East Region Fan Poll

[sjfcards]

Week 6 Fan Poll 

Team	Record	Points	Last Rating	Next Week
1   St. John Fisher ( 1 )	6-0	45	2	at Utica
2   Stevenson ( 2 )	5-0	44	3	at Widener
3   St. Lawrence ( 2 )	6-0	39	4	Open
4   Alfred	5-0	34	5	vs. Cortland State
5   Rowan	4-1	23	10	at Southern Virginia
6   Salisbury	4-1	22	1	at William Paterson
7   Delaware Valley	4-1	18	7	vs. Wilkes
8   Christopher Newport	4-1	17	8	vs. Montclair State
9   Western New England	5-0	10	9	vs. MIT
10t Albright	3-2	7	NR	vs. FDU-Florham
10t Wesley	3-2	7	NR	at Kean

Dropping Out:
Hobart

Also Receiving votes:               
Widener 5
Hobart 4
                     
            
Voting Distribution:            

St. John Fisher (1,2,2,2,3)
Stevenson (3,1,1,4,2)
St. Lawrence (2,9,3,1,1)
Alfred (4,6,4,3,4)
Rowan (6,10,5,5,6)
Salisbury (7,3,6,6,NR)
Delaware Valley (5,7,NR,7,7)
Christopher Newport (8,5,8,9,8)
Western New England (9,NR,10,10,5)
Albright (NR,4,NR,NR,NR)
Wesley (NR,8,9,NR,9)
Widener (NR,NR,7,NR,10)
Hobart (10,NR,NR,8,NR)

SLU at 9? That seems crazy low for what they have done this season, doesn't it?

[Bartman]

dlip is happy to see WNE getting some love (not just because they beat Union). Obviously coming from the NEFC there is a certain level of doubt (understandably so) that hangs over their head. However dlip was very impressed with their athleticism and composure. They have some real talent and if they can run the table they may prove to be quite a challenge come NCAA time!

Dlip,
     The Golden Bears should send you some nice game gear with their logo for your support.....I keep thinking that Jack Nicklaus should be their spokesperson. In any event, 2 very solid OOC wins against Springfield and Union is certainly respectable. I think they deserve top 10, but not sure about top 5 given the NEFC, but they may surprise someone in the playoffs....

They deserve top 5 more than a 2 loss Albright team does!!!  And I know Albright might crush them if they played them, but that is not the point.  I am pretty sure Wesley would also crush them and I still have WNEW ahead of Wesley based on actual performance.  When the season ends I believe that Wesley will be the best team in the east and if they get in the playoffs will win a game or 2, but right now I can't justify them being ranked at that level.  Polls are fun and allow us to have conversation which makes the week go by faster while we wait for Saturday.

Wesleydad,
      I agree with your thought process on the poll voting....I don't think you can put a 2 loss team on the board at this point of the season....the poll should be based on achievement in games played....Wesley is a great example as you are in the NJAC now and had 2 losses against teams that are ranked by the fans(5 TO's in each game however)...and if you win out and win the NJAC your talent should scare anyone in the playoffs...the only knock on Wesley has been game discipline as evidenced by the 244 out 244 in # of penalties......I know..... Hobart is 210th in yards penalized and the main reason we lost to RPI...talent can get you pretty far in D3, but not all the way....here's hoping our teams are more disciplined and win out the rest of the way

[AUKaz00]

Hobart is 210th in yards penalized and the main reason we lost to RPI...

I was sending Pep updates while he was at The Butter Field on saterday and when Hobart scored with 1:12 left I said, "RPI has only moved the ball on penalties, so this one's over."  Of course a minute later I wrote, "And with that, a return to the 50 plus a facemask penalty."  Just a brutal sequence for the pumpkinheads.

[ITH radio]

Nice article on ATR on Alfred and QB Tyler Johnson. It really looks like the Saxons have the ability to go to quarterfinals this season based on their experience and health. That final game vs. Fisher is going to be a big one, assuming neither team gets tripped up beforehand (which is possible in this league).

