The two remaining east region teams were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division 3 football tournament. St. Thomas pounded St. John Fisher 45-10, while two time defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater stopped Salisbury 34-14.
Whitewater built a 17-0 half-time lead in cruising past Salisbury. The Salisbury Gulls had some success running the football, but the option heavy run attack appeared too predictable for the athletic defending national champions. Wisconsin-Whitewater put extra defenders in the box and dared Salisbury to switch to a passing attack, which it did not do while the game was still within reach.
Salisbury's option running game is a ton of fun to watch, especially for old school football fans like me. But you cannot physically overwhelm every football team in the nation. Salisbury's option running game basically states, "We know you know it's coming. You just cannot stop it." That holds true when you are facing a team which is physically slower and smaller. But it back fires against a top tier team. Whitewater prepared to stop the option, and it did.
St. John Fisher's Cinderella playoff run ended in Minnesota to the #4 nationally ranked Tommies of St. Thomas. Ryan Francis had an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Fisher to pull the Cardinals to within 14-10 late in the first quarter. That was the last time Fisher would score.
St. Thomas looked like a legitimate national championship contender running their record to 13-0. The Tommies have outscored its opponents 131-22 in the 2011 NCAA playoffs. Fisher ran into a buzz saw and did not have enough depth to compete with St. Thomas.
It was a solid run for east teams in the 2011 tournament. Fisher's big win over Johns Hopkins, Kean's destruction of Christopher Newport, and Hobart's near upset of Wesley likely changed a lot of perceptions about the strength of eastern football.
D3East Rankings - November 30
The NCAA Division 3 Tournament is down to the Elite 8 quarterfinal round. Last Saturday Salisbury State survived Kean in a triple overtime thriller, while St. John Fisher stunned #1 Delaware Valley and knocked them from the ranks of the unbeaten.
We get few opportunities to compare east conferences during the regular season. So any opportunity we get to run a comparison in the playoffs is much welcome. However we need to remember we are dealing with a very small sample set. The top of the Empire 8 looks great after the Round of 16, but we only have two relevant games to draw this conclusion from.
Let's get past the mumbo jumbo and jump into our latest rankings release:
St. John Fisher exposed Delaware Valley on Saturday. It was the first time someone shut down the Delaware Valley Aggies and controlled the football against them. It would be easy to point to this as proof of the superiority of top Empire 8 teams over top MAC teams. But that would be a mistake. One game is not enough to draw such a conclusion. For now accept that St. John Fisher is ranked one spot ahead of Delaware Valley, and let us see if Fisher can keep their season alive after this Saturday's quarterfinal action.
We get few opportunities to compare east conferences during the regular season. So any opportunity we get to run a comparison in the playoffs is much welcome. However we need to remember we are dealing with a very small sample set. The top of the Empire 8 looks great after the Round of 16, but we only have two relevant games to draw this conclusion from.
Let's get past the mumbo jumbo and jump into our latest rankings release:
- Salisbury State 11-1
- Kean 10-2
- St. John Fisher 10-2
- Delaware Valley 11-1
- Widener 9-2
- Lycoming 8-2
- Cortland 9-2
- Hobart 7-2
- Montclair 8-2
- Lebanon Valley 8-3
St. John Fisher exposed Delaware Valley on Saturday. It was the first time someone shut down the Delaware Valley Aggies and controlled the football against them. It would be easy to point to this as proof of the superiority of top Empire 8 teams over top MAC teams. But that would be a mistake. One game is not enough to draw such a conclusion. For now accept that St. John Fisher is ranked one spot ahead of Delaware Valley, and let us see if Fisher can keep their season alive after this Saturday's quarterfinal action.
Empire 8 Activates Beast Mode
Activate beast mode! The Empire 8 flexed its muscle as the premier football conference in eastern region, advancing two teams to the NCAA Division 3 quarterfinals.
Salisbury held off Kean 49-47 in a thrilling triple-overtime victory, while St. John Fisher defeated Delaware Valley 27-14 to upset the undefeated MAC champion.
Salisbury Holds Off Kean
The Salisbury State Sea Gulls (11-1) rolled up 382 yards rushing the football to stop the upset-minded Kean Cougars (10-2). Randal Smedley rushed for 202 yards on 26 carries, and quarterback Dan Griffin added 70 yards on the ground and 57 through the air on only 5 passes.
Tom D'Ambrisi completed 15-of-26 passes for three touchdowns for the Kean Cougars, but was intercepted three times by the Gulls.
Salisbury built a 34-20 lead late in the game, but Kean roared back behind the rushing of Chris Dimicco (20 carries for 155 yards) and the passing of D'Ambrisi. After cutting the score to 34-27, the Kean defense kept Salisbury in check through the fourth quarter.
D'Ambrisi found Matt Pitarresi for a 16-yard pass play to the Salisbury 2-yard line with just 51 seconds to play. On the next play, Darius Kinney rushed for a 2-yard score to tie the game at 34-34 and send it to overtime.
Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime. Kean had an opportunity to win the football game, but had a 31-yard field goal attempt blocked. Brandon Lemon saved Salisbury's season rejecting the Billy Daniels kick.
The teams traded touchdowns in the second overtime. In the third overtime, Randall Smedley rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to put Salisbury ahead 47-41. A Ross Flanigan rush on the two-point conversion play put the Gulls ahead 49-41.
The game appeared over with Kean trailing by eight, and facing a 4th-and-12 from the Salisbury 27-yard line. But D'Ambrisi rolled out to his right, avoided pressure, and threw toward the end zone. Chris Suozzo made an outstanding leaping grab to shock the Salisbury crowd.
With the score 49-47 in favor of Salisbury, the Gulls defense rallied to force a desperation pass from D'Ambrisi into the back of the end zone. The ball fell incomplete, and Salisbury celebrated a thrilling victory.
Cardinals Upset Aggies 27-14
The St. John Fisher Cardinals (10-2) stopped the Delaware Valley Aggies (11-1) 27-14 to advance to the national Elite 8.
It was the second consecutive week the underdog Cardinals beat an undefeated team on the road. Against high scoring offenses Johns Hopkins and Delaware Valley, the Cardinals yielded only 26 point in two weeks.
Backup quarterback Ahmed Hassanien filled in for injured Ryan Kramer, rushing for 196 yards and passing for 93 yards. Sophomore running back Cody Miller added a career-high 145 yards rushing. Wade Kline had a key second half interception for the Cardinals, thwarting a Delaware Valley drive.
The Cardinals never trailed against the young Aggies.
St. John Fisher may have been the last team to get into the tournament, but it is one of the final eight remaining. The victory over Delaware Valley marks the first time Fisher has been to the NCAA quarterfinals since 2007, when it was defeated by Mount Union.
The combined victories by Salisbury and St. John Fisher make a strong statement for the Empire 8 as the strongest eastern conference. Despite disappointing seasons by Alfred and Ithaca, Salisbury and St. John Fisher carried the conference into the playoffs, and eliminated the top teams from the MAC, NEFC, Centennial Conference, and NJAC to advance to the national quarterfinals.
Salisbury held off Kean 49-47 in a thrilling triple-overtime victory, while St. John Fisher defeated Delaware Valley 27-14 to upset the undefeated MAC champion.
Salisbury Holds Off Kean
The Salisbury State Sea Gulls (11-1) rolled up 382 yards rushing the football to stop the upset-minded Kean Cougars (10-2). Randal Smedley rushed for 202 yards on 26 carries, and quarterback Dan Griffin added 70 yards on the ground and 57 through the air on only 5 passes.
Tom D'Ambrisi completed 15-of-26 passes for three touchdowns for the Kean Cougars, but was intercepted three times by the Gulls.
Salisbury built a 34-20 lead late in the game, but Kean roared back behind the rushing of Chris Dimicco (20 carries for 155 yards) and the passing of D'Ambrisi. After cutting the score to 34-27, the Kean defense kept Salisbury in check through the fourth quarter.
D'Ambrisi found Matt Pitarresi for a 16-yard pass play to the Salisbury 2-yard line with just 51 seconds to play. On the next play, Darius Kinney rushed for a 2-yard score to tie the game at 34-34 and send it to overtime.
Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime. Kean had an opportunity to win the football game, but had a 31-yard field goal attempt blocked. Brandon Lemon saved Salisbury's season rejecting the Billy Daniels kick.
The teams traded touchdowns in the second overtime. In the third overtime, Randall Smedley rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to put Salisbury ahead 47-41. A Ross Flanigan rush on the two-point conversion play put the Gulls ahead 49-41.
The game appeared over with Kean trailing by eight, and facing a 4th-and-12 from the Salisbury 27-yard line. But D'Ambrisi rolled out to his right, avoided pressure, and threw toward the end zone. Chris Suozzo made an outstanding leaping grab to shock the Salisbury crowd.
With the score 49-47 in favor of Salisbury, the Gulls defense rallied to force a desperation pass from D'Ambrisi into the back of the end zone. The ball fell incomplete, and Salisbury celebrated a thrilling victory.
Cardinals Upset Aggies 27-14
The St. John Fisher Cardinals (10-2) stopped the Delaware Valley Aggies (11-1) 27-14 to advance to the national Elite 8.
It was the second consecutive week the underdog Cardinals beat an undefeated team on the road. Against high scoring offenses Johns Hopkins and Delaware Valley, the Cardinals yielded only 26 point in two weeks.
Backup quarterback Ahmed Hassanien filled in for injured Ryan Kramer, rushing for 196 yards and passing for 93 yards. Sophomore running back Cody Miller added a career-high 145 yards rushing. Wade Kline had a key second half interception for the Cardinals, thwarting a Delaware Valley drive.
The Cardinals never trailed against the young Aggies.
St. John Fisher may have been the last team to get into the tournament, but it is one of the final eight remaining. The victory over Delaware Valley marks the first time Fisher has been to the NCAA quarterfinals since 2007, when it was defeated by Mount Union.
The combined victories by Salisbury and St. John Fisher make a strong statement for the Empire 8 as the strongest eastern conference. Despite disappointing seasons by Alfred and Ithaca, Salisbury and St. John Fisher carried the conference into the playoffs, and eliminated the top teams from the MAC, NEFC, Centennial Conference, and NJAC to advance to the national quarterfinals.
2011 Playoffs Second Round
As excited as I am for the second round of the NCAA Division 3 football tournament, I have to admit to feeling a bit disappointed. When the NCAA committee unveiled its wide-open, national bracket, I couldn't help but feel this was the east's big chance to measure itself against the nation.
But instead, all four east survivors will be playing against each other tomorrow. The positive side is two teams will advance, guaranteed. The negative side is, two teams will be gone.
St. John Fisher (9-2) at Delaware Valley (11-0)
Both teams come from solid conferences. Last week Delaware Valley coasted by a Norwich team which may have been the weakest entrant in the 2011 tournament field. St. John Fisher went on the road and took down previously unbeaten Johns Hopkins.
Fisher quarterback Ryan Kramer injured himself in the Hopkins game, with Ahmed Hassanien throwing a touchdown pass as a reliever in his first play from scrimmage.
The importance of the Kramer injury is huge. Even if Kramer goes, one has to expect he will be hampered to run the option as well as he has all season. That takes away a huge dimension from Fisher's offense.
Meanwhile Delaware Valley is steam rolling the opposition, scoring 50 or more points in 5 of its games this season.
I liked Fisher's chances last week, but I think Delaware Valley is too talented to overcome with an injured option quarterback leading your offense.
Kean at Salisbury
Kean is the Rodney Dangerfield of Division 3 football. No respect, I tell ya! (fixes tie)
All they do is win, and it seems all everyone else does is say Kean shouldn't have won. Quite a few pundits scratched their heads wondering how Kean slipped past Wesley and Cortland in back-to-back weeks despite being out gained each time.
Many felt they would fold at Rowan late in the season, and again at Montclair. But they just keep winning, and it looks like Kean is gaining confidence as they prove their doubters wrong. Last week Kean crushed Christopher Newport 34-10 in a game most (this idiot included) figured would go down to the wire.
Guess what? Nobody thinks Kean can beat Salisbury tomorrow.
Salisbury is outscoring opponents 47-13 this season. The option heavy run game averages 6.7 yards per carry, and Kean is hardly dominant against the run (3.6 yards per carry). The Salisbury defense has caused 32 turnovers.
But something tells me this game is going to be a good one tomorrow. I like the Kean defense. I don't think it can shut down the Salisbury run game, but it might be able to limit the big plays and force Salisbury to settle for a few field goals instead of touchdowns. Red zone efficiency for Salisbury will likely win or lose this game.
I like Tom D'Ambrisi a lot at quarterback for Kean. He had a tough game against Montclair, but bounced back against Christopher Newport. If you need to win a big game on the road, you want a talented senior at quarterback.
I'm going with Salisbury because of the home field advantage, and that's the only reason. This is going to be a close call.
Who are your picks to win Saturday?
But instead, all four east survivors will be playing against each other tomorrow. The positive side is two teams will advance, guaranteed. The negative side is, two teams will be gone.
St. John Fisher (9-2) at Delaware Valley (11-0)
Both teams come from solid conferences. Last week Delaware Valley coasted by a Norwich team which may have been the weakest entrant in the 2011 tournament field. St. John Fisher went on the road and took down previously unbeaten Johns Hopkins.
Fisher quarterback Ryan Kramer injured himself in the Hopkins game, with Ahmed Hassanien throwing a touchdown pass as a reliever in his first play from scrimmage.
The importance of the Kramer injury is huge. Even if Kramer goes, one has to expect he will be hampered to run the option as well as he has all season. That takes away a huge dimension from Fisher's offense.
Meanwhile Delaware Valley is steam rolling the opposition, scoring 50 or more points in 5 of its games this season.
I liked Fisher's chances last week, but I think Delaware Valley is too talented to overcome with an injured option quarterback leading your offense.
Kean at Salisbury
Kean is the Rodney Dangerfield of Division 3 football. No respect, I tell ya! (fixes tie)
All they do is win, and it seems all everyone else does is say Kean shouldn't have won. Quite a few pundits scratched their heads wondering how Kean slipped past Wesley and Cortland in back-to-back weeks despite being out gained each time.
Many felt they would fold at Rowan late in the season, and again at Montclair. But they just keep winning, and it looks like Kean is gaining confidence as they prove their doubters wrong. Last week Kean crushed Christopher Newport 34-10 in a game most (this idiot included) figured would go down to the wire.
Guess what? Nobody thinks Kean can beat Salisbury tomorrow.
Salisbury is outscoring opponents 47-13 this season. The option heavy run game averages 6.7 yards per carry, and Kean is hardly dominant against the run (3.6 yards per carry). The Salisbury defense has caused 32 turnovers.
