Receivers in addition to Cecil Shorts are involved in the
offense, the running game is productive and the defense keeps the
opposing quarterback in the pocket.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
They hold onto the football and put the defense in bad
positions too many times.
This season's turning point:
This may actually be yet to come. We're waiting for Neal
Seaman's version of the seminal late-game scoring drive that many
of his predecessors took the Purple Raiders on to win games in
their first year as starting quarterback.
Rushing/receiving yards per game:
182.8/268.0
Rushing/receiving yards allowed:
77.9/122.2
How far can they go?
We have never said anything less than "all the way" for the
Purple Raiders. The bracket gives them a potential semifinal
challenge, however, and there's a chance this won't be the color of
purple in Salem.
Justin Autera is averaging more than 5 yards per carry. The
offense starts and ends with Autera, and the offensive line's
ability to block for him. A recurring problem in the second half of
the season has been the lack of time for Dan Pitcher to throw the
football, and teams have been putting extra defenders in the box to
key on Autera.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
Pitcher can't find an open man because the receivers are
getting jammed at the line. Cortland has been very deep at receiver
in recent years, but this season they have not been physical enough
against strong defenses.
This season's turning point:
Out of timeouts with 1:43 left, Cortland mounted a scoring
drive to take a 10-9 lead on Montclair State, then held on as the
Red Hawks missed a 30-yard field goal wide left as time
expired.
You lose track of how many Privateers are carrying the ball.
With three rushers with 110 carries or more, and two more with at
least 66, the triple-option offense they run involves spreading the
ball around. Quarterback Joe Dickey is the only one guaranteed his
touches, and he hasn't had more than 18 in a game.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
The defense, which stays on the field for just 25 minutes a
game, is giving up sustained drives. The Privateers allow just 3.23
yards per running play.
This season's turning point:
In the preseason, when Kendrick-Holmes told his team he'd be shipping
out before the end of the year for active duty. That gave the
players, coming off the school's first winning season, an
intangible incentive that's carried them through 10 wins so
far.
Rushing/receiving yards per game:
315.4/71.5
Rushing/receiving yards allowed:
108.9/151.7
How far can they go?
Not to cast aspersion on the Privateers, but according to our
Kickoff rankings, the best team they've played was Merchant Marine,
ranked No. 147. Even if we were way, way off, SUNY-Maritime is in
for a shock when it takes the field against Alfred. That's not to
say that the intangibles aren't heavily in Maritime's favor (other
than home field), but this is a different ballgame than the
ECFC.
They establish Matt Cook and the run game early. Cook has
broken a school record of some kind almost every week (rushing
yards per game, career rushing touchdowns). The line anchored
by preseason All-American Mike Long is a big part of that.
But there are questions about whether center Jim McKay can come
back from a knee injury after missing a couple games. The
Aggies' offense needs balance.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
They turn the ball over and don't cash in on red zone
opportunities. The Aggies have gone through stretches where
they don't take care of the ball (eight turnovers against Wilkes,
three in the first half against Widener). There's no room for
that in the playoffs.
This season's turning point:
After a sloppy first half at Wilkes, Delaware Valley came out
of the locker room trailing 18-16. The Aggies' first drive of the
second half established a new tone with Cook running behind the
offensive line. Cook scored a touchdown to give the Aggies the lead
for good. He finished the day with 328 yards and the Aggies
left Wilkes-Barre with a big W.
Rushing/receiving yards per game:
203.5/235.8
Rushing/receiving yards allowed:
60.2/163.3
How far can they go?
Road ends in Alliance, if not sooner after the Aggies lost some
key pieces in the regular-season finale against Widener.
The triple option attack is distributing the ball around to
multiple ball carriers and ripping off huge gains. They complete a
few passes and the defense stuffs the run.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
They can't hang onto the football. A danger with any option
attack, Salisbury struggles with holding onto the ball as well,
fumbling 42 times in nine games, losing 21.
This season's turning point:
Quarterback Dan Griffin winning the starting job in preseason.
The position was up for grabs during coming in and the offense was
lacking a leader. Griffin has made the offense go with 1069 rushing
yards and may have to shoulder the load even more as fullback
Randal Smedley has not played since the Wesley game.
Rushing/receiving yards per game:
407.9/56.1
Rushing/receiving yards allowed:
55.3/212.4
How far can they go?
You'd like to think a different look could give Mount Union
trouble. But it won't, if they even get a chance.
They play balanced on offense and don't try to rely solely on
quarterback Tommy Secky.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
They turn the ball over three or more times. Plus, they've had
80 or more yards of penalties five times this season, including
each of the last three regular-season games.
This season's turning point:
Could be an hour after the bracket was announced, when Alfred
finally figured out what we knew all along and posted, that they
were hosting SUNY-Maritime in the first round.
They run the ball consistently. For a team that returned all
five starting linemen from a year ago, the Gulls have only had five
100-yard rushing games as a team all season. But they controlled
the clock in the NEFC title game against a triple option team, so
anything is possible.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
They can't protect the quarterback. Endicott gave up eight
sacks in the first two games but has only allowed five in the next
nine contests.
This season's turning point:
Rallying from a 24-13 deficit in the final nine minutes to
knock off Curry 28-24 and stake a real claim to top dog status in
the NEFC Boyd.
Rushing/receiving yards per game:
138.2/191.5
Rushing/receiving yards allowed:
131.8/133.8
How far can they go?
Hey, we've underestimated the NEFC champ before, but Cortland
could easily make this team one-dimensional very quickly.
Marcus Washington can get 150 yards or more on the ground. The
converted fullback has been the key to creating a balanced attack
for the Saints. Prior to this season, quarterback JP Kearney
was unable to ever get into the flow of the game, often being
forced into throwing interceptions. For some reason, Washington's
presence in the backfield has helped make Kearney a better passer
as the two-dimensional offensive strategy surprised a lot of Libery
League teams this season.
You'll know they're playing poorly if:
If St. Lawrence falls behind in the time of possession, they
will be in trouble. In all five losses, the Saints came up
short in the time of possession category, including in their sole
loss in the Liberty League (Nov. 6 at Rochester -- 26:44 to
33:16). Game tempo control is necessary for St. Lawrence's
comfort zone this year.
This season's turning point:
Intercepting back-to-back passes with under 90 seconds left in
the game to preserve a three-point lead and defeat Hobart
24-21.
Mount Union Purple Raiders
Cortland State Red Dragons
SUNY-Maritime Privateers
Delaware Valley Aggies
Salisbury Sea Gulls
Alfred Saxons
Endicott Gulls
St. Lawrence Saints