Be careful what you wish for.

The old saying sums up the national sentiment toward Ithaca College’s improbable NCAA playoff berth. The Bombers hoped a Cortaca Jug victory would be the hand that rescued them from the postseason precipice. Now that their wish has come true, the Blue and Gold face Mount Union College, winner of eight of the last 11 Stagg Bowls.

The Purple Raiders are the Division III leaders in both total offense and total defense, outscoring opponents 542–24 this season. They allow 12.2 rushing yards per game. As if that number isn’t impressive enough, Mount Union’s wall at the line of scrimmage includes only six players. Head Coach Larry Kehres uses a nickel package as his base defense.

The Raiders’ position as the No. 1 seed in the East, instead of their usual spot atop the North, surprised the experts at D3Football.com. Monday’s front page read, “It’s a whole new world of bracketology for 2007, and unless you’re an Ithaca fan, it could be pretty darn good.” But the Bombers don’t regret their tournament wish.

“When we saw [the match–up], the house erupted,” senior captain and strong safety Ryan Terlecki said. “What a wonderful opportunity. No better way to start than right at the top. We’ve been underdogs ever since we lost two straight.”

Ithaca may be the underdog, but the program has a blue-ribbon pedigree. With 37 straight winning seasons and three national titles, the Bombers are anything but a fluke. With his team averaging 40.5 points per contest during its six-game winning streak, Head Coach Mike Welch recognizes some of the old Ithaca swagger.

“All teams that play with confidence have a certain style, and we’ve developed that as we’ve gone along,” Welch said. “You certainly saw it last weekend. Nobody wavers.”

Welch is not the only one who sees it. Dick Kaiser, chair of the NCAA Division III Football Selection Committee, said Ithaca was not the last team to make the field of 32. The Bombers’ overall strength of schedule and 40–17 closing argument against SUNY-Cortland convinced the committee to take a third Empire 8 team. The Empire 8’s St. John Fisher College was the last school to lose by fewer than 19 points in Alliance, Ohio.

If the Bombers have any advantage over the Purple Raiders it is experience in clutch situations. Because Mount Union has won every game this season by at least five touchdowns, most of its starters don’t even know what a fourth-quarter snap feels like. Backup quarterbacks have thrown 20 percent of the Raiders’ passes. A year after he rushed for a school-record 2,365 yards, junior running back Nate Kmic’s carries and yards have been cut in half by blowouts.

“It would be an edge if it wasn’t Mount Union,” Welch said. “They’ve been through everything. Maybe this team hasn’t but most of the guys have. They’re just so consistent. … We’re ahead of the game if Donovan breaks a 20-yarder.”