FB: Liberty League

[lewdogg11]

LD-

I'm convinced we haven't seen Fisher play well since Ithaca. I feel that if the O-line gets off their A** and actually controls the LOS like they should be doing, Fisher will be able to control the game.

Alfred was pushing them around most of the game, and quite frankly it was difficult for us to move the ball on the ground. This cannot happen going forward, or it'll be over quickly.

Well that's the thing, if they haven't been playing well, what is different this week, other than it's the playoffs, against much better competition?  If one team plays poorly they lose.  If both play well, I don't think either has a distinct advantage and it could go either way.  If both play poorly, i'll take Hobart because they just seem to deal with adversity well year in and year out, and their coach has it together.  After the Fisher-Hartwick debacle, as i've read it, if Fisher is in a tough spot, he might poop his pants.

[Tags]

Wow, Tags is just starting to realize how liberally he's using the phrase "quite frankly"... not sure where it came from, just kind of snuck itself into the vocabulary.

... Please slap me if Tags begins to sound like Stephen A. --- Can't stand that dood.

[Tags]

LD-

I'm convinced we haven't seen Fisher play well since Ithaca. I feel that if the O-line gets off their A** and actually controls the LOS like they should be doing, Fisher will be able to control the game.

Alfred was pushing them around most of the game, and quite frankly it was difficult for us to move the ball on the ground. This cannot happen going forward, or it'll be over quickly.

Well that's the thing, if they haven't been playing well, what is different this week, other than it's the playoffs, against much better competition?  If one team plays poorly they lose.  If both play well, I don't think either has a distinct advantage and it could go either way.  If both play poorly, i'll take Hobart because they just seem to deal with adversity well year in and year out, and their coach has it together.  After the Fisher-Hartwick debacle, as i've read it, if Fisher is in a tough spot, he might poop his pants.

Agreed - if it comes down to the wire, not sure if they have what it takes to call the right play- Tags thinks that's a fair thing to call into question after what happened. Certainly could play into Saterday's game.

[Tags]

All that being said, Tags believes the O-line will finally live up to the hype and control the game.

Tags predicts this outcome:

Fisher  53
Hobart 10













... I keed.

[JT]

I havent seen Hobart play this year, but its interesting how LL guys love to put say 'Hobart is on par with SJF, maybe better'' while the E8 guys say just the opposite.

Any Rochester guys have a say?

RPI tends to play to the level of their competition, so i'm expecting a great game.  All this talk about how much TCNJ blitzes makes me sick.  Don't ya think if blitzing solved all defensive problems, everyone would do it?  When you blitz, you open yourself up for big plays.  Against a bad or inexperienced QB, those weaknesses usually aren't seen.  But Roberston has seen blitzes before.  Union came after him like crazy last week.  he didn't have a spectacular game, but the last touchdown he threw scrambling around the pocket and hitting the guy in the back corner of the endzone was very impressive.  I think it's RPI's D that really needs to put the boots to TCNJ and cause some turnovers.  TCNJ's offense doesn't appear to be a juggernaut, so all RPI has to do is outscore them by 1 point.  

RPI 28
TCNJ 24
 

It should be a good game.  RPI might be one of the better offenses that TCNJ has faced.  Yeah, TCNJ will blitz especially if its not picked up well, but it the front four that make it go. It might come down to which team gets the cheap score on a turnover.  Will certainly be tuning in.  I've never heard RPI's wonderful broadcast team.  Should be interesting.

['gro]

I've never heard RPI's wonderful broadcast team.  Should be interesting.

you're in for a treat. Kurt is really good at the PBP. The color commentary is... interesting.  If you tune in 10-15 min before the game you'll probably get a pre-recorded interview with the kinger.

need to go 2-0 for the LL tomorrow!!

[JT]

With the exception of the purple death star, JT thinks this is one of the tightest "Eastern" brackets in a while.  With Ithaca, TCNJ, RPI, SJF, and Hobart all pretty close to each other, and Hartwick bringing up the rear.  Its hard to tell whether part of SJF's top 25 ranking is due to attrition.

