Tompkins Weekly

Ithaca Bombers football among nation’s best



Junior quarterback AJ Wingfield drops back for a pass during a victory over Bridgewater State University. Wingfield and the Bombers are off to a 4-0 start and are ranked 15th in the nation. Photo by Rich Barnes/Ithaca College Athletics.

Ithaca College football is off to an excellent start this season, going 4-0 to earn the 15th spot in the national rankings. Last weekend, they notched a big statement win over then-21st ranked Hobart College by a 28-21 score at home. Led by a diversified attack and an abundance of weapons, the Bombers have the look of a team with realistic postseason aspirations.

Both the offense and defense have been stellar in their own ways this season, scoring 34 points per game and allowing just 12. Considering the canceled season last year, there are plenty of new faces that are making contributions this season.

The new quarterback for the team is junior AJ Wingfield, who was named the New Jersey Offensive Player of the Year during his senior year of high school in 2018 but is just now getting to play college football for the first time since then. The lead running back of the Bombers is sophomore Jalen Hines, a Floridian who had his freshman season canceled by COVID-19.

Hines is one of four running backs used regularly by the Bombers, which is an example of the emphasis the coaching staff has put on rest this season. He believes that is a primary reason the Bombers have been so difficult to stop this season.

“None of us ever get tired,” Hines said. “Every time we’re in the game, we’re always fresh and ready to go. We also have two whole sets of offensive linemen, so they can interchange as well so they’re never tired. Our running game can just keep firing every single play for four quarters straight.”

Wingfield gave his perspective on the variety the team has in the running game and how that helps him as a quarterback.

“They’re all so good in their own way,” Wingfield said. “Whichever one comes in, I’m super confident. Sometimes, they come in, and I think they’re going to score every time they touch it. It just makes my life so much easier knowing that when they have the rock, they can do some good things with it.”

As impressive as the offense has been this season, Hines gave credit to the defense and coaches for setting up the offense for success this season.

“Our defense has been doing an amazing job,” Hines said. “They’ve been absolutely lights out every game we’ve played so far. Our offense, we just keep executing the plays we are supposed to execute the way we’re supposed to execute them. Our coaches come into every game with a great game plan, and then, it’s just on us to execute it.”

With early success and a national ranking come high expectations. Both Wingfield and Hines know the Bombers are capable of great things this season.

“We want to go as far as we can go in the playoffs,” Wingfield said. “We don’t think a national championship is out of the question, especially this year. We’ve got a ton of guys led by [fifth-year players] Andrew Vito and Antonio Valle. We don’t think there’s a limit on this team. We’ve got a ton of talent, we’ve got great coaching, and we think we could put it all together and all buy into this thing. There’s really no limit on us.”

Early in the season, head coach Dan Swanstrom expressed that Ithaca had the potential to be much better than what was shown on the field despite the great numbers the team was producing. Hines is a believer in that too and talked about what the team could look like when it is at its best.

“I think we are a national championship contender when all 22 players on both sides of the ball are doing exactly their job at 100% effort and 100% energy,” Hines said. “I don’t see how anyone can stop us right now. The only thing that stops us from scoring every single play or creating a turnover on defense every single play are small missed assignments here and there. None of these teams we’ve played so far have been able to stop us outside of ourselves stopping us.”

Defenses have certainly struggled to stop the Bombers offense this season, whether it’s Wingfield passing or Hines rushing. The Bombers average 269 yards per game through the air and 170 yards per game on the ground. The relatively balanced attack keeps defenses guessing throughout the entire game.

“It’s great because a defense can’t commit to stopping one mode of production since we have so many,” Hines said. “If they want to stop the downhill run, we’ll just run outside or throw it to our amazing wide receiving core. If they want to stop our wide receiving core, we’ll just run it down their throat. There’s nothing they can do to stop our entire offense.”

The Bombers are in the middle of conference play and had their bye week early in the season before defeating nationally ranked Hobart. The final three games on the schedule this season are massive, with 25th-ranked RPI, 12th-ranked Union College and and 18th-ranked SUNY Cortland in the 62nd Cortaca Jug game waiting for Ithaca. There is a lot to achieve between now and then, but the Bombers are striving for great heights.

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