In off season news, it is lowkey hilarious that Frank Rossi and some cheerleader's dad from North Cebtral have teamed up to make D3fb twitter one of the most toxic spaces on the platform.

Jeff Behrman moves on from his alma mater JCU after just three seasons, headed to Bucknell So much for the perfect dream job! His name was also in the mix for the UAlbany job that ultimately went to the Susquehanna coach.

In other news, just saw Matthew Parker commit to transfer to Alfred. Looks like Ithaca also lost a backup WR to SJF.

Anyone heard anything on the IC coaching search?

Quote from: IC798891 on December 18, 2025, 12:12:53 PMYeah, but the thing is, Cortland's got a great reputation for its PE teacher degree program. It was never being put at the bottom of a pile.

That's the problem Ithaca had. Cortland was delivering the type of quality they were, at a fraction of the cost, and everyone wound up in the same place.

Music, film, TV/Radio production, and PT/ATC is where Ithaca really stands out relative to peers, but those just...aren't appealing majors to football players

It's amazing to see the majors of the Union team evolve over time.  Probably at least half Econ now (Union has no business program), with nearly all the rest either Engineering or Bio\Neuroscience.

Man, the NCC fans seem to be running hard to keep up with the Mt. Union guys in the joyless department.  They've hit Twitter to express their outrage that ESPN+ has brought in two outside players by play guys, one of whom is a John Carroll alum, instead of using NCC's house guys, for Saturday's game. Putting aside the fact that (i) of course ESPN+ is going to use guys who have worked with ESPN+ crews instead of guys who have never done so and (ii) you can't coherently complain the JCU guy will bring bias and then argue it should be two NCC guys instead, it just baffles me that NCC fans can watch their teams win a bunch of nattys and still whine about stuff this small and dumb.

Quote from: IC798891 on December 15, 2025, 02:09:23 PM

Quote from: UfanBill on December 15, 2025, 01:45:19 PM...Could Utica H/C Blaise Faggiano be interested in returning to his alma mater?

He strikes me as pretty content to be Utica's answer to Jerry Boyes -- though Boyes did apply for the job Mike Welch got.

I would also be very, very surprised if Ithaca did not look to bring in an offensive minded coach. No specific insight, except how the tea leaves seem to be reading on the last two years.

That sounds right to me.  Also, the Utica and Ithaca models are very different.  At Utica, the deal is that he brings in as many tuition-paying warm bodies as possible and in return he gets the flexibility and financial packages he needs to bring in talent to complete. (I mean, they had 75 freshmen this year!) That just doesn't work at Ithaca, where they are not simply trying to drive raw numbers, but instead build a particular kind of incoming class each year.

Quote from: UfanBill on December 15, 2025, 01:45:19 PM

Quote from: Jonny Utah on December 15, 2025, 11:54:25 AMThis all stems from the allegation that Union targeted Wingfield 2 years ago and put him out for the season. 

Everything after that stems from this allegation. 

Even this year (although not discussed on the board) I heard Union people (not sure if it were players coaches or fans) acted unsportsmanlike after the game.  I didn't care enough to ask the Ithaca people I knew were there but I saw the comments on social media.

I'm guessing Frank got his info from Union sources who have a different version.  I've also talked to Union people who didn't know about the Wingfield allegation but did know about Toerper going off on Union players and staff last year.


Anyway that's all I know from the allegation standpoint. I do remember the play Wingfield got hurt on, you can't tell what really happened as there was a pile.

Speaking of being able to see what really happened...May I refer all to THIS year's Union vs Ithaca game when early in the game Bombers LB Henry Takacs took a cheap shot at Union QB Patch Flanagan. Launching himself and hitting Patch in face with what was rightfully deemed targeting. Could that have been on purpose and on Toerper?..Not accusing just adding it to the mix. 

...Could Utica H/C Blaise Faggiano be interested in returning to his alma mater?

That play happened right on the Union sideline, in front of the visitors stands, and I watched it live - that was just a kid playing with too much edge/emotion in a big game and making a mistake. It warranted a targeting but I really don't think there was any nefarious intent.   

Not sure what the Rossi/Toerper beef is, but if you're a Union fan, you learned all you ever needed to know about Toerper when had to be physically restrained by his own staff after berating a Union player in the handshake line after Ithaca's win at Union last year. Ithaca's a great school and a great program and deserves better.  I'm sure they will do just fine identifying the next HC - it's about as attractive a position as they are in D3.  I think the real challenge is finding a candidate who is not only a great coach but also interested in settling into the position for the long haul, rather than using it as a stepping stone (see, Swanstrom, Toerper, Poppe, Fitpatrick, etc.).

 

It's an interesting list; Union and Ithaca with one guy each; Hobart with three and RPI with five.  Utica with five, too.

It also demonstrates the extent to which JHU is a total outlier in terms of recruiting footprint.  Nearly all the players listed for other schools are in the R2 footprint or eastern OH.  Of JHU's seven guys on the list, they have players from Switzerland, Illinois, Michigan, California, and Texas. 

