The Top 10 Eastern Region teams of the D3football.com Era

Started by pg04, June 30, 2007, 04:13:03 AM

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pg04

You are welcome rams  ;), even though your arch-enemy Rowan is prominently featured in the top 10, as everyone expects.  :P

By the way, I am thinking that once I get to the top 3 I will release those 3 all at once because by then everyone should know the 3 teams remaining  :)

superman57

Quote from: Tags on October 10, 2007, 10:59:38 PM
You're the only dood on the board that doesn't know & accept that '57 can't spell.

Poor grammar and horrible spelling... it's just how he rolls.

pg04

Just got home from work!  Hopefully it will be posted within the hour!

maxpower

You gotta remember pg04 is on the Southern Time Zone....

pg04


# 9:  2003 Springfield Pride

The Basics:

Overall Record:  10-1
End Result: Eliminated by RPI in 2nd Round of Playoffs.
Key Regular Season Win:  vs. Ithaca 51-22, @ Montclair State 22-14
Key Regular Season Losses: NA
Points For: 42.4
Points Against: 17.1

Key Strength:

What else could it be on this Pride team? The option offense.  To prove how one-sided that this team was, the team amassed 4384 yards on the ground while only passing for 541.  This is about an 8 to 1 ratio! 

Key Players:

Offense:

Tim Lutgens, FB: 215 rushes for 1307 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Ryan Sylvia, QB:  11-31, 386 yards and 7 TDs passing; 173 rushes for 1122 yards and 20 touchdows on the ground.

Defense: 

Jesse Baker: 70 tackles and 4 interceptions on the season.  He also had 2 sacks.
Mark Bartelini: 36 tackles and 3 sacks.

Eventual cause of demise (because let's face it, the Eastern teams always have a demise) :

A 40-34 loss to the RPI Engineers in the 2nd round of the playoffs.   After getting the first round bye and the "number 1 seed" in the Eastern Region, the Pride looked poised to finally make that deep playoff run.  Well they didn't, they ran into the buzzsaw that were the RPI Engineers.  The dagger in the heart came when holding a 27-17 lead in the 3rd quarter, Springfield's defense disappeared and RPI would score 23 unanswered points to lead 40-27.  Dan Cole would be responsible for all of them, throwing 3 strikes to the endzone for the engineers, including a 58-yard TD completion.  The pride would mount a comeback, but the inability to throw the ball would do them in and they were eliminated.  Another pride team stopped in the 2nd round. 


Why did they make the list?
:

The reason for this pick was once again the regular season performance.  The pride went 10-0 including the thrashing of Ithaca mentioned above.  They literally ran over opponents on their way to the last FFC championship, and to the first round bye.  In the playoffs, though falling short and being the favorite, were almost able to defeat eventual National Semi-finalist RPI.  Overall, I believe the spectacular performance in the regular season and their awesome running game warrants a spot in this list! 

Thoughts???

Next up, the #8 team, tomorrow night. 





superman57

hmmm....this seems like a standard for springfield losing in the second round to the eventual national semi finalists
Quote from: Tags on October 10, 2007, 10:59:38 PM
You're the only dood on the board that doesn't know & accept that '57 can't spell.

Poor grammar and horrible spelling... it's just how he rolls.

pg04

Quote from: Superman57 on July 02, 2007, 10:53:21 PM
hmmm....this seems like a standard for springfield losing in the second round to the eventual national semi finalists

Dont worry, it's not...9 and 10 were really on the edge with the honorable mention teams, but I felt they were deserving, especially in that year

pg04



# 8:  2005 Delaware Valley Aggies

The Basics:

Overall Record:  12-1
End Result: Eliminated by Rowan in Regional Final
Key Regular Season Win:  vs. Wilkes 17-14, vs. Albright 35-34
Key Regular Season Losses: NA
Points For: 34.6
Points Against: 18.2

Key Strength:

A very balanced offensive attack.  2,954 yards of the offense came on the ground for the season, while 3,429 of it came through the air.   That along with a very balanced quarterback came some very successful times in the regular season and deep into the playoffs.