But something tells me this game is going to be a good one tomorrow. I like the Kean defense. I don't think it can shut down the Salisbury run game, but it might be able to limit the big plays and force Salisbury to settle for a few field goals instead of touchdowns. Red zone efficiency for Salisbury will likely win or lose this game.
I like Tom D'Ambrisi a lot at quarterback for Kean. He had a tough game against Montclair, but bounced back against Christopher Newport. If you need to win a big game on the road, you want a talented senior at quarterback.
I'm going with Salisbury because of the home field advantage, and that's the only reason. This is going to be a close call.
Who are your picks to win Saturday?
D3East Football Rankings - November 24
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Part of Thanksgiving tradition for us is watching football, eating plenty of turkey and stuffing, and of course sampling numerous pies. Before the NFL games kick off, let's break down our latest D3 Eastern Football Rankings. There has been a minor shakeup since the results of the first round of the NCAA playoffs, and the ECAC bowl games:
Delaware Valley and Salisbury State both held serve against weak first round playoff tests. Kean was the most impressive first round performer, beating up on Christopher Newport 34-10. We considered moving Kean up to #2, but decided to stick with Salisbury for now.
St. John Fisher made a big statement by shutting down previously unbeaten Johns Hopkins on the road. Widener and Cortland won comfortably in ECAC bowl games. Hobart moves up a spot by very nearly upsetting Wesley on the road. And Lebanon Valley rounds out the top 10 after a bowl win over St. Vincent.
The top four east teams battle it out this week in the second round of the playoffs. #4 St. John Fisher travels to #1 Delaware Valley, while #3 Kean visits #2 Salisbury. These are great match ups between the top teams from the Empire 8, MAC, and NJAC.
#cantwait
Join us tomorrow for our playoff preview. In the meantime, eat some turkey and enjoy good times with your family. Try to find the time to mix in a little football too.
Part of Thanksgiving tradition for us is watching football, eating plenty of turkey and stuffing, and of course sampling numerous pies. Before the NFL games kick off, let's break down our latest D3 Eastern Football Rankings. There has been a minor shakeup since the results of the first round of the NCAA playoffs, and the ECAC bowl games:
- Delaware Valley 11-0
- Salisbury State 10-1
- Kean 10-1
- St. John Fisher 9-2
- Widener 9-2
- Lycoming 8-2
- Cortland 9-2
- Hobart 7-2
- Montclair 8-2
- Lebanon Valley 8-3
Delaware Valley and Salisbury State both held serve against weak first round playoff tests. Kean was the most impressive first round performer, beating up on Christopher Newport 34-10. We considered moving Kean up to #2, but decided to stick with Salisbury for now.
St. John Fisher made a big statement by shutting down previously unbeaten Johns Hopkins on the road. Widener and Cortland won comfortably in ECAC bowl games. Hobart moves up a spot by very nearly upsetting Wesley on the road. And Lebanon Valley rounds out the top 10 after a bowl win over St. Vincent.
The top four east teams battle it out this week in the second round of the playoffs. #4 St. John Fisher travels to #1 Delaware Valley, while #3 Kean visits #2 Salisbury. These are great match ups between the top teams from the Empire 8, MAC, and NJAC.
#cantwait
Join us tomorrow for our playoff preview. In the meantime, eat some turkey and enjoy good times with your family. Try to find the time to mix in a little football too.
Thoughts on Playoff and ECAC Results
We've had a few days to digest the results from Saturday's playoff and ECAC results.
The biggest thing that comes to mind is the great job the NCAA committee did in 2011 by choosing a two-loss east region team (St. John Fisher) from a strong conference, over a one-loss team from a weaker conference. If you follow the D3Football boards as we do, you may have noticed some vocal disapproval of the committee's perceived snub of 9-1 Endicott from the NEFC.
We have been consistent in our belief that Endicott was not deserving of an at-large playoff selection. Endicott is a fine football program, and it had a great year. But Endicott racked up nine wins against NEFC competition which does not rank with that of the NJAC, Empire 8, and MAC.
Last Saturday's results proved we knew what we were talking about. NEFC champion Western New England (which defeated Endicott) was destroyed 62-24 by Empire 8 champion Salisbury. Empire 8 runner up St. John Fisher went on the road and beat previously undefeated Johns Hopkins. And the NJAC champion Kean, and MAC champion Delaware Valley, each won handily to advance in the playoffs.
One prediction from the Endicott faithful was that they would prove the NCAA made a mistake in passing them over, by winning their ECAC bowl by a large margin. But Endicott trailed a weak Mount Ida team for much of the game before rallying to win. Not much of a "statement" victory to beat the third place team from arguably the weakest football conference in Division 3, Mount Ida from the ECFC.
The NEFC also took it on the chin in the ECAC bowls when Alfred destroyed Bridgewater State 41-10. It is clear the NEFC did not deserve a second playoff bid. And it is arguable that their automatic bid, Western New England, was not ready for prime time either.
The solution for the NEFC is simple. It needs to start scheduling games against stronger competition during the season if it wants to gain the respect of pundits, and the NCAA committee. It would also behoove them to get their champion "playoff ready." The difference between the competition level of the average NEFC game and the NCAA playoffs is striking.
It is hard to believe Western New England adequately prepared its players for the size and speed of Salisbury by playing out of conference games against Massachusetts Maritime and Norwich. They should be following the lead of conference foe Salve Regina, which scheduled Montclair State and Union as their out of conference tests. Salve Regina blew out Worcester State 26-6 in their ECAC bowl. I would not be surprised if those out of conference tests had better prepared them for post season play.
Endicott simply did not deserve the at-large bid. There is no reason to believe the team which lost to Western New England would have fared better against Salisbury. For the growth of its own program, it needs to challenge itself on the field during the regular season. Until it does, there is no reason for the NCAA committee to give them the benefit of the doubt when their conference is 2-15 all time in the NCAA playoffs.
In other ECAC bowl competition, Cortland State shut out Albright 14-0, Lebanon Valley slipped by St. Vincent 23-15, Bethany beat up Kings 48-0, and Widener handled Waynesburg 48-27. Congratulations to the ECAC bowl winners, and to the seniors getting ready to graduate!
The second round of the NCAA playoffs kicks off this Saturday. Stay with us this week as we preview two huge games between east region teams.
The biggest thing that comes to mind is the great job the NCAA committee did in 2011 by choosing a two-loss east region team (St. John Fisher) from a strong conference, over a one-loss team from a weaker conference. If you follow the D3Football boards as we do, you may have noticed some vocal disapproval of the committee's perceived snub of 9-1 Endicott from the NEFC.
We have been consistent in our belief that Endicott was not deserving of an at-large playoff selection. Endicott is a fine football program, and it had a great year. But Endicott racked up nine wins against NEFC competition which does not rank with that of the NJAC, Empire 8, and MAC.
Last Saturday's results proved we knew what we were talking about. NEFC champion Western New England (which defeated Endicott) was destroyed 62-24 by Empire 8 champion Salisbury. Empire 8 runner up St. John Fisher went on the road and beat previously undefeated Johns Hopkins. And the NJAC champion Kean, and MAC champion Delaware Valley, each won handily to advance in the playoffs.
One prediction from the Endicott faithful was that they would prove the NCAA made a mistake in passing them over, by winning their ECAC bowl by a large margin. But Endicott trailed a weak Mount Ida team for much of the game before rallying to win. Not much of a "statement" victory to beat the third place team from arguably the weakest football conference in Division 3, Mount Ida from the ECFC.
The NEFC also took it on the chin in the ECAC bowls when Alfred destroyed Bridgewater State 41-10. It is clear the NEFC did not deserve a second playoff bid. And it is arguable that their automatic bid, Western New England, was not ready for prime time either.
The solution for the NEFC is simple. It needs to start scheduling games against stronger competition during the season if it wants to gain the respect of pundits, and the NCAA committee. It would also behoove them to get their champion "playoff ready." The difference between the competition level of the average NEFC game and the NCAA playoffs is striking.
It is hard to believe Western New England adequately prepared its players for the size and speed of Salisbury by playing out of conference games against Massachusetts Maritime and Norwich. They should be following the lead of conference foe Salve Regina, which scheduled Montclair State and Union as their out of conference tests. Salve Regina blew out Worcester State 26-6 in their ECAC bowl. I would not be surprised if those out of conference tests had better prepared them for post season play.
Endicott simply did not deserve the at-large bid. There is no reason to believe the team which lost to Western New England would have fared better against Salisbury. For the growth of its own program, it needs to challenge itself on the field during the regular season. Until it does, there is no reason for the NCAA committee to give them the benefit of the doubt when their conference is 2-15 all time in the NCAA playoffs.
In other ECAC bowl competition, Cortland State shut out Albright 14-0, Lebanon Valley slipped by St. Vincent 23-15, Bethany beat up Kings 48-0, and Widener handled Waynesburg 48-27. Congratulations to the ECAC bowl winners, and to the seniors getting ready to graduate!
The second round of the NCAA playoffs kicks off this Saturday. Stay with us this week as we preview two huge games between east region teams.
East Looking Strong in Playoffs
The playoff results from the first round of the NCAA Division 3 football tournament are in, and the scores look very good for east region.
I have long argued that east teams play in deeper, stronger conferences than do many other teams across the country. Evidence of this was provided today, as east teams won 2 out of 3 cross-regional games with only national power Wesley surviving.
For the first time in a long time, the NCAA committee looked past the highly flawed Strength of Schedule metric and evaluated at-large teams based on true merit. For that reason, St. John Fisher made the tournament as a two loss team while Endicott stayed home. The committee was clearly right. Western New England, the team which beat Endicott in the NEFC, gave up 62 points to Empire 8 Salisbury. The Empire 8 runner up, St. John Fisher, upset Johns Hopkins 23-12.
Was the Fisher win truly an upset? Hopkins ran through the weak Centennial Conference with an undefeated record, scoring 83 points against Gettysburg, and outscoring its opponents by better than 30 points per game. Meanwhile Fisher played in the rugged Empire 8, and scheduled Pool C bid Hobart out of conference. Fisher beat Johns Hopkins 23-12 in Baltimore on Saturday, providing more evidence for our argument that a one or two loss season in a tough conference should not disqualify you from the playoffs.
While Johns Hopkins was finding out about the quality of upper echelon east teams, southern power Wesley found themselves in a dog fight with Liberty League champion Hobart. Wesley's only loss on the season came to...you guessed it, an east region team...when Kean beat them in September. It nearly happened again. The Hobart Statesmen trailed Wesley 35-28 late in the fourth quarter today. Hobart drove to the Wesley 5-yard line, where Wesley finally stopped them to barely hold on to their victory.
A few hundred miles to the north, NJAC champion Kean was destroying south region Christopher Newport (CNU). Kean built a 34-7 half time lead, then coasted to a 34-10 victory. Kean picked off five passes and recovered a fumble in dominating CNU. Kean survived the rugged NJAC, and played Wesley to compile an impressive 9-1 record. CNU went undefeated in the USAC, but lost out of conference to Empire 8 champion Salisbury, and Stevenson which was 1-7 in the MAC.
The record speaks for itself. CNU went 8-0 against southern teams, and 0-3 against eastern teams. And one of those losses came to an east team which won only one game in their conference.
Meanwhile, Salisbury took care of business with a 62-24 whipping of Western New England. Delaware Valley remained undefeated, storming past ECFC champion Norwich 62-10.
The ECFC champion has been outscored the last two seasons in the NCAA playoffs 122-10, starting with Alfred's 60-0 destruction of SUNY Martitime in 2010. The ECFC champion gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, but it is clear they are not ready.
What was your biggest surprise from the first round of the NCAA tournament?
I have long argued that east teams play in deeper, stronger conferences than do many other teams across the country. Evidence of this was provided today, as east teams won 2 out of 3 cross-regional games with only national power Wesley surviving.
For the first time in a long time, the NCAA committee looked past the highly flawed Strength of Schedule metric and evaluated at-large teams based on true merit. For that reason, St. John Fisher made the tournament as a two loss team while Endicott stayed home. The committee was clearly right. Western New England, the team which beat Endicott in the NEFC, gave up 62 points to Empire 8 Salisbury. The Empire 8 runner up, St. John Fisher, upset Johns Hopkins 23-12.
Was the Fisher win truly an upset? Hopkins ran through the weak Centennial Conference with an undefeated record, scoring 83 points against Gettysburg, and outscoring its opponents by better than 30 points per game. Meanwhile Fisher played in the rugged Empire 8, and scheduled Pool C bid Hobart out of conference. Fisher beat Johns Hopkins 23-12 in Baltimore on Saturday, providing more evidence for our argument that a one or two loss season in a tough conference should not disqualify you from the playoffs.
While Johns Hopkins was finding out about the quality of upper echelon east teams, southern power Wesley found themselves in a dog fight with Liberty League champion Hobart. Wesley's only loss on the season came to...you guessed it, an east region team...when Kean beat them in September. It nearly happened again. The Hobart Statesmen trailed Wesley 35-28 late in the fourth quarter today. Hobart drove to the Wesley 5-yard line, where Wesley finally stopped them to barely hold on to their victory.
A few hundred miles to the north, NJAC champion Kean was destroying south region Christopher Newport (CNU). Kean built a 34-7 half time lead, then coasted to a 34-10 victory. Kean picked off five passes and recovered a fumble in dominating CNU. Kean survived the rugged NJAC, and played Wesley to compile an impressive 9-1 record. CNU went undefeated in the USAC, but lost out of conference to Empire 8 champion Salisbury, and Stevenson which was 1-7 in the MAC.
The record speaks for itself. CNU went 8-0 against southern teams, and 0-3 against eastern teams. And one of those losses came to an east team which won only one game in their conference.
Meanwhile, Salisbury took care of business with a 62-24 whipping of Western New England. Delaware Valley remained undefeated, storming past ECFC champion Norwich 62-10.
The ECFC champion has been outscored the last two seasons in the NCAA playoffs 122-10, starting with Alfred's 60-0 destruction of SUNY Martitime in 2010. The ECFC champion gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, but it is clear they are not ready.
What was your biggest surprise from the first round of the NCAA tournament?
ECAC Bowl Breakdown
The ECAC Bowls will be contested Saturday afternoon:
Southeast Bowl: Albright (Pa.) (6-4) at Cortland (N.Y.) (8-2), 12 p.m.
South Atlantic Bowl: Waynesburg (Pa.) (5-4) at Widener (Pa.) (8-2), 1 p.m.
Southwest Bowl: St. Vincent (Pa.) (6-4) at Lebanon Valley (Pa.) (7-3), 12 p.m.
