Ithaca College Football
ITHACA BOMBERS (9-1, 5-1 Empire 8)
vs.
Curry Colonels (9-1, 6-1 New England Football Conference)
NCAA Championships – First Round
noon; Saturday, 22, 2008
Butterfield Stadium (c. 5,000); Ithaca, N.Y.
THE GAME: The Bombers host the Curry Colonels in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday, Nov. 22. Kickoff is set for noon at Ithaca’s Butterfield Stadium. The winner of this Saturday's game will play the winner of a first-round game between Cortland and Plymouth State (being played Saturday in Cortland) in a second-round game on Saturday, Nov. 29.
THE NCAA PLAYOFFS: A total of 32 teams will be playing in the 2008 NCAA football playoffs; 16 first-round games will be played on Saturday, with eight second-round games to be played on Nov. 29, with the quarterfinals on Dec. 6 and the semifinals on Dec. 13 followed by the 36th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on Dec. 20. All games will be played on campus sites except for the Stagg Bowl, which will be in Salem, Va.
THE COACHES: In his 14th season as Ithaca’s head coach, Mike Welch (Ithaca ’73) has posted a 121-42 (.742) record, including a postseason record of 9-6. He entered the season 15th among active coaches in winning percentage. A running back who earned two letters while playing for coach Jim Butterfield, Welch succeeded his former coach after spending 10 years as an assistant at his alma mater. He is 6-4 in NCAA playoff competition and has never faced Curry.
Skip Bandini (Massachusetts Maritime ‘81) is in his third season, where he has compiled a 32-3 (.914) record. He’s 1-2 in the NCAA playoffs, with all three games coming against Empire 8 teams. His staff includes two Ithaca graduates. Defensive coordinator Todd Nestor ’96 lettered three times as a safety; he was a member of three NCAA playoff teams (including the 1991 Stagg Bowl champions). Receivers coach Bill Struzzi ’08 lettered three times as a linebacker and defensive back.
THE SERIES: The two teams have never met. Curry will be meeting an Empire 8 opponent in the opening round of the NCAA playoffs for the third year in a row; the Colonels lost to Springfield in 2006 and lost at St. John Fisher last fall in a second-round game after beating Hartwick 42-21 to earn the NEFC’s first NCAA playoff win in nine tries. Ithaca has played five games against NEFC members (with four meetings coming in the postseason); Ithaca has met Plymouth State – a potential second-round opponent – twice, losing 13-12 in a 1987 ECAC playoff game and beating the Panthers 22-7 in the 1994 NCAA East Region final. The Bombers have posted ECAC postseason wins over Worcester State (27-21 in 1996)and Massachusetts-Dartmouth (36-19 in 2004). Ithaca beat Fitchburg State 82-0 in 1984.
2008 SCHEDULES
Ithaca (8-1, 5-1 Empire 8) Time/Score Curry (9-1, 6-1 NEFC) Time/Score
9/6 Lycoming (7-3) W 17-16 9/6 at Worcester State (2-8) W 28-21 OT
9/13 at King’s (3-7) W 38-28 9/13 Fitchburg State (4-6) W 41-34
9/20 Hartwick (7-2) * W 69-42 9/20 Westfield State (6-4) # W 42-16
9/27 at #11 St. John Fisher (6-4) * L 6-37 9/27 Western New England (3-7) # W 40-7
10/4 Idle 10/4 at Salve Regina (4-5) # W 21-7
10/11 at Norwich (2-8) * W 41-6 10/11 MIT (5-5) # W 59-27
10/18 Frostburg State (2-6) W 51-24 10/18 at Endicott (3-7) # W 46-27
10/25 Utica (3-7) * W 42-7 10/25 at Plymouth State (10-1) # L 17-28
11/1 Springfield (4-6) * W 37-8 11/1 Nichols (2-8) # W 45-20
11/8 at Alfred (7-3) * W 43-35 11/8 Massachusetts-Dartmouth (6-4) # W 40-20
11/15 at #7 Cortland (9-1) W 35-13 11/15 Idle
11/22 Curry (10-1) noon 11/22 at #12 Ithaca (9-1) noon
* Empire 8 game Team's record in parentheses. # NEFC Boyd game
ITHACA NCAA PLAYOFFS NOTES: Ithaca played two NCAA playoff teams during the regular season, beating MAC champion Lycoming and NJAC winner Cortland. Ithaca is the only team to beat two conference champions in non-conference games this year; the only other team with two wins over 2008 conference winners is King’s (who beat ODAC champ Randolph-Macon and Lycoming from their own conference), another of Ithaca’s non-conference victims.
