Saint John Fisher Game Preview

After two weekends of no football games, the Hobart Statesmen (1-0) will travel to Pittsford, NY to take on the Saint John Fisher College Cardinals (2-0) this Saturday for a 1 PM kick-off. Last season the Cardinals sidetracked Hobart’s first ever night and most recent Homecoming game by a convincing 34-14 margin. The Fisher defense caused three Hobart turnovers and otherwise shut down the Statesmen on third down (Hobart would go 0 for 10). The only bright spot for the Statesmen that night was a historic 100 yard receiving and rushing game for then-FY RB Steven Webb.

Although the Cardinals’ offense and special teams turned several heads last Saturday scoring 52 points on the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets (1-1), the real story in my opinion is what Fisher continues to do on defense.

Fisher has only allowed 10 points in the past two games – both scores coming in the first quarter - and has otherwise pitched shut outs from the second quarter on. The Cardinals defensive line and linebackers have limited their opponents to a paltry 64.5 rushing yards on average. The defensive line’s effectiveness against the rush is also evident in that of the 24 first downs allowed by the Cardinals so far this season, only six came on running plays.

That said Fisher are also strong against the pass, only allowing an average of 141 passing yards, including four interceptions. Leading the Cardinal defense is Head Coach Paul Vosburgh’s son and SR DB Dave Vosburgh with 16 total tackles, including one and a half tackles for a loss (TFL) and a half a sack. Other key players include FR LB Nicholas LoBrutto (four TFL, one sack) and SR LB Brenden Moore who both have 15 total tackles a piece.

Although the Cardinals lost their all-time passing leader Tim Bailey to graduation, they appear to have reloaded having out gained their opponents 716 to 411 yards. The Fisher offense is opportunistic and has scored eight times in nine trips to the red zone.

The Cardinals are lead on the ground by SR RB FuQuan Borum who’s carried 35 times for 139 yards and one rushing touchdown. Borum had a career game against Hobart in 2010, rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Taking the reins from Bailey in the passing game is JR QB Ryan Kramer who has passed for 361 yards including five touchdowns to two interceptions.

Kramer’s top targets are, somewhat ironically, a pair of Ryan’s – SR WR’s Schmidt (20 catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns) and Francis (13 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns).

Keys to the Game:

1. Move the chains / third down conversions – It’s fairly obvious that this was one of, if not the, key contributor to the Statesmen’s 2010 loss to Fisher (no solution to Borum and the Fisher OL was probably equally problematic but I digress). While Hobart has a strong mix of offensive weapons, it will need all of them to move the ball against this defense.

2. Shut down the “Triple Ryan” offense - Hobart’s defense will need to bring pressure to force Kramer out of his comfort zone and the Statesmen defensive backs will have their hands full with the speed of Francis and Schmidt. That said Kramer doesn’t need to throw for that many yards to be effective. For example, although Rochester was fairly effective in keeping Borum in check (76 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown) and Kramer only threw 15 completions for 143 yards; four of those passes were for touchdowns.

3. Avoid turnovers and falling behind early – Having seen last year’s game in person I can say first hand that Hobart didn’t do itself any favors in the first half. The Statesmen committed a blocked punt, interception and fumble put them in an insurmountable 24-0 hole early in the second quarter. Although Steven Webb would score on an exciting 61 yard catch and run later in the game, it was too little too late for the Statesmen. Fisher hasn’t allowed any points other than the first quarter, so it would appear as though getting to a good start and posting scores early is as critical as anything for Hobart in this game (which also happens to be the Cardinals’ Homecoming game).

Prediction

On Sunday night’s “In the HuddLLe” broadcast I belabored a bit before I threw out a 30-20 Fisher prediction. While I hope Hobart’s improved offense will be able to keep up with Fisher, I have concerns based on how dominating the Cardinals defense played against Buff State (who scored 82 points in Week 2, albeit against a weak WNEC team) and Rochester. That said the Statesmen defense may end up having to shoulder the load in this one. If they can contain Borum and Kramer and keep the Fisher offense off the field, the Statesmen may have a chance to play Homecoming spoiler like the Cardinals did at Boswell Field last year.

Either way this should be Hobart’s toughest test of the season and will provide a measuring stick for a Statesmen team that has postseason hopes; not to mention providing the Liberty League with its first win of 2011 against an Empire 8 team (who are 5-0 so far vs. the LL).

Go ‘Bart (prove me wrong)!