FB: Liberty League

[Tlm]

Gro,

Just to clarify, Coach Audino suited up on game day far more times for the Irish then Rudy did, including the 1975 Orange Bowl, and he made it onto the field for several plays.  However, he was a non-scholarship RB who took a lot of punishment at practice over 4 years at ND.  No movies about him, but if you were to ask Coach Parsegian which of the two walk-ons in question had the bigger heart, I doubt that his answer would be, "Rudy."

[Regulator]

TLM,

Reg wants to know one thing(actually 2 things).....Will you be at the Union Shoozaplooza tailgate with me or what???

#2 did you bring the cocoa butter?

[JT]

Gro,

Just to clarify, Coach Audino suited up on game day far more times for the Irish then Rudy did, including the 1975 Orange Bowl, and he made it onto the field for several plays.  However, he was a non-scholarship RB who took a lot of punishment at practice over 4 years at ND.  No movies about him, but if you were to ask Coach Parsegian which of the two walk-ons in question had the bigger heart, I doubt that his answer would be, "Rudy."

JT's never heard Parsegian mention Audino,  but he did talk about Rudy. The film may have had something to do with it, but maybe somebody should ask Ara.   Truth is in the eye of fake sports articles.

[Kilted Rat]

KR's random pic of the day:

The CT that ate Holladawg:

[Naked Nott Run]

NNR is almost 100% sure Dino played reciever at ND not RB... NNR knows something very few people in this world know. Dino does not like Rudy. NNR recalls sitting to a meal with Dino and asking him... "did you go to ND when Rudy did?"
"Yes... that movie is bull...They shoulda been chanting DINO!!!"

John Audino from the stories NNR recalls was a reciever... but it has been a while.

P.S. "DINO...DINO...DINO..."

TlM and DIno did not play in a lot of games... he doesn't have 1 play registered to him according to ND... is this info wrong?

['gro]

Random Pic of the Day

american idog??  Thank you, thank you... please tip your waitress.

['gro]

Re:  Me.

That pic LD posted was college gro... 225 lbs of twisted steel and sex appeal.

Gro's physique now resembles a sack of wet laundry.

[Tlm]

JT,

Many years ago I had the privilege to meet Coach Parsegian at a coaches convention.  I asked about John Audino.  He lit up and went on for 20 minutes about how tough John was.

NNR,

You are correct about Coach Audino's position at ND, but he also spent a lot of practice time as a RB running looks for the 1st D.

[JT]

JT,

Many years ago I had the privilege to meet Coach Parsegian at a coaches convention.  I asked about John Audino.  He lit up and went on for 20 minutes about how tough John was.

NNR,

You are correct about Coach Audino's position at ND, but he also spent a lot of practice time as a RB running looks for the 1st D.

OK.... Rudy must have impressed his fellow teammates somehow, a few of them did  ask Devine to let him dress in the last game.  And Rudy was carried of the field.

If Parsegian said good stuff about Audino that's cool.  Ara was a pretty good coach.

[Naked Nott Run]

speaking of dogs gro... what was that sweet hot dog joint in Schenectady???

Mike's?

[Tlm]

September is here.  College FB season has finally begun.  With all due respect to the folks that prognosticate for this site, I thought I would offer my own take on the LL for 2006.  (Unlike D3FB.com, I will not pick 3 teams to go 5-1 in the league)

While KP, StL, WPI & UR are all going to be tough and are certainly capable of knocking off one of the BIG 3 in the LL, Union, Hobart and RPI are all loaded this year and capable of playing with just about anyone in the country, so there are 3 monster games in the LL that should decide the league champion again (Hobart at RPI, Union at Hobart & the battle for the Shoes).

Much has been made of Union's big 4 on offense (RB, QB & 2 WR's).  They are exceptional playmakers.  However, Union graduated 4 O-linemen with a combined 13 seasons of starting experience.  They also graduated 3-year starters at TE and FB.  I expect Union to move the ball and put up lots of points on offense, but I don't think they will dominate the LOS and time of possesion like they did in most games during 2005.  That means the defense is going to have to play more and come up bigger in 2006.  

During 2005, Union's young defense generally exceeded expectations, with the exception of games against the high-powered offenses of RPI and Ithaca.  In 2006, Union's defense should be very good, with 8 returning starters, experience at every postion and 3 - 5th-year seniors.

Hobart returns all but one starter on offense, and with 2 time All-conference QB Shawn Mizro, they will be an explosive offensive team.  On the other side of the ball Hobart loses a number of outstanding defenders.  While I am sure they have players to step in, I don't think the Statesmen will be quite as dominant a defensive team as in the past few years.

RPI will be absolutely scary on offense with everyone back including an all-American TE, great receivers and a great RB.  But the player that will ignite the spread offense for RPI will be 2nd year QB Jimmy Robertson.  As good as Robertson was last year as a freshmen, I have to believe that the year of experience will make him that much better as a soph and that will mean lots of offense and lots of points.

On D, RPI loses a number of big play guys, particularly at LB.  I think that RPI's D may struggle against some of the top offensive teams that they will play.  But the thing about RPI is that if the offense needs to put up 50 points to win the game, they are perfectly capable of putting up 50.  

So who has the edge for the LL title.  While I will be pulling for the Dutchmen, the team with the edge is RPI, and for the same reason that Union had the edge last year.  RPI plays both of their monster games at home on 86 Field, which is an awfully tough place for a visting team to come away with a win.  But the 3 games between RPI, Hobart and Union will be wars, and 1 or 2 big plays could easily impact the final outcome.  It should be a heck of a season around the LL.

[Garnet]

nice post Tlm.  +K to you.

['gro]

Today being the last day of off season conference unity... I hope the LL continues to make itself known on the national level. Great 1st round victories for Union and Hobart against "traditionally tough" competition. Of course, both teams followed up with close losses in the 2nd round. Having been at the Union/Rowan game I'm sure all the returning dutchman are hungry since their play against the profs was uninspiring at best (both teams were pretty even, Union just missed a ton of opportunities). Let's not forget the geek patrol over in Troy... 2 losses of their own but came on strong and finished with a good win over Fisher.

So there you have it, good luck LL. Starting tomorrow: DUCK THE FUTCHMEN

['gro]

NYD3 Preseason Poll


Union
Hobart
Ithaca
Cortland
Rensselaer
Alfred
St. John Fisher
Brockport
Utica
Rochester
Buffalo State
Hartwick
Merchant Marine
St. Lawrence
Morrisville State
Hamilton
Maritime

[Regulator]

RE: '86 field....

First off....TlM, great post......I had no clue the U was returning that many playmakers....everyone very well knows that those guys, along with a O-line that gives you 3-4 seconds to throw the ball makes a deadly combination.

Secondly, Reg wants to know what the competition thinks about this stadium...or should I say chunck a grass in the middle of campus.  Is it intimidating, is it pathetic, do you believe it contains super powers for the engineers?

I have always wondered that, because as wierd as it was, I always felt like I was faster and tougher out on that 4 inch grass then I was a artificial turf....I dont know.  It was wierd.