CANTON, N.Y. - In Saturday's Liberty League finale, the nationally ranked No. 15/16 Ithaca College football team continued to keep their foot on the gas following their title-clinching victory last weekend. The Bombers traveled to St. Lawrence and dominated all three aspects of the game. IC put on an all-around performance, controlling the ground game, creating challenging third-down situations for St. Lawrence and special teams' turnovers. Despite a few penalties, Ithaca consistently rose to the occasion, giving the Saints issues from the first snap and securing a 51-14 victory to improve to 8-1 on the season and close out Liberty League play with a perfect 6-0 record.
The Bombers had a clear game plan: force St. Lawrence into difficult third-down situations and rely on their veteran offensive line to take early control, both on the ground and through the air.
The game began with a St. Lawrence drive that resulted in a roughing-the-punter penalty against Ithaca, but ultimately led to another punt by St. Lawrence.
On the Bombers' first drive, Colin Schumm made an impressive start, connecting with Sam Kline on three consecutive passes. Jalen Leonard-Osbourne capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown from eight yards out, putting Ithaca ahead 6-0. IC traveled 92 yards on 11 plays as Schumm went 6-for-6 for 70 yards.
However, St. Lawrence responded with a long touchdown run to take a 7-6 lead. Jackson Tewksbury broke off a 53-yard run for the score, but the Saints only rushed for 39 more yards for the remainder of the game.
Ithaca quickly answered with a crucial third-down pass from Schumm to Kline, later setting up a second rushing touchdown by Leonard-Osbourne, this time from 18 yards, and extending Ithaca's lead to 13-7.
After St. Lawrence regained possession, Ithaca's defense forced a fumble, setting them up at St. Lawrence's 48-yard line. Isaiah Couser pulled off the strip and Jake Connolly recovered.
Derek Baldin quickly converted a 33-yard field goal before halftime, making it 16-7.
To start the second half, Ithaca came out hot with an 11-play drive that ended in a Schumm 1-yard touchdown, extending their lead to 23-7.
Ithaca's defense secured another quick stop later in the quarter, with Drew Buckley blocking a St. Lawrence punt attempt, which led to a touchdown by Jalen Hines, making Ithaca's lead to 30-7. Hines scored on a 9-yard carry of the first play from scrimmage with 6:46 remaining in the third quarter.
Then, just as St. Lawrence appeared to gain momentum at the end of the third quarter, Derek Slywka intercepted the ball in the end zone for a touchback with under three minutes to go.
In the fourth quarter, after St. Lawrence pulled to within a 30-14 difference, the Bombers scored three more touchdowns to account for the 51-14 final. Schumm found Ben Marinaccio for a 9-yard score with 9:36 left and then Dan Mason scored on a 4-yard run just over five minutes later. Cam Paquette finished off the scoring with an 18-yard pick-six in the final minute of play.
The heart of the Bombers' victory lay in their relentless ground attack, resulting in five rushing touchdowns from four different players as IC racked up 261 yards on 42 carries.
Schumm went 14-for-26 for 151 yards and a touchdown, in addition to eight rushes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Leonard-Osbourne had another outstanding week, tallying 12 rushes for 99 yards and two touchdowns, along with four receptions for 28 yards. His explosive runs and goal-line expertise were pivotal to the Bombers' rushing attack.
Kline continued to impress with four receptions for 65 yards, making significant catches on crucial third downs that boosted the Bombers' offensive drives.
The Bombers excelled on both defense and special teams, from their starters to the second-string players. Connolly and Jonathan Koumas led the team with eight tackles each, contributing a tackle for loss. Ithaca held St. Lawrence to just 2.8 yards per carry and recorded a forced fumble and three interceptions by defensive backs Slywka, Jason Haber, and Paquette. It was Slywka's fifth interception in four games.
In the trenches, Carson Ciancuielli was a force with 2.5 tackles for a loss of 10 yards and 1.5 sacks. Couser also tallied a sack for 14 yards, while Buckley finished with six tackles and a pass breakup. Ben Stola, Haber and Sam Tourangeau each added five tackles.
The Bombers return home for their regular season finale against No. 16 Cortland on November 11 at 12 p.m. for the 64th Cortaca Jug Game. Both teams are 8-1 on the season and have secured their bids to the upcoming NCAA Division III Championship.
No. 15/16 Ithaca Completes Perfect Liberty League Season with 51-14 Win at St. Lawrence
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231104_ru2l.xml
2023
Ithaca
51
St. Lawrence
14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Ithaca (8-1) | 6 | 10 | 14 | 21 | 51 |
| St. Lawrence (2-7) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Nov 04, 2023