Northeast Bowl: Alfred (N.Y.) (7-3) at Bridgewater St. (Mass.) (7-2), 12 p.m.
North Atlantic Bowl: Mount Ida (Mass.) (6-4) at Endicott (Mass.) (9-1), 1 p.m.
Northwest Bowl: Worcester St. (Mass.) (8-2) at Salve Regina (R.I.) (7-3), 12 p.m.
ECAC bowl games have always been difficult to predict. The discrepancy in team motivation is often a big factor. Some teams approach the bowls as a disappointment after missing out on the NCAA playoffs, and mail in their effort. Others, upset they missed the playoffs, play with a chip on their shoulder.
The strongest efforts tend to come from teams which are having their best season in recent years. These teams are often "just excited to be in the post season."
To a college senior, the ECAC bowls represent an opportunity to finish a career on a high note. It's one last time to put on pads and compete. One last game to play.
We wouldn't dream of trying to predict these football games. Instead we congratulate the seniors on their careers and wish them well as they graduate. Congratulations to all of the teams in the ECAC series. Being here is a testament to your work ethic.
Finish strong!
Southeast Bowl: Albright (Pa.) (6-4) at Cortland (N.Y.) (8-2), 12 p.m.
South Atlantic Bowl: Waynesburg (Pa.) (5-4) at Widener (Pa.) (8-2), 1 p.m.
Southwest Bowl: St. Vincent (Pa.) (6-4) at Lebanon Valley (Pa.) (7-3), 12 p.m.
Northeast Bowl: Alfred (N.Y.) (7-3) at Bridgewater St. (Mass.) (7-2), 12 p.m.
North Atlantic Bowl: Mount Ida (Mass.) (6-4) at Endicott (Mass.) (9-1), 1 p.m.
Northwest Bowl: Worcester St. (Mass.) (8-2) at Salve Regina (R.I.) (7-3), 12 p.m.
ECAC bowl games have always been difficult to predict. The discrepancy in team motivation is often a big factor. Some teams approach the bowls as a disappointment after missing out on the NCAA playoffs, and mail in their effort. Others, upset they missed the playoffs, play with a chip on their shoulder.
The strongest efforts tend to come from teams which are having their best season in recent years. These teams are often "just excited to be in the post season."
To a college senior, the ECAC bowls represent an opportunity to finish a career on a high note. It's one last time to put on pads and compete. One last game to play.
We wouldn't dream of trying to predict these football games. Instead we congratulate the seniors on their careers and wish them well as they graduate. Congratulations to all of the teams in the ECAC series. Being here is a testament to your work ethic.
Finish strong!
Playoff Previews
Three more playoff games involving east region teams kick off this Saturday afternoon. Two of the three are intriguing matchups, while we see one as being lopsided:
WNEC, like most of its NEFC conference foes, went out of its way to avoid strong competition out of conference. The one exception was Salve Regina, which challenged Montclair State and Union. WNEC opted to play two more NEFC teams, plus Norwich. Loading up on weak foes can win you a lot of games, but the downside is your players are totally unprepared for playoff competition.
Salisbury will run the option again and again until the WNEC defense breaks. And when it breaks, the game will get ugly. We like Salisbury to win going away.
Christopher Newport (CNU) at Kean is a much closer battle. It may be the best match up involving east teams of the first round. CNU is a south region team from the USAC. There aren't many ways to overlap the schedules of Kean (9-1) and CNU (8-2).
We know that CNU lost a close game to Salisbury, and that Salisbury lost a close game to Wesley, and Wesley lost a close game to Kean. Advantage Kean, right? Well yes, unless you consider the Kean win over Wesley to be one of the season's biggest upsets.
There may be more points scored than most people are expecting. CNU is averaging 9.0 yards per pass attempt behind quarterback Aaron Edwards. Edwards took over late in the season and has only three starts under his belt. But he has completed 72 percent of his pass attempts and thrown seven touchdowns to only one interception.
I expect Kean will give Edwards a lot of different looks, and force him into a few mistakes. QB Tom D'Ambrisi is coming off a poor performance for Kean against Montclair, and we expect the senior to rebound. We like Kean to win a close game at home against CNU.
Wesley (9-1) hosts the Hobart Statesmen (7-1) in our final opening round preview. Hobart played a short eight game schedule. Due to a down year in the Liberty League, the Statesmen did not benefit from playing a playoff caliber opponent in conference.
However Hobart put a 56-20 hurting on Pool C playoff bound St. John Fisher back in September. The final score looks fluky in retrospect. How do we come to terms with Hobart losing to a mediocre RPI squad, and destroying a strong Fisher team? We believe the true Statesmen are somewhere between those two very disparate outcomes.
Wesley is beating its opponents by an average of 31 points per game. If not for the early season Kean loss, Wesley would be considered a number one seed and a serious threat to Mount Union and Wisconsin Whitewater. Askia Jahad averages 6.8 yards per rushing attempt, and quarterback Shane McSweeny completes 64% of his pass attempts.
The Wesley defense is big and fast, compiling 36 sacks and 93 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. DL Devin Hardy has 7.5 sacks, while Chris Mayes leads the team in tackles for losses with 17.5.
I would give Hobart more of a fighting chance if they had filled out their schedule with a playoff caliber team in the second half of their season. I don't think the Statesmen have seen anything remotely like Wesley in years, and they haven't seen a playoff quality opponent since September. We like Wesley to win convincingly.
- Hobart at Wesley
- Christopher Newport and Kean
- Western New England at Salisbury
WNEC, like most of its NEFC conference foes, went out of its way to avoid strong competition out of conference. The one exception was Salve Regina, which challenged Montclair State and Union. WNEC opted to play two more NEFC teams, plus Norwich. Loading up on weak foes can win you a lot of games, but the downside is your players are totally unprepared for playoff competition.
Salisbury will run the option again and again until the WNEC defense breaks. And when it breaks, the game will get ugly. We like Salisbury to win going away.
Christopher Newport (CNU) at Kean is a much closer battle. It may be the best match up involving east teams of the first round. CNU is a south region team from the USAC. There aren't many ways to overlap the schedules of Kean (9-1) and CNU (8-2).
We know that CNU lost a close game to Salisbury, and that Salisbury lost a close game to Wesley, and Wesley lost a close game to Kean. Advantage Kean, right? Well yes, unless you consider the Kean win over Wesley to be one of the season's biggest upsets.
There may be more points scored than most people are expecting. CNU is averaging 9.0 yards per pass attempt behind quarterback Aaron Edwards. Edwards took over late in the season and has only three starts under his belt. But he has completed 72 percent of his pass attempts and thrown seven touchdowns to only one interception.
I expect Kean will give Edwards a lot of different looks, and force him into a few mistakes. QB Tom D'Ambrisi is coming off a poor performance for Kean against Montclair, and we expect the senior to rebound. We like Kean to win a close game at home against CNU.
Wesley (9-1) hosts the Hobart Statesmen (7-1) in our final opening round preview. Hobart played a short eight game schedule. Due to a down year in the Liberty League, the Statesmen did not benefit from playing a playoff caliber opponent in conference.
However Hobart put a 56-20 hurting on Pool C playoff bound St. John Fisher back in September. The final score looks fluky in retrospect. How do we come to terms with Hobart losing to a mediocre RPI squad, and destroying a strong Fisher team? We believe the true Statesmen are somewhere between those two very disparate outcomes.
Wesley is beating its opponents by an average of 31 points per game. If not for the early season Kean loss, Wesley would be considered a number one seed and a serious threat to Mount Union and Wisconsin Whitewater. Askia Jahad averages 6.8 yards per rushing attempt, and quarterback Shane McSweeny completes 64% of his pass attempts.
The Wesley defense is big and fast, compiling 36 sacks and 93 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. DL Devin Hardy has 7.5 sacks, while Chris Mayes leads the team in tackles for losses with 17.5.
I would give Hobart more of a fighting chance if they had filled out their schedule with a playoff caliber team in the second half of their season. I don't think the Statesmen have seen anything remotely like Wesley in years, and they haven't seen a playoff quality opponent since September. We like Wesley to win convincingly.
D3East Football Rankings - November 16
Here are my Division 3 Eastern Football Rankings for 11/16/2011:
The regular season ended with a heck of a statement from Delaware Valley, which ripped Widener 56-28. Salisbury continued to roll, Kean defeated Montclair to capture the NJAC championship, and Cortland defeated Ithaca 27-3 to keep the Cortaca Jug for 2011.
Montclair may have been better off with Drew Cathey starting at home against Kean, than inserting Tom Fischer. Fischer was the starter prior to an injury at mid season, but it is hard to believe he had enough practice time to get ready for the Cougars. Montclair fell the furthest in our rankings, as we put a lot of stock in quality of quarterback when sorting closely bunched teams.
St. John Fisher shot up the rankings after an easy win, and a surprise invitation to the NCAA tournament. What they do with it is anyone's guess. The Cardinals travel to Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins (10-0), which is destroying its competition and averaging 500 yards of offense per game. However most people believe St. John Fisher plays a more demanding schedule in the Empire 8.
- Delaware Valley 10-0
- Salisbury State 9-1
- Kean 9-1
- St. John Fisher 8-2
- Widener 8-2
- Lycoming 8-2
- Cortland 8-2
- Montclair 8-2
- Hobart 7-1
- Western New England 10-1
The regular season ended with a heck of a statement from Delaware Valley, which ripped Widener 56-28. Salisbury continued to roll, Kean defeated Montclair to capture the NJAC championship, and Cortland defeated Ithaca 27-3 to keep the Cortaca Jug for 2011.
Montclair may have been better off with Drew Cathey starting at home against Kean, than inserting Tom Fischer. Fischer was the starter prior to an injury at mid season, but it is hard to believe he had enough practice time to get ready for the Cougars. Montclair fell the furthest in our rankings, as we put a lot of stock in quality of quarterback when sorting closely bunched teams.
St. John Fisher shot up the rankings after an easy win, and a surprise invitation to the NCAA tournament. What they do with it is anyone's guess. The Cardinals travel to Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins (10-0), which is destroying its competition and averaging 500 yards of offense per game. However most people believe St. John Fisher plays a more demanding schedule in the Empire 8.
Can Fisher upset Hopkins?
St. John Fisher looks to make good on their Pool C bid to the NCAA tournament when they travel to Johns Hopkins for Saturday's first round match up. The Pool C bid to Fisher was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament bracket announcement last Sunday.
The St. John Fisher Cardinals (8-2) will be representing themselves, and all eastern teams, when they take on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (10-0). They can only prove they belong in this game if they win.
Learning from Past Mistakes
Johns Hopkins is outscoring its opponents 43 to 12 on average, and generating a mind blowing 500 yards of offense per game.
The set up to this game feels similar to the long trip to Maryland to play Salisbury two weeks ago. Salisbury was destroying league competition with gaudy numbers of its own. In the end, St. John Fisher fell to Salisbury 41-21. But a closer look at the numbers suggests the game was tighter than the final score indicated.
The Cardinals were nearly even in total yardage with Salisbury, but committed two turnovers while not causing one. They also missed a short field goal. But the biggest failing for the Cardinals was scoring just once on five trips inside the Salisbury red zone, while giving up four touchdowns to Salisbury on trips inside the Cardinals red zone.
For St. John Fisher to have a shot at victory, they must take advantage of their scoring opportunities with touchdowns, instead of field goal attempts. Further, they will need to bend but not break against the high powered Hopkins offense.
A Different Challenge
Whereas Salisbury is an option run attack, Johns Hopkins' offense revolves around the passing game. Quarterback Hewett Tomlin has passed for 2459 yards and completed 69% of his passes. The Blue Jays have yielded only 11 sacks in 2011.
One way we see Fisher pulling the upset is if they can get pressure on Tomlin, and force him to make some bad throws. However, the Cardinals sacked the quarterback only 15 times in 2011. They may need to gamble with some blitz packages if they hope to pressure Tomlin. But that may mean getting burned down the field.
It looks like the best chance for Fisher is simply to keep the ball away from Johns Hopkins. Quarterback Ryan Kramer will need to post a big game rushing the ball, and keep the Blue Jays honest with some accurate play action passing. Further, it is important that Fisher wins the red zone battle. That means converting on their offensive red zone opportunities with a higher percentage of touchdowns than Johns Hopkins. If the defense can force Hopkins to settle for field goal attempts, this game will get very interesting.
Our pick to win is Hopkins. We believe Fisher belongs in this tournament, but they will need to play a much more efficient game than they did against Salisbury if they hope to pull off the upset.
The St. John Fisher Cardinals (8-2) will be representing themselves, and all eastern teams, when they take on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (10-0). They can only prove they belong in this game if they win.
Learning from Past Mistakes
Johns Hopkins is outscoring its opponents 43 to 12 on average, and generating a mind blowing 500 yards of offense per game.
The set up to this game feels similar to the long trip to Maryland to play Salisbury two weeks ago. Salisbury was destroying league competition with gaudy numbers of its own. In the end, St. John Fisher fell to Salisbury 41-21. But a closer look at the numbers suggests the game was tighter than the final score indicated.
The Cardinals were nearly even in total yardage with Salisbury, but committed two turnovers while not causing one. They also missed a short field goal. But the biggest failing for the Cardinals was scoring just once on five trips inside the Salisbury red zone, while giving up four touchdowns to Salisbury on trips inside the Cardinals red zone.
For St. John Fisher to have a shot at victory, they must take advantage of their scoring opportunities with touchdowns, instead of field goal attempts. Further, they will need to bend but not break against the high powered Hopkins offense.
A Different Challenge
Whereas Salisbury is an option run attack, Johns Hopkins' offense revolves around the passing game. Quarterback Hewett Tomlin has passed for 2459 yards and completed 69% of his passes. The Blue Jays have yielded only 11 sacks in 2011.
One way we see Fisher pulling the upset is if they can get pressure on Tomlin, and force him to make some bad throws. However, the Cardinals sacked the quarterback only 15 times in 2011. They may need to gamble with some blitz packages if they hope to pressure Tomlin. But that may mean getting burned down the field.
It looks like the best chance for Fisher is simply to keep the ball away from Johns Hopkins. Quarterback Ryan Kramer will need to post a big game rushing the ball, and keep the Blue Jays honest with some accurate play action passing. Further, it is important that Fisher wins the red zone battle. That means converting on their offensive red zone opportunities with a higher percentage of touchdowns than Johns Hopkins. If the defense can force Hopkins to settle for field goal attempts, this game will get very interesting.
