LL title wrapped up and no scoreboard watching necessary next Saturday (err, Saterday)

Good luck to Union against the red and black wizards of Troy.

[Bartman]

Congrats to Ithaca on the win today and their first "outright" LL title. I did not watch the entire game, but Union ,based on stats should have been closer than a last minute TD followed by an onside kick. I think the IC coaching staff has done a great job with their talent , that is very good but needs coaching excellence to get to where they are this season....they've been ready every game. Hobart did not develop  enough for their early encounter with a much better prepared Bombers team, and that lopsided win looks very good for the Bombers now. Union had two really tough loses back to back and had their opportunities in each game. My condolences to the Dutchmen faithful. A great LL season with a meaningless Shoes game next week that is anybody's game. It will be interesting to see how the Bombers  perform against Cortland, that in IMO, has a slight edge in overall talent next week. It should be a great game at Yankee stadium. This is not natural for me to say, but here goes...GO BOMBERS!
As far as my Statesmen, it was difficult to watch the Buffalo State program get to such a low point, but we needed some stat padding. The younger guys got some important experience. Now we gotta beat a scrappy Yellowjacket team on Senior Day and hope for an RPI win, so we can salvage a second place 3 way tie in the LL, and kick the Bombers ass next year.

[unionpalooza]

Another brutal 3-point loss for Union where a missed short FG would have made the difference.  As good as the first half play-calling was, some poor choices in the second half combined with a trillion penalties makes for a loss.   Hats off to Ithaca for managing 31 points out of 330 yards of offense.   That said, Ithaca did not at all seem the juggernaut I had thought they were - pretty much on par with Utica.  I think they are going get absolutely lit up against Cartland.

Yea Ithaca is not special.  No studs or playmakers but 30 guys who can all play tough.  They have been efficient and well coached throughout the year.  This was easily their worst game I've seen them play on defense this year though.  And I've never seen Wingfield play so poorly throwing a few really bad balls today.  That INT he had was real bad.  Union had a good gameplan though.  QB evaded a bunch of sacks and made some key 3rd and 4th down throws.  He seemed off though on a lot of quick hitches and curl/bench routes that looked open.  He can throw it deep though.

That sounds right on to me.  They seemed extremely well coached and played hard and with great team energy - you could literally hear the entire sideline yell "inside zone" and "screen" when Union lined up in a predictable formation.  Those are actually my favorite kind of teams - overachievers where the team identity is what's special, rather than the playmakers. 

[unionpalooza]

One last (grumpy) thought for the day - it appears D3 refs have completely given up accurately spotting the ball - every spot just gets advanced to the nearest yard line.  They do it both ways so it's not "unfair" but I still think it sucks.  These kids work their butt off all year, the least the refs could do is attempt to actually spot the ball and occasional have to measure.  I mean, it's three feet - enough to make a difference. 

[Jonny Utah]

One last (grumpy) thought for the day - it appears D3 refs have completely given up accurately spotting the ball - every spot just gets advanced to the nearest yard line.  They do it both ways so it's not "unfair" but I still think it sucks.  These kids work their butt off all year, the least the refs could do is attempt to actually spot the ball and occasional have to measure.  I mean, it's three feet - enough to make a difference.

You know it's interesting you said that.  Ithaca had a 4th and short late in the game that the Ithaca QB snuck and made it.  But the ref on the Union sideline shorted the Ithaca QB a whole yard when he spotted it (IC ended up getting the 1st down anyway) Part of me thought I'd was BS but the other part of me though maybe the ref isn't have the angle I had (it was from the 50 and the camera angle was high). But I was ready to be pissed If they didn't give ithaca the 1st when it was CLEAR that they got it. And yea ya lot of calls both ways today that I can't comment on 100% without seeing them live. 

[IC798891]

Yea Ithaca is not special. 

No studs or playmakers but 30 guys who can all play tough. 

I actually think this is what makes this team incredibly special.

Take the very first play of this game for example, backed up at their own two — after what I assume was a return mishap. That is exactly how a tough game can go sideways. Next thing you know you're down 2-0 and Union has the ball in good field position and gets the ball in the second half.

Instead, what happens? IC goes for 40 yards on the first play to get out of trouble, capitalizes on some penalties, and opens on the road with a 98 yard TD drive.

Okay, so the game gets into it, Union's offense puts together some really nice drives, and ends up leading 21-14 (and again, gets the ball to start the half). IC is not a team that throws deep downfield to score quickly. A two TD deficit is not where they want to be. If Union opens with a score, or even a FG, IC is really behind the 8 ball.

How many times do we say to ourselves "What we need now is a turnover"? Well, most of the time, we don't get it. But not only does IC get it, it's a turnover that sets up their own offense at the Union 23. So now, just 4 minutes into the second half, we're tied.

Speaking of second halves, one of IC's specialties this season has been the 3rd quarter adjustment. Even in blowout wins against Rochester and St. Lawrence, the Bombers have used fantastic 3rds to take care of business after a meh first half.

Rochester: 21-10 halftime —> 21-0 3rd quater
St. Lawrence: 9-0 halftime —> 24-0 3rd quarter
Union: 14-21 halftime —> 14-0 3rd quater

This isn't RPI waiting until there's 37 seconds to go to play offense. This is a coaching staff making some adjustments in the locker room — whether it's scheme or just helping the team snap out of it. After allowing TDs on 3 of Union's 4 drives in the first half, the Bombers stopped Union on 5 straight in the second half.

