ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team will hit the road for the first time since Week 1 as the Bombers make the short trip to Geneva to take on the Hobart College Statesmen at 1 p.m. on October 3.
GAME COVERAGE
ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca heads to Hobart this Saturday for a crucial Liberty League matchup at Boswell Field. The Bombers are 32-6 all-time against the Statesmen dating back to 1961 and have won seven of the last eight meetings.
A win for the Bombers on Saturday will move their overall record to 4-1 and 3-0 in the Liberty League, while a loss by Hobart will essentially end its chances to win the conference with an 0-2 start. Conversely, a win by the Statesmen would create a tight race at the top of the Liberty League standings early in the season.
ALWAYS A BATTLE: If history is any indication, this one will come down to the final quarter of the game. Since 2002 (12 contests), nine of those meetings have come down to 11 points or fewer in the final score. In fact, all nine matchups were a one-possession game heading to the fourth quarter.
LAST TIME OUT: IC won its third straight game and improved to 2-0 in the Liberty League with a dominant, 66-0, shutout win against St. Lawrence. The victory ran IC's winning streak to 31 consecutive games against the Saints and was the program's first shutout since blacking SLU back in 2024.
The 66-point shutout win matches the second-largest margin of victory in a shutout for the Bombers. In 2001, Ithaca blanked Utica, 66-0, and the largest shutout win is 82-0 over Fitchburg State in 1982.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Reed accounted for four touchdowns and 290 yards as he threw for 221 yards and three scores and rushed for 69 yards and another touchdown.
Anthony Mestre scored twice with 115 yards on 14 carries and
Chase Myers rushed for 98 yards on eight attempts and a touchdown.
Nicholas Lang caught four passes for 116 yards and a score.
RJ Boynton blocked a punt and
Quinten Lewis notched an interception, while
Chris Clax recovered a fumble.
ANOTHER ONE FOR THE BOOKS: The 66 points scored vs. SLU, along with the 76 points against Hilbert in Week 3, are the highest two-game total the Bombers have tallied in program history. It's also the first time that IC has posted back-to-back games over 60 points.
IC racked up 573 yards of offense are sixth-most in a single game and the 104 yards allowed to St. Lawrence are the fewest the defense has given up since 2022 when Ithaca held the Saints to 93 yards.
A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN: Lang has been on a tear over his last six games (dating back to 2025). Since RPI on Nov. 8, 2025, Lang has caught 35 passes for 714 yards and 10 touchdowns, which includes at least one touchdown in all six contests.
In recent history, the only two receivers comparable to Lang's output are
Will Gladney and Andrew Vito from 2019. Vito caught 57 passes for 746 yards and seven touchdowns, while Gladney hauled in 46 receptions for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns.
IN THE RANKINGS: IC is ranked among the top 20 best teams in Division III in numerous statistical categories ahead of Saturday's showdown. The Bombers are second nationally in first downs (111), sixth in rushing offense (287.0), 10th in total offense (536.0), 12th in scoring offense (47.5), 19th in scoring defense (9.8) and 20th in total defense (217.3).
MAINTAINING CONTROL OF THE CONFERENCE: The Bombers could move to 3-0 in Liberty League with a win Saturday, which would keep them atop the standings during a pivotal time in conference play. Next week, Union (1-0) and Hobart battle on Oct. 10, and then the Bombers play the Garnet Chargers on Oct. 24. IC and Rochester (1-0) play next Saturday, while RPI (1-0) plays Hilbert and Buffalo State over the next week weeks.
CORTACA: The Bombers conclude the season against Cortland in the 67th Cortaca Jug Game presented by Visions Federal Credit Union at Yankee Stadium on November 14 at 1 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased on Ticket Master by searching 'Cortaca Jug'.
SCOUTING HOBART: The Statesmen have had an up-and-down season thus far and bring a 2-2 mark to their home field. Hobart started the season, 2-0, after home wins against Alfred (24-17) and Brockport (27-14), but fell on the road to Utica (36-29) and RPI (33-7).
Hobart averages 312.8 yards of offense per game, while the defense allows 348.0. However, the defensive unit has produced eight takeaways, two blocked kicks, a pick-six and safety.
The offense goes through Preseason All-American running back, E.J. Taylor, who has scored five total touchdowns on 93 touches for 388 yards rushing and 177 yards receiving. Quarterback Aidan Conrath has thrown for 572 yards on 42-of-74 attempts and six touchdowns but did not appear in the most recent game against RPI. Timothy McKeever and Johnny Harding account for 179 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
Zeshan Dixon has been the star of the season thus far as he paces the Hobart defense with 32 tackles, four interceptions, 1.5 tackles for a loss, a sack and forced fumble. Dixon picked off three passes against Hobart, one of which went back for a pick-six.
Six other players have racked up more than 20 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
On special teams, Vicente Lyon is a two-time All-American punter and brings an average of 40.1 yards on 14 punts this season with eight landing inside the 20-yard line. Owen McNulty is 9-for-9 on PATs and 2-for-3 in field goals, while Collin Goff appears on kickoffs with five touchbacks in 16 tries.
UP NEXT: The Bombers are back on South Hill next Saturday, October 10 to play Rochester at 1 p.m. It is Hall of Fame and Homecoming Weekend at Ithaca, and the newest induction class will be honored at halftime of the game. Also at halftime, former gymnast Grace Murray will receive her national championship ring.
