LL Midseason Awards

Offensive Player of the Year - Michael Reed, Ithaca QB. Leads the conference in passing yards by close to 40 a game (used instead of raw totals given that Union's QB has only played in 4 games). Both he and Sheehan have done their damage against the lower parts of the conference. Reed is also T-5th in rushing yards.

Defensive Player of the year - A.J. Bicksler, Rochester, DL. Leads the conference with 6.5 sacks and is second with 7.5 TFL. He's had at least half a sack in every game and I appreciate the consistency vs what we sometimes see where 80% of the production comes in 2-3 games.

Coaching Staff of the Year - Whoever wins the conference I guess? No one is likely to overachieve, so this one probably comes down to the boring logic of "To the winner go the spoils."

Excluding kneel downs, Alfred State ran 28 offensive plays in that game. Given that, I'm amazed that they even had the ball for 12 minutes.

Here's how the LL Top 3 breaks down

Union: 3 wins over teams with a combined record of 2-13, 2 losses to teams with a combined record of 8-1
RPI: 3 wins over teams with a combined record of 6-9, 2 losses to teams with a combined record of 8-2
Ithaca: 4 wins over teams with a combined record of 5-17, 1 loss to a team that is 1-3

None of the teams have a good win unless you're buying WPI at 4-1.

WPI has beaten:
0-5 UNE
1-4 Husson
3-2 Coast Guard
1-3 Norwich

Personally, that's a no from me. So IMO, we're parsing losses.

There's no way to put RPI over Union based on losses. Cortland is objectively a better loss than Utica, and there's no way losing 45-10 to Brockport is better than a loss OT to Susquehanna.

So it's Union ahead of RPI. What to do with Ithaca? One less loss, but it is, by far, the worst loss. And, the lousy 2nd half vs. Hobart means that they narrowly escaped with a win over a team RPI easily handled.

Thus, we have:

1. Union
2. RPI
3. Ithaca
4. Hobart
5. Rochester
6. St. Lawrence
7. Buffalo State
8. Hilbert

I mean, that's a tough gig, but I probably would have led with a few of the defensive performers were I the SID, because you're at least highlighting positives.

"Kaden Beckerink led all players with nine tackles, and Anthony Theiss and Sherrod Patterson II each notched a sack..." is a stronger opener than "They totaled 48 offensive plays."

Quote from: ICGrad on October 03, 2026, 05:08:38 PM

Quote from: IC798891 on October 03, 2026, 04:49:49 PMLast year's LL title swung on a similarly inexcusable late hit penalty on Ithaca vs Union, turning a punt into an eventual TD.

It's possible the unsportsmanlike call (Which, from the vantage point of my computer, looked weaaaaakkkkk as ****) today saved the Bombers, because it's hard to underestimate how much their O-line was getting dominated right up until then

Something must have happened; something mush have been said or done for the flag to be thrown there.

Hobart had a number of late hit/after the play penalties today. Too bad, too; if they had cleaned that up they could well have won the game.

Yeah, I really thought Ithaca was dead in the water there. Both teams were really sloppy today, handing out first downs, stopping their own drives. Lots for Ithaca to clean up if they want to beat Union and RPI

Last year's LL title swung on a similarly inexcusable late hit penalty on Ithaca vs Union, turning a punt into an eventual TD.

It's possible the unsportsmanlike call (Which, from the vantage point of my computer, looked weaaaaakkkkk as ****) today saved the Bombers, because it's hard to underestimate how much their O-line was getting dominated right up until then

Yawn. Another E8 "showdown" ends in a Cortland laugher, and the Red Dragons are still undefeated in conference play this decade, and, barring a stunner of epic proportions, will be 9-0 and locked into the playoffs heading into Cortaca.

Brockport sticking it to Joe Germinerio by making the playoffs after he went to Ithaca while the Bombers dinked around in an ECAC playoff game (again) in 2019 remains one of the funnier moments in Upstate NY football in recent memory. But unless Utica's QB plans to transfer to Ithaca next year to start up the irony merry-go-round for round 2, I'm guessing Cortland will continue to run the conference.

Ithaca survives Hobart, 27-20.

Bombers look like they're going to run away with it, taking a 20-3 lead into halftime, but the offense completely stalls out for most of the second half, and Ithaca gives up a 99-yard TD pass to make it 20-10.