[Bartman]

Hobart is 210th in yards penalized and the main reason we lost to RPI...

I was sending Pep updates while he was at The Butter Field on saterday and when Hobart scored with 1:12 left I said, "RPI has only moved the ball on penalties, so this one's over."  Of course a minute later I wrote, "And with that, a return to the 50 plus a facemask penalty."  Just a brutal sequence for the pumpkinheads.

And it was the KICKER who was flagged with a facemask penalty....THE KICKER . This could be a special year for AU...good luck...if we are both fortunate enough to make the playoffs, I would love to play the Saxons again...like the old days..... I would enjoy hearing the Pep band live

[AUKaz00]

Hobart is 210th in yards penalized and the main reason we lost to RPI...

I was sending Pep updates while he was at The Butter Field on saterday and when Hobart scored with 1:12 left I said, "RPI has only moved the ball on penalties, so this one's over."  Of course a minute later I wrote, "And with that, a return to the 50 plus a facemask penalty."  Just a brutal sequence for the pumpkinheads.

And it was the KICKER who was flagged with a facemask penalty....THE KICKER . This could be a special year for AU...good luck...if we are both fortunate enough to make the playoffs, I would love to play the Saxons again...like the old days..... I would enjoy hearing the Pep band live

Ah, yes, those losses in 2006 and 2007 still burn, especially the former since Nitsche had a pick-six turned into a touchback as it was deemed he lost control of the ball before crossing the goal line while attempting a front flip into the end zone.  Serenity now!!!

[AUPepBand]

Hobart is 210th in yards penalized and the main reason we lost to RPI...

I was sending Pep updates while he was at The Butter Field on saterday and when Hobart scored with 1:12 left I said, "RPI has only moved the ball on penalties, so this one's over."  Of course a minute later I wrote, "And with that, a return to the 50 plus a facemask penalty."  Just a brutal sequence for the pumpkinheads.

And it was the KICKER who was flagged with a facemask penalty....THE KICKER . This could be a special year for AU...good luck...if we are both fortunate enough to make the playoffs, I would love to play the Saxons again...like the old days..... I would enjoy hearing the Pep band live

The band actually has a decent sound now...not just making noise, with which Pep was okay. (Kazoos are great but the resulting sound is a bit irreverent...Sorry, Kaz!) The band rehearses weekly with the AU director of bands, Dr. Chris Foster, who has a good ear and can work the kinks out. He's also brought in a good number of additional musicians to the band and, in doing so, raised the bar considerably. Pep thinks we had between 25-30 in the band for Homecoming!

The band continues, however, to add its ridiculous chants to the game day experience such as "Harass them! Harass them! Make them relinquish the ball!"
and Kaz's favorite, "Nuts and Bolts! Nuts and Bolts! We got screwed!"

On Saxon Warriors!

[Bombers798891]

And it was the KICKER who was flagged with a facemask penalty....THE KICKER

Frankly, to me that makes it understandable.

Kickers aren't taught to tackle, and they probably have it drilled into them that they are the last line of defense on a return (or close to it). I can't blame a kicker for thinking he's got to bring this guy down or it's a touchdown (I haven't seen the play, so maybe I'm reading it wrong) and using any means necessary

[ITH radio]

The penalty was "behind" the play, so the PK wasn't the last LOD. Probably an "adrenaline" play where he (over) reacted to a RPI blocker. Hard to see on the replay as it occurred "off camera".

[Bartman]

And it was the KICKER who was flagged with a facemask penalty....THE KICKER

Frankly, to me that makes it understandable.

Kickers aren't taught to tackle, and they probably have it drilled into them that they are the last line of defense on a return (or close to it). I can't blame a kicker for thinking he's got to bring this guy down or it's a touchdown (I haven't seen the play, so maybe I'm reading it wrong) and using any means necessary

Agree,if it were the last man to save a TD, I would have no problem...but it was 20 yards away from the play..those extra 15 yards hurt with only 1 minute remaining

[Bartman]

Tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of one of the best games Bartman ever witnessed with some of the best "small college" players ever....It was a day to remember small college football at it's best , now D3 football . Don Aleksiewicz(A-Z) dazzled the Geneva crowd (Kodak All American and 179 yards per game) as Hobart went ahead 21-7 at halftime scaring the Saxons..but AU scored the winner with 19 second left in the game to win 28-21 and eventually went 8-0 and won the Lambert Trophy led by their great coach Alex Yunevich. Donnie A-Z passed away 2 years ago, and was  the most talented D3 running back I ever saw play.