Our pick to win is Hopkins. We believe Fisher belongs in this tournament, but they will need to play a much more efficient game than they did against Salisbury if they hope to pull off the upset.
Delaware Valley vs Norwich Preview
The NCAA Division 3 Football tournament gets underway this Saturday when the Norwich Cadets (7-3) visit the Delaware Valley Aggies (10-0).
This is the most lopsided match up of the first round involving east teams. The Aggies are probably one of the ten best teams in all of Division 3 football, and undefeated champions of the rugged MAC. The Cadets are champions of the recently formed ECFC, whose previous champion SUNY Maritime fell behind Alfred by 50 points before half time in last season's first round of the tournament.
If you are hoping the ECFC has raised its level heading into the 2011 tournament, think again. Norwich was undefeated (7-0) in the ECFC, but 0-3 outside of the conference. The Cadets were soundly beaten by St Lawrence (3-6) and Hartwick (2-8). While we respect Norwich's run to its conference championship, it is safe to say Norwich would not have won more than two or three games in any other east region conference.
We aren't predicting any miracles here.
The Delaware Valley Aggies are on a mission in 2011. The Aggies have outscored its opponents by an average margin of 21 points per game, and average an amazing 8.6 yards per pass attempt. Opponents average only 4.7 yards per pass attempt.
Quarterback Aaron Wilmer has 21 touchdowns to only six interceptions, good for a 156 efficiency rating. Running back Kyle Schuberth averages nearly 100 yards per game on the ground. Defensive back Terrance Osborne has 5 interceptions and 18 pass deflections.
Norwich's best chance is to keep the ball on the ground, and control the clock. If they can keep the Aggies off the field, they might keep the game close. The Cadets run an option style attack led by quarterback Kris Sabourin, and running back Andrew Fulford. Sabourin and Fulford combined for over 2000 yards rushing in 2011.
Our prediction? The Aggies will eventually shut down the one dimensional option, and at that point the game will get ugly. Sabourin is completing only 47% of his passes, with 9 interceptions against only 4 touchdowns. And that is against competition much weaker than the MAC. I can't see Norwich playing catchup with the Aggies. Delaware Valley in a rout.
This is the most lopsided match up of the first round involving east teams. The Aggies are probably one of the ten best teams in all of Division 3 football, and undefeated champions of the rugged MAC. The Cadets are champions of the recently formed ECFC, whose previous champion SUNY Maritime fell behind Alfred by 50 points before half time in last season's first round of the tournament.
If you are hoping the ECFC has raised its level heading into the 2011 tournament, think again. Norwich was undefeated (7-0) in the ECFC, but 0-3 outside of the conference. The Cadets were soundly beaten by St Lawrence (3-6) and Hartwick (2-8). While we respect Norwich's run to its conference championship, it is safe to say Norwich would not have won more than two or three games in any other east region conference.
We aren't predicting any miracles here.
The Delaware Valley Aggies are on a mission in 2011. The Aggies have outscored its opponents by an average margin of 21 points per game, and average an amazing 8.6 yards per pass attempt. Opponents average only 4.7 yards per pass attempt.
Quarterback Aaron Wilmer has 21 touchdowns to only six interceptions, good for a 156 efficiency rating. Running back Kyle Schuberth averages nearly 100 yards per game on the ground. Defensive back Terrance Osborne has 5 interceptions and 18 pass deflections.
Norwich's best chance is to keep the ball on the ground, and control the clock. If they can keep the Aggies off the field, they might keep the game close. The Cadets run an option style attack led by quarterback Kris Sabourin, and running back Andrew Fulford. Sabourin and Fulford combined for over 2000 yards rushing in 2011.
Our prediction? The Aggies will eventually shut down the one dimensional option, and at that point the game will get ugly. Sabourin is completing only 47% of his passes, with 9 interceptions against only 4 touchdowns. And that is against competition much weaker than the MAC. I can't see Norwich playing catchup with the Aggies. Delaware Valley in a rout.
Division 3 Tournament Bracket Released
The NCAA Division 3 Football Tournament bracket has been released. You can see it in all its glory at D3Football.com. The released bracket is a shocker.
First, Mount Union is not coming East. Second, you can forget about the concept of "East" or any regional breakdowns in the 2011 tournament. Once you make it through the first or second round, the other side of your bracket could be a team from the other side of the country. Region only seemed to be adhered to in the opening round. Third, Endicott did not receive a Pool C bid. But St. John Fisher (8-2) did, showing the committee paid close attention to true strength of schedule, rather than formulaic SOS.
Here are the opening match-ups for eastern teams, all of which we will be analyzing throughout the week. Keep in mind that they are divided between 3 separate brackets.
Christopher Newport (8-2) at Kean (9-1)
Western New England (10-1) at Salisbury (9-1)
St. John Fisher (8-2) at Johns Hopkins (10-0)
Norwich (7-3) at Delaware Valley (10-0)
Hobart (7-1) at Wesley (9-1)
I have never been so surprised by a Division 3 football tournament bracket. It is very exciting to see St. John Fisher getting an opportunity to challenge southern region Johns Hopkins. Christopher Newport coming north to play Kean may be the best game involving eastern teams in the first round. There is a lot to get excited about if you are a Division 3 football fan.
Stay tuned this week as we break down the opening round games.
What was the biggest surprise of the bracket for you?
First, Mount Union is not coming East. Second, you can forget about the concept of "East" or any regional breakdowns in the 2011 tournament. Once you make it through the first or second round, the other side of your bracket could be a team from the other side of the country. Region only seemed to be adhered to in the opening round. Third, Endicott did not receive a Pool C bid. But St. John Fisher (8-2) did, showing the committee paid close attention to true strength of schedule, rather than formulaic SOS.
Here are the opening match-ups for eastern teams, all of which we will be analyzing throughout the week. Keep in mind that they are divided between 3 separate brackets.
Christopher Newport (8-2) at Kean (9-1)
Western New England (10-1) at Salisbury (9-1)
St. John Fisher (8-2) at Johns Hopkins (10-0)
Norwich (7-3) at Delaware Valley (10-0)
Hobart (7-1) at Wesley (9-1)
I have never been so surprised by a Division 3 football tournament bracket. It is very exciting to see St. John Fisher getting an opportunity to challenge southern region Johns Hopkins. Christopher Newport coming north to play Kean may be the best game involving eastern teams in the first round. There is a lot to get excited about if you are a Division 3 football fan.
Stay tuned this week as we break down the opening round games.
What was the biggest surprise of the bracket for you?
Projections for the NCAA Eastern Bracket
It's Sunday morning and still several hours until the NCAA announces its picks for the 2011 Division 3 Football tournament at 6 pm EST. We have been wrestling with the bracket and finally have our thoughts on who is in, and who is out in this year's tournament.
Pool A automatic bids
Hobart - Liberty League
Salisbury - Empire 8
Kean - New Jersey Athletic Conference
Delaware Valley - Middle Atlantic Conference
Norwich - East Coast Football Conference
Western New England - New England Football Conference
Pool C At Large Bids
Endicott - New England Football Conference
We do not believe a two-loss team from Eastern Region will be afforded a birth in the NCAA tournament. With the way Widener (8-2) and Monclair (8-2) lost on the final Saturday of the season, they likely made the decision easier for the committee.
We are projecting Endicott to get the only Pool C bid from the east. Our rationale is that the NCAA committee commonly quotes the highly flawed Strength of Schedule (SOS) metric, which Endicott happens to rank highly in. We won't go into the simple methodology used to create the SOS, nor compare it to the various computer functions which are available, and far more telling of a team's strength of schedule.
Suffice it so say, Endicott has a pretty record (9-1) and a high SOS. That will get them in over St John Fisher (8-2), who played much stronger competition, and who we believe would beat Endicott convincingly on a neutral field. Cortland (8-2) may be the best two loss team on the outside looking in. But we see no way they would get in before Montclair, since Montclair won head-to-head 34-33.
That is seven teams, which means we need one more team to fill the bracket. Unfortunately, we believe the East Region will once again be denied an opportunity to crown its own champion. Enter the North Region's Mount Union as the #1 seed...again.
Differences in Opinion
D3Football.com has released its projections. They are the same as ours in terms of who gets in from the east. However D3Football.com projects Salisbury to be placed in the south bracket, with Albion being imported from the north to the east.
This is a very realistic possibility, but we believe the east bracket will remain seven eastern regional teams, plus Mount Union.
Our Projected Seeding
Pool A automatic bids
Hobart - Liberty League
Salisbury - Empire 8
Kean - New Jersey Athletic Conference
Delaware Valley - Middle Atlantic Conference
Norwich - East Coast Football Conference
Western New England - New England Football Conference
Pool C At Large Bids
Endicott - New England Football Conference
We do not believe a two-loss team from Eastern Region will be afforded a birth in the NCAA tournament. With the way Widener (8-2) and Monclair (8-2) lost on the final Saturday of the season, they likely made the decision easier for the committee.
We are projecting Endicott to get the only Pool C bid from the east. Our rationale is that the NCAA committee commonly quotes the highly flawed Strength of Schedule (SOS) metric, which Endicott happens to rank highly in. We won't go into the simple methodology used to create the SOS, nor compare it to the various computer functions which are available, and far more telling of a team's strength of schedule.
Suffice it so say, Endicott has a pretty record (9-1) and a high SOS. That will get them in over St John Fisher (8-2), who played much stronger competition, and who we believe would beat Endicott convincingly on a neutral field. Cortland (8-2) may be the best two loss team on the outside looking in. But we see no way they would get in before Montclair, since Montclair won head-to-head 34-33.
That is seven teams, which means we need one more team to fill the bracket. Unfortunately, we believe the East Region will once again be denied an opportunity to crown its own champion. Enter the North Region's Mount Union as the #1 seed...again.
Differences in Opinion
D3Football.com has released its projections. They are the same as ours in terms of who gets in from the east. However D3Football.com projects Salisbury to be placed in the south bracket, with Albion being imported from the north to the east.
This is a very realistic possibility, but we believe the east bracket will remain seven eastern regional teams, plus Mount Union.
Our Projected Seeding
- Mount Union
- Delaware Valley
- Kean
- Salisbury
- Hobart
- Western New England
- Endicott
- Norwich
Kean Intercepts Montclair's NJAC Hopes
The Kean Cougars (9-1) defeated the Montclair State Red Hawks (8-2) 27-14 Saturday to clinch the NJAC Championship, and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
You can't continuously turn the football over and hope to win. And that is exactly what Montclair did on Saturday. The Kean Cougars forced seven Montclair turnovers, including five interceptions by Red Hawks quarterback Tom Fischer.
Freshman linebacker Matt Clerk intercepted two passes for Kean and added a sack. Jamahl Williams intercepted a pass for the Cougars in the third quarter, returning it 63 yards to the Montclair 1-yard line. The Williams interception set up Darius Kinney 2-yard touchdown run to put Kean ahead 24-7.
Chris DiMicco and Kinney combined for 166 yards rushing to pace the Kean offense. Tom D'Ambrisi threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Scott Davis, but was largely held in check by the Red Hawks.
The Kean victory sends the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under head coach Dan Garrett. Kean rolls into the playoffs with four consecutive victories, and has victories over national powerhouse Wesley, Rowan, Cortland, and Montclair on their 2011 resume. The quality of Kean's victories will make a strong argument for a top-3 seed in the eastern bracket of the NCAA Division 3 football playoffs.
Montclair held a clear statistical edge in total offense, 334 to 248. Chris D'Andrea rushed for 126 yards, and Gerald Silvera caught 10 passes for 146 yards. But in the end the Red Hawks could not overcome their turnovers.
You can't continuously turn the football over and hope to win. And that is exactly what Montclair did on Saturday. The Kean Cougars forced seven Montclair turnovers, including five interceptions by Red Hawks quarterback Tom Fischer.
Freshman linebacker Matt Clerk intercepted two passes for Kean and added a sack. Jamahl Williams intercepted a pass for the Cougars in the third quarter, returning it 63 yards to the Montclair 1-yard line. The Williams interception set up Darius Kinney 2-yard touchdown run to put Kean ahead 24-7.
Chris DiMicco and Kinney combined for 166 yards rushing to pace the Kean offense. Tom D'Ambrisi threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Scott Davis, but was largely held in check by the Red Hawks.
The Kean victory sends the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament for the first time under head coach Dan Garrett. Kean rolls into the playoffs with four consecutive victories, and has victories over national powerhouse Wesley, Rowan, Cortland, and Montclair on their 2011 resume. The quality of Kean's victories will make a strong argument for a top-3 seed in the eastern bracket of the NCAA Division 3 football playoffs.
Montclair held a clear statistical edge in total offense, 334 to 248. Chris D'Andrea rushed for 126 yards, and Gerald Silvera caught 10 passes for 146 yards. But in the end the Red Hawks could not overcome their turnovers.
Delaware Valley rips Widener 56-28
The Delaware Valley Aggies (10-0) scored 42 unanswered points to rip the Widener Pride (8-2) 56-28. In the most impressive performance of the week, on the biggest Saturday of the regular season, the Aggies clinched the MAC title and a birth in the NCAA tournament. By keeping a perfect record, and by winning in such resounding fashion, the Aggies made a strong statement for the #1 seed in the Eastern Region bracket of the NCAA Division 3 football tournament.
The turning point came midway through the third quarter. Widener held a 28-21 lead with the Aggies pinned at its own 6-yard line. Delaware Valley marched 94 yards on 10 plays to tie the game at 28-28. The Aggies scored on its next possession when quarterback Aaron Wilmer ran for an 18-yard touchdown to give Delaware Valley a 35-28 lead.
On their next offensive possession, Wilmer completed a 61-yard pass to Lewis Vincent to put the Aggies deep in Pride territory. Wilmer then hit Chris Ruiz for a 15-yard touchdown pass to put Delaware Valley ahead 42-28.
The flood gates opened when Wilmer completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hall for a 49-28 Aggies advantage.
Delaware Valley amassed a staggering 580 yards in total offense to win in convincing fashion. The Aggies look like the best team in Eastern Region since St John Fisher's 2006 run to the NCAA semifinals.
We at D3East-Football believe the Aggies are deserving of the top seed in the eastern bracket. Our Eastern bracket predictions will be online late tonight!
The turning point came midway through the third quarter. Widener held a 28-21 lead with the Aggies pinned at its own 6-yard line. Delaware Valley marched 94 yards on 10 plays to tie the game at 28-28. The Aggies scored on its next possession when quarterback Aaron Wilmer ran for an 18-yard touchdown to give Delaware Valley a 35-28 lead.