At 20-13, Hobart looks like they're about to get the ball back, with Ithaca pinned on a 3rd and long deep in their own territory after a sack. But an inexplicable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that even left *me* confused, bails out Ithaca and they drive down for 6 to go up 27-13.

Hobart immediately strikes back, with their third big pass play of the day setting up an E.J. Taylor TD to make it 27-20. Ithaca goes to chew clock, but for the second time on the day, gets flagged while attempting to go for it on a 4th and 1, and is forced to punt. Hobart gets a first down, but ultimately turns it over on downs.

Both teams had one awful stretch of about 20 minutes, but Ithaca was able to survive. Still, lots to be concerned about: An offensive line that got dominated for stretches of the second half, a secondary that gave up three long pass completions that gained a combined 200 yards, and a passing game that really needs another threat as a pass-catcher -- though Nick Matos had a huge third down reception in the 4th quarter.

Still, Ithaca is now 4-1. And, maybe it was a necessary wakeup call after three straight blowout wins at home. Next up is Rochester at home, and then two weeks to prepare for Union

The degree to which Cortland just owns this conference is comical. That pick 6 before halftime epitomized the last six years of futility with which these challengers have gotten obliterated by the Red Dragons.

(What an atrocious play call that was, too)

Quote from: Machiavelli on October 03, 2026, 01:29:25 PMNot anymore. Game has been stopped for like 20 minutes to take a Hilbert kid out on a stretcher. They shouldn't be on this field. It's too dangerous for these kids.

I said something similar to a buddy of mine. I would not be surprised if they are unable to finish the season due to lack of players.

I don't see how losing like this is good for these guys.

But how about Buff State showing some life?

Quote from: tony/troy on October 01, 2026, 10:19:39 PMThe earlier Ithaca attempt (the unsuccessful one) had a lot more than Union dead set against it. Picking on them alone is not entirely fair.

I'm aware.

If you re-read my post, I did not place the blame for Ithaca's prior failed LL attempt at Union.

I mocked Union for being too scared to play Ithaca in the 1980s and hiding behind "institutional fit" to justify it. Because if you're an Ithaca fan from the Butterfield era, you pretty much heard about it nonstop when the Bombers were going around playing multiple D2 school and struggling to find 10 quality opponents every year instead of playing the state's other really good D3 football team each year.

Buttefield himself famously quipped that the Bombers would play Union in a parking lot if the Dutchmen were willing.

But to the larger point, this is why I hate when people complain about things like fit. Who are we (myself included) to turn our noses up at, like Buff State when 15 years ago it was being done to Ithaca, and now no one cares?

Quote from: ICGrad on October 01, 2026, 03:35:34 PMMy only real issue with the whole thing is Hilbert. They simply aren't an LL-caliber team.

Hilbert really should not be playing varsity right now.

As for the LL thing, I'm old enough to remember when they didn't think *Ithaca* was a fit and turning them down for membership at least once. Heck, "institutional fit" was Union's excuse to duck, ahem, decline to play Ithaca in the regular season all the way back to the 1980s. And it's not like Buffalo State bears any resemblance to anyone in the conference anyway.

I'd personally rather see Ithaca play someone in Pennsylvania -- like, W&J -- annually.

Quote from: jknezek on October 01, 2026, 11:51:53 AM

Quote from: IC798891 on October 01, 2026, 11:39:44 AM

Quote from: jknezek on October 01, 2026, 10:33:30 AMIthaca has one in Los Angeles for some reason.

To provide semester-long film and television industry internships for the film and TV production majors -- two of the things IC stands out in nationally -- so that those internships don't just become summer opportunities for students who can afford to do unpaid internships and not work

Thanks for the color.

I hope I did not come across as snarky, I didn't intend to.

The dean at the time saw that industry internships were (as the often still are) unpaid, and so that the student population who could typically take advantage of them was not only small, but the same type of student: from a well-off family that could foot the bill for the summer, and he wanted to expand those opportunities to everyone.

The overall cost, last I knew, was roughly similar, though there are variables, obviously

Quote from: jknezek on October 01, 2026, 10:33:30 AMIthaca has one in Los Angeles for some reason.

To provide semester-long film and television industry internships for the film and TV production majors -- two of the things IC stands out in nationally -- so that those internships don't just become summer opportunities for students who can afford to do unpaid internships and not work

Presumably, if the point is to keep 8 teams in each conference, it will continue to be broken down like it is now with Hilbert in the LL, though I suspect the games themselves may change based on program expectations. (Obviously, excluding games like Cortaca)