Ithaca gets 8 votes in this week's poll. No love for RPI yet, as that Utica loss looks worse than the loss by Ithaca to JHU. No one is following the LL this year except it's fans. D3Football is not showing any love despite having one of the most active boards on this site .

Hobart has lost a couple of players in the last 2 years to FCS schools Our two best players are EJ Taylor(RB) and Johnny Harding(WR),both are very capable and could play at the next level.I hope they see that next year could be special when everyone is in better health and the "youngins" that got experience this year will show in the team next year. I know there is talent on this team , it just never got pulled together for many reasons. Hobart Athletic's culture competes for Championships in all sports and that will return to the Football team next year, no doubt. The task now is to win the rest of the games , finish 5-5 and find out as much about the talent that can be developed for next year.

Hobart gets another one goal LL victory , this time over Skidmore ,to stay undefeated(8-0-2). Next Saturday is a big test against Vassar . Fingers crossed and hoping tournament goes thru Geneva.

Well, one more gut wrenching congratulations....this time to Union today...Patch Flanagan IS Union football. I knew Hobart was in a difficult position when I heard 30% of the team could not practice this week. Something must be wrong with the strength and conditioning program, that's crazy to have so many players out including last week when we had 5 starters on defense out. Today, Hobart actually outgained Union, had a running back and a receiver with over 100 yards each, but lost the game. Patch Flanagan can throw the ball now, he could always run, and the Union defense was a decent rubber band defense. They are not as good as RPI , but they will give Ithaca a good battle.

Liberty league :

1. RPI(Should get votes this week!)
2.Ithaca( Will still get votes this week)
3. Union(Might even get votes this week)
4.Hobart(The best 1-5 team in the country..haha)
5.Rochester
6.St.Lawrence
7.Buff State
8. Hilbert

Good luck ti IC, RPI and Union the rest of the way.

Bartman is looking for a prideful end of the season by going on a five game win streak starting this week at Union. Coach Drach is licking his chops to keep the Statesmen down but EJ Taylor puts the team on his back on Saturday to start the win streak. It will be a gut check for the Statesmen as winning in Schenectady is no easy task, especially as Coach Drach will have prepared his Dutchmen well to avenge the shutout at the Boz last year.
No other LL game should be competitive.

Quote from: tony/troy on October 05, 2025, 01:50:55 PM

Quote from: Bartman on October 04, 2025, 04:55:26 PMCongrats to RPI on the win today, they are best team in the LL. Hobart urinated all over themselves today.Although they were fairly even in Total yards, 3 turnovers, a blocked punt, and giving RPI 3 first downs on critical penalties was a killer. The worst game I've seen them play in many years as far as self inflicted pain and RPI did what a good team does by taking  full advantage. Also, many injures today that will deplete the depth chart and risk further losses. We have to win out to be 5-2 in the league and 6-4 on the season. Good luck to the rest of the LL who haven't lost a game yet, at least you have a shot. So much for being picked to win the league again.

Thank you for being so gracious.

Yesterday was only the 13th time RPI has ever won a game in Geneva covering 115 years. The only other one of the 13 that could even be considered a rout was 33 years ago, a 28-0 RPI win in 1992. There have been far more than two trashings done by Hobart in Troy.

In addition, you do have yet another virtually guaranteed stellar hockey season coming up in less than a month to enjoy. We don't nor do I know anyone really looking forward to what starts just five days from now.

In fact, I am probably looking forward more to enjoying watching your hockey season online (with one in person viewing in January at nearby Saratoga Springs) than I am looking forward to watching my own season!!!. In addition, a few of us are even considering taking a group trip to Utica for the D3 championship game in March should Hobert make it that far yet again as this year the game is being played in a real arena. Excellence is not very hard to sell when organizing a trip.

 

Tony Troy,
    You saved me from doing harm to myself after thinking about yesterdays RPI-Hobart game. As I left the stadium I walked by the "Hockey House " and it made me excited for the season. This would be a fourth consecutive National Championship , and last year's title win over Utica was the best and most exciting sporting event I've ever witnessed(Including the Giant's Super Bowl win in Arizona over the Patriots) .Coach Taylor and his teams are a treasure and I look forward to the home and away against Utica in early November. I will still root for the football team to have the pride to finish with a winning season, but being out of contention so early is not a familiar feeling.I know this Hobart team is better than the game they played yesterday, but as they say you are what your record is. I noticed that Ithaca got a few points in the poll, but I'll be rooting for RPI to represent come NCAA time.
  Back to Hockey, will our goalie Damon Beaver win a National Championship in each of his four seasons at Hobart? Stay tuned  

