FB: Liberty League

[Bartman]

Disappointing loss at Butterfield. The Hobart team competed very well on both sides of the ball, but Ithaca made the big plays that was the difference on the bad snap on the punt for a TD , the blocked FG and the 79 yard rushing TD. Colombi played a good game but was not accurate on some of his over the top throws , mostly  overthrowing. The young Hobart Oline did a decent job for the most part although the Ithaca front eight is very impressive.Hobart just could not make the big plays but the 99 yard drive was awesome against such a stout defense. As far as the Ithaca offense , I wasn't that impressed with Wingfield as I was the last 2 years, he seemed to lack arm strength on some of the longer sideline throws. I don't think his downfield WR weapons this year compare well to last year, so their offense is pretty much similar to Hobart's, grind it out for 2 or 3 TDs against good defenses. So the Union and RPI games should be very competitive and hard fought contests. I think RPI and Union seem to have 2 pretty good QB's that will test the Ithaca DB's which is where I think the Bombers are vulnerable , Hobart just didn't make the throws.
  Although I picked Hobart to win, I was making a wishful pick because I thought the Bombers returning Seniors would make it a steep climb for a Hobart win. I was proud of the way they competed today and I think Hobart football has a good chance against Union and RPI( at the BOZ )and I think either one of those 2 teams could" upset" Ithaca this year.. The LL Champion will have to survive 3 intense dogfights.

[IC798891]

IC is not the dominating team we saw at times in 2022.

But man, they are tough. They answered both Hobart's scoring drives with drives of their own, and when they needed to run out the clock with 5:23, they were able to. Yes, Hobart helped with an offsides on 4th and 1. But that's what happens when you turn a 3rd and 9 into a 4th and 1. You can make them think you're going to run a play, and get them to jump.

Hobart is solid, especially Colombi. But their special teams let them down, missing a 30-yard FG, and botching a punt snap for an IC touchdown.

This is just what Ithaca is, for better or worse.

[Bartman]

  So Hobart had 2 critical Special Teams plays that lost them 10 points, that could have been the difference in the game. One was on a blocked punt where a Hobart player had a potential path to the goal on the IC side, but instead of trying to scoop and score ,he instinctively fell on it which prevented the Bombers from advancing it. . I'm not positive he could have scored but good special teams coaching reviewing the possible actions on a blocked FG attempt may have better prepared the player for such an event. The other was the snap over the head(our punter is only 6'6") of the punter and the punter was also instinctively looking to fall on the ball giving the Bombers the ball on the one instead of possibly kicking the ball out of the end zone(I think this is legal?) resulting in a 2 point safety instead of a TD for the Bombers. Just the result of a safety instead of a TD would have made the score 19-14 at the end of the game when Hobart had their last possession which would have allowed them to grind out the last possession possibly for a winning score.
   I am not taking anything away from a well deserved win by Ithaca, I just want to illustrate that a well prepared team on special teams can take some of the panic out of reacting to a miscue and minimize the impact on the game. I noticed that Anthony Romano(LB,leading tackler and back up snapper) snapped for the next punt without incident. Snapping the ball for kicks is a thankless job , but the last 2 years Hobart had a D1 transfer that was a specialist at snapping on PAT, FG and punts which minimized the drama.

[Ice Bear]

Some thoughts on yesterday's Liberty League action.

I was quite surprised by how close the Rochester/Buffalo State game was yesterday. Not that I think Rochester is in top LL form, but I expected the Yellowjackets to dominate this game more than they did. Papantonis ran for over 100 yards and 2 TD's but apparently Buffalo hung around. They outscored the Yellowjackets 13-0 in the 3rd quarter to really make it a game. Rochester responded with a dominating 4th quarter outscoring the Bengals 14-0 to grind out the win. I'm not sure what to expect from Rochester next Saturday. Obviously lots of Papantonis carries, but after that, I'll have to wait and see.

I watched most of the second half of the exciting Ithaca/Hobart match up. Like IC said, this is not the IC powerhouse from last season. With that said, this is a tested team who can take a punch in the mouth and respond. I have not been impressed with what I've seen from Wingfield this season. I'm curious if that has more to do with the inexperienced receiving core than Wingfield himself. I'll tell you one thing though. He is one tough young man. I believe it was the third quarter where he had a nice run until being met by an absolutely crushing hit from a Hobart defender. Wingfield got right up and was ready to continue leading that Bomber O. While IC's lack of offensive output/explosiveness does concern me, they showed that they can once again do enough against a very good defense to win. I guess in the end that's all you need. Gutsy W yesterday from IC. I also feel it important to recognize IC's strong D.