On their next offensive possession, Wilmer completed a 61-yard pass to Lewis Vincent to put the Aggies deep in Pride territory. Wilmer then hit Chris Ruiz for a 15-yard touchdown pass to put Delaware Valley ahead 42-28.
The flood gates opened when Wilmer completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hall for a 49-28 Aggies advantage.
Delaware Valley amassed a staggering 580 yards in total offense to win in convincing fashion. The Aggies look like the best team in Eastern Region since St John Fisher's 2006 run to the NCAA semifinals.
We at D3East-Football believe the Aggies are deserving of the top seed in the eastern bracket. Our Eastern bracket predictions will be online late tonight!
Cortland Rolls in Cortaca
The Cortland State Red Dragons (8-2) had little trouble defeating the Ithaca College Bombers (4-6) 27-3 on Saturday, to retain the Cortaca Jug. Senior quarterback Dan Pitcher had a masterful performance, completing 23-of-36 passes for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns. The senior rushed for an additional 94 yards, didn't throw an interception, and was never sacked.
Cortland rolled up 417 yards of offense to only 226 yards for Ithaca.
Cortland freshman Kordel McInnis caught seven passes for 73 yards, and John Babin grabbed five passes for a game-high 91 yards and a touchdown.
The Ithaca offensive line could not protect quarterback Jason Hendel. Hendel was sacked eight times, with eight different Red Dragons getting in on sacks.
The loss gave Ithaca its first losing season in 40 years. The Bombers have work to do to return to their proud tradition, as it was clear Dan Ruffrage (eight catches for 85 yards) was the only Ithaca player capable of stretching Cortland's defense. The Bombers typically have multiple players with big play ability.
Cortland rolled up 417 yards of offense to only 226 yards for Ithaca.
Cortland freshman Kordel McInnis caught seven passes for 73 yards, and John Babin grabbed five passes for a game-high 91 yards and a touchdown.
The Ithaca offensive line could not protect quarterback Jason Hendel. Hendel was sacked eight times, with eight different Red Dragons getting in on sacks.
The loss gave Ithaca its first losing season in 40 years. The Bombers have work to do to return to their proud tradition, as it was clear Dan Ruffrage (eight catches for 85 yards) was the only Ithaca player capable of stretching Cortland's defense. The Bombers typically have multiple players with big play ability.
Rivalry Saturday
Tomorrow is the biggest Saturday of the Division 3 Eastern Region football season. Conference championships will be on the line, and annual rivalries will be settled. By the time the dust clears tomorrow evening, we should have a good idea how the NCAA Division 3 Football tournament brackets will shape up. The actual selections will be made on Sunday.
Widener at Delaware Valley
A long standing rivalry gets renewed this Saturday when the Delaware Valley Aggies hosts the Widener Pride in the annual Keystone Cup game. This season there is the added factor of the MAC Championship and an automatic playoff bid being on the line.
If that were not enough already, we have revenge on the minds of Delaware Valley. Last season Widener upset Delaware Valley 28-27 and caused the Aggies to potentially lose the #1 seed in Eastern Region. Instead Mount Union was imported from the North to be the East's number one seed. The Aggies were forced to travel to Alliance, Ohio on November 27, 2010, where they lost 31-3 to end their season.
Up until last Saturday, say around 3 pm or so, I was picking red hot Widener to end Delaware Valley's undefeated streak in 2011. But after witnessing Delaware Valley drive 54 yards in less than a minute for the winning touchdown against Lycoming on the road, I became a believer that the Aggies can indeed see this thing through.
Our pick? Delaware Valley to barely win a fast paced game with a moderate amount of scoring. Will it be enough to win them the #1 ranking, or will Mount Union come East again? We'll find out Sunday.
Kean at Montclair State
While this one doesn't have the historical significance of the Keystone Cup or the Cortaca Jug, the Kean Cougars and Montclair State Red Hawks are fast developing a new, intense rivalry. No less than three former Montclair players now coach at Kean, including head coach Dan Garrett. The schools are less than 20 miles apart, so it is likely many players on each roster were actively recruited by their opponent.
Kean with Tom D'Ambrisi has the superior passing game. Montclair with Chris D'Andrea has a better ground attack. Both defenses are quick, hard hitting units which make few mistakes and keep the play in front of them.
The winner gets more than just bragging rights. They get the NJAC Championship trophy and a stamped ticket to the big dance. The loser is almost certainly out of the playoff hunt, and has the choice of playing an ECAC bowl next Saturday.
Our pick is Montclair in a tough, defensive struggle. Look for a late score or turnover to swing this one.
Cortland at Ithaca
They call it the Cortaca Jug. Sports Illustrated once called it the Biggest Little Game in the Nation. With the Cortland State Red Dragons seemingly out of the playoff hunt, and the Ithaca College Bombers having its first non-winning season in 40 years, this game will not carry the same regional implications in 2011.
However playing your biggest rival in front of 10,000 to 12,000 fans tends to motivate you.
Cortland has the offensive advantage on paper, though Ithaca may have as much talent on defense, and perhaps even more on special teams. Ithaca also has recent history on its side, having won three consecutive Cortaca Jugs through 2009, before Cortland took the Jug back last season.
It may be a cliche, but you truly never know what is going to happen between these two teams until they take the field. In 2003, Cortland was a 5-5 team. Ithaca came one game from winning the Eastern Region finals in the NCAA tournament. But Cortland stunned Ithaca 16-15 in the Cortaca Jug, likely costing the Bombers a shot at home field advantage in the playoffs.
In 2008, Cortland went undefeated in the NJAC and made it to the NCAA Eastern Region finals before falling to mighty Mount Union. Ithaca bombed Cortland 35-13 on the road to take away a chance at a #1 seed for Cortland and home field advantage in the playoffs. Ithaca lost to Curry in the first round of the playoffs, who then lost to Cortland 42-0, creating a bizarre triangle of results.
Our pick? This one will be closer than anyone seems to think it will be. Look for a turnover or big special teams play to be the difference. As much as I am tempted to pick Ithaca for the upset, I think Dan Pitcher and Cortland will find a way to pull it out.
Join Us Saturday
Remember to join us tomorrow evening as we analyze the day's results, and choose which eastern teams we think will be in the NCAA tournament.
Widener at Delaware Valley
A long standing rivalry gets renewed this Saturday when the Delaware Valley Aggies hosts the Widener Pride in the annual Keystone Cup game. This season there is the added factor of the MAC Championship and an automatic playoff bid being on the line.
If that were not enough already, we have revenge on the minds of Delaware Valley. Last season Widener upset Delaware Valley 28-27 and caused the Aggies to potentially lose the #1 seed in Eastern Region. Instead Mount Union was imported from the North to be the East's number one seed. The Aggies were forced to travel to Alliance, Ohio on November 27, 2010, where they lost 31-3 to end their season.
Up until last Saturday, say around 3 pm or so, I was picking red hot Widener to end Delaware Valley's undefeated streak in 2011. But after witnessing Delaware Valley drive 54 yards in less than a minute for the winning touchdown against Lycoming on the road, I became a believer that the Aggies can indeed see this thing through.
Our pick? Delaware Valley to barely win a fast paced game with a moderate amount of scoring. Will it be enough to win them the #1 ranking, or will Mount Union come East again? We'll find out Sunday.
Kean at Montclair State
While this one doesn't have the historical significance of the Keystone Cup or the Cortaca Jug, the Kean Cougars and Montclair State Red Hawks are fast developing a new, intense rivalry. No less than three former Montclair players now coach at Kean, including head coach Dan Garrett. The schools are less than 20 miles apart, so it is likely many players on each roster were actively recruited by their opponent.
Kean with Tom D'Ambrisi has the superior passing game. Montclair with Chris D'Andrea has a better ground attack. Both defenses are quick, hard hitting units which make few mistakes and keep the play in front of them.
The winner gets more than just bragging rights. They get the NJAC Championship trophy and a stamped ticket to the big dance. The loser is almost certainly out of the playoff hunt, and has the choice of playing an ECAC bowl next Saturday.
Our pick is Montclair in a tough, defensive struggle. Look for a late score or turnover to swing this one.
Cortland at Ithaca
They call it the Cortaca Jug. Sports Illustrated once called it the Biggest Little Game in the Nation. With the Cortland State Red Dragons seemingly out of the playoff hunt, and the Ithaca College Bombers having its first non-winning season in 40 years, this game will not carry the same regional implications in 2011.
However playing your biggest rival in front of 10,000 to 12,000 fans tends to motivate you.
Cortland has the offensive advantage on paper, though Ithaca may have as much talent on defense, and perhaps even more on special teams. Ithaca also has recent history on its side, having won three consecutive Cortaca Jugs through 2009, before Cortland took the Jug back last season.
It may be a cliche, but you truly never know what is going to happen between these two teams until they take the field. In 2003, Cortland was a 5-5 team. Ithaca came one game from winning the Eastern Region finals in the NCAA tournament. But Cortland stunned Ithaca 16-15 in the Cortaca Jug, likely costing the Bombers a shot at home field advantage in the playoffs.
In 2008, Cortland went undefeated in the NJAC and made it to the NCAA Eastern Region finals before falling to mighty Mount Union. Ithaca bombed Cortland 35-13 on the road to take away a chance at a #1 seed for Cortland and home field advantage in the playoffs. Ithaca lost to Curry in the first round of the playoffs, who then lost to Cortland 42-0, creating a bizarre triangle of results.
Our pick? This one will be closer than anyone seems to think it will be. Look for a turnover or big special teams play to be the difference. As much as I am tempted to pick Ithaca for the upset, I think Dan Pitcher and Cortland will find a way to pull it out.
Join Us Saturday
Remember to join us tomorrow evening as we analyze the day's results, and choose which eastern teams we think will be in the NCAA tournament.
Montclair vs Kean - The NJAC Championship
The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) will crown its champion this Saturday when the Montclair Red Hawks (8-1) host the Kean Cougars (8-1) at Sprague Field. The winner will get an automatic birth in the NCAA tournament which begins next Saturday.
Quarterbacks Drew Cathey of Montclair, and Tom D'Ambrisi of Kean, took very different roads before arriving at this destination.
D'Ambrisi is a four-year starter at Kean, where he has consistently been one the NJAC's best quarterbacks. A quarterback with outstanding elusiveness in the pocket and an ability to run for first downs, D'Ambrisi is also an excellent passer. The 2011 season has been typical D'Ambrisi. The quarterback has thrown for 1625 yards, and 15 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. D'Ambrisi is commonly mentioned alongside Cortland's Dan Pitcher when people discuss the premier quarterbacks in the NJAC.
Junior Drew Cathey started the season backing up Tom Fischer. All appeared well in Red Hawks Land. Montclair rattled off four consecutive victories to start the season with Fischer at the helm. In the fifth game of the season, Montclair built a 24-14 lead in a key game against Cortland State. But late in the first half, Fischer's season ended with an unfortunate injury, forcing Cathey into the game.
Cathey struggled to get up to speed. After a 60-yard touchdown run by Chris D'Andrea gave Montclair a 31-14 lead, Cortland roared back to take a 33-31 lead. But with 1:50 remaining to play, Cathey hit Gerald Silvera for a 41-yard completion deep into Cortland territory, setting up a game winning field goal for Montclair.
Cathey threw for only 83 yards the following week in a win over William Paterson. The following week, TCNJ upset Montclair 27-21. But Cathey was showing progress, throwing for 157 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. After an easy win over winless West Conn, Cathey and Montclair rallied from 21-0 down on the road at Rowan to win 37-31 in overtime. The quarterback overcame 3 interceptions to throw for a season-high 318 yards.
While Kean appears to have an edge with D'Ambrisi at quarterback, Montclair's tailback Chris D'Andrea is a great equalizer. Senior D'Andrea averages 6.3 yards per carry, and better than 160 yards per game.
Both Kean and Montclair bring nasty defenses to the table. Each yields less than 18 points per game, and less than 6 yards per pass play. Neither team compiles huge sack numbers, but both hurry the quarterback and rarely give up big plays.
While Montclair versus Kean will not be mistaken for an episode of All In The Family, it is notable that Kean rebuilt its once struggling program under Head Coach Dan Garrett, former all conference player and Defensive Coordinator at Montclair. Garrett took over in 2006 and has never had a losing season with the Cougars, who were perennially weak in the NJAC prior to his arrival.
Venerable Head Coach Rick Giancola of Montclair is in his 29th season with the Red Hawks. Giancola has compiled an amazing 129-41 record within the NJAC, one of the toughest conferences in Division 3.
Our pick to win? We're going with Montclair in a tight defensive thriller. The Red Hawks passing game is back, and you can't say enough about the importance of home field advantage in a November championship game. Whichever team loses will likely be one of the most talented teams not in the NCAA tournament.
Quarterbacks Drew Cathey of Montclair, and Tom D'Ambrisi of Kean, took very different roads before arriving at this destination.
D'Ambrisi is a four-year starter at Kean, where he has consistently been one the NJAC's best quarterbacks. A quarterback with outstanding elusiveness in the pocket and an ability to run for first downs, D'Ambrisi is also an excellent passer. The 2011 season has been typical D'Ambrisi. The quarterback has thrown for 1625 yards, and 15 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. D'Ambrisi is commonly mentioned alongside Cortland's Dan Pitcher when people discuss the premier quarterbacks in the NJAC.
Junior Drew Cathey started the season backing up Tom Fischer. All appeared well in Red Hawks Land. Montclair rattled off four consecutive victories to start the season with Fischer at the helm. In the fifth game of the season, Montclair built a 24-14 lead in a key game against Cortland State. But late in the first half, Fischer's season ended with an unfortunate injury, forcing Cathey into the game.
Cathey struggled to get up to speed. After a 60-yard touchdown run by Chris D'Andrea gave Montclair a 31-14 lead, Cortland roared back to take a 33-31 lead. But with 1:50 remaining to play, Cathey hit Gerald Silvera for a 41-yard completion deep into Cortland territory, setting up a game winning field goal for Montclair.
Cathey threw for only 83 yards the following week in a win over William Paterson. The following week, TCNJ upset Montclair 27-21. But Cathey was showing progress, throwing for 157 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. After an easy win over winless West Conn, Cathey and Montclair rallied from 21-0 down on the road at Rowan to win 37-31 in overtime. The quarterback overcame 3 interceptions to throw for a season-high 318 yards.
While Kean appears to have an edge with D'Ambrisi at quarterback, Montclair's tailback Chris D'Andrea is a great equalizer. Senior D'Andrea averages 6.3 yards per carry, and better than 160 yards per game.
Both Kean and Montclair bring nasty defenses to the table. Each yields less than 18 points per game, and less than 6 yards per pass play. Neither team compiles huge sack numbers, but both hurry the quarterback and rarely give up big plays.