If Hobart hangs or wins, that will answer a lot.

[Senor RedTackle]

I've never heard RPI's wonderful broadcast team.  Should be interesting.

you're in for a treat. Kurt is really good at the PBP. The color commentary is... interesting.  If you tune in 10-15 min before the game you'll probably get a pre-recorded interview with the kinger.

need to go 2-0 for the LL tomorrow!!

Hey...wait a min!! RT and Gordon Mann are broadcasting the RPI/TCNJ game for D3football.com..and the feed is being picked up by the NCAA website. This is RT's first RPI broadcast....give us some love over Kurt/Bob...

[GRussinko]

RPI's game notes for this weekend's contest have been posted: http://www.rpiathletics.com/Pdfs/football/2006/10/25/FBGameNotes.pdf

[Doid23]

Am I the only one that loves having Mt. Union in the east?  And I always loved when the D1 basketball tournement had wierd matchups in any round.  It makes it fun I think.

Bottom line is that we have seen possibly the best regular season in the history of college football at any level with Mt. Union this year.  And now for the next four weeks us fans get to see what eastern d3 football is all about.  The ghosts of the 2003 RPI team,  the 1991, 1988 and 1979 Ithaca teams, the Rowan teams, and 1983 and 1989 Union teams are all excited to see what happens the next few weeks.

Go Bombers, and bring it on Mt. Union......bring it on......

Agreed and well put.....

Very well put Jonny.  DP would bestow upon you massive karma if DP had such powers.

The East has a very proud tradition of small college football championship teams.  I often theorize the reason we no longer do is not for lack of talent, but for too many teams, and hence parity.  Look at Upstate football - Fisher, Union, RPI, Hobart, Cortland, Ithaca, Alfred, Brockport, Rochester, Hartwick - all picking each other part vying for the same talent pool in overlapping geographies.  Then you have a second tier - Buff State, Utica, Morrisville, St Lawrence, and on and on - taking bits and pieces.

For the upstate football fan, there can never be too many teams.  But for a true powerhouse to develop and maintain itself, there can certainly be far too many teams.

You mention Ithaca 1988.  Don't forget Cortland 1988.  At the end of the season, Ithaca was the national champion, and Cortland was ranked #2.  The 2 best teams in the country played in the East, separated by a mere 20-odd miles.  And they were the only 2 teams capable of handing the other a loss that season.  There is a reason that game was called "The Upstate Game of the Century."

Also don't forget about the '84 Union team, same team as the one that lost to Augustana in the finals in '83, ran into Augustana in the semi's in '84 and lost again.  Augustana was in the 80's what Mt. Union has been over the past fifteen years, although back then there were no D1 transfers etc. flooding the ranks of D3.

Also don't want to make this years playoffs a referendum on East D3 football. This is just one year out of many,  plus Mt. Union is simply in a different league this year, even more so than in the past. There have been plenty of teams over the years (last years SJF, Rowan 2001, etc.) that have shown that Eastern D3 football is legit.

[dlippiel]

Tags predicts this outcome:

Fisher  53
Hobart 10

Tags you are on drugs if you think this is an accurate score prediction! I can tell you this SJF may win, may win. Yet a 43 point differential insults bart and the LL. I know for sure Bart would not lose to a team that lost to WNEC, so I'd be careful and have some more respect for a solid Hobart team.

['gro]

is doid23 are real doid?

[Doid23]

is doid23 are real doid?

Was there so long I felt like it....but no, not the real article.

[PBR...]

Tags predicts this outcome:

Fisher  53
Hobart 10

Tags you are on drugs if you think this is an accurate score prediction! I can tell you this SJF may win, may win. Yet a 43 point differential insults bart and the LL. I know for sure Bart would not lose to a team that lost to WNEC, so I'd be careful and have some more respect for a solid Hobart team.

ummmm dood...look at the bottom of tags post...hence "I Keed..." aka I am kiddin...

[Tags]

Thanks PBR - Tags was just going to let him go