ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 8/7 Ithaca College football team travels to the University of Rochester on Saturday, October 26, for a 12:05 p.m. Liberty League kickoff at Fauver Stadium. The Bombers are 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in the Liberty League, while Rochester is 0-7 and 0-3 in league play.

GAME COVERAGE

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STATISTICS

ITHACA | ROCHESTER | LIBERTY LEAGUE

ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca and Rochester have met twice all-time (2017 and 2018) with the Bombers coming away with wins in both matchups, 46-6 and 28-3. In the 2017 contest, IC jumped out to a 40-0 lead at the end of the third quarter before the two teams trading touchdowns in the fourth. Last season, the Yellowjackets made a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter, but it was all Bombers from there with 28 straight points.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bombers stifled Hobart last Saturday at Butterfield Stadium with a 34-0 shutout win, which was the first time the Statesmen have been shutout since 2000. Ithaca outgained Hobart, 459-201, in the game and compiled 28 first downs.

Ithaca led, 14-0, at halftime behind touchdown receptions by junior Andrew Vito and senior Will Gladney. IC received the opening kick of the second half and found the end zone 12 plays later on an 11-yard run by sophomore Donte Garcia. On the ensuing kickoff, Hobart turned the ball over the Ithaca on a fumble and the Bombers converted that into three points on a 32-yard field goal by freshman Nicholas Bahamonde. IC would add 10 more points on the board in the fourth quarter on another Gladney touchdown and Bahamonde field goal.

WEEKLY AWARDS CONTINUE TO ROLL IN: On Monday afternoon, the Liberty League announced its weekly honors and Germinerio was named Offensive Performer of the Week and Bahamonde was the Special Teams Performer of the Week.

Sophomore Ed Longest landed on the honor roll, but later that evening, D3football.com placed Longest on its Team of the Week as a defensive lineman after his performance against Hobart. In the shutout win, Longest racked up eight total tackles and two sacks.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: IC moved up in both D3football.com and AFCA polls this week. The Bombers are now ranked No. 8 by D3football.com and No. 7 by AFCA. It is the highest combined rankings for Ithaca since the Bombers were No. 6 (AFCA) and No. 8 (D3football.com) midway through the 2005 season.

NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS: The Bombers are plastered all over the NCAA Division III statistical rankings. As a team, Ithaca ranks seventh in third down conversion (54.3%), eighth in passing offense (332.7 yards per game), eighth in first downs (160), 12th in completion percentage (68.0%), 13th in scoring (45.3 points per game), 15th in kick return average (25.58 yards) and 18th in red zone offense (88.9%).

Individually, Germinerio ranks within the top 20 in nine different offensive categories. He is fourth in completions per game (25.8), fifth in total offense (346.5 yards per game), sixth in points responsible for (146) and per game (24.3), seventh in passing touchdowns (21) and eighth in completion percentage (70.8%).

Gladney ranks eighth in receiving touchdowns (11), 15th in scoring (11 points per game) and 20th in receiving yards per game (116.8). Vito ranks 15th nationally in receptions per game at 7.8.

Bahamonde is first nationally in field goal percentage (100%) and fifth in field goals per game (1.5), while senior John Hadac ranks 20th in sacks per game at 1.08. Senior Kyle Smith is fifth in return touchdowns after his blocked punt in Week 1 against Saint Vincent.

RARIFIED AIR: With a win on Saturday, Ithaca will improve to 7-0 on the season, which will mark the just the eighth time in program history that a Bombers team has started a year 7-0. The 2019 team would join the likes of the 1965, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1988 and 1992 teams that accomplished the same feat.

WILL THE STREAKS CONTINUE?: Heading into Saturday's matchup, Germinerio and Gladney are both riding four-game streaks in passing and receiving yards. Germinerio has thrown for over 300 yards in each of the past four games, while Gladney has gone for over 100 yards receiving. Over the four-game stretch, Germinerio has thrown 14 touchdowns and Gladney has been on the receiving end of eight.

HISTORIC OFFENSIVE PACE: Through six games this season, Ithaca is averaging 45.3 points per game. Should that pace continue, IC would set a new school record for points per game in a season. The 1974 team owns the school record for points per game at 43.8 in the regular season.

SCOUTING ROCHESTER: The Yellowjackets are 0-7 on the season and average just 9.9 points per game, while allowing 35.1. UR averaging 286.0 yards of offense – 199.9 passing, 86.1 rushing – while its opposition racks up 379.0 yards in a balanced effort of 198.9 on the ground and 180.1 through the air.

Rochester has played three different quarterbacks this season and current starter, Derek Bufano, has thrown for 486 yards with two touchdowns in five games played. Noah Shinaman is the top receiving target with 296 yards and four touchdowns, while Jason Cunningham leads the team in rushing with 207 yards.

Defensively, Caden Cole has tallied 58 tackles with two forced fumbles. Devin Woodyard leads the defense with 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

UP NEXT: The Bombers return home for their final home game of the season next Saturday, November 2, for Senior Day and a showdown with No. 25/24 Union College at 1 p.m.