While Montclair versus Kean will not be mistaken for an episode of All In The Family, it is notable that Kean rebuilt its once struggling program under Head Coach Dan Garrett, former all conference player and Defensive Coordinator at Montclair. Garrett took over in 2006 and has never had a losing season with the Cougars, who were perennially weak in the NJAC prior to his arrival.
Venerable Head Coach Rick Giancola of Montclair is in his 29th season with the Red Hawks. Giancola has compiled an amazing 129-41 record within the NJAC, one of the toughest conferences in Division 3.
Our pick to win? We're going with Montclair in a tight defensive thriller. The Red Hawks passing game is back, and you can't say enough about the importance of home field advantage in a November championship game. Whichever team loses will likely be one of the most talented teams not in the NCAA tournament.
Cortaca Jug - History on the Line
Pride and history will be on the line this Saturday when the Cortland State Red Dragons (7-2) visit Butterfield Stadium to face the Ithaca College Bombers (4-5) in the annual Cortaca Jug.
The game garnered the nickname "Biggest Little Game in the Nation" from Sports Illustrated, and typically attracts more than 10,000 fans. The Cortaca Jug could easily attract 12,000 to 15,000 fans, but the schools cap the amount of tickets available for safety concerns inside their on campus stadiums.
Ithaca leads the series 34-18, but Cortland has a slim 8-7 lead in the last 15 years.
Much has changed since the 1970s and 1980s, when Ithaca College was a national powerhouse and Cortland was a program struggling to survive. Between 1969 and 1991, Ithaca dominated the series 19-4, and captured three national championships.
But the tide began to turn in 1988. Under head coach Dennis Kayser, Cortland won its first eight games of the season prior to Cortaca. Ithaca was also undefeated in its first eight games, setting the stage for one of the biggest Division 3 football games played that season. On the old Davis Field in Cortland, the Red Dragons stunned Ithaca College 21-20 behind the running of Garreth Grayson and throwing of quarterback Rich Keefer.
Ithaca avenged the Cortaca loss, defeating Cortland 24-17 in the national quarterfinals just three weeks later. The Bombers went on to destroy Ferrum 62-28 in the semifinals, and Central 39-24 in the championship game behind the spectacular running of Mike Scott. The way Ithaca dominated the semifinal and championship games led many polls to rank Cortland #2 in the nation at the end of the 1988. So it could be argued that the 1988 Cortaca Jug game was played between the two best teams in the nation.
While Cortland has become a consistent force in upstate New York football since opening its on campus stadium in 2002, the once dominant Ithaca program has struggled to live up to its own lofty expectations. This seasons marks the first time in 40 years that Ithaca will not finish with a winning record. The Bombers will be playing for pride and history this Saturday, as it begins the road back to upstate New York dominance.
Cortland appears to have the edge on paper. Senior quarterback Dan Pitcher has thrown for over 2100 yards with a fantastic 168.1 Passing Efficiency Rating. John Babin has emerged as one of Eastern Region's top wide receivers, catching 63 passes in 9 games for 1019 yards and a school record 14 touchdowns. The Red Dragons lost star running back Justin Autera to injury in the second game of the season. But senior Dorian Myles and freshman Bronson Green have combined for over 1200 yards rushing, with Myles averaging 5.3 yards per carry behind a big, veteran offensive line.
The Ithaca offense has struggled to score points throughout 2011. The Bombers average only 20 points per game, well below their normal output. Normally a team which prides itself on its running game, the Bombers average only 3.0 yards per carry as a team. The passing game has been mistake prone, with 15 interceptions to only nine touchdowns thrown. Quarterback Phil Neumann is coming off a disappointing game against Alfred, where he completed only 10-of-31 passes.
But this is Cortaca. Anyone who follows Cortaca knows anything can happen once the game starts. In fact, nine of the last 12 Cortaca Jug games have been decided by seven points or less, with two games decided in overtime.
There are kinks in the Red Dragons' armor, and reason to believe Ithaca has a good chance to win. Cortland is coming off a confusing defensive effort against Brockport, where it yielded 549 yards of offense and 42 points to a 2-7 football team. Brockport scored 24 points and had over 370 yards of offense prior to half-time.
Cortland kicker Marc Corrado has attempted only 8 field goals this season, with a long of 31 yards. He is just 1-of-3 from beyond 30. The Red Dragons return game of Kadeem Miller (21.2 yards per return) and John Babin (22.6 yards per return) has been average, and nowhere near the explosiveness it had with Autera returning kicks. In games which are historically close, special teams can play a huge factor. Ithaca may have the special teams edge.
The Bombers also have recent history on its side. Ithaca has won three of the last four Cortaca Jugs, and Cortland as a team has struggled against Empire-8 foes such as Alfred University and St. John Fisher.
Like most Cortaca Jug games, I expect this one will come down to a key special teams play, or a turnover. I don't buy Cortland as an overwhelming favorite.
The only thing I am absolutely sure of is that the sell-out crowd will see another incredible game between these two upstate New York rivals. See you Saturday!
What are some of your favorite memories from Cortaca?
The game garnered the nickname "Biggest Little Game in the Nation" from Sports Illustrated, and typically attracts more than 10,000 fans. The Cortaca Jug could easily attract 12,000 to 15,000 fans, but the schools cap the amount of tickets available for safety concerns inside their on campus stadiums.
Ithaca leads the series 34-18, but Cortland has a slim 8-7 lead in the last 15 years.
But the tide began to turn in 1988. Under head coach Dennis Kayser, Cortland won its first eight games of the season prior to Cortaca. Ithaca was also undefeated in its first eight games, setting the stage for one of the biggest Division 3 football games played that season. On the old Davis Field in Cortland, the Red Dragons stunned Ithaca College 21-20 behind the running of Garreth Grayson and throwing of quarterback Rich Keefer.
Ithaca avenged the Cortaca loss, defeating Cortland 24-17 in the national quarterfinals just three weeks later. The Bombers went on to destroy Ferrum 62-28 in the semifinals, and Central 39-24 in the championship game behind the spectacular running of Mike Scott. The way Ithaca dominated the semifinal and championship games led many polls to rank Cortland #2 in the nation at the end of the 1988. So it could be argued that the 1988 Cortaca Jug game was played between the two best teams in the nation.
While Cortland has become a consistent force in upstate New York football since opening its on campus stadium in 2002, the once dominant Ithaca program has struggled to live up to its own lofty expectations. This seasons marks the first time in 40 years that Ithaca will not finish with a winning record. The Bombers will be playing for pride and history this Saturday, as it begins the road back to upstate New York dominance.
Cortland appears to have the edge on paper. Senior quarterback Dan Pitcher has thrown for over 2100 yards with a fantastic 168.1 Passing Efficiency Rating. John Babin has emerged as one of Eastern Region's top wide receivers, catching 63 passes in 9 games for 1019 yards and a school record 14 touchdowns. The Red Dragons lost star running back Justin Autera to injury in the second game of the season. But senior Dorian Myles and freshman Bronson Green have combined for over 1200 yards rushing, with Myles averaging 5.3 yards per carry behind a big, veteran offensive line.
The Ithaca offense has struggled to score points throughout 2011. The Bombers average only 20 points per game, well below their normal output. Normally a team which prides itself on its running game, the Bombers average only 3.0 yards per carry as a team. The passing game has been mistake prone, with 15 interceptions to only nine touchdowns thrown. Quarterback Phil Neumann is coming off a disappointing game against Alfred, where he completed only 10-of-31 passes.
But this is Cortaca. Anyone who follows Cortaca knows anything can happen once the game starts. In fact, nine of the last 12 Cortaca Jug games have been decided by seven points or less, with two games decided in overtime.
There are kinks in the Red Dragons' armor, and reason to believe Ithaca has a good chance to win. Cortland is coming off a confusing defensive effort against Brockport, where it yielded 549 yards of offense and 42 points to a 2-7 football team. Brockport scored 24 points and had over 370 yards of offense prior to half-time.
Cortland kicker Marc Corrado has attempted only 8 field goals this season, with a long of 31 yards. He is just 1-of-3 from beyond 30. The Red Dragons return game of Kadeem Miller (21.2 yards per return) and John Babin (22.6 yards per return) has been average, and nowhere near the explosiveness it had with Autera returning kicks. In games which are historically close, special teams can play a huge factor. Ithaca may have the special teams edge.
The Bombers also have recent history on its side. Ithaca has won three of the last four Cortaca Jugs, and Cortland as a team has struggled against Empire-8 foes such as Alfred University and St. John Fisher.
Like most Cortaca Jug games, I expect this one will come down to a key special teams play, or a turnover. I don't buy Cortland as an overwhelming favorite.
The only thing I am absolutely sure of is that the sell-out crowd will see another incredible game between these two upstate New York rivals. See you Saturday!
What are some of your favorite memories from Cortaca?
Widener Rising
Widener University was once a national powerhouse. The Widener University Pride has two national championships, and has won a league record 17 MAC titles. But it has been a while since Widener was considered a national championship contender. Things may be changing fast.
The Widener University Pride is red hot. With a record of 8-1, and averaging an amazing 49.1 points per game, the Pride may be the most dangerous football team in Eastern Region. This week Widener travels to Delaware Valley to face the 9-0 Aggies for the annual Keystone Cup, and the MAC Championship. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.
Widener is doing everything right to attract talent to their football program. They are running a multiple set, pass heavy offense which kids want to be a part of. Quarterback Chris Haupt has thrown for over 2200 yards and 27 touchdowns despite playing in games which were often lopsided by half-time. The defense is a hard-hitting, impact style which has generated 30 turnovers. Head coach Isaac Collins is a charismatic leader. Collins came from a defensive coordinator position at The Citadel, where he had to create packages to defend against teams like the University of Florida and Clemson.
The official website is slick and loaded with recent game photos.
Most inventive is the weekly video interview with head coach Isaac Collins, "Kickin It with Coach C." The video is linked from the official Widener website, and can be found on YouTube. Media like this represents a new wave in attracting talented recruits. Businesses have long embraced social media and YouTube for getting their brands out to consumers.
It is refreshing to see a small college football staff which "gets it." They are using the avenues which are popular with high school juniors and seniors who they wish to recruit. And they are building brand recognition with younger kids, who will know Widener as a top notch football program when they reach varsity. Other football teams need to follow this lead, or risk following way behind.
It has been over a decade since an Eastern Region power was considered a threat to Mount Union or Wisconsin-Whitewater. For Eastern Region to regain national respect, it needs a new super power to rise.
If I had to bet on the best chances for a national powerhouse emerging in Eastern Region, I would start with St. John Fisher and Cortland, who each have excellent facilities, on-campus stadiums, and host NFL training camps. I would also include Rowan, Montclair, and Kean. All three recruit from the talented New Jersey base of football talent, and have quality facilities. And of course I would include Delaware Valley and Salisbury.
But the best chance for a national powerhouse to develop, in my opinion, is Widener. Recruiting is a form of sales, and Widener is following some best practices normally reserved for tech savvy companies.
Widener will have their work cut out for them if they hope to beat the undefeated Delaware Valley Aggies on the road this Saturday. If they lose, the odds on The Pride being invited to the NCAA playoffs as an at-large bid with two losses are slim. But I would put Widener on the short list of teams which deserve the chance even with two losses. If they do make the playoffs, I guarantee nobody will want to face them.
Who are your top picks for future national powers from Eastern Region?
The Widener University Pride is red hot. With a record of 8-1, and averaging an amazing 49.1 points per game, the Pride may be the most dangerous football team in Eastern Region. This week Widener travels to Delaware Valley to face the 9-0 Aggies for the annual Keystone Cup, and the MAC Championship. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.
Widener is doing everything right to attract talent to their football program. They are running a multiple set, pass heavy offense which kids want to be a part of. Quarterback Chris Haupt has thrown for over 2200 yards and 27 touchdowns despite playing in games which were often lopsided by half-time. The defense is a hard-hitting, impact style which has generated 30 turnovers. Head coach Isaac Collins is a charismatic leader. Collins came from a defensive coordinator position at The Citadel, where he had to create packages to defend against teams like the University of Florida and Clemson.
The official website is slick and loaded with recent game photos.
Most inventive is the weekly video interview with head coach Isaac Collins, "Kickin It with Coach C." The video is linked from the official Widener website, and can be found on YouTube. Media like this represents a new wave in attracting talented recruits. Businesses have long embraced social media and YouTube for getting their brands out to consumers.
It is refreshing to see a small college football staff which "gets it." They are using the avenues which are popular with high school juniors and seniors who they wish to recruit. And they are building brand recognition with younger kids, who will know Widener as a top notch football program when they reach varsity. Other football teams need to follow this lead, or risk following way behind.
It has been over a decade since an Eastern Region power was considered a threat to Mount Union or Wisconsin-Whitewater. For Eastern Region to regain national respect, it needs a new super power to rise.
If I had to bet on the best chances for a national powerhouse emerging in Eastern Region, I would start with St. John Fisher and Cortland, who each have excellent facilities, on-campus stadiums, and host NFL training camps. I would also include Rowan, Montclair, and Kean. All three recruit from the talented New Jersey base of football talent, and have quality facilities. And of course I would include Delaware Valley and Salisbury.
But the best chance for a national powerhouse to develop, in my opinion, is Widener. Recruiting is a form of sales, and Widener is following some best practices normally reserved for tech savvy companies.
Widener will have their work cut out for them if they hope to beat the undefeated Delaware Valley Aggies on the road this Saturday. If they lose, the odds on The Pride being invited to the NCAA playoffs as an at-large bid with two losses are slim. But I would put Widener on the short list of teams which deserve the chance even with two losses. If they do make the playoffs, I guarantee nobody will want to face them.
Who are your top picks for future national powers from Eastern Region?
D3East Football Rankings - November 6
What a great day of football! Saturday reminded us of why we are fans. The top ranked Delaware Valley Aggies won a rivalry game on a last second drive, Montclair rallied from 21 points down to beat its biggest rival in overtime, and previously undefeated Hobart was stunned by RPI.
Let's get down to business. Here are my Division 3 Eastern Football Rankings for 11/6/2011:
The Delaware Valley Aggies remain the only undefeated team in Division 3 Eastern Region football. We knew their game in Lycoming would be a close call, and it sure was. The Lycoming Warriors rallied to tie the score 21-21 with 1:01 remaining to play. But Delaware Valley drove 54 yards to score the winning touchdown with just seconds to play.