FROM NY TIMES (10/14/1971)

College football upstate has been as crisp and attractive as one of those wonderful autumn days in the Finger Lakes region. There have been many shades of success, from the power of Syracuse and the all‐winning record of Cornell to the surprising achievements of little and unbeaten Alfred and Hobart. Colgate, Rochester, Ithaca, Union and St. Lawrence have sparkling teams and individuals like Cornell's Ed Marinaro and Ithaca's quarterback, Doug Campbell, brighten the scene.

Eastern College Football

The most important major college game of the year in the East could be the Syracuse‐Penn State contest Saturday at Syracuse. But just west of Syracuse, on the northern tip of Seneca Lake, about 7,000 persons will jam Boswell Field in Geneva Saturday to watch what they think is the most important game around: Alfred against Hobart.

Don Aleksiewicz, Hobart's running star, has a following somewhat smaller, but no less enthusiastic, than Marinaro's. Alfred maintains that its quarterback, Jim Moretti, is as good as Campbell or anyone else.

Hobart, which had an 0–8 won‐lost mark last year and had 10 straight losing seasons, has responded to new coaching with a 3‐0 record this season. George Davis, a 1951 Syracuse graduate, became the coach this year after many successful seasons at nearby Seneca Falls High School.

Aleksiewicz, known as "A‐ to‐Z," ran for 317 yards last Saturday in the victory over Hamilton. A year ago, he went 97 yards for a touchdown scamper when Hobart lost to Alfred, 31‐22.

Davis has Hobart working from the wishbone behind an unbalanced line, the famous line formation at Syracuse.

Alfred has enjoyed plenty of success in the 31 years that Alex Yunevich has coached there. The Saxons won seven of eight games last year and have taken four this fall.

"It's really not all the coach," Yunevich said. "We get too much credit, though we may also be blamed too much. But without those horses, no one does much. Give me those horses and we'll win.

"You see, Hobart has one of them in Aleksiewicz. He's the best running back around. You have to gang tackle him. He'll give you that old limp leg and you don't know where he went."

Yunevich calls Moretti, his quarterback, "the best bomb man I've ever seen anywhere —not just coached. I don't think anyone can throw longer than Jimmy."

"He's got some shortcomings but I'm not about to say what they are," the coach said. "Let them find out. That's their business, Of course, Jimmy wants to run sometimes and I keep telling him not to. He picks up 5 yards and thinks he's Red Grange. I die watching it."

[AUPepBand]

Tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of one of the best games Bartman ever witnessed with some of the best "small college" players ever....It was a day to remember small college football at it's best , now D3 football . Don Aleksiewicz(A-Z) dazzled the Geneva crowd (Kodak All American and 179 yards per game) as Hobart went ahead 21-7 at halftime scaring the Saxons..but AU scored the winner with 19 second left in the game to win 28-21 and eventually went 8-0 and won the Lambert Trophy led by their great coach Alex Yunevich. Donnie A-Z passed away 2 years ago, and was  the most talented D3 running back I ever saw play.

FROM NY TIMES (10/14/1971)

College football upstate has been as crisp and attractive as one of those wonderful autumn days in the Finger Lakes region. There have been many shades of success, from the power of Syracuse and the all‐winning record of Cornell to the surprising achievements of little and unbeaten Alfred and Hobart. Colgate, Rochester, Ithaca, Union and St. Lawrence have sparkling teams and individuals like Cornell's Ed Marinaro and Ithaca's quarterback, Doug Campbell, brighten the scene.

