2010 Season Preview

The Hobart Statesmen (6-3, 5-2) are looking to rebound from a somewhat disappointing 2009 campaign that ended their five consecutive appearances in the NCAA play-offs / post-season. 2009 also was a season in which Hobart lost two Liberty League (LL) games for the first time since 2001. Financial difficulties also barred the Statesmen, who were eligible to play, from the post-season as Hobart declined to participate in one of several Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) “bowl games” due to cost cutting. On the bright side, the Statesmen ended the season with four straight victories, outscoring their opponents by a combined 113 to 40. Hobart will look to continue that positive momentum into 2010 by bringing back a talented roster of over 30 returning upperclassmen to Geneva.

The Statesmen return the majority of their offense (which averaged 337.4 yards and 22.7 points per game) from 2009, lead by JR QB Doug Vella. The JR QB started all nine games last season throwing for 1,369 yards and seven TDs. Vella initially struggled to start the season and occasionally seemed more inclined to make plays with his feet (he was second on the team in rushing with 275 yards on 98 attempts, including three rushing TDs) than his arm. Over time however, Vella settled into a solid, if not reliable, signal caller for Hobart.

To say Hobart’s success on offense hinges on Vella is a bit of an understatement. A lot of eyes will be on the JR field commander this fall given he is the returning starter. That scrutiny will be amplified by the fact that Vella’s understudies from last year - SO QB Chris Rose and Illinois State transfer Preston Earl- are no longer on the roster. While it’s not clear whether Rose transferred and Earl graduated/used up his eligibility; it would appear that the likely heir apparent would be SO QB Nick Strang who saw very limited action (appeared in the SLU and MMA games but did not attempt a pass) in 2009. SO Kelly Olney and JR Will Connery will also compete for the opportunity to back up Vella in 2010. Needless to say, keeping Vella healthy given the lack of proven QBs on the Statesmen’s roster will be a top priority for Hobart in 2010.

With the graduation of leading rusher Andrew Marlier you can probably expect another “platoon” of Hobart running backs lead by (speedster) JR Kyle Tritten and (between the tackles running of) JR Pat Julian. Julian actually started the Dickinson game last season but after fumbling early on in the game eventually became relegated to third string. These Statesmen rushed for 258 and 148 yards, respectively in 2009 and tallied a total of four rushing touchdowns.

Fortunately for these runners (and Vella) the Statesmen return the bulk, literally and figuratively, of their offensive line. Returning players/starters include SR RT and Captain Sean Kluber (taking over for graduated Captain OL Brian Monaco), JR RG Brendan Hatlee, SR C and Captain Kelvin Cruz and JR LG Kyle Sandy. Expect JR Anthony Coletta to be the lead candidate for the LT position vacated by the graduation of Angelo Catalano, but other talented players, such as SO Tyler Garvey, JR Jarrid Blades and JR Hunter LaCroix will compete and receive significant playing time in this line up. FY OL Max Janoff may also see time given his size (305 lbs) and skill (four year varsity letterman, two-time all-conference and area selection at Morristown-Beard).

Another benefit for Hobart’s offense is that SR FB Matt Howard will resume his role as the team’s lead blocker. Howard started seven games last season and tallied 24 yards rushing and caught two passes (a long of 34 in the Saint Lawrence game) for 48 yards.

There will be plenty of targets for Vella as JR TE Matt Marsh returns as does SR WRs Andy Schettine and Mike Lazore along with JR Garth Muratori. This trio of wide outs tallied 59, 190 and 441 yards last season, respectively. In fact, Muratori was second on the team in receiving and receiving TDs (two) and will replace Vincent as Vella’s go-to receiver. Lazore, who also plays on the Statesmen’s DI lacrosse team, will likely be the other starter, but don’t be surprised if Schettine (whose output declined from 2008) gets his fair share of looks down field.

