ITHACA, N.Y. – After three road games and a bye week to start the 2023 season, the nationally ranked No. 17/18 Ithaca College football team will finally play a home contest at the newly renovated Butterfield Stadium this Saturday as the Bombers welcome Hobart College to South Hill for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Ithaca is 2-1 on the season, while Hobart brings a perfect 3-0 mark into the Liberty League matchup.

COVERAGE

WATCH (ICTV) | LISTEN (WICB) | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES (ITHACA) | GAME NOTES (HOBART)

STATISTICS

ITHACA | HOBART | LIBERTY LEAGUE

ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca has played Hobart 35 times dating back to 1961. The Bombers own the all-time series, 30-5, and are 17-0 against the Statesmen at home. IC also brings a five-game winning streak over Hobart into Saturday's contest. Four of Hobart's wins over the Bombers occurred between 2000 and 2016, as IC won the first 22 of 23 meetings in the rivalry.

DEDICATION OF BUTTERFIELD STADIUM: On Friday afternoon, Ithaca College will hold its formal dedication for the newly renovated Butterfield Stadium, which will now be called Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium, after a major $3 million gift from Monica Bertino '81 Wooden. Butterfield Stadium now features FieldTurf and lights.

LAST TIME OUT: Ithaca is coming off a bye week after defeating Alfred, 22-0, in Week 3 at Yunevich Stadium on September 16 to improve to 2-1 on the year. At Alfred, the Bombers dominated the first half and jumped out to a 16-0 lead by intermission. The second half was tightly contested, and IC was held off the board until 3:07 left in the game.

Ithaca allowed just 155 yards of offense to the Saxons, while the Bombers offense produced 350 yards.

A.J. Wingfield threw for 226 yards and a touchdown on 21-of-32 attempts and scored a rushing touchdown, while Jalen Leonard-Osbourne rushed for 77 yards and a score and caught four passes for 67 yards. Nicholas Matos hauled in his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Jonathan Koumas led the defense with nine tackles, while Owen O'Neill had five tackles and three for a loss of seven yards. Ben Stola added six tackles.

Derek Baldin made a 22-yard field goal and booted three touchbacks.

LIBERTY LEAGUE PLAY BEGINS: Six of the seven Liberty League teams are in action this Saturday. All three games are within the league as Union hosts St. Lawrence and Rochester travels to Buffalo State. RPI is off this week.

MOVING UP IN THE RANKINGS: Despite being on a bye, the Bombers moved up four spots in the most recent D3football.com Top 25 Poll from No. 21 to No. 17. IC also moved up four spots in the AFCA poll from 22nd to 18th. Hardin-Simmons, Bethel and Carnegie Mellon all lost last week and fell below the Bombers in both polls.

MORE ABOUT THE BOMBERS: Ithaca enters Saturday's game averaging 19.7 points and 326.0 yards on offense, while the defense has surrendered 14.7 points and 287.7 yards to the opposition.

The shutout of Alfred last week extends the Bombers' streak to seven straight seasons in which IC has kept a team off the scoreboard. It also marks the 110th shutout in program history dating back to 1930.

Wingfield has thrown for 510 yards and four touchdowns on the year, while Sam Kline has been on the receiving end of 16 passes for 244 yards and three scores. Leonard-Osbourne has emerged as a running and receiving threat with 235 yards of offense.

Stola paces the defense with 26 total tackles and two interceptions and Jake Connolly ranks seconds with 19 stops. O'Neill has five tackles for a loss of 20 yards and is one of three Bombers with a sack (Jon Ramsey and Josh Miles).

Darren Brunner averages nearly 40 yards (39.6) per punt this season on 12 attempts, while Baldin has booted four touchbacks in 13 kickoffs.

SCOUTING HOBART: The Statesmen are a perfect 3-0 on the year with wins over Alfred (31-9), Morrisville (27-10) and Keystone (43-10). Hobart averages over 33 points and 400 yards thus far, while holding opponents to 9.7 points and 252 yards.

Hobart relies heavily on its run game as the Statesmen rush for 264 yards per contest. Rayshawn Boswell leads the way with 283 yards on 42 attempts, while Tim Denham has 193 yards on 43 carries and E.J. Taylor has added 144 yards on 25 touches.

Johnny Colombi has thrown for 411 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with 116 yards on the ground.

The Hobart defense wreaks havoc in the opponents' backfield with 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks on the year. Ten different players have recorded a tackle for loss and eight Statesmen have at least a half sack on the year. Hobart also has six interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

UP NEXT: The Bombers travel to RPI for a 12 p.m. kickoff on October 7.