ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team ran its record to 3-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Liberty League on Saturday at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium with a 13-7 victory over Hobart. The Bombers are now 19-0 at home all-time against the Statesmen and avenge the only Liberty League loss that IC has suffered since head coach Michael Toerper took over the program.
Ithaca won the toss and deferred to the second half. Hobart picked up one first down on its initial drive before a 56-yard punt set the Bombers back at their own 25-yard line.
IC quickly moved towards midfield on the legs of Chris Scully, who rushed for 22 yards of four carries to begin the drive, and that fourth attempt was accompanied by a 15-yard penalty on the Statesmen to move the Bombers down to the Hobart 33. Matthew Parker then found Tian Murray for a 29-yard gain down to the 4-yard line, and after a pass interference resets the downs, Scully scored from 1-yard out to give IC a 7-0 lead with 6:29 left in the first quarter.
Hobart threatened on its next drive by moving inside IC territory, down to the 31, but a holding call which was followed up by a 14-yard sack from Henry Takacs ended the possession and the Statesmen had to punt again.
IC ran out the clock in the first quarter, but was forced to punt on the opening snap of the second quarter. Hobart threatened once again and used up more than 10 minutes of the clock, but the drive came up empty with a turnover on downs at the Ithaca 4-yard line.
The Bombers were unable to move the ball following the stop and had to punt the ball back, which only traveled to the 41-yard line. Hobart countered with a 16-yard play to get close to the red zone and then punched in a 12-yard passing touchdown from Jeremy Weiss to Johnny Harding to tie the game at 7-7 with 28 seconds remaining in the half.
IC took the second half kick and received a 39-yard return from Anthony Mestre to get things going. Facing third down a few plays later, Parker connected with Nicholas Lang for a 29-yard completion on third down to move inside the red zone. On the next snap, Parker hit Nicholas Matos for a 16-yard touchdown with 11:49 on the clock, but the ensuing PAT was botched to make the score 13-7.
In the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, the Bombers had a chance to tack on a field goal, but a 31-yard attempt was wide left.
After a three-and-out by the Statesmen and a turnover on downs from the Bombers, Hobart took over at midfield with 9:37 remaining in the contest.
Hobart dropped a potential go-ahead touchdown early in the drive but regrouped and picked up two fourth down conversions to keep the possession alive. On the third fourth down of the drive, Hobart was stopped short at the 16-yard line and a personal foul after the play spotted IC at its own 31-yard line with 3:57 to go.
The Bombers put the game away after Matos caught a 7-yard completion on third down with 2:02 left. IC then took a few kneel downs to end the contest.
Parker went 13-for-19 for 140 yards on a touchdown, while Scully just missed out on his first career 100-yard game as he racked up 98 yards on 26 carries. Scully also caught four passes for 21 yards.
Murray led the receivers with 39 yards on two receptions, while Matos had 32 yards on three grabs.
Defensively, the Bombers allowed just 222 yards and held the 2024 Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year, E.J. Taylor, to 62 yards rushing. Sam Tourangeau led the charge with 13 total tackles and a pass breakup, while Joe Spirra, Ryan Burns and Takacs each logged eight tackles. Aidan Carrazana chipped in seven stops.
The defense also held Hobart to 2-for-13 on third downs, but the Statesmen were able to pick up four fourth down conversions.
IC produced 263 yards of offense and 17 first downs on the day, while only committed two penalties for 20 yards. The Bombers were 8-for-14 on third down.
Ithaca heads to the University of Rochester next Saturday, October 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.