The loss of LB Orlando Patterson, LB Ryan Robinson, and CB Chris Szymanski notwithstanding, the Hobart defense returns an experienced and deep linebacker and secondary corp. This unit, lead by SR Captain ILB Kyle O’Laughlin (lead team in tackles with 77 including one interception, two forced fumbles and one recovery) and Captain SR FS John Kelliher (29 tackles and two INTs), finished 2009 as the #1 scoring (15.9 PPG average) and total (303.1 YPG average) defense in the LL. Also returning for the Statesmen are JR ILB Reggie Robinson (37 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble) and JR CB Drake Woodard (32 tackles, one forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, two blocked kicks). Also expected to compete at OLB is SR Fernando Jones who appeared in six games last season. Heralded recruit, LB Juan Breton, will also look to gain playing time in 2010.

One of the possible reasons for the Statesmen’s drop off in 2009 could be attributed to Hobart’s lack of production with respect to creating turnovers. For example, Woodard, who was in the top 10 in the nation in 2008 for interceptions saw a significant drop off last season (from seven to zero). Overall, the Statesmen were not as successful in the “ball hawking” department and it showed - the number of interceptions from 2008 to 2009 dropped by 11 (19 vs. 8).

That said the biggest question mark for this Hobart defense going into 2010 is the status of their defensive line. Last season’s entire starting front four (Guidetti, Faracca, Arduini and Lovell) were lost to graduation (as was key reserve DT Anthony Shaw who appeared in all nine games and contributed 14 tackles), but returning players such as SR DE Chris Luber, SO DT Nick Auriemma and SR DE James Rayhill saw a good deal of action for the Statesmen and recorded 20, 5 and 26 tackles, respectively. Luber lead the team in sacks with three and a half, while Rayhill also tallied three tackles for a loss (TFL). Hobart saw a sizable decline in TFLs from 2008 to 2009 (from 53 to 43) but sacks remained relatively constant (16 compared to 15). Expect JR DT Dane Wilcoxen (appeared in six games, tallying two stops) to compete for a starting job along with SO Jordan Sisti and JR Gianni Contro.

On special teams Hobart will need to find a replacement for the kicking and occasional trickery of punter Tyler Vincent. JR PK Conor Callahan is back after going six for nine in field goal attempts (66.66% with a long of 28 yards) and 17 of 19 (89%) in PATs. While his range is limited, Callahan was second (tied) in the LL in FG percentage and fourth in scoring. Backing up Callahan will be FY PK Reyes Guevara.

Hobart will open the 2010 season hosting Centennial Conference (CC) runner up Dickinson College (8-2, 6-2) at the newly renovated Boswell Field at the Caird Athletic Complex. The week following Hobart will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Tartans of Carnegie Mellon (5-5, 1-2) of the University Athletic Association (UAA). Given their defection to the CC, the Statesmen will replace Susquehanna by renewing its thruway rivalry with nearby (Rochester) Saint John Fisher College (7-3, 4-1) from the Empire 8 (E8). Adding additional intrigue to the SJF game is the game it will be the first night football game played at Boswell Field. This game also doubles as Homecoming for which I am excited to say I will be in attendance.

Going into October, Hobart travels to Canton, NY for its league opener against the Saint Lawrence Saints (3-7, 2-5), then returns to Geneva for the ever pivotal rivalry game against Union College (8-3, 6-1). From there, the Statesmen head down to Kings Point to take on the Mariners of the Merchant Marine (2-5, 4-6), then host the Engineers of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (0-7, 3-7). The 2010 wraps with a final road trip to RPI (3-4, 5-4) before the regular season finale at Boswell for the Centennial Cup against oldest rival Rochester (4-3, 4-6).

Overall the Statesmen have an ambitious out of conference slate prior to their league schedule. One advantage going into this season is the fact Hobart plays five home games. The reason this is such an advantage is that the Statesmen were undefeated at the “Boz" in 2009, outscoring the opposition by a margin of 95 to 26, and have only lost three games (including the play-offs) in the past five seasons at home.

I’ll post some additional preseason and Week 1 commentary and predictions in the coming weeks as well as keep you posted on the third season of my DIII football talk radio show, “In the Huddle”.

Thanks and go ‘Bart!