Quote from: IC798891 on December 09, 2025, 06:38:17 PMIt's insane watching them complain that kids are spoiled because want a chance to play at other schools immediately rather than stand on the sidelines for three years at Mount.

We're all guilty of going overboard in our criticisms at various points (myself included), but some people really need to understand that these kids aren't playing football for us. They owe us exactly nothing. If Michael Reed walks off the field with 10 seconds left in a tied Cortaca next year, and never goes near a football again for the rest of his life, I'm going to wish the kid well and root for whoever ends up taking the snap.

I have interviewed countless student-athletes during my career, and it's so important to remember that these kids have things going on in their lives -- stressors, challenges, tragedies -- that impact their decisions, that you have no idea about. And regardless of the motivation behind their decisions, they sure as **** aren't based on what us as fans want, nor should they be.

It's football. It's not that serious. We all gotta go touch some grass (snow).

Amen to that. The beautiful thing about D3 is that is clearly and specifically all about the players, and no one else. (And I'm not just making that up  - it's the essence of the D3 philosophy statement: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2013/11/14/division-iii-philosophy-statement.aspx.)

Quote from: Bartman on December 09, 2025, 11:45:56 AM

Quote from: Jonny Utah on December 09, 2025, 08:41:15 AM

Quote from: unionpalooza on December 08, 2025, 12:24:21 PM

Quote from: Machiavelli on December 08, 2025, 12:06:49 PMPretty cool seeing Coach Behrman's John Carrol knock off Mt. Union. Feels like his move from Union was a good one.

I agree - and I think his program has more accomplishments ahead of it.

It's a perfect fit for him - his whole family is around there, and he was a QB for JCU in the early 90s. And it doesn't get much better than recruiting from northeast Ohio with a direct line to a ton of catholic prep schools.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDGIdxOFgTc

"The d3 zone" has a youtube channel that does a great job breaking down a bunch of playoff games with highlights from the games.  John Carrol has a tough defense with a lot of size.  Just poked over to the OAC board and it is basically like the sun burnt out. 

This is great for D3 football that the OAC is not automatic anymore.Great story line for Behrman and JCU. I'll certainly be rooting for them. Mount Union calling for firing of a coach that has never lost the OAC title. Not my issue, but it's gettin ugly in Alliance, as they were really pumped to play in Canton.

Yeah, not going to lie, I find watching Mount fans melt down immensely enjoyable, almost as much fun as (but less rare than) watching NCC fans melt down.

Quote from: Machiavelli on December 08, 2025, 12:06:49 PMPretty cool seeing Coach Behrman's John Carrol knock off Mt. Union. Feels like his move from Union was a good one.

I agree - and I think his program has more accomplishments ahead of it.

It's a perfect fit for him - his whole family is around there, and he was a QB for JCU in the early 90s. And it doesn't get much better than recruiting from northeast Ohio with a direct line to a ton of catholic prep schools.

Quote from: IC798891 on December 07, 2025, 03:00:31 PMHopkins runs the ball 9 straight times, and then goes to kneel it out. Absolutely textbook end of blowout game plan.

Salisbury calls a timeout, so they clearly want to play to the final whistle, and now Hopkins, what, is obligated to continue to call nothing but runs?

It's admirable that the Gulls wanted to keep playing to the last whistle, but acting as though Hopkins is only allowed to do so exactly how Salisbury deems fit is weak.

Speaking as a fan of a team that got waxed by Hopkins and had Hopkins kneel it out on them, grow up.

One of my biggest pet peeves is treating 60 kids playing their butts off and their coach as interchangeable. 

Sherm Wood, not "Salisbury," called the timeout on the first kneel. This was probably lame, though I can imagine a world in which his reason for calling it was not lame - for example, because he wanted to remind his kids to end the game with composure and class.  Probably not, but it's possible.

Dan Wodicka, not "Hopkins," called a pass into the endzone with 3 seconds left in a game he was up 4 scores.  He did that for the sole reason of embarrassing a Gulls team whose coach had called a silly timeout rather than let them kneel it out. That's a dick move; give me the coach who is secure enough to just run the ball and walk away the bigger man, with a 25-point victory, any day of the week.  Making the players on the field pawns to a coach's ego games may be par for the course in the SEC, but I see no need to excuse it in D3. 

Quote from: MRMIKESMITH on December 07, 2025, 09:35:31 AMCongratulations to the seniors and grad students who played their hearts out yesterday. Congrats as well to the staff and administration on an overall awesome season. Although the outcome wasn't what Salisbury supporters hoped for, it was still a great year.

Now, regarding the game: I usually congratulate the opposing team, but what Hopkins pulled at the end was not something I expected from an institution like that. It's fine—karma has a funny way of showing itself. I lost a lot of respect for their staff and head coach. Congratulations to the players, though; they executed well and made the plays that were there.

