MORRISVILLE STATE GAME NOTES
ITHACA, N.Y. — It was a tale of two halves for the Ithaca College football during a 27-17 loss to The College at Brockport last Saturday.

Ithaca, which entered the game ranked No. 24 in the D3Football.com top 25 poll, raced out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a dominating defense, and a balanced attack that effectively mixed short and middle passes from junior quarterback Wolfgang Shafer with power runs from sophomore Tristan Brown.

In the second half, the Bombers (4-2, 2-2 Empire 8) turned the ball over on their final three possessions while Brockport outscored Ithaca 20-3 as the Bombers suffered just their fourth loss in the last 19 games at Butterfield Stadium.

Heading into Saturday's 1 p.m. Empire 8 showdown at Morrisville State (3-3, 2-3), Ithaca seeks more consistency on both sides of the ball as the Bombers look to pick up their third win in four road games in 2015.

"I thought we played well in the first half, but in the second half we didn't play well and that's not something that you can let happen," said head coach Mike Welch, Ithaca's Hall of Fame head coach who has amassed a 164-69 record (.704 winning percentage) in 22 seasons leading the Bombers.

"The takeaway is we need to play a complete game and be prepared to play a complete game. That's been our focus this week and we've had a great week of practice so far. We will stay focused throughout the course of this week and into the game and I'm confident in our ability to bounce back. Morrisville State is a good football team and we have to come out ready to go."

Brown rushed for two touchdowns and had 67 rushing yards, while sophomore Kenny Bradley made nine tackles and recorded his team-leading third interception in the loss for Ithaca, which fell at home for the first time since Oct. 11, 2014.  

Senior Josh Oliver totaled 113 all-purpose yards, including an electrifying 45-yard kickoff return, but the Bombers were outgained 368-198 by the Golden Eagles.

Senior Malik Morris recorded eight tackles, broke up two passes and blocked an extra point, while senior Logan Murphy and sophomore Dan Loizos each added eight tackles against Brockport. Senior Schnayder Termidor added seven tackles and junior Skyler Kauf made six tackles for the Bombers.

Ithaca, which entered play with the fourth-stingiest rushing defense in the nation (55 rushing yards per game) held Brockport's Dan Andrews to 117 rushing yards on 30 carries, far below his season-average of 173 yards per game.

Andrews, who entered as Division III's leader in rushing touchdowns with 14, was held without a touchdown for the first time this year.

Welch said that a talented and speedy Morrisville State offense will challenge his defense, but he expects the defense to be up to the task, especially with how they bottled up Andrews last week.

Led by quarterback Cory Benedetto (1,409 passing yards, 11 TDs, 4 INTs), running backs Cristian Pena and Edwin Soto (847 rushing yards, 10 TDs, 5.6 yards per carry), and wide receivers Anthony Mella (567 receiving yards, 27 yards per catch, 4 TDs), Marcus Jackson (377 yards, 14.5 yards per catch, 2 TDs), and Anthony Gray (197 yards, 15.2 yards per catch, 2 TDs), the Mustangs possess plenty of offensive firepower.

In the secondary, it will be up to Morris and Michaels, along with junior Anthony Skretny and sophomore Jordan Schemm to hold their own on the outside while a talented and deep Ithaca defensive line attempts to get pressure on Benedetto.

"Morrisville has built a very good football program. Offensively, they are balanced, they have a tough, hard-nosed running back, and a quarterback that throws very well with speed on offense," Welch said of a Morrisville attack that averages 26.3 points and 421 yards of offense per game.

"Our secondary and cornerbacks have done exceptionally well throughout the course of the year. They've had some breakdowns but that's the nature of the position. Even the best corners in the country will give up a play here or there and unfortunately it's usually a big play, but that's part of the position. I feel good about our players and their ability to put things behind them and move forward."

With only four Empire 8 games remaining, Welch knows his Bombers need to come out and play their best in every conference game if they want to remain in contention for a third straight conference championship. Eight of the nine teams in the Empire 8 have at least two wins in conference play.

"Every game from this point on is important and we are focusing totally on one thing: getting ready for Morrisville," Welch said. "The Empire 8 is a challenge for every football team and there's a lot of parity and that makes it very exciting. It's certainly going to be a great challenge for us to win the number of games we need to win to win our conference. We're in the thick of it and are excited about our opportunities."

GAME NOTES
The Series: This is the first ever meeting between Ithaca and Morrisville, even though the schools are less than 65 miles apart. Before joining the Empire 8 this year as an affiliate member, the Mustangs were previously a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference from 2006 to 2014, where they had a record of 22-68. Their most successful season in the conference was last year when the team went 9-2 and tied with Montclair and Rowan for the NJAC Championship. The team had their first postseason game as an active Division III member last season, defeating Utica in the ECAC North Central Football Bowl Championship 52-41.

Bomber's Red Zone Offense Best in Division III: When the Bombers advance the football into the red zone, they are nearly impossible to keep off the scoreboard. Ithaca is ranked first in Division III in red zone scoring percentage, scoring at least a field goal on 22 out of 23 opportunities (95.7%). The offense has scored seven rushing touchdowns in the red zone, eight passing touchdowns by Shafer, and Max Rottenecker has connected on seven field goals. The Bombers are tied for 12th place in red zone offense among all college programs in the country, Division I, II and III.
 
Rottenecker Gets the Job Done: When the Ithaca offense is stalled near the endzone, Rottenecker is among the Empire 8's best in kicking this season, converting eight field goals in 11 tries (72.7%) and he has missed only one field goal under 40 yards so far this season. His eight field goals made rank him second in the Empire 8 behind Thomas Woodburn (Utica), who leads Division III with 16 field goals. Rottenecker is almost automatic on extra point tries this season, making 23 out of 24 chances (95.8%). His lone miss came against Hartwick. He ranks sixth in the Empire 8 in total points (47) and points per contest (7.8). The native of Germany is tied for eighth in the country with 1.33 field goals per game, and sports a career field goal percentage of 70.4%.
 
Brown Reaches the End Zone for the Sixth Time in Six Games: Brown is no stranger to the end zone, with six rushing touchdowns in as many games this season. He had two touchdowns last week against Brockport, finishing with 67 rushing yards, and has scored at least one touchdown in four of the six games. He rushed for a career-high 176 yards during a 38-18 Homecoming win over Alfred  September 26th.
 
Kickoff Return Unit among Best in the Nation: Ithaca's kickoff return unit ranks second in Division III, averaging 29.25 yards per return. Ithaca trails Guilford, the top-ranked unit in the country, by 1.6 yards per return. Schemm has returned 11 kickoffs for 414 yards for an average of 37.6 which ranks third in Division III and fifth in all levels of NCAA football. He had a 91-yard touchdown return during a 47-19 win against Hartwick (Oct. 10), which was the first Ithaca kickoff return for a touchdown since Sam Carney took back a 91-yard kickoff return against Wesley in a 2013 second-round NCAA playoff contest.  Oliver has eight returns for 160 yards, including a 45-yard return last week against Brockport.
 
Rare Home Loss for the Bombers: Ithaca's 27-17 loss to Brockport last week was the Bombers first home loss in the last calendar year at Butterfield Stadium. For Ithaca's seniors, this was just their fourth loss at Butterfield Stadium in 19 chances.  In the last 10 seasons, the Bombers own a 40-10 record playing on the South Hill.