The Bombers have won 16 of their 19 NCAA playoff games at home (that figure includes a 1974 game played at Cornell’s Schoellkopf Field). Ithaca has not hosted an NCAA playoff game since 1994; that year the Bombers beat Buffalo State 10-7 in double overtime in a regional semifinal and lost 20-16 to Washington & Jefferson in the national semifinal round.
Two other head coaches from the NCAA playoff field have ties to Ithaca: Washington & Jefferson’s Mike Sirianni (a Mount Union graduate) was a graduate assistant at Ithaca in 1994, helping the Bombers reach the NCAA semifinals; and Muhlenberg’s Mike Donnelly is a 1975 Ithaca graduate and former assistant on the Ithaca staff, helping his alma mater to the 1980 Stagg Bowl.
LAST WEEK: Junior Brian Grastorf (Niskayuna/Rexford) made his first career start and threw for 274 yards to lead the #17 Bombers to a 35-13 win at #7 Cortland in the 50th Annual Cortaca Jug game. Senior cornerback Jason Chier (Chenango Forks/Binghamton) tied a school record with three interceptions, pacing a Bomber defense that didn’t allow a touchdown in helping Ithaca retain the rivalry’s traveling trophy.
OFFENSIVE RECAP: Grastorf completed 19 of 28 passes, including three touchdowns. He ran for 48 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career. His completions, attempts, yardage, rushing yards and touchdowns were all career-high totals. Grastorf capped Ithaca’s first drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Kyle Crandall (Herkimer/Herkimer) and put the Bombers back on top with an 80-yard touchdown to Crandall with 1:26 left in the half. His third touchdown pass was a 32-yard screen pass to sophomore running back Dan Ruggiero (Pen Argyl/Pen Argyl, Pa.) in the third quarter. Ruggiero ran for 95 yards – the most given up by the Red Dragons all year. Grastorf scored on a pair of one-yard runs in the fourth quarter. Crandall caught four passes for 115 yards – his third straight 100-yard receiving effort. Senior tight end Brian Weverbergh (Staples/Westport, Conn.) caught six passes for 50 yards. Junior fullback Dan Witbeck (Vestal/Vestal) caught four passes and Ruggiero caught three; both were career-high totals.
DEFENSIVE NOTES: Chier picked off passes in the Bomber end zone on consecutive third-quarter Cortland possessions and collected his record-tying third pickoff on the Ithaca two-yard line in the fourth quarter. He finished with seven tackles (one for a four-yard loss) and broke up two other passes – one in the end zone. Sophomore strong safety David Ahonen (Victor/Farmington) and sophomore linebacker Morgan Abdelnour (Somers/Somers) led Ithaca with nine tackles apiece. Abdelnour’s total was a career high. Ahonen picked off a pass in the end zone on Cortland’s final offensive play. Senior linebacker Matt Scalice (North Tonawanda/North Tonawanda) made eight tackles. Sophomore defensive end Matt Dibble (Columbia/East Schodack) forced a fumble on a sack that senior defensive end John Cirba (Chenango Forks/Binghamton) recovered.
SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT: Freshman Andrew Rogowski (Canisius/East Amherst) kicked extra points after all five Bomber touchdowns. Freshman Eric Toporoff (Montvale Township/Towaco, N.J.) averaged 37.0 yards per punt on three kicks, including a career-long 52-yard punt that was downed at the Cortland 19. Freshman kickoff specialist Brendan Harper (Southside/Pine City), sophomore Matt Crandall (Cattaraugus-Little Valley/Cattaraugus), senior Craig Liebler (Eden/Eden) and sophomore Andy Lonsky (Delaware Valley/Dingmans Ferry, Pa.) all made a pair of tackles in kick coverage.
NATIONAL RANKING: The Bombers are ranked 12th in D3football.com’s final regular-season poll and were ranked 18th in the eighth American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Saturday’s game was the final regular-season game for Ithaca’s 23 seniors. The 35th consecutive class to participate in a playoff game, the group has been part of three NCAA playoff teams and two Empire 8 titles and has helped the Bombers to a 31-11 record since 2005.
CURRY CONNECTION: Senior Mike Nicolo, a four-year defensive back for the Colonels who has not played a shoulder injury, is the son of John Nicolo, a 1980 Ithaca graduate who’s one of the school’s most successful athletes. He won national championships with as a football running back (1979) and baseball shortstop (1980). The 1980 College World Series MVP, he was inducted into Ithaca’s Hall of Fame in 1986.