I think it's a great team actually. Reminds me a lot of the 2013 and 1994 teams.

[Ice Bear]

Ice Bear says that was one hell of a game yesterday between Union and IC. Ice will tackle Union first and then get to his thoughts on IC.

Ice felt that Union played a very tough game against the Bombers. He was pleased with the offensive execution in the first half as a whole. Paccatte was excellent, the line showed some consistency, and Dunneman was an absolute beast as he basically could not be covered. Ike had some moments throughout, as did Jonathan Anderson, and Michael Fiore had a couple really tough runs. Ice liked (shout out to Ufan) Union's play to the TE. UfanBill often wonders aloud why Union does not throw to the TE more? Ice agrees and feels we saw just how effective that option can be yesterday...for one play.

Ice was very disappointed in the amount of penalties Union took throughout the day. Ice Bear says Union may have false started more than 15 times with only a handful of them being called. There was too much pre-snap shifting that the players struggled to nail down with any consistency. While Ice understands that often this movement is use to set up confusion and possibly throw off the D for a play in the future, to Ice, the confusion and timing issues it seemed to cause Union outweighed the benefits (obviously this point could be argued, and maybe effectively by someone who is admittedly more knowledgeable about the game).

Ice says Union's inability to score points in the second half of a game is exactly what has cost them this season. Ice says, Utica, Hobart, and IC are perfect examples. Ice says while Paccatte valiantly took all the blame in the Gazette today Ice doesn't believe that was warranted. While he did make some mistakes yesterday this has been a team defect that goes well beyond one player. Ice says the Union coaching staff has some work to do for sure in this area. Ice also wants to point out that credit should also be given to the Utica, Hobart, and Bomber defenses for making second half adjustments and shutting down what has shown to be a Dutchmen O that has talent and can score points...just not timely ones. What we have failed to see on the Union side is making adjustments to the adjustments being made against them after half. That has to improve for this team to step over the hill.

Ice Bear says he sticks to his repetitive statement that this is a good Union team. Ice says they have shown the ability to put up lots of points and have a bend but not break defense that can do enough to give the team a chance to win every week. Ice hopes the Dutch take yesterday, and this season's struggles personal and do their best to finish the season on a high note against an RPI team with arguably one of the best defenses in the nation.

[Ice Bear]

Ice Bear would like to congratulate Ithaca on the their huge W yesterday and like he said to many IC parents and fans he wishes them all the luck in the world next week. Ice is happy for the deserving Bombers of their undefeated season thus far heading into what should be a great Cortaca game at Yankee Stadium this coming weekend. Ice is definitely a Bomber fan from here on out and would love nothing more than to see the Bombers ****ing bitch slap the Red Salamanders into the storied grounds that Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig built (Ice says **** the Yankees and Yankee stadium though as he is a Phillies fan).

Ice will agree with IC798891 though in regard to this Bomber team. While this team does not have that one standout player that shines above all others they are an incredibly athletic and well coached team from top to bottom. Ice loved the way in which the Bombers focused yesterday on their sideline. They supported each other for every play and really executed when they needed to on the field. Ice believes none of this happens by mistake. Ice says he saw a team that worked in complete unison and one that played hard on every play. Ice says they are very physical and also mentally strong. He says they did not get down on themselves when Union was having success on O. They just chipped away, listened to their coaching adjustments, and dug in. Ice really believes Cortland has not played a team of IC's caliber and they will struggle to adjust to IC's intensity and physicality come Saturday.

Overall great game yesterday Bombers and good luck next week.

[Oline89]

One last (grumpy) thought for the day - it appears D3 refs have completely given up accurately spotting the ball - every spot just gets advanced to the nearest yard line.  They do it both ways so it's not "unfair" but I still think it sucks.  These kids work their butt off all year, the least the refs could do is attempt to actually spot the ball and occasional have to measure.  I mean, it's three feet - enough to make a difference.

I have been complaining about this for years.  I can't ever recall seeing a spot that is not directly on the yard line for any LL game I have watched.  Against Union, Hobart received at least one generous spot.  It is painful to watch week after week

[Ice Bear]

One last (grumpy) thought for the day - it appears D3 refs have completely given up accurately spotting the ball - every spot just gets advanced to the nearest yard line.  They do it both ways so it's not "unfair" but I still think it sucks.  These kids work their butt off all year, the least the refs could do is attempt to actually spot the ball and occasional have to measure.  I mean, it's three feet - enough to make a difference.

I have been complaining about this for years.  I can't ever recall seeing a spot that is not directly on the yard line for any LL game I have watched.  Against Union, Hobart received at least one generous spot.  It is painful to watch week after week

Ice knows the officials obviously do their best and he does appreciate their effort. Ice says with that being said, as fans Ice believes we do have a right to appropriately critique their performance. Ice will say the officiating was quite poor yesterday. Ice says the only thing good about it was that is was poor both ways throughout. Ice says consistency is the key.

What would be nice (and Ice says this with no idea how D3 officiating is organized) is if D3 officials were paid decent amounts of money backed by extensive training. As long as it continues to be something that is not a full time job and/or paid enough to inspire real training and high standards, than Ice says it all has to be taken with a grain of salt...like how when IC was backed up on their 2 yard line on their first drive and they completed a ****ing 40 yard pass where the Bomber receiver pushed off of the Dutchmen CB harder than ****ing Hacksaw Jim Duggan pushed his opponent against the ropes to set up a clothesline back in the ****ing late 80's...Ice took that with a grain of salt lol