Eastern College Football

The most important major college game of the year in the East could be the Syracuse‐Penn State contest Saturday at Syracuse. But just west of Syracuse, on the northern tip of Seneca Lake, about 7,000 persons will jam Boswell Field in Geneva Saturday to watch what they think is the most important game around: Alfred against Hobart.

Don Aleksiewicz, Hobart's running star, has a following somewhat smaller, but no less enthusiastic, than Marinaro's. Alfred maintains that its quarterback, Jim Moretti, is as good as Campbell or anyone else.

Hobart, which had an 0–8 won‐lost mark last year and had 10 straight losing seasons, has responded to new coaching with a 3‐0 record this season. George Davis, a 1951 Syracuse graduate, became the coach this year after many successful seasons at nearby Seneca Falls High School.

Aleksiewicz, known as "A‐ to‐Z," ran for 317 yards last Saturday in the victory over Hamilton. A year ago, he went 97 yards for a touchdown scamper when Hobart lost to Alfred, 31‐22.

Davis has Hobart working from the wishbone behind an unbalanced line, the famous line formation at Syracuse.

Alfred has enjoyed plenty of success in the 31 years that Alex Yunevich has coached there. The Saxons won seven of eight games last year and have taken four this fall.

"It's really not all the coach," Yunevich said. "We get too much credit, though we may also be blamed too much. But without those horses, no one does much. Give me those horses and we'll win.

"You see, Hobart has one of them in Aleksiewicz. He's the best running back around. You have to gang tackle him. He'll give you that old limp leg and you don't know where he went."

Yunevich calls Moretti, his quarterback, "the best bomb man I've ever seen anywhere —not just coached. I don't think anyone can throw longer than Jimmy."

"He's got some shortcomings but I'm not about to say what they are," the coach said. "Let them find out. That's their business, Of course, Jimmy wants to run sometimes and I keep telling him not to. He picks up 5 yards and thinks he's Red Grange. I die watching it."

This is just too precious to Pep, bartman!

Pep was in the stands. Pep remembers what sparked the turn-around....with 6:28 to go, AU lined up to punt in 4th-and-forever from the AU 24-yard line. Pep had noticed Bob Young speaking to Yunie after the previous Saxon punt. Apparently, Hobart hadn't been checking AU's gunner, Bob's brother, Charley, the wide receiver who lined up wide right and was the first one downfield on punt coverage. Behind 21-7 and lifeless, Yunie nodded his approval of Bob's suggestion.
The fake punt yielded a 76-yard TD pass that ignited the fire that led to the three TDs scored by AU in those last six minutes.

Pep recalls Johnny Nelson, long-time AU SID and Evening Tribune sports editor, writing in his "As We See It" column how some folks, disappointed in the Saxons were a defeated lot, left the game with about seven minutes to go. He said as they were on their way back to the Southern Tier, they had the game on the radio...and couldn't believe what they were hearing. They ended up pulling off the road, shed tears of joy, as the Saxons had prevailed.

Thanks for sharing, bartman  +K+K+K

[Saxon73]

I was at the game myself as well.  Such a joyous occasion is seldom experienced.  Along with Jim and several other football players Delta Sig roared into the night.

On a side note, I believe the awards at the time were called the Lambert Cup, Bowl and Trophy.  I think the Lambert Bowl signified Div 3 and it was a trophy shaped in the form of a bowl. 

Maybe I am too old now to remember correctly so surely Pep can straighten this out if necessary.

[AUPepBand]

You are correct, 73.

The Lambert Trophy was for the top D1 team in the East (Penn State in 1971)
The Lambert Cup was for the top mid-sized team in the East (Delaware in 1971)
The Lambert Bowl was for the best small college team in the East (Alfred in 1971)

Wikipedia doesn't differentiate between "Cup" and "Bowl" but says the Lambert Cup is awarded to best D2 and D3 teams.

But we have the Lambert Bowl on display in the foyer of McLane Center along with a photo of Alex Yunevich, Joe Paterno and Tubby Raymond receiving their teams' respective trophies.

What a wonderful football heritage between Hobart and Alfred.....wish we could play!

[ITH radio]

Can the Saxons just join the LL already?!?