EMPIRE 8 UPDATE: This season marks the seventh year of Empire 8-sponsored football and the fifth year that the conference’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. The 2004 addition of Norwich and Springfield as affiliate members brought the league’s total to seven football playing members (Norwich will drop out of the conference following this season).
The Bombers own an all-time record of 32-6 in league competition. They were picked atop the conference’s preseason poll after being selected fourth in last year’s poll. Ithaca had been chosen first in each of the first three conference preseason polls.
Ithaca has now won five league titles in the seven years of Empire 8 football; the Bombers won the inaugural Empire 8 title in 2002 and repeated as conference champion in 2003, posting a 4-0 league record each season. In 2004 Ithaca and St. John Fisher tied for the league crown with 5-1 records. In 2005 the Bombers posted the Empire 8’s first 6-0 record en route to their fourth league championship. The Bombers also won conference titles in the Independent College Athletic Conference (forerunner to the Empire 8) in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987. Ithaca owns a 93-30-2 (.748) advantage against the conference's current members.
ITHACA IN THE NCAA PLAYOFFS: The Bombers are making their 17th NCAA playoff appearance; Saturday will be their 40th NCAA playoff game. The Bombers are 27-12, winning national titles in 1979, 1988 and 1991. The 1974, 1975, 1980 and 1985 teams also played in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, with the 1986 and 1994 teams also reaching the NCAA semifinals. The only schools to play in more NCAA tournaments are Mount Union (20), St. John’s [Minn.] and Washington & Jefferson (19 each). The Bombers have played in more NCAA playoff games than any school except Mount Union (54-9 in 58 games), St. John’s (34-16 in 50 games) and Rowan (30-13 in 43 games).
NCAA LEADERS: In the latest national statistics released by the NCAA (through games of Nov. 8), Jason Chier ranked seventh in punt returns (17.62 yards per return); Thomas Bergerstock ranked seventh in scoring (13.33 ppg) and 14th in rushing (135.67 ypg); Kyle Crandall ranked 36th in receiving yards (93.43 ypg) and Dan Juvan ranked 37th in pass efficiency (140.07).
As a team, the Bombers ranked 10th in punt returns (16.36 yards per return), 18th in scoring offense (38.22 ppg), 17th in total offense (443.11 ypg), 32nd in pass efficiency (143.11) and 36th in rushing offense (206.0 ypg).
ITHACA ITEMS: Ithaca’s win over Utica clinched the program’s 38th straight winning season. The Bombers, who own the nation’s second-longest active streak of winning seasons at any level of college football (Linfield recorded its 53rd straight winning season).
The Bombers now own a 37-26-3 series advantage over Cortland. Ithaca has won the last two games by a combined total of 45 points and owns a 33-17 mark since 1959’s introduction of the Cortaca Jug traveling trophy. The Bombers are 16-15-2 in Cortland, and 14-11 with the Jug at stake.
This marks the ninth time that Ithaca has won at least nine games in the regular season (the 1980 team won 10; the Bombers won nine in 1974, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1992 and 2001). A win over Curry would give Ithaca the program’s 13th double-digit win season and the first since the 2003 team went 10-3.
Brian Grastorf is the 28th quarterback since 1978 to start a game for the Bombers and the first to make his first career start in the Cortaca Jug game. Of those 28, 25 won their first career start.
Kyle Crandall has gained 100 receiving yards in three straight games, marking the longest streak since all-American Joe Palumbo had a school-record six straight 100-yard efforts in 1993.
This year marks the first time that two Bombers have both run for over 190 yards in the regular season (in 2005, Jamie Donovan ran for 189 yards at Hartwick and Alex Baez gained 196 in an NCAA playoff game at Union). Only one other team has had two running backs run for at least 190 yards in a game this season.
Five Bomber wide receivers have caught a touchdown pass this fall (Zach Connett, Kyle Crandall, Matt Quinn, Dan Ruffrage and Thomas Vossler), tying the school record set in 2005. A school-record 12 Bombers caught touchdown passes that year – five wide receivers, three tight ends, three running backs and a fullback.
In Mike Welch’s 15 years as head coach, the Bombers have taken a lead into halftime 108 times and won 98 of those games. Their record in that span when leading after three quarters is 110-9.
