Just a few weeks ago, the Bombers took the field at Butterfield Stadium for the final regular-season home game of the 2008 season. But as the Bombers were set to kick off on Ithaca’s South Hill that Saturday afternoon, it was as if they knew they would be back on their home gridiron.

“You play knowing there’s the fact that you might never step on that field again,” senior tight end Brian Weverbergh said, after helping the team to a convincing win in the final home game of the regular season against Springfield College.

On Nov. 1, the Bombers manhandled Springfield in a 37–8 win. And after closing up the season with six straight victories, Weverbergh and his fellow seniors have earned at least one final showdown on South Hill.

Ithaca College’s 9–1 regular-season record was good for its second consecutive playoff berth. This time, the Blue and Gold earned a Pool A automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs after winning the Empire 8. In 2007, the Bombers were one of three Empire 8 teams to reach the playoffs, earning a Pool C at-large bid with their 8–2 record last year.

The Bombers are ranked No. 2 in the east region behind No. 1 ranked Mount Union College. A No. 2 seed in the east region sets Ithaca up to play at least one and as many as two more games at home at Butterfield Stadium.

The Kernels of Curry College stand in their way. Curry owns the same regular-season record as Ithaca, finishing the 2008 season at 9–1.

One clear advantage the Bombers do have is the fact that they will not have to make the same six-hour drive their opponents must make. The Kernels will have to travel 340 miles from Milton, Mass., to Ithaca to square off with the Bombers. This is something senior cornerback Jason Chier said is an invaluable asset for the team’s success.

“It is nice not to have to travel hours for a playoff game like in years past,” Chier said. “It allows us to stay focused on the game at hand and not worry about the long bus ride ahead of us.”

It is the Bombers’ first home playoff game in the past 14 seasons. Back in 1994, the Bombers opened the playoffs at home with a double overtime win over Buffalo State College. They then beat Plymouth State University at home in the quarterfinals before losing at home to Washington and Jefferson College, just one game short of the Stagg Bowl.

The Bombers hope to make a similar run this year. And much like the successful 1994 season, a potential run in 2008 would begin at home.

“We are excited about the playoffs and believe we can make a great run,” Chier said. “We have a lot of confidence at this point in the season.”

While the Bombers remain confident, they’re making sure not to be cocky or else they could be in for an upset come Saturday.

According to www.D3football.com, the Bombers played the ninth toughest schedule in all of Division III football, while Curry had the 149th ranked strength of schedule in the country. But rankings aside, the Kernels have beaten their opponents in convincing fashion. Curry scored 40 or more points in seven of its 10 games this season, averaging just under 500 total yards per game.

The Kernels are a young and energetic team that has some playoff experience, losing only four starters from last season. In 2007, the team beat last year’s Empire 8 champions Hartwick College in the first round of the playoffs before losing to St. John Fisher College in the second round. Both Hartwick and St. John Fisher defeated Ithaca in 2007.

The Kernels are deep in talent, as they have had six different players rush for more than 200 yards this season, and eight different players had rushing touchdowns. But as D3football.com’s Pat Coleman said, Curry was not a favorite for an at-large bid.

“With Curry, it’s a bit of a surprise that they’re here,” Coleman said. “Perhaps it’s due to last year’s first round win against Hartwick.”

But Curry has one thing this season that the Bombers had last season, and that is former Bomber linebacker Bill Struzzi ’08. Struzzi is now the wide receiver coach for the Kernels.

Struzzi will be back in the confines of Butterfield Stadium on Saturday, only on the opposite sideline in hopes of defeating his former team. But if Saturday’s game in Cortland is any indication, the Bombers will have something to say about it.