Key Players:

Offense:

Adam Knoblauch, QB: 246-414 for 3307 yards and 29 Touchdowns; 142 rushing attempts for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns
Don Marshall, WR: 59 receptions for 1010 yards  and 9 touchdowns.
Steve Cook, RB: 229 attempts for 1284 yards and 8 touchdowns. 

Defense: 

Justin Porter: 8 sacks, 4 interceptions and 55 tackles.
John Pursell : 108 tackles (50 solo) and 3.5 sacks.

Eventual cause of demise (because let's face it, the Eastern teams always have a demise) :

A 27-21 loss to the Rowan Profs in the 2005 Regional Finals.  The Aggies looked like they were well on their way to an easy victory over Rowan, leading 14-0 at halftime.  However, the dagger would once again fall on the MAC team as the profs would force 3 turnovers on the first 3 Delaware Valley 2nd half possessions, and eventually scoring 27 unanswered points.  Del Val would cut it to a 27-21 lead, and then get deep into Rowan territory, but their comeback attempt would fall short and the Profs were once again off to the National Semifinals, and there was once again disappointment for Del val against Rowan.  This was the second year in a row they had lost to Rowan in the Regional Finals 


Why did they make the list?
:

An undefeated regular season run followed by a nice playoff run gets them on this list.  They were able to defeat Curry and Hobart in the playoffs before finally falling to Rowan.  Also, the overall balance of the team, as mentioned above, makes them a good candidate.  This team probably would have been higher had it's regular season wins been a little more impressive, and if they had a harder run to Rowan in the playoffs.  All and all, I believe this team was worthy of this spot.   

Thoughts??? -- It dried up a little with the Springfield pick!

Next up, the #7 team, tomorrow night. 






Tags

PG- Although you're my sworn enemy, I'll give you a +k for the effort you're putting into this.

And also for having the team colors make an appearance - nice touch.

union89

Could be just me, but DelVal had to fight tooth and nail to beat Curry in the 1st Round.....no way a team that has to come from behind to beat a marginal NEFC team should even be considered unless they win the East.

VERY weak year for the MAC....

pg04

Quote from: Union89 on July 04, 2007, 03:11:33 AM
Could be just me, but DelVal had to fight tooth and nail to beat Curry in the 1st Round.....no way a team that has to come from behind to beat a marginal NEFC team should even be considered unless they win the East.

VERY weak year for the MAC....

That may be so, but how many teams have gone 12-0 in their first 12 games of a season in the East? Not many.  They did beat Hobart and gave Rowan a run for their money which to me means they were in the top tier for that year.  Union of that same year could have been in this same position, but instead become the first team out on my list.  Basically, it's a factor of, "You can only pick 10 teams".  I hope there are disagreements so they can be discussed here.

Tags, thanks, right back at ya. 

Reno Hightower

Quote from: pg04 on July 04, 2007, 10:02:33 AM
Quote from: Union89 on July 04, 2007, 03:11:33 AM
Could be just me, but DelVal had to fight tooth and nail to beat Curry in the 1st Round.....no way a team that has to come from behind to beat a marginal NEFC team should even be considered unless they win the East.

VERY weak year for the MAC....

That may be so, but how many teams have gone 12-0 in their first 12 games of a season in the East? Not many.  They did beat Hobart and gave Rowan a run for their money which to me means they were in the top tier for that year.  Union of that same year could have been in this same position, but instead become the first team out on my list.  Basically, it's a factor of, "You can only pick 10 teams".  I hope there are disagreements so they can be discussed here.

Tags, thanks, right back at ya. 

I think that you have to rank the 05' Union squad over the 05' Del Val Squad. I am biased, yes. However, here are my unbiased reasons:

1. Perfect regular seasons match each other. Union beat 2 postseason entrants (RPI and Hobart), I know Del Val beat at least 1 (Wilkes), do not know if they beat another.
2. Both teams beat Hobart so those wins match each other.
3. Yes Del Val went 1 round further in the playoffs than Union but they got to play Curry and Hobart, I think we can all agree that Union would have beaten those 2 teams also given that bracket.
4.Both beat Hobart at home. Union by 10, Del Val by 6.   Both lose to Rowan at home. Union by 4, Del Val by 6.
               Thats the tie breaker. 2 common opponents, both go 1-1 against said opponents. Union beats Hobart by
               more and loses to Rowan by less.


