ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 11/12 Ithaca College football team will play its Liberty League finale this Saturday, November 5 at 12 p.m. at Union College for a chance to secure the first outright league championship since joining the Liberty League in 2017. Ithaca, which is 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Liberty League, will square off against the 6-2 (3-1) Dutchmen at Frank Bailey Field.

GAME COVERAGE

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ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca and Union have played a total of 17 times dating back to 1985 and the Bombers leads the all-time series, 13-4. IC won the 2021 meeting, 26-7, after the Dutchmen snapped a nine-game losing streak in 2019 with a 31-21 victory.

The Bombers won the first three contests in 1985, 1986 and 1991, but Union evened up the series with three-straight wins in 1999, 2005 and 2009. IC then won the next nine from 2010-18.

LIBERTY LEAGUE TITLE IS ON THE LINE: A win for the Bombers against Union this Saturday secures IC's first-ever Liberty League title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. A loss means that the Bombers will need RPI to defeat the Dutchmen on November 12 to share the league championship and earn the bid due to tiebreakers.

RECAP AGAINST RPI: Ithaca prevailed in its toughest test of the season last Saturday, October 29, as the Bombers defeated RPI, 13-10, on Senior Day at Butterfield Stadium. A pair of Nicholas Bahamonde second half field goals, accompanied by a blocked field goal by Derek Slywka and fourth quarter interception from Michael Roumes, proved to be the difference in the game.

IC and RPI entered the highly anticipated matchup as two top 10 defenses and that held true last Saturday. Neither team reached 300 yards of offense as IC outgained RPI, 275-266, to end a five-game losing streak to the Engineers.

EERILY SIMILAR: Ithaca and Union have put up near identical numbers this season, so what will be the difference?

IC averages 39.8 points per game and allows 6.8 points – the sixth fewest in Division III. Union scores 37.5 points per contest and gives up 13.5. On the ground, IC averages 204.5 yards and its opponents gain 79.6. The Dutchmen produce 225.1 and surrender 90.6. Through the air, the Bombers throw for 203.5 and give up 134.1, while Union passes for 192.0 and allows 167.8. IC has scored 25 red zone touchdowns and the Dutchmen have found the end zone 26 times. Both third down defenses are extremely stout as well, as IC is 30-for-114 (26.3%) and Union is 35-for-118 (29.7%).

STATISTICS IN FURTHER DETAIL: In Division III, the Bombers rank within the top 10 in the following categories.

2nd – Kickoff Returns (27.6)
3rd – Sacks Allowed (0.38)
3rd – Passing Efficiency Defense (79.9)
4th – Interceptions Thrown (2)
4th – Fourth Down Conversion (80.0)
6th – Scoring Defense (6.8)
7th – Defensive Touchdowns (4)
8th – First Down Defense (97)
8th – Turnovers Lost (6)
9th – Total Defense (213.8)
9th – Completion Percentage (.698)
10th – Third Down Defense (.257)

SCOUTING UNION: The Dutchmen are 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Liberty League after a 23-21 loss to Hobart last week. Union can, however, still secure its second Liberty League championship in three years (2019) with wins over the Bombers and RPI.

Union is led by one of the top quarterbacks at the Division III level in Donovan Pacette, who ranks fourth in passing efficiency (193.6), ninth in yards per completion (16.3) and 14th in completion percentage (.697). Pacette has thrown for 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year, and his main targets are Nicholas Dunneman (39 catches, 653 yards, six touchdowns) and Andre Ross (20 catches, 444 yards, five touchdowns).

On the ground, the Dutchmen rely on a two-back system with Ike Irabor and Michael Fiore. Irabor, a 2019 All-American, has 634 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on the year. In the past two matchups with IC, Irabor has run for 335 yards and three touchdowns. Fiore is a nice compliment to Irabor, as he has 440 yards on 98 carries and seven touchdowns.

The Dutchmen defense is led by Spencer Goldstein's 63 tackles and three interceptions, along with 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Cole DaSilva has 54 tackles on the season, while Miguel Rodriguez, Jack Flanagan and Jaden Duncan each have more than 2.5 sacks on the year.

UP NEXT: The Bombers travel to the Bronx next Saturday to take on No. 9/11 Cortland in the 63rd Cortaca Jug game at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. and will be televised on the YES Network.