Shed Gets NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Invite

SR WR Brandon Shed will have a rare opportunity to perform in front of one of the largest groupings of NFL scouts and front office executives with an invite to this year's NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Last season 35 participants of this experience were given invites to the NFL Combine.

This All-Star game will be held on January 20, 2018 in Pasadena, CA at the world famous Rose Bowl Stadium. The game, and week leading up to it, is described as "the premier postseason all-star game for any draft-eligible college football players, and is happening at America's Stadium this year. More than just a game, this week-long experience provides players with the chance to showcase their game to NFL scouts and coaches, while learning from the best in the business. The Collegiate Bowl not only prepares players for the speed and intensity of professional football, but also for the business and lifestyle changes that come with it."

You can learn more about the game, its history and more here.

Congratulations to Brandon and we look forward to seeing how he plays against some of the best competition in the nation.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Looking Back on the 2017 Season

There were 23 East Region teams that earned post-season games and Hobart, who finished 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the Liberty League, wasn't one of them. That is disappointing considering the Statesmen came into 2017 as the 14th-ranked team in the D3football.com Preseason poll and were ranked similarly in the preseason by other publications as well.

These high expectations were due to a large group of returning SR players and outstanding talent on the offensive side of the ball. While that talent did shine at times, breaking several school records, the team made some key mistakes in big games that ultimately cost Hobart a chance at what is the best Eastern NCAA playoff bracket (