Salisbury won a statement game 41-21 over St. John Fisher, clinching the Empire 8 championship and a Pool A bid to the NCAA playoffs. It is my opinion that the Aggies and the Salisbury Gulls give the East its best 1-2 punch at the top of the playoff bracket that it has had in several years.
Raise your hand if you predicted Montclair and its backup quarterback would lose on the road to the Rowan Profs. I know I did, and I felt pretty smart with Rowan ahead 21-0. But Drew Cathey played a brilliant second half of football to rally Montclair to a 37-31 overtime victory. Kean had little trouble dispatching William Paterson, setting up a showdown for the NJAC championship between Kean and Montclair next Saturday.
Western New England stopped UMass-Dartmouth 28-18 to win its ninth game of the season. Like all NEFC leaders in the past decade, the Golden Bears of Western New England sport an impressive record but are completely untested out of conference. For that reason I don't have the confidence to rank them higher than #10. And honestly I wrestled with the idea of putting Rowan in the #10 spot. Unfortunately we won't know anything about Western New England until the first round of the NCAA playoffs is over.
Let's get down to business. Here are my Division 3 Eastern Football Rankings for 11/6/2011:
- Delaware Valley 9-0
- Salisbury State 8-1
- Widener 9-1
- Montclair 8-1
- Kean 8-1
- Lycoming 7-2
- Hobart 6-1
- St John Fisher 7-2
- Cortland 7-2
- Western New England 9-1
The Delaware Valley Aggies remain the only undefeated team in Division 3 Eastern Region football. We knew their game in Lycoming would be a close call, and it sure was. The Lycoming Warriors rallied to tie the score 21-21 with 1:01 remaining to play. But Delaware Valley drove 54 yards to score the winning touchdown with just seconds to play.
Salisbury won a statement game 41-21 over St. John Fisher, clinching the Empire 8 championship and a Pool A bid to the NCAA playoffs. It is my opinion that the Aggies and the Salisbury Gulls give the East its best 1-2 punch at the top of the playoff bracket that it has had in several years.
Raise your hand if you predicted Montclair and its backup quarterback would lose on the road to the Rowan Profs. I know I did, and I felt pretty smart with Rowan ahead 21-0. But Drew Cathey played a brilliant second half of football to rally Montclair to a 37-31 overtime victory. Kean had little trouble dispatching William Paterson, setting up a showdown for the NJAC championship between Kean and Montclair next Saturday.
Western New England stopped UMass-Dartmouth 28-18 to win its ninth game of the season. Like all NEFC leaders in the past decade, the Golden Bears of Western New England sport an impressive record but are completely untested out of conference. For that reason I don't have the confidence to rank them higher than #10. And honestly I wrestled with the idea of putting Rowan in the #10 spot. Unfortunately we won't know anything about Western New England until the first round of the NCAA playoffs is over.
Montclair Survives at Rowan
The Montclair Red Hawks rallied from a 21-0 deficit to overcome the Rowan University Profs on the road, 37-31 in overtime. Rowan missed a field goal and failed to score on its first possession. Montclair scored quickly to send the Profs fans home disappointed.
The Montclair Red Hawks just earned a ton of street cred. After losing its starting quarterback against Cortland on October 8, the Red Hawks offense had struggled to find its rhythm. A loss to TCNJ two weeks later made a lot of Eastern Region football fans become Montclair doubters.
But give Montclair a ton of credit. Backup quarterback Drew Cathey has improved every week as the new starter. They have a strong defense, and an explosive ground game led by Chris D'Andrea. And this week, Cathey became the star as Montclair rallied from a seemingly insurmountable deficit in hostile territory to lead the Red Hawks past the Profs.
The Montclair victory moves the team to 8-1 on the season. The New Jersey Athletic Conference championship will be on the line next Saturday when Montclair hosts 8-1 Kean in a winner-take-all showdown.
The Montclair Red Hawks just earned a ton of street cred. After losing its starting quarterback against Cortland on October 8, the Red Hawks offense had struggled to find its rhythm. A loss to TCNJ two weeks later made a lot of Eastern Region football fans become Montclair doubters.
But give Montclair a ton of credit. Backup quarterback Drew Cathey has improved every week as the new starter. They have a strong defense, and an explosive ground game led by Chris D'Andrea. And this week, Cathey became the star as Montclair rallied from a seemingly insurmountable deficit in hostile territory to lead the Red Hawks past the Profs.
The Montclair victory moves the team to 8-1 on the season. The New Jersey Athletic Conference championship will be on the line next Saturday when Montclair hosts 8-1 Kean in a winner-take-all showdown.
Ithaca College Bombers Streak Ends
An incredible streak ended Saturday afternoon when the Alfred Saxons held on to beat the Ithaca College Bombers 21-19. The loss dropped Ithaca to 4-5 on the season, and snapped a record of 40-consecutive winning seasons.
During the 40-year winning season streak, the Bombers captured three national championships in 1974, 1988, and 1991, all under legendary head coach Jim Butterfield. Ithaca College established itself as a national power, and as the most dominant Eastern Region football program for three decades.
However the landscape of upstate New York football has radically changed in the last two decades. St. John Fisher started their program, and became an upstate powerhouse by the early 2000s. Utica College and Hartwick formed programs within a two hour drive of Ithaca. Cortland State rose to become a strong upstate competitor, recruiting just 20 minutes up the road from Ithaca. Brockport and Buffalo State both became viable teams in western New York. And very recently, Morrisville switched from JUCO to Division 3.
While none of these events alone can explain Ithaca's fall from dominance, the aggregate goes a long way to explain Ithaca's inability to recruit enough athletes to compete for national championships. There are simply too many teams, in too small an area, competing for many of the same players. The result, in my opinion, is parity among many teams across New York state.
While St. John Fisher appears to have become the dominant western New York team, it is starting to look like Cortland may be the dominant central New York program. In order for Ithaca to return to national prominence, it may need both Fisher and Cortland to stumble.
Today's loss, and the end of the 40-year streak, is hardly a death sentence for Ithaca. The Bombers are just three years removed from consecutive NCAA tournament bids (2007 and 2008). A win next week against Cortland in the annual Cortaca Jug would no doubt soften the blow quite a bit, and put the team back on course for 2012.
Congratulations to Ithaca College on a fantastic 40-year run. It was truly one of college football's greatest achievements over the last four decades.
During the 40-year winning season streak, the Bombers captured three national championships in 1974, 1988, and 1991, all under legendary head coach Jim Butterfield. Ithaca College established itself as a national power, and as the most dominant Eastern Region football program for three decades.
However the landscape of upstate New York football has radically changed in the last two decades. St. John Fisher started their program, and became an upstate powerhouse by the early 2000s. Utica College and Hartwick formed programs within a two hour drive of Ithaca. Cortland State rose to become a strong upstate competitor, recruiting just 20 minutes up the road from Ithaca. Brockport and Buffalo State both became viable teams in western New York. And very recently, Morrisville switched from JUCO to Division 3.
While none of these events alone can explain Ithaca's fall from dominance, the aggregate goes a long way to explain Ithaca's inability to recruit enough athletes to compete for national championships. There are simply too many teams, in too small an area, competing for many of the same players. The result, in my opinion, is parity among many teams across New York state.
While St. John Fisher appears to have become the dominant western New York team, it is starting to look like Cortland may be the dominant central New York program. In order for Ithaca to return to national prominence, it may need both Fisher and Cortland to stumble.
Today's loss, and the end of the 40-year streak, is hardly a death sentence for Ithaca. The Bombers are just three years removed from consecutive NCAA tournament bids (2007 and 2008). A win next week against Cortland in the annual Cortaca Jug would no doubt soften the blow quite a bit, and put the team back on course for 2012.
Congratulations to Ithaca College on a fantastic 40-year run. It was truly one of college football's greatest achievements over the last four decades.
Delaware Valley beats Lycoming in Thriller
The Delaware Valley Aggies (9-0) survived a big road test against the Lycoming Warriors (7-2), 28-21. Lycoming scored with just 61 seconds to play to tie the game at 21-21, on a 1-yard touchdown run by Zach Klinger.
The game appeared headed for overtime, but the Aggies intended to finish the job in regulation. Chris Wisniewski took a short kickoff at his own 38-yard line, and returned it 8 yards to the Delaware Valley 46-yard line. Aggies quarterback Aaron Wilmer connected with Rodney Blango for 16 yards to the Lycoming 38-yard line. Two plays later, Wilmer again found Blango for 15 yards on a key 3rd-and-10 play.
After a 15-yard pass play from Wilmer to Lewis Vincent, Wilmer ran the ball in from 8 yards out to score the winning touchdown with just 13 seconds remaining.
The gutty victory by Delaware Valley on the road solidified my belief that this is the best team in Eastern Region. The Aggies have a huge home game next Saturday with Widener (8-1), with the MAC title on the line. If the Aggies finish the job with back-to-back wins over strong teams to win the title, they will be a clear #1 seed and battle tested for the playoffs.
Congratulations to Delaware Valley, ranked #1 this week by d3east-football.
The game appeared headed for overtime, but the Aggies intended to finish the job in regulation. Chris Wisniewski took a short kickoff at his own 38-yard line, and returned it 8 yards to the Delaware Valley 46-yard line. Aggies quarterback Aaron Wilmer connected with Rodney Blango for 16 yards to the Lycoming 38-yard line. Two plays later, Wilmer again found Blango for 15 yards on a key 3rd-and-10 play.
After a 15-yard pass play from Wilmer to Lewis Vincent, Wilmer ran the ball in from 8 yards out to score the winning touchdown with just 13 seconds remaining.
The gutty victory by Delaware Valley on the road solidified my belief that this is the best team in Eastern Region. The Aggies have a huge home game next Saturday with Widener (8-1), with the MAC title on the line. If the Aggies finish the job with back-to-back wins over strong teams to win the title, they will be a clear #1 seed and battle tested for the playoffs.
Congratulations to Delaware Valley, ranked #1 this week by d3east-football.
RPI Rally stuns Hobart
The RPI Engineers rallied from a 21-0 deficit to stun Hobart 29-28 in Troy, NY. Junior quarterback Mike Hermann ran for a touchdown and threw for three more to lead the comeback.
The Hobart Statesmen amassed 473 yards of offense, and had 30 first downs to only 15 for RPI. But Hobart failed to finish drives in the second half, which kept the door open for RPI. The loss ensures Hobart will not get a top-2 seed in the playoffs.
Now Hobart is in a must-win situation next Saturday at Rochester. A Statesmen victory would clinch the Liberty League championship and accompanying Pool A bid to the NCAA playoffs. However a Hobart loss, combined with a Union victory, would put the Union Dutchmen in the playoffs.
The Hobart loss to RPI represents one of the biggest upsets of the season in Eastern Region. Although Hobart had been relatively untested in the Liberty League to date, they had destroyed a strong St. John Fisher team 56-20 in September. Hobart falls to 6-1. RPI is 4-4.
The Hobart Statesmen amassed 473 yards of offense, and had 30 first downs to only 15 for RPI. But Hobart failed to finish drives in the second half, which kept the door open for RPI. The loss ensures Hobart will not get a top-2 seed in the playoffs.
Now Hobart is in a must-win situation next Saturday at Rochester. A Statesmen victory would clinch the Liberty League championship and accompanying Pool A bid to the NCAA playoffs. However a Hobart loss, combined with a Union victory, would put the Union Dutchmen in the playoffs.
The Hobart loss to RPI represents one of the biggest upsets of the season in Eastern Region. Although Hobart had been relatively untested in the Liberty League to date, they had destroyed a strong St. John Fisher team 56-20 in September. Hobart falls to 6-1. RPI is 4-4.
Salisbury State Clinches Empire 8
The Salisbury State Gulls have clinched the Empire 8 title with a resounding 41-21 victory over the visiting St. John Fisher Cardinals. Both teams moved the football on offense, but Fisher struggled to finish drives. Quarterback Ryan Kramer threw a key first half interception in the end zone, the Cardinals failed to convert a 4th-and-2 from the Gulls 20-yard line, and Fisher also missed a short field goal.
You can't miss opportunities and hope to keep up with an offensive machine like the Gulls, particularly on their turf. Salisbury did what has done all season - it ran, and ran, and ran. The Gulls rushed the ball 55 times and threw it only 3 times, compiling 329 yards on the ground. The few times Gulls quarterback Dan Griffin passed the ball, great things happened. Griffin connected on a huge 67-yard pass to Juma Richards to put Salisbury ahead 14-0 in the second quarter.
The Salisbury victory clinched a Pool-A bid to the NCAA tournament, and likely a top-2 seed in the East. The final seeding is dependent on Salisbury taking care of business against Frostburg next weekend, and whether or not Delaware Valley is able to run the table in the MAC. We remain convinced that Salisbury can make noise nationally, and that the better team won the Empire 8 this season.
You can't miss opportunities and hope to keep up with an offensive machine like the Gulls, particularly on their turf. Salisbury did what has done all season - it ran, and ran, and ran. The Gulls rushed the ball 55 times and threw it only 3 times, compiling 329 yards on the ground. The few times Gulls quarterback Dan Griffin passed the ball, great things happened. Griffin connected on a huge 67-yard pass to Juma Richards to put Salisbury ahead 14-0 in the second quarter.
The Salisbury victory clinched a Pool-A bid to the NCAA tournament, and likely a top-2 seed in the East. The final seeding is dependent on Salisbury taking care of business against Frostburg next weekend, and whether or not Delaware Valley is able to run the table in the MAC. We remain convinced that Salisbury can make noise nationally, and that the better team won the Empire 8 this season.
Saturday Gameday November 5th
Good morning everyone!
It's a huge week of Division 3 Eastern Region football. Two undefeated teams are in action against traditional rivals, the NJAC title hopes of Montclair State are on the line when they travel to fierce rival Rowan, and the Empire 8 title is up for grabs when St John Fisher travels to Salisbury.
Let's start with the biggest game. #1 Delaware Valley will be on the road to face #8 Lycoming. The Aggies are looking for their fourth consecutive MAC championship, but the Lycoming Warriors stand in their way. The Warriors are yielding only 11.4 points per game, while stuffing opponents' run games at 2.2 yards per carry. Anthony Marascio leads the Lycoming defense with 7 sacks and 19 tackles for losses.
Zach Klinger engineers the Lycoming passing game. The quarterback has thrown only 1 interception in 182 attempts, despite a completion percentage just under 50%. Wayne Oliver is providing big play ability at wide receiver.
The question is, can Lycoming's strong defense stop the Aggies, who average 32.5 points per game? Quarterback Aaron Wilmer is having a huge year at Delaware Valley, having thrown for just shy of 1700 yards with a quarterback efficiency rating of 157.7. The Aggies boast four targets with over 300 yards receiving, so good luck choosing someone to double. And Kyle Schuberth is averaging 6 yards per carry.
