FB: Liberty League

[Bartman]

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.

[Ice Bear]

Union 24-17

Flanagan and Dinardo will be the difference as the Union D holds just enough.

With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if the score is flipped. I think Hobart is a very athletic and talented team with some injuries and they just haven't come together yet. Hopefully they wait another week until they come together.

Hoping for a competitive injury free game.

[Jonny Utah]

On St. Lawrence's schedule the day after they play RPI it says they are playing Clarkson in a "scout team scrimmage".

What is that??

[stlawus]

On St. Lawrence's schedule the day after they play RPI it says they are playing Clarkson in a "scout team scrimmage".

What is that??

It's against Clarkson's club team, just a way to get the scout team a competitive game.

[Caz Bombers]

Bombers win 24-7 up north. Good thing the defense appears to be very solid because this offense doesn't give them a ton of help.

[Jonny Utah]

On St. Lawrence's schedule the day after they play RPI it says they are playing Clarkson in a "scout team scrimmage".

What is that??

It's against Clarkson's club team, just a way to get the scout team a competitive game.

Too bad they can't get an actual team. That would be a fun rivalry up there. 

[Machiavelli]

Some interesting games today. Only watched the RPI game but followed the Live Stats site for Union/Hobart and some of the Ithaca/SLU game.

While the scoreboard looked fine in the RPI game, I have some serious concerns with their secondary. Ironically, Buff State impressed me with their athletes on offense. There is no way that team should be that bad. What the heck is going on up there? The defense was atrocious. Did not look well coached at all, but they definitely have some dudes on that team. But yeah, with RPI's secondary, the Utica score makes sense to me now. They have to get better. But the offense is looking solid and the kicker is a stud. Good W in any case, particularly after giving up a long TD on the first play of the game.

Ithaca baffles me. Seemed like a terrible game until they put up some scores in the 2nd half. While anyone can win rivalry games, I don't think Ithaca matches up well when they face RPI. That offense will need to score points and it doesn't seem like that is their thing...at all.

And I have to grudgingly give Union some credit. When I watched them melt down against Cortland, I thought they looked like garbage in that 4th quarter. But they are now clicking and got a really promising win today.

I still think the LL looks like it's RPI's to lose, but the last few weeks of the year will be very interesting.

Ithaca/Union is gonna be real interesting in 2 weeks for sure. I think whoever comes out of this year's top 3 in the LL might very well have a postseason surprise in store with the improvement I've seen. We shall see.

Anyone want to wager that Union will get a Top 25 vote this week? LOL. 

[ICGrad]

On St. Lawrence's schedule the day after they play RPI it says they are playing Clarkson in a "scout team scrimmage".

What is that??

It's against Clarkson's club team, just a way to get the scout team a competitive game.

Too bad they can't get an actual team. That would be a fun rivalry up there. 

I have a couple of nephews who are seniors @ Clarkson and who play on the club team. I was shocked to discover that Clarkson have never had a varsity football team; I could have sworn we used to play them back in my days at IC.

I agree, it's a shame they don't have a varsity team. It would be a nice addition for the LL.

[Bartman]

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.

[unionpalooza]

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.

As great as it was to watch the Union win today, I felt for the Hobart guys - it reminds a little of Union's year last year, where it seems like the kids are working their butts off, but everything that can wrong, does. There's obviously plenty of talent on the roster - I was really impressed by the o-line and receivers, in particular.  I suspect the Statesmen will run off four wins to finish the year at .500 and turn the page to 2026.

PS:  EJ Taylor IS Statesmen football.  Gritted out 21 highly effective carries and tried to put the team on his back notwithstanding what was clearly a painful ankle after that second series.

[tony/troy]

On St. Lawrence's schedule the day after they play RPI it says they are playing Clarkson in a "scout team scrimmage".

What is that??

It's against Clarkson's club team, just a way to get the scout team a competitive game.

Too bad they can't get an actual team. That would be a fun rivalry up there. 

I have a couple of nephews who are seniors @ Clarkson and who play on the club team. I was shocked to discover that Clarkson have never had a varsity football team; I could have sworn we used to play them back in my days at IC.

I agree, it's a shame they don't have a varsity team. It would be a nice addition for the LL.

Apparently, there is nothing wrong with your memory. A search of Clarkson University football history will take you to a site that lists all the results of their days of varsity football from 1930 through 1951 when, apparently, the program was terminated. They played Ithaca a few times in those years.

1951 was 74 years ago and you would had to have been at least 18 to be at Ithaca. Is ICGrad at least 92 years old???

[IC798891]

Yeah to echo the post above, this Hobart season reminds me a bit of IC's 2015. The Bombers were coming off back-to back conference titles, started 4-1, and led Brockport 14-0 in Game 6.

They scored 26 points the rest of the season and finished 4-6.

Injuries, tough breaks, it all happened. I've never seen the wheels come off a season so completely

I think that's what's happened to Hobart, but the schedule is flipped. They're obviously going to beat Hilbert and Buff State and will probably beat Rochester and St. Lawrence. But this team can just cannot catch a break right now.

[IC798891]

As for Union, Flanagan has really come into his own as a runner. He's got to cut down on the turnovers, but if he does, Union could take the conference.

My current gut for the eventual pecking order:

RPI
Union
IC