As for Salisbury, this game was lost on the defensive side of the ball and in the red zone. Giving up over 600 yards was a death by a thousand cuts. I can't say that was purely a talent issue. As many have noted, Salisbury's schedule over the past two seasons has featured mostly sub-par offenses that rely heavily on the run, which played to our advantage. But when teams competently schemed to pass, they were highly effective, putting pressure on our offense to win shootouts. As with many high-powered offenses without a complementary defense, once they face a good defensive unit and have to battle for four full quarters, they typically falter—just like yesterday.

Defensively, players do need to make plays, recognize threats, and respond to formations and routes. But at some point that can't be the only excuse. Salisbury's conservative defensive approach has been the same for many years, going back to 2004. Offensively the program has evolved, adding more passing concepts to the flex, but defensively the structure may have changed while the play-calling has stayed the same. That has repeatedly become a problem whenever we face passing teams that can also run.

Offensively, the players did not make the necessary plays in the red zone—credit to Hopkins' defense. Many slot/RB players were too finesse-oriented and didn't make the needed cutbacks, lower their shoulders, or fight for extra yards. That edge wasn't there this week, or for much of the season. That's a big difference from last year's RBs and slot receivers. QB1 missed some throws before being injured early in the third, but that comes with experience and offseason work. Hopkins' interior defensive line caused havoc in the A and B gaps all day, which contributed to the red-zone struggles. And if you don't convert in the red zone—especially when your defense hasn't been reliable all year—you're in trouble. Salisbury didn't convert a single 3rd or 4th down, even when many early ones were short-yardage situations they usually thrive in.

Special teams were okay, but the kicker had his usual once-per-game missed chip shot, and the punt returner misplayed a key punt that rolled inside the five.

Next year is a real unknown. The past two seasons had a lot of experience, and it's unclear what the roster will look like. I'm sure Salisbury will plug and play, but from a fan perspective, the defensive play-calling must improve. In the big games, you can't be afraid to take risks and instead die a slow death. The defense needs to be more aggressive and trust that players can develop over the season in man-to-man and zone blitz schemes. Sitting in base coverage, reading and reacting, and trying to bend-but-not-break is not championship football. The best pass defense is a pass rush.

Offensively, I want to see continued growth from QB1. Have him work on his throwing, but also expand the offense for late-game situations—move personnel around, swap slots and receivers, and provide different looks. With two more years of QB1, there's no reason to stay stagnant.

So after your "what [JHU] pulled at the end" comment I had to check the play by play and watch the last few minutes.  I think it's fair to say both coaches were petty in the final two minutes.  JHU took a knee on first down at the Salisbury 15 with 1:45 to go, and rather than let JHU kneel it out, Sherm Wood called a timeout.  So JHU ran three plays, including a TD pass on fourth down with 3 seconds to go, presumably as a subtle FU for the timeout. Looked to me like two coaches battling out to see who could be the smaller man at the end of the game, when nothing was at stake.  FWIW, I think throwing into the end zone with three seconds to go was the much lamer and more insecure of the two decisions.

NCAA has posted the Muhlenberg/Union game on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/zIOD1wVfCns?si=wHyX3Bs5t8YRp03-

Quote from: UfanBill on November 25, 2025, 11:47:59 AM

Quote from: 8i Technique on November 25, 2025, 11:04:31 AM

Quote from: Ice Bear on November 22, 2025, 02:44:31 PMMulenberg moves on with a gritty impressive W against a never give up Union team. I am so proud of the way Union fought but in the end the fumble and int cost them. Muhlenberg made some big plays, capitalized on the Union mistakes, and made fewer overall mistakes today. They deserved to win and I am wholeheartedly rooting for the Mules next week. Absolutely no shame in losing to a great team and program in Muhlenberg.

I will say I was so disappointed as the entire game was unwatchable because of technical difficulties. Man that was frustrating but mistakes happen and overall I'm grateful I could at least follow the stats from start to finish.

Congrats to Muhlenberg on the win and Union on a great season!

An exciting game with 2 quality programs pushing each other to the limits.

Yes, the ESPN 'technical difficulty' page was woeful, but the stats updates kept us on the edge of our proverbial seats.

Hoping the Mules and the G-Chargers cross paths again in the very near future!

I'm not so forgiving as my good friend Ice Bear when it comes to responsibility for the streaming snafu. I know I wanted to watch the game, not just follow the live stats. I even emailed the Muhlenberg SID to get his take on what happened. While he was very apologetic he doesn't believe they did anything wrong on their end. At this point I still want to watch the game. The Mules SID says the video does exists but claims the rights to it are owned by ESPN. He vowed to contact them about releasing the replay. I know plenty of Union fans and especially player parents who would love to have access.

I feel like SIDs always deserve a little patience. They are all absurdly overworked and
understaffed.

On the other hand. I have zero tolerance for whomever in the Muhlenberg athletic department thinks providing a hallway with a few curtains counts as a "visitor's locker room." They should never get to host another playoff game unless and until that gets corrected.