The above really makes me wonder what kind of game we’ll see this Saturday. Last season Hobart defeated the Pride 28-7 in Geneva. Springfield was down 14-0 at the half but scored late in the third quarter to make it 14-7. The Statesmen would rattle off two more scores in the fourth quarter and take the win.
Like the Union game last Saturday, in 2012 against Hobart the Pride really struggled on third down only converting one of 12 conversions (8%) and was held to 159 yards of total offense (150 of which were from running plays).
Otherwise, Springfield’s cast of characters hasn't changed much from last year. SO QB Jonathan Marrero leads the Pride offense, rushing for 587 yards and seven TDs. Although the Pride doesn't call many passes (only 38 total in five games), Marrero has 102 passing yards and two passing scores. His primary targets are Jason Woods and James Poggio. Woods has caught six passes for 84 yards and two scores and Poggio has 4 catches for 54 yards and one score. SR FB Joel Altavesta is another key player on offense, running for 318 yards and one TD. RB Louis Fenaroli has 237 yards and four scores.
Defensively the Pride is led by SR FS Sam Weiss with 41 tackles and two INTs, one which he returned for a 93 yard TD. LBs Danny Macalena and Mike Dublin have also tallied 41 stops as well. Macalena leads the team with 12 TFL for -65 yards and four sacks for -27. Preseason All-American JR DE Max Nacewicz was injured early in the season and it has impacted Springfield’s ability to rush the QB and stop opposing offenses as well as they did in 2012.
Keys to the Game:
- Win the LOS – all of the below is pretty self explanatory, almost obvious when it comes to football strategy. Springfield is a solid triple option program, so if you limit the run, you’ll beat them. Conversely, Hobart’s best defense is keeping the Pride offense off the field. Hobart is no slouch in the run game, averaging 278.8 YPG and scoring 12 rushing TDs. I expect a big game out of the Statesmen’s OL and DL Saturday.
- Know Your Role (i.e., stay in your gaps) – speaking of the DL, stopping the triple option is all about gap assignments and not over pursuing, thus creating lanes for the opposing QB and/or RBs to option. Having played a number of triple option teams Hobart is fairly familiar with this approach, but it’s easier said than done.
- Watch Out for Weiss - While I do expect Hobart to come out and grind out some runs, they will need to test the Pride secondary to keep them honest. The challenge with that is not falling for disguised coverage being called by Weiss, who's effectively the "General" for the defense. Weiss has a good nose for the ball and if JR QB Patrick Conlan isn't careful, Weiss could create some issues for the Statesmen passing game.
Prediction:
What was once billed by D3Football.com as the de facto "title game" for the LL in the preseason has lost its luster due to Springfield's struggles. Still, the Pride is a tough out and Hobart needs to be focused and not let their guard down. Springfield really has nothing to lose in the sense they've played themselves out of the conference title picture, but could play the role of spoiler. I don't think Hobart will be caught unprepared, and I'll take the Statesmen in a convincing 35-7 win. I just don't think Springfield's defense is up to par this season.
I am looking forward to getting a first hand look at Hobart this Saturday. Follow me @ITHuddLLe for pictures from the game. I'll post some here early next week.
Go 'Bart!
Hobart looked dominant last weekend and through 4 games a ton of guys have played and the team seems very healthy. Coach Cragg is a quality guy is always careful about running up the score. He doesn't hesitate to put a lot of people in games. The WPI game was over with time left in the first quarter. Although it violates all the big sports cliches, Hobart has to look to improve its passing efficiency, really on both sides of the ball, to make another deep run in the playoffs. Special teams have improved this year, run D and run O are as good as last year. We certainly are not a terrible passing team, or defending the pass, just not yet in the Mount Union, St. Thomas, UMHB category. If the passing game starts to click the sky is the limit for this team. I expect to see a 40+ points win at Springfield. We are a few 40+ point victories away from being in the discussion with the above mentioned teams and Coach Cragg will have put the program into the elite tier not just for now but for years to come.
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