Ithaca was idle the week before defeating Norwich, marking the program’s third year in a row having a week without a game during the regular season. The Bombers haven’t lost a game following a week off since 1949, winning 11 times by an average score of 35-11. Before 2006 Ithaca hadn’t had a week off since 1991. That year the Bombers took a week off between beating Buffalo State 41-23 and topping Cortland 23-14 on their way to winning their record third Stagg Bowl. Since 1958 the Bombers have had seven seasons with a week off; five of those teams (1975, 1985, 1986, 1990 and 1991) reached the NCAA playoffs.
Ithaca went into the Norwich game coming off a loss at #11 St. John Fisher; the Bombers have lost a total of 69 games in the past 32 years and have now bounced back with a win their next time out 57 times.
Ithaca’s win over Lycoming win was the 200th win the Bombers have recorded at Butterfield Stadium (which was known as South Hill Field until 1992); Ithaca is now 201-41-1 at the facility, which opened in 1958.
The Bombers enjoyed a three-game homestand this year for the 21st time since 1970; Ithaca posted a winning record in 18 of the previous 20 homestands and notched 3-0 records on 12 occasions – including this fall.
RECORD WATCH: (note Ithaca career and season records include post-season games since 2002; statistics compiled in post-season games before that do not count toward Ithaca career and season records)
Junior running back Thomas Bergerstock (Webster-Thomas/Webster) has raised his season total to 1,240 yards, good for third on the program’s single-season list; he is 68 yards away from the single-season record.
Bergerstock has raised his career total to 1,339 yards. The 29th Bomber to gain 1,000 career yards (and the 10th Ithaca running back to reach that total since 1998); he now ranks 19th and needs 93 yards to move into 15th. His 20 career rushing scores put him seventh on Ithaca’s all-time list, leaving him four away from the top five.
The 27th Bomber with 100 career points, Bergerstock ranks 15th on the all-time scoring list. He is 21 points away from moving into the top 10.
Senior cornerback Jason Chier became the sixth Bomber to intercept three passes in a game – and the third to do so against Cortland (joining Bob Gneo in 1983 and Kevin Farrell in 1986). His season total of seven puts him two behind the school record held by all-American Scott Colton (1977)and Bob Campese (1981) and his 10 career interceptions make him the 11th Bomber to reach double figures. One more would put him in a tie for fifth.
Senior quarterback Dan Juvan (Dobbs Ferry/Yonkers) raised his career total to 6,308 yards; he ranks second on the program’s all-time list. Juvan also ranks second in career completions (465), second in completion percentage (.608) and fourth in touchdown passes (48). His pass efficiency rating of 144.7 is the program’s second-highest (minimum of 15 attempts per game).
Juvan has raised his season total to 1,753 yards, good for 11th on the program’s single-season list. He is one of three Bombers to record three 1,500-yard passing seasons.
Senior tight end Brian Weverbergh broke his own year-old tight end record, raising his 2008 total to 47 catches (the 10th-best single-season total by any Ithaca receiver). His 647 receiving yards extends his own record for Bomber tight ends. Weverbergh raised his career totals to 117 catches and 1,500 yards, extending his own tight end records in both categories. He ranks fifth among all Bomber receivers in receptions (three away from third) and is eighth on Ithaca’s career list for receiving yards. With 13 touchdown catches, Weverbergh ranks seventh all-time at Ithaca and needs two to pass Conor Mulkeen (1999 to 2001) for the Bomber tight end record.
Senior wide receiver Kyle Crandall ranks second all-time at Ithaca with an average of 21.7 yards per reception. His 60 career catches rank 23rd all-time at Ithaca. The 17th Bomber to gain 1,000 career receiving yards, he has gained 1,301 and ranks 14th (39 yards from a spot in the top 10). Crandall’s 11 career touchdown catches make him the 13th Bomber to reach that total; one more puts him in a tie for eighth.
Sophomore wide receiver Thomas Vossler (Saranac Lake/Loon Lake) already ranks 35th on Ithaca’s career list with 40 receptions.
Senior linebacker Matt Scalice raised his career total to 260 tackles. The 26th Bomber to reach 200, he ranks 11th all-time and is 10 away from a spot in the top 10. Senior linebacker John Scanlon () raised his total to 204 to become the 27th Bomber to reach that total; he ranks 24th overall.
Freshman Andrew Rogowski has scored 62 points this season, already good for 11th all-time among Ithaca kickers (three more points will put him in the program’s all-time top 10). Sophomore Dillon Dwyer (Garden City/Garden City) ranks ninth with 66 points.
TEAM RECORD BOOK: Ithaca is moving up the program’s single-season lists in a number of categories this season.
