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| Ithaca athletics file photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Welcoming a new coach can cause a lot of anxiety for any program.
It wasn’t any different at Ithaca when Dan Swanstrom left in January for the offensive coordinator position at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Bombers had a veteran team, with 47 seniors and graduate students on the roster. So, would they have to start all over again this fall under a new coach with a new approach?
No. Michael Toerper, who served as the program’s defensive coordinator from 2017-19, was named head coach in March. He brought back all of the assistant coaches from last season and the team hasn’t missed a beat as it is off to a 4-0 start.
“All the fifth-year guys, we all played under him,” Ithaca linebacker Matt DeSimpliciis said. “Knowing him, it felt like we never really missed anything from him being gone.”
Toerper is just glad he could keep the program headed in a positive direction.
“We’ve been able to play a lot of guys because we have a lot of talented players on our team. That’s a compliment to Dan Swanstrom and the way he built this program,” he said. “We’re just doing our part to develop guys so that, whenever they get in games, they can do their job.”
Toerper spent the past two seasons as the safeties coach at Holy Cross. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come back to Ithaca.
“This is a pretty special place for me. My wife is from here and she was an outstanding track athlete at Ithaca. With her family being only an hour away, that’s made it great, especially with a young child at home,” he said. “What makes it special for me, too, are the people who are around and support the program. The coaches, players and administration have all been phenomenal.”
The No. 12 Bombers have embraced a collective approach this year and it’s shown on the field. Many players have had a hand in the team’s 4-0 start.
“It’s a big ‘we over me’ team,” Ithaca senior quarterback A.J. Wingfield said. “We’ve been playing complementary football. We have a lot of experience back and everyone’s been kind of looking at this season as our year.”
He’s right. Offensively, the Bombers spread the ball around every game. Part of that is being in control of games early, but the squad isn’t afraid to utilize its depth, too.
“Last game, we had 10 guys touch the football, which is kind of unique,” Toerper said. “We do a nice job during the week to develop plays for specific guys and find out what they’re good at. Being able to play a lot of guys and keeping them fresh is something we look to do, regardless of score.”
Wingfield has passed for 652 yards and five touchdowns so far. Michael Anderson (19 catches, 233 yards) has been the top target, but Julien Deumaga (15, 245), Jalen Leonard-Osbourne (8, 138) and Billy Tedeschi (7, 40) have been other major contributors in the passing game. On the ground, Jake Williams (52, 194) leads the way, but Ryan Brozovic (29, 101), Hines (23, 77) and Wingfield (22-76) have carried the ball a bunch.
“I think we seek balance. We understand that, to win big games, we have to run the football. That’ll always be a priority,” Toerper said. “We have a quarterback who is really like a point guard out there. He’s a great distributor of the football. He makes great decisions most of the times. He is a great person to have leading your offense. He is calm, cool and collected. Any moment is never too big for him.”
“We have a good offensive line and they are all back from last year,” Wingfield added. “I think the biggest thing is our confidence each week. Not that we didn’t have it before, but we’re really starting to put it together and playing complementary football. The defense is getting turnovers and putting us in good positions. That’s allowed us to get off to good starts.”
Defensively, the Bombers are giving up just a touchdown per game.
“We have a very veteran team and a lot of us have been together for a long time. We’re always on the same page,” DeSimpliciis said. “The game plan our coaches put in helps us play fast. That’s been important to our success as a defense and as a whole.”
Now that Ithaca is in Liberty League action, the team knows it can’t afford to hit any speedbumps.
“We’re continuing to work toward playing our best football. We haven’t done that yet. It’s ahead of us and that’s where we want it to be,” Toerper said. “Playing in the Liberty League, we know every week will be tough. We have to look at it as a one-game season every week. We have to look at these games as playoff games, really, knowing that we can’t afford to lose one game in this conference.”
Last season, the Bombers won their first seven games, but dropped a 14-11 decision to RPI in conference play. That setback was devastating to the squad’s postseason aspirations and they did not earn an at-large bid to the playoffs.
“That put a fire under us,” DeSimpliciis said. “We have a long way to go. We’re taking it game by game. When the time comes to really lock in, we will be locked in.”
