ITHACA, N.Y. - The Ithaca College football team will officially kick off its 2019 season tomorrow afternoon, September 7, at 1 p.m. against Saint Vincent College at Chuck Noll Stadium in Latrobe, Pa. This Saturday marks the first time that IC has begun a season on the road since 2015. The Bombers are coming off an 8-3 season, while Saint Vincent went 1-9 in 2018.

GAME COVERAGE

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ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca holds the all-time series (1-0) over Saint Vincent College as they have only played once.  Ithaca defeated Saint Vincent 38-14 on September 1, 2018.
 
In the only game between the two teams, the Ithaca defense recorded two fumble recoveries for touchdowns and forced five total turnovers.  The Ithaca defense also held the Saint Vincent offense to 172 total yards.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, Ithaca recorded over 400 yards while scoring one rushing touchdown and two passing touchdowns.

MEET THE 2019 CAPTAINS: This season, Ithaca will be led by five senior captains: Kyle Berna, Michael Conley, Nick Garone, Will Gladney and John Hadac. The last time IC selected five captains to represent the program was in 2011.

These five senior leaders have combined to play in more than 110 games over the past three seasons.

HEAD COACH DAN SWANSTROM: Now in his third season, head coach Dan Swanstrom owns an overall record of 16-6 at Ithaca College. The 16 victories are the most by an IC head coach over their first two years with the program, and Swanstrom's .727 winning percentage is second all-time only to Jim Butterfield.

PRESEASON HONORS FOR GLADNEY AND HADAC: FreeAgentFootball.com released its Preseason All-Americans for the 2019 season in mid-August and Gladney was a First-Team Offense selection, while Hadac earn Second-Team Defense honors. Gladney was also named Preseason All-American by Lindy's Sports.

FreeAgentFootball.com (FAF) is an advanced scouting and networking platform for all individuals involved in the great sport of football on all levels. Designed by former NFL scouts, players and staff, FAF was launched in 2016 and is now one of the fastest growing networks on the planet.

BOMBERS RECOGNIZED IN PRESEASON POLLS: IC enters 2019 nationally ranked by two media outlets and receiving votes in another. The main NCAA Division III poll, D3football.com, has the Bombers receiving 42 votes in its preseason poll. Street & Smith's magazine released its NCAA Division III Preseason Poll in June, and the Bombers were slotted No. 15 in the country. This marks the highest preseason ranking by any DIII football poll since IC began the 2009 season ranked 10th in the nation by D3football.com. College Football America Yearbook unveiled its Preseason Top 30 Poll in July and slotted Ithaca at No. 25 in the nation.

GERMINERIO TRANSFERS TO IC: All-American quarterback, Joe Germinerio, will suit up for the Bombers this season after spending the last three years at SUNY Brockport. While at Brockport, Germinerio guided the Golden Eagles to an overall record of 31-5 as Brockport reached the NCAA Division III Semifinals in 2017. Over the course of three seasons, Germinerio set school records at Brockport with 7,987 yards passing and 66 touchdowns.

SCOUTING SAINT VINCENT: The Bearcats are coming off a 1-9 season in 2018, but have a new head coach in Aaron Smetanka. Saint Vincent average 17.0 points and 255.2 yards per game last year.

The Bearcats' leading rusher, Mike Stasko, is back after he compiled 465 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. Stasko is also the top returning receiver on the team with 301 yards on 26 receptions.

Defensively, SVC allowed 30.2 points and 328.7 yards per outing last season. Three of SVC's returners on defense – Mike Turner Jr., Izaak Gray and Cody Henry – combined for more than 150 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.

2019 CORTACA: The 61st Cortaca Jug Game will be held at MetLife Stadium on November 16 at 1 p.m. as part of an invitation from the National Football Foundation to celebrate the 150th season of college football in America. Tickets for the game are available through StubHub on CortacaJug.com.

Tickets will also go on sale on IC's campus from September 18-20 at the Athletics and Events Center. For more information about on campus sales, please follow this link.

UP NEXT: The Bombers are off next week but will return to action on September 21 for a non-conference showdown with long-time rival Alfred University at 1 p.m. at Butterfield Stadium.