The U should be the pick in this spot.

Hate to critisize you because you are putting a lot into this. But like you said, the controversy is generates is fun!

rams1102

pg04,

Great job. To me a great team has to go playoff deep. My top 8 went playoff deep even though (1) did it (4) times. :( Give them credit they deserve it. I forgot Widner (00) & 01) which should at least have  one or two teams in the top ten.  Your 8-9-10 are good teams but not great teams. I think they would definitely make the top 10 honorable mention.

Happy July 4th To All  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It ain't over till it's over, and when you get to the fork in the road, take it.

pg04

Earlier today due to day off and getting out to festivities later....


# 7:  2001 Ithaca Bombers

The Basics:

Overall Record:  11-2
End Result: Eliminated by Rowan in Regional Final
Key Regular Season Win:  vs. Cortland 21-14, vs. Hobart 52-13, @ Springfield 17-16
Key Regular Season Losses: vs. Brockport State 24-22
Points For: 34.3
Points Against: 15.9

Key Strength:

This was another very balanced team offensively.  2231 yards on the ground and 1811 coming through the air (Regular Season Stats).  With this efficient passing attack and hard nosed running, the bombers would only lose once heading into the playoffs. 

Key Players:

Offense:

Brian Young, QB: 112-202 for 1562 yards and 19 touchdowns; Would get injured on 2nd play from scrimmage in first round of playoffs @ Montclair State.

Dave Maddi, RB: 141 attempts for 743 yards and 7 touchdowns. 

Tommy Giorgio: 134 attempts for 506 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Defense: 

Mark McDonough: 103 tackles (41 solo) and 5 sacks.
Anthony Melville:  5 interceptions and 22 tackles

Eventual cause of demise (because let's face it, the Eastern teams always have a demise) :

A crushing 48-0 loss to the Rowan Profs in the 2001 Regional Finals.  Led by back-up quarterback Greg Sheeler, Ithaca never had a chance in this one.  The proverbial dagger fell when the opening gun went off as the bombers never really got going.  The Rowan defense held Ithaca to only 56 yards rushing on 43 attempts, taking away all the balance that I had discussed earlier.  Not only this, but Rowan also had 7 sacks on the game, not allowing Sheeler to feel comfortable behind center.  Once again a Rowan team was heading to the National Semifinals, while Ithaca continued to once again be unable to ascend to the top of the Eastern Region as they had in decades past.


Why did they make the list?
:

As someone mentioned previously on the board, Ithaca was crushing people during the regular season, including a 52-13 win over Hobart and also were able to win the Cortaca Jug.  They also were forced to go on the road for all 3 of their playoff games, winning the first two over Montclair and RPI.  However, they probably would have been further up the last had they not lost in such devastating fashion to Rowan.  This combined with the loss of their Senior Leader was a big blow to the team.  Overall, this Ithaca team was one of the best of the last 8 or so years, and is deserving of it's spot in the top 10. 

Thoughts???

Next up, the #6 team, tomorrow night. 






[/quote]

pg04

Quote from: rams1102 on July 04, 2007, 10:41:40 AM
pg04,

Great job. To me a great team has to go playoff deep. My top 8 went playoff deep even though (1) did it (4) times. :( Give them credit they deserve it. I forgot Widner (00) & 01) which should at least have  one or two teams in the top ten.  Your 8-9-10 are good teams but not great teams. I think they would definitely make the top 10 honorable mention.

Happy July 4th To All  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually Widener is a good choice but I thought at that time they were considered part of the South Region.  If this is not the case someone let me know for sure because I will definitely make an addendum and slot them tied with another team that I have put on the list...because they are definitely deserving of at least one slot.