Congrats to RPI on the win today, they are best team in the LL. Hobart urinated all over themselves today.Although they were fairly even in Total yards, 3 turnovers, a blocked punt, and giving RPI 3 first downs on critical penalties was a killer. The worst game I've seen them play in many years as far as self inflicted pain and RPI did what a good team does by taking  full advantage. Also, many injures today that will deplete the depth chart and risk further losses. We have to win out to be 5-2 in the league and 6-4 on the season. Good luck to the rest of the LL who haven't lost a game yet, at least you have a shot. So much for being picked to win the league again.

Mach, I put the LL Commissioner on speed dial and will harass him until its done

As far as the RPI-Hobart matchup, this week's Hobart Football podcast with Coach DeWall sure gives much respect to the Engineers. If you read in between the lines, I think DeWall feels RPI might be better than Ithaca and is a well balanced, well coached team. Sure glad it is a home game and is an Orange out( just like the Penn State white outs ). Looking forward to a typical hard nosed RPI-Hobart game tomorrow with an old LL rival.

I say we trade Hilbert and Buffalo State for Alfred and St.John Fisher. The E8 is mostly a NYS Public University League, while the LL is essentially a Private College/University league. Also Alfred and SJF have had some rich football history and success on the D3 level which would really add to the depth of the LL . That would be my preference and I would think Alfred and SJF would enjoy that realignment as well.

Quote from: Machiavelli on October 02, 2025, 08:32:47 AMHoly cow, it's Thursday already. Guess it's that time to get in on predictions(thanks Bartman for the reminder post...LOL).

Mach's Worthless and Weak Week 5 Predictions:
Ithaca - 31
Rochester - 14
Not impressed with Rochester last week. Ithaca should win this one without too much trouble.

RPI - 24
Hobart - 21
This feels like a coin flip kinda game given the location. Utica blasted RPI and Hobart beat them, but I'm chalking it up as a bad day and bad matchup, and RPI wins out.

Dilbert - 0
St. Lawrence - 40
Gross. Just gross.

Union - 45
Buff St - 6
Union is showing they could be a contender. Buff St scores a TD with 3 seconds left and misses the extra point.

There ya have it. Down with the pumpkins!

Mach, you and I are in total agreement that your picks are worthless and weak. I cannot even fathom the possibility of an RPI win on Family/Homecoming weekend at the BOZ and ruining my future trip to Troy to root for your team to beat Ithaca and a glorious 3 way LL title tie.

Bartman Week #5 LL Picks( 22-6 Record YTD)

Pumpkins.  24.      Enginerds.  17.       Simply,  STATESMEN DO NOT LOSE AT THE BOZ

Bombers.   31.        Yellowjackets  10.    The Yellowjackets got no stingers

Dutchmen Forever  45.      Bengals.  10.      Dutchies stay undefeated in the LL

SLU MEN.          55.      Hawks.    10.          Hawks get double digits                           

IC,

"2. I would not have picked up the flag on the PI call. Unless there's an angle I didn't see showing the Hobart WR fell on his own, I thought IC's DB turned around way too late to get that picked up."

   I was pretty close to seeing this play live, and it was a fair PI call against Ithaca and crazy to have the officials pick the flag up.That IC DB saved the game for the Bombers by committing the PI. It certainly contributes to the "curse" at Butterfield and the evidence for poor officiating in D3  Football. This was also highlighted on the D3FB "In the Huddle' this week as one of the bad calls this weekend. What a critical moment where Hobart's third string QB almost broke the curse.

Quote from: ICAlum16 on September 30, 2025, 10:26:37 AMBartman, curious on your thoughts on Coach DeWall. Are you starting to maybe turn up the heat on his seat? Seems like a good guy and obviously a solid coach but he also has some Swanstrom in him where he tends to struggle in more meaningful games. Obviously they beat Ithaca and won the league last year but if you look at the body of work it is overall disappointing in conference. I had to come to terms with this during the Swanstrom era and eventually found myself looking for change to try and get over the in league hump, he did get us over the hump with Cortland which was felt great the first two years.. but I digress. Not throwing any shade or anything like that just very curious on what you think!