Category Figure Rank Record Year
Total Offense per Play 6.47 Second 6.54 1974
Blocked Kicks 6 Second 7 1995
Completion Percentage 61.2 Third 69.9 2005
Punt Returns 16.43 Third 22.50 1998
Pass Break-Ups 51 Third 54 2002
PAT Kicks Attempted 51 Fourth 59 1980
Field Goal Percentage .750 Fourth 100.0 1978
Pass Efficiency 146.7 Fifth 191.1 1974
Total Offense per Game 440.4 Fifth 503.4 1980
PAT Kicks Made 47 Fifth 50 2004
Yards per Pass Attempt 8.7 Sixth 12.3 1977
Rushing Touchdowns 32 Sixth 37 1992
Touchdowns 52 Sixth 61 1980
Points 379 Seventh 432 1980
Total Offense 4,404 Seventh 440.4 1980
Yards per Rush 4.94 Eighth 5.79 1988
Passing Yards 2,402 Eighth 3,001 2005
Passing Yards per Game 240.2 Ninth 275.9 1999
Receptions per Game 16.90 Ninth 23.10 1999
Pass Completions 169 10th 235 2005
All-Purpose Yards 5,434 10th 6,394 2003
All-Purpose Yards per Game 543.4 10th 624.6 2003
EMPIRE 8 HONORS: Junior quarterback Brian Grastorf and senior cornerback Jason Chier have swept the Empire 8’s final weekly awards. Grastorf was named Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 274 yards against previously undefeated Cortland in his first career start. Chier, a two-time winner of the award this year, tied a school record with three interceptions. This marks the seventh time in 10 games that the Bombers have earned one of the league’s weekly awards (Chier was named Defensive Player of the Week after the Lycoming win, senior tight end Brian Weverbergh was named Offensive Player of the Week after the King’s win, junior running back Thomas Bergerstock was named Offensive Player of the Week after the Hartwick win, Matt Scalice was named Defensive Player of the Week following the Utica win; the offensive line of junior center Ben Garvey, senior left guard Chris Gray, senior left tackle Sean Mirkov, junior right tackle Jake Queener and senior right guard Eric Russo was collectively named Offensive Player of the Week after the Frostburg State win; and sophomore running back Dan Ruggiero was named Offensive Player of the Week after the Alfred win.
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS: Award winners for the Cortland game, as chosen by the coaching staff, were: Outstanding Back: Grastorf; Outstanding Lineman: Goetz; Specialist of the Week: Rogowski; Hustler of the Week: Cirba; Offensive Scout Team Player of the Week: freshman offensive lineman Nick Van Vlamertynghe (Staples/Easton, Conn.); Defensive Scout Team Player of the Week: freshman Kevin Cline (Waldwick/Waldwick, N.J.); Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Week: freshman Adam Lajara (Cambridge/Cambridge); Honorary Offensive Captain: Kyle Crandall; and Honorary Defensive Captain: Chier. Play of the Game awards were given to senior right guard Eric Russo (Weston/Weston, Conn.) for offense and junior defensive tackle Kyle Scharles (Canandaigua Academy/Canandaigua) for defense.
BROADCAST NEWS: The Curry game will be broadcast by WICB-FM (91.7) in Ithaca. Senior Lee Small and junior Michael Polak will call the game, beginning at 11:30 a.m. with the Countdown to Kickoff pregame show. WICB’s coverage – which also includes a live post-game call-in show – can also be heard through TEAMLINE, a pay-per-listen service, by calling 800/846-7000. Ithaca’s access code is 3945.
Saturday’s game will be televised live by IC-TV on Time Warner Cable’s channel 16; ICTV’s broadcast will be available over the Internet at no charge through Stretch Internet at http://www.stretchinternet.com/ithaca/video.html.
ICTV also broadcasts The Gridiron Report, a weekly highlight show featuring Coach Mike Welch and Bomber players. The Gridiron Report airs Sundays at 9 p.m.
NEXT WEEK: The winner of Saturday’s game will face the winner of the Cortland-Plymouth State game (being played Saturday in Cortland), on Saturday, Nov. 29. Ithaca would host either opponent Curry would travel to either opponent. Kickoff will be at noon.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Ithaca sports information director Mike Warwick in the sports information office at 607/274-1401 or mwarwick@ithaca.edu, or at home (607/662-4446) or Curry SID Ken Golner at kgolner@post03.curry.edu or (617) 333-2324.
11/17/08-