This is going to be a great game. As much as I like to pick the home team in games this close, I am leaning toward Del Valley to survive. I think the Aggies defense is comparable to Lycoming's, whereas I don't think Lycoming can win a shoot-out with Del Valley. Look for the Aggies to find a way to win, and keep hope alive for a true eastern team in the #1 seed come playoff time.
Meanwhile #5 St John Fisher travels to #2 Salisbury for the Empire 8 championship. Both teams are 7-1, and undefeated in the Empire 8. Salisbury is coming off a tough 23-14 loss to national powerhouse Wesley. St John Fisher was humbled 56-20 by Hobart in late September. Since then, the Cardinals have been rolling. Fisher has won their last 3 games by a combined score of 130 to 49, and put a 63-36 whooping on a competitive Utica College team last week.
Salisbury has one task to complete: stop Ryan Kramer. The Fisher quarterback rushed for 244 yards and 5 touchdowns, and threw for 156 yards and another touchdown against Utica last week. The offensive output won Kramer the honor of placement on D3Football.com's Team of the Week.
Impressive as Fisher has been lately, Salisbury looks like the favorite in this one. Besides their opponents having to travel from western New York to Maryland to play this game, Salisbury creates some match up issues for Fisher. The Gulls are traditionally an option run attack, and this season they average 6.2 yards per carry. The Fisher defense is yielding 3.4 yards per carry - an above average effort to be sure, but not dominating.
Gulls quarterback Dan Griffin runs a good option, averaging 4.6 yards per carry while having not thrown a single interception in 66 pass attempts. Randal Smedley, Ross Flanigan, and Jonathan Briscoe combine to average over 7 yards per carry. I just don't see the Cardinals being able to stop Salisbury's running game. The Gulls are a team which can make some noise on a national level. I like Fisher, but I don't think they are that team, this season. Look for Salisbury to clinch the Empire 8 title and an automatic birth in the NCAA tournament.
What are your predictions for today's games? Do you see any teams which should be on upset alert?
It's a huge week of Division 3 Eastern Region football. Two undefeated teams are in action against traditional rivals, the NJAC title hopes of Montclair State are on the line when they travel to fierce rival Rowan, and the Empire 8 title is up for grabs when St John Fisher travels to Salisbury.
Let's start with the biggest game. #1 Delaware Valley will be on the road to face #8 Lycoming. The Aggies are looking for their fourth consecutive MAC championship, but the Lycoming Warriors stand in their way. The Warriors are yielding only 11.4 points per game, while stuffing opponents' run games at 2.2 yards per carry. Anthony Marascio leads the Lycoming defense with 7 sacks and 19 tackles for losses.
Zach Klinger engineers the Lycoming passing game. The quarterback has thrown only 1 interception in 182 attempts, despite a completion percentage just under 50%. Wayne Oliver is providing big play ability at wide receiver.
The question is, can Lycoming's strong defense stop the Aggies, who average 32.5 points per game? Quarterback Aaron Wilmer is having a huge year at Delaware Valley, having thrown for just shy of 1700 yards with a quarterback efficiency rating of 157.7. The Aggies boast four targets with over 300 yards receiving, so good luck choosing someone to double. And Kyle Schuberth is averaging 6 yards per carry.
This is going to be a great game. As much as I like to pick the home team in games this close, I am leaning toward Del Valley to survive. I think the Aggies defense is comparable to Lycoming's, whereas I don't think Lycoming can win a shoot-out with Del Valley. Look for the Aggies to find a way to win, and keep hope alive for a true eastern team in the #1 seed come playoff time.
Meanwhile #5 St John Fisher travels to #2 Salisbury for the Empire 8 championship. Both teams are 7-1, and undefeated in the Empire 8. Salisbury is coming off a tough 23-14 loss to national powerhouse Wesley. St John Fisher was humbled 56-20 by Hobart in late September. Since then, the Cardinals have been rolling. Fisher has won their last 3 games by a combined score of 130 to 49, and put a 63-36 whooping on a competitive Utica College team last week.
Salisbury has one task to complete: stop Ryan Kramer. The Fisher quarterback rushed for 244 yards and 5 touchdowns, and threw for 156 yards and another touchdown against Utica last week. The offensive output won Kramer the honor of placement on D3Football.com's Team of the Week.
Impressive as Fisher has been lately, Salisbury looks like the favorite in this one. Besides their opponents having to travel from western New York to Maryland to play this game, Salisbury creates some match up issues for Fisher. The Gulls are traditionally an option run attack, and this season they average 6.2 yards per carry. The Fisher defense is yielding 3.4 yards per carry - an above average effort to be sure, but not dominating.
Gulls quarterback Dan Griffin runs a good option, averaging 4.6 yards per carry while having not thrown a single interception in 66 pass attempts. Randal Smedley, Ross Flanigan, and Jonathan Briscoe combine to average over 7 yards per carry. I just don't see the Cardinals being able to stop Salisbury's running game. The Gulls are a team which can make some noise on a national level. I like Fisher, but I don't think they are that team, this season. Look for Salisbury to clinch the Empire 8 title and an automatic birth in the NCAA tournament.
What are your predictions for today's games? Do you see any teams which should be on upset alert?
How Does Eastern Region Football Rank?
Eastern Region is looked upon as the weakest of the Division 3 football regions. No Eastern Region team has played for the NCAA championship this century. The last team to make it to Salem was Rowan University, which was pounded by Pacific Lutheran 42-13. The past few seasons, the NCAA has chosen to import Mount Union from the Northern Region to give the Eastern bracket a legitimate #1 seed.
Delaware Valley is undefeated through eight games in 2011, but its two toughest games are yet to be played. However, many believe that if Delaware Valley runs the table, they will be given the top spot in the East while Mount Union stays home in the North. Few believe Hobart would be afforded the #1 seed however, due to the perceived weakness of the Liberty League in 2011, and the short 8-game schedule played by the Statesmen.
Cross region games are rare due to the travel costs incurred. How much can we draw from a winless Husson team from Eastern Region losing 77-7 to a 7-1 Adrian team from Northern Region? Not much. But we do have one important data point: Kean 31-28 over Wesley, potentially the best team in Southern Region.
Let me get one thing straight. If Kean and Wesley played on a neutral field tomorrow, I would pick Wesley as the favorite. But that is just an opinion. The fact is, Kean beat Wesley in Union, New Jersey.
I don't think who won the game or where it was played is the most important thing to draw from this data point. Rather, I feel the most important point is that the two teams were pretty closely matched on both sides of the ball. Wesley is undefeated in Southern Region play, while Kean lost to TCNJ and may not even win the NJAC.
A common argument against Eastern Region is its (lack of) performance against Mount Union in the playoffs. Mount Union destroyed Eastern Region teams St Lawrence 49-0, Delaware Valley 31-3, and Alfred 37-7 last season.
If we are going to judge Eastern Region teams by their playoff losses to Mount Union, then shouldn't we judge the Ohio Athletic Conference just as harshly? Mount Union has won 19 consecutive OAC championships. Nineteen consecutive! Who in Northern Region can say they have recently knocked Mount Union out of the playoffs? Indeed, Mount Union has won an astounding 85.2% of its NCAA playoff games.
Judging how strong Eastern Region is by its performance against Mount Union just isn't logical, when there aren't any Northern teams showing the ability to beat them either. What we need are some regional cross over games between teams like Wesley, North Central, Wittenberg, Cortland, and Lycoming so we can draw better conclusions.
I for one would love to see Rowan play Heidelberg, or St John Fisher play Baldwin-Wallace. Wouldn't it have been much more interesting if Adrian had played Widener, instead of a winless team from the weakest conference in Eastern Region?
There are reasons why the East tends to see more parity than the other regions do, and I will touch on these in later blog posts. Recall that two decades ago, the East was considered rather beastly on the national scene with Ithaca winning multiple national championships.
In the meantime, I don't believe we can definitively say Eastern Region is the weakest of the four regions. We don't have many data points to utilize, and the most important data point we have in 2011 has Kean beating Wesley. Because cross over games are so rare among regions, computer power ratings aren't likely to help us either. Again, not enough data points.
Where do you think Eastern Region football ranks nationally outside of Whitewater and Mount Union?
Delaware Valley is undefeated through eight games in 2011, but its two toughest games are yet to be played. However, many believe that if Delaware Valley runs the table, they will be given the top spot in the East while Mount Union stays home in the North. Few believe Hobart would be afforded the #1 seed however, due to the perceived weakness of the Liberty League in 2011, and the short 8-game schedule played by the Statesmen.
Cross region games are rare due to the travel costs incurred. How much can we draw from a winless Husson team from Eastern Region losing 77-7 to a 7-1 Adrian team from Northern Region? Not much. But we do have one important data point: Kean 31-28 over Wesley, potentially the best team in Southern Region.
Let me get one thing straight. If Kean and Wesley played on a neutral field tomorrow, I would pick Wesley as the favorite. But that is just an opinion. The fact is, Kean beat Wesley in Union, New Jersey.
I don't think who won the game or where it was played is the most important thing to draw from this data point. Rather, I feel the most important point is that the two teams were pretty closely matched on both sides of the ball. Wesley is undefeated in Southern Region play, while Kean lost to TCNJ and may not even win the NJAC.
A common argument against Eastern Region is its (lack of) performance against Mount Union in the playoffs. Mount Union destroyed Eastern Region teams St Lawrence 49-0, Delaware Valley 31-3, and Alfred 37-7 last season.
If we are going to judge Eastern Region teams by their playoff losses to Mount Union, then shouldn't we judge the Ohio Athletic Conference just as harshly? Mount Union has won 19 consecutive OAC championships. Nineteen consecutive! Who in Northern Region can say they have recently knocked Mount Union out of the playoffs? Indeed, Mount Union has won an astounding 85.2% of its NCAA playoff games.
Judging how strong Eastern Region is by its performance against Mount Union just isn't logical, when there aren't any Northern teams showing the ability to beat them either. What we need are some regional cross over games between teams like Wesley, North Central, Wittenberg, Cortland, and Lycoming so we can draw better conclusions.
I for one would love to see Rowan play Heidelberg, or St John Fisher play Baldwin-Wallace. Wouldn't it have been much more interesting if Adrian had played Widener, instead of a winless team from the weakest conference in Eastern Region?
There are reasons why the East tends to see more parity than the other regions do, and I will touch on these in later blog posts. Recall that two decades ago, the East was considered rather beastly on the national scene with Ithaca winning multiple national championships.
In the meantime, I don't believe we can definitively say Eastern Region is the weakest of the four regions. We don't have many data points to utilize, and the most important data point we have in 2011 has Kean beating Wesley. Because cross over games are so rare among regions, computer power ratings aren't likely to help us either. Again, not enough data points.
Where do you think Eastern Region football ranks nationally outside of Whitewater and Mount Union?
D3 Eastern Football Rankings - November 4 2011
With the playoffs just 2 weeks away, teams are fighting for conference titles and potential playoff seeding. How good do we think undefeated Delaware Valley is? What about Kean and Montclair? How much respect does Hobart deserve? It's time for our Division 3 Eastern Football Rankings for November 4, 2011.
I really like Salisbury (who the NCAA ranks in their Eastern Region poll, but lists as a Southern Region member. The Gulls play in the Empire 8). Losing a close fought road game to national power Wesley is not reason to drop them from the top two.
Yes, Hobart is playing an abbreviated schedule this season. And the Liberty League competition is as weak as it has been in several seasons. But I have one thing to say to the Hobart doubters: "56-20." That is the score Hobart thrashed St John Fisher by on September 24.
I love the competition of the NJAC, but I don't see one team which seems like a dominant regional powerhouse. The conference looks to be the deepest in Eastern Region, with bottom tier teams like Brockport and Buffalo State sure to give a tough game to any opponent. But Montclair lost its starting quarterback. And Kean is coming off a recent loss to TCNJ. Let's see if one team emerges in the next two weeks.
- Delaware Valley 8-0
- Salisbury State 7-1
- Widener 8-1
- Hobart 6-0
- St John Fisher 7-1
- Kean 7-1
- Montclair 7-1
- Lycoming 7-1
- Cortland 6-2
- Western New England 8-1
I really like Salisbury (who the NCAA ranks in their Eastern Region poll, but lists as a Southern Region member. The Gulls play in the Empire 8). Losing a close fought road game to national power Wesley is not reason to drop them from the top two.
Yes, Hobart is playing an abbreviated schedule this season. And the Liberty League competition is as weak as it has been in several seasons. But I have one thing to say to the Hobart doubters: "56-20." That is the score Hobart thrashed St John Fisher by on September 24.
I love the competition of the NJAC, but I don't see one team which seems like a dominant regional powerhouse. The conference looks to be the deepest in Eastern Region, with bottom tier teams like Brockport and Buffalo State sure to give a tough game to any opponent. But Montclair lost its starting quarterback. And Kean is coming off a recent loss to TCNJ. Let's see if one team emerges in the next two weeks.
Division 3 Eastern Football is Born
Welcome!
My name is Dan Padavona and I have been following Division 3 football for over 30 years. For nearly eight years, I ran the highly successful website Cortlandfootball.com, which as you may guess, covered the Cortland State Red Dragons football program.
I live for NCAA Eastern Region small college football. I have a lot of opinions about it. Some you will agree with, and some you will not. Regardless there will be an open forum for you to express your own opinion.
I will give you my weekly rankings of east region D3 teams, which no doubt will often clash with the rankings of the NCAA. And I will tell you how I feel these teams compare to national powers, such as Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Whether you are a fan of Rowan, Ithaca, Cortland, Hobart, Widener, or any other Eastern Region team, you will find unbiased stories and viewpoints about your teams at d3east-football.blogspot.com.
It's almost playoff time. Are you ready for our kickoff?
My name is Dan Padavona and I have been following Division 3 football for over 30 years. For nearly eight years, I ran the highly successful website Cortlandfootball.com, which as you may guess, covered the Cortland State Red Dragons football program.
I live for NCAA Eastern Region small college football. I have a lot of opinions about it. Some you will agree with, and some you will not. Regardless there will be an open forum for you to express your own opinion.
I will give you my weekly rankings of east region D3 teams, which no doubt will often clash with the rankings of the NCAA. And I will tell you how I feel these teams compare to national powers, such as Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Whether you are a fan of Rowan, Ithaca, Cortland, Hobart, Widener, or any other Eastern Region team, you will find unbiased stories and viewpoints about your teams at d3east-football.blogspot.com.
It's almost playoff time. Are you ready for our kickoff?