Quote from: Bartman on September 30, 2025, 08:46:23 AMAll this talk of gray jerseys....how boring...give me the pumpkin all orange for Hobart this Saturday against RPI...pants, jerseys and helmets....and in some cases cleats as well.
On another topic, I just read about the Hope Flying Dutchmen's game and it made pine for the old Dutchmen of Union. Now when I recharge my phone , I think of Union  

Coach DeWall is a very good coach that is disciplined, process oriented and loves Hobart. He played lacrosse and football(under the best coach we had, Mike Cragg). He had a hard time as head coach at Endicott as the alums were impatient and he was fired. Accepting the job in 2018 at Hobart when Cragg unexpectedly stepped down , he has gone 48-20, 23-10 in the LL , 2-2 in Bowl games , 0-1 in the NCAA tourney and last year won his first LL Championship.If Ithaca never entered the LL he would have had more success with RPI, SLU and Union as the major rivals.
    Coach DeWall and his staff do a good job recruiting despite Hobart only having 900 men on campus and 10% of them are on the football team. Hobart does not have a business(we have Entrepreneurship)or a sports management major which limits recruiting for some recruits, although the placement for jobs into Wall Street, Real Estate and General Business with the tight-nit alumni network is quite effective.
  That all said DeWall was preceded by our morst successful Football Head Coach, Mike Cragg. Under Mike we had the 2012-2014 dominant teams with Ali Marpet and some of the best players Hobart ever had.Mike Cragg was a river boat gambler and a passionate motivator that got the most out of his talent and Hobart was lucky to have him. Coach DeWall is more like a competent football scientist that has a more level personality but firmly communicates his expectations.
  The bottom line is, Hobart is consistently a top 50 D3 program that competes every year for the LL Championship , and while we would love to win more LL titles, DeWall has kept us in the mix every season with solid recruits that will become good men after graduation( BTW, if a recruit is a surprising behavior problem DeWall will let them know early, even if they are very talented...there are rare examples of some who are not with the team anymore).
  I think Hobart can still go 7-3 this season , have an outside chance for the LL title with some luck or grab an ECAC bowl. Kevin is not a Knute Rockne inspirational style coach but he is a competent process oriented coach that will give his team a chance to win and the rest is up to them.

All this talk of gray jerseys....how boring...give me the pumpkin all orange for Hobart this Saturday against RPI...pants, jerseys and helmets....and in some cases cleats as well.
On another topic, I just read about the Hope Flying Dutchmen's game and it made pine for the old Dutchmen of Union. Now when I recharge my phone , I think of Union    

Quote from: IC798891 on September 29, 2025, 04:13:53 PMSo.

I feel like we've been waiting on Brockport to turn the corner and actually win a big game and their conference forever. They just don't. They blew a winnable game vs. Cortland last year, and they blew this game against RPI. They remind me a lot of Swanstrom's IC teams. Good for 7-8 wins, can blow out mediocre teams, but can't seem to make the handful of plays needed to win the big games.

As for Ithaca, first off, they don't deserve a Top 25 ranking until they stop wearing gray jerseys at home. They're drab, ugly, and the school colors are blue and gold. I'm not an old man clinging to tradition — I was fully on board with turf and lights at Butterfield. The jersey color sucks, I will die on that hill.

But also, I'm okay with them being unranked. The Hilbert game was essentially a scrimmage. Alfred is mediocre — their win over Brockport last year is attributable to Brockport losing their QB1 against Cortland last year, IMO. And the Hobart game was just an ugly game they won by the skin of their teeth. They've got legitimate issues on offense and special teams that nearly cost them.

While I believe the talk of their "decline" to 6-4 was overrated when you look at how small the margin of the Endicott game was from year to year, for example, and how they housed everyone in the LL except Hobart (contrasting with many close LL games in 2023) I don't blame people for expecting IC to prove it belongs, and there isn't a statement win here.

A fair analysis. Both IC and Hobart defenses are strong and showed it Saturday. I thought the IC passing game was stronger, but I think Hobart has a top secondary, which they proved against Utica. I don't know IC's health but I know Hobart is still healing at QB, RB and Oline, which has hurt what was thought to be a strong scoring offense this year. That said, last year's Ithaca team certainly had a chance to beat Hobart and Hobart had the same chance this year against IC, the teams have been that close recently, both good but imperfect.
  I think Hobart's season comes down to next week against RPI(Homecoming, should be a big crowd) and IC's should come down to the RPI showdown in Troy later in the season. Union looks strong enough to put together an upset with Patch running all over the field....Lot's of football to play.