I thought the Statesmen looked very good as well, minus some costly mistakes. The running back combo can be very potent and Colombi impressed me with his ability to scramble, run, and make some plays. He definitely struggled with his accuracy at times, especially with his throws to the sidelines. I found it interesting the Statesmen kept calling those plays (I understand the size advantage at receiver), but he really couldn't make the throw (I think with one exception). That Hobart D is very athletic, physical, and tough. They attack the ball, and can be very tough to score on. With the exception of the 76 TD run they really made IC work. Hobart is a very good football team. While this loss hurts and a W at Butterfield continues to elude them, they are not done by any means.

Union looked really good yesterday, again. Admittedly I only watched the first half and some of the fourth quarter, but I was very pleased with what I saw. SLU has some players and while overall they are not a very good team, they have some athleticism and can make some plays. Union stuffed them all day long and had them searching for answers using three QB's throughout the afternoon. With convincing wins for both Springfield and Montclair yesterday, albeit against lesser opponents, Union may be better then some think based upon their early season scrimmage schedule. It's admittedly hard to tell but this week I'm choosing to give credit on some really good execution on both sides of the ball as opposed to nit picking any imperfections I see. Union does deserve credit for the way in which they are playing and I'm giving it to them. Union should steamroll Rochester next week. The Yellowjacket's result vs the Bengals surprises me, and with the Garnet Charger tough run D and Rose's 2 int's, I think Rochester will struggle and Union will make them pay.

[IC798891]

The other was the snap over the head(our punter is only 6'6") of the punter and the punter was also instinctively looking to fall on the ball giving the Bombers the ball on the one instead of possibly kicking the ball out of the end zone(I think this is legal?) resulting in a 2 point safety instead of a TD for the Bombers. Just the result of a safety instead of a TD would have made the score 19-14 at the end of the game when Hobart had their last possession
   

No.

What that would have done was made the score 9-7 Ithaca and given the Bombers the ball back with 1:30 to go in the half, with all three timeouts.

[Ice Bear]

I'm starting to get quite annoyed with losing k.

[Oline89]

The other was the snap over the head(our punter is only 6'6") of the punter and the punter was also instinctively looking to fall on the ball giving the Bombers the ball on the one instead of possibly kicking the ball out of the end zone(I think this is legal?) resulting in a 2 point safety instead of a TD for the Bombers. Just the result of a safety instead of a TD would have made the score 19-14 at the end of the game when Hobart had their last possession
   

No.

What that would have done was made the score 9-7 Ithaca and given the Bombers the ball back with 1:30 to go in the half, with all three timeouts.

That snap over punters head was devastating.  14-7 vs 7-7? Then a blocked chip in FG.  10 point differential on mistakes.  Can't do that and win on the road.  I will say that the new turf was very slippery, for both teams.  Will take a few weeks to break it in. 

[XREDDRAGON77]

IC and C -State flopped spots in the rankings. Not surprised based on how the league schedules played out this past weekend!

[unionpalooza]

I'm starting to get quite annoyed with losing k.

Don't sweat it, man.  Karma is a pretty goofy concept for a college football bulletin board anyway.   

[Bartman]

The other was the snap over the head(our punter is only 6'6") of the punter and the punter was also instinctively looking to fall on the ball giving the Bombers the ball on the one instead of possibly kicking the ball out of the end zone(I think this is legal?) resulting in a 2 point safety instead of a TD for the Bombers. Just the result of a safety instead of a TD would have made the score 19-14 at the end of the game when Hobart had their last possession
   

No.

What that would have done was made the score 9-7 Ithaca and given the Bombers the ball back with 1:30 to go in the half, with all three timeouts.

I admit, in this hypothetical scenario, I assumed that the Hobart defense would hold the Ithaca offense for  90 seconds  at the end of the half in order that Hobart's last game possession would start with a one score deficit. My main point was coaching special teams to react to in-game miscues is very important. The statistics point towards taking the safety and losing possession vs. giving up a TD and gaining possession , especially if you have a strong defense.

[IC798891]

The other was the snap over the head(our punter is only 6'6") of the punter and the punter was also instinctively looking to fall on the ball giving the Bombers the ball on the one instead of possibly kicking the ball out of the end zone(I think this is legal?) resulting in a 2 point safety instead of a TD for the Bombers. Just the result of a safety instead of a TD would have made the score 19-14 at the end of the game when Hobart had their last possession
   

No.

What that would have done was made the score 9-7 Ithaca and given the Bombers the ball back with 1:30 to go in the half, with all three timeouts.

I admit, in this hypothetical scenario, I assumed that the Hobart defense would hold the Ithaca offense for  90 seconds  at the end of the half in order that Hobart's last game possession would start with a one score deficit. My main point was coaching special teams to react to in-game miscues is very important. The statistics point towards taking the safety and losing possession vs. giving up a TD and gaining possession , especially if you have a strong defense.

Yes, but I'm saying, you can't change one thing and then assume the rest of the game transpires the same.

For example, late in the third quarter, when Ithaca faced a 4th and 3 at the Hobart 3 up 14-7, a FG makes total sense to put you up two scores at 17-7.

But if it's still 9-7 Ithaca at that point, maybe IC decides to go for it.

Do they score a TD to go up 16-7?
Do they get stopped at the 1-foot line?
If they get stopped at the 1-foot line, can they get another safety on Hobart's subsequent offensive possession?

I don't disagree with the idea that Hobart should have probably taken the safety. It's the fact that we're then pretending the rest of the game plays out the same way that's the problem

[unionpalooza]

The other was the snap over the head(our punter is only 6'6") of the punter and the punter was also instinctively looking to fall on the ball giving the Bombers the ball on the one instead of possibly kicking the ball out of the end zone(I think this is legal?) resulting in a 2 point safety instead of a TD for the Bombers. Just the result of a safety instead of a TD would have made the score 19-14 at the end of the game when Hobart had their last possession
   

No.

What that would have done was made the score 9-7 Ithaca and given the Bombers the ball back with 1:30 to go in the half, with all three timeouts.

I admit, in this hypothetical scenario, I assumed that the Hobart defense would hold the Ithaca offense for  90 seconds  at the end of the half in order that Hobart's last game possession would start with a one score deficit. My main point was coaching special teams to react to in-game miscues is very important. The statistics point towards taking the safety and losing possession vs. giving up a TD and gaining possession , especially if you have a strong defense.

Yeah, I think that was a huge mental error, albeit an understandable one.  I think if the punter does the smart thing and takes the safety, not sure Ithaca wins this one.  Contra IC####### I think Hobart could have trusted their defense, who only gave up one sustained TD drive all day.  In that alternative reality, Ithaca is down 14-12 with eight minutes to go rather than killing clock with a lead.  They probably throw their 100th WR screen of the day rather than hand off to JLO and watch him break off a long TD.

[Bartman]

"It's the fact that we're then pretending the rest of the game plays out the same way that's the problem". I believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and pretending the game plays out the same way to prove my point

Anyway, I'll move on from this subject since I'm investigating the jealous culprit who is deleting karma from my buddy Ice Bear......the kind king of karma.

[ICAlum16]

That was a classic IC win that felt more like a Coach Welch era win than a Swantstrom/Terp era win. This team is benefiting from it's two early season road tests to start the season. IC did a great job running the ball and eventually when you run the ball effectively the defense breaks down and you get a 79 yard TD run to ice the game. I will continue to say, as I have all season, that the play of Wingfield is really concerning. I actually think they have just as much talent at receiver as they have in previous years. It almost seems like Wingfield is scared to make a mistake and as everyone has already mentioned he needs to move the ball vertically if we want to feel confident going into Union and RPI. Overall happy with the win, defense looked great, continue to be impressed with the OL in the run game and the stable of backs IC has. Hobart continues to thrive as little brother. Go Bombers

[IC798891]

Yeah, I think that was a huge mental error, albeit an understandable one.  I think if the punter does the smart thing and takes the safety, not sure Ithaca wins this one.  Contra IC####### I think Hobart could have trusted their defense, who only gave up one sustained TD drive all day.  In that alternative reality, Ithaca is down 14-12 with eight minutes to go rather than killing clock with a lead.  They probably throw their 100th WR screen of the day rather than hand off to JLO and watch him break off a long TD.

The WR screen quip was a good one.

Hobart should think about adding some of those in though. It might serve their offense better than watching Colombi put a pass to the boundary five yards ahead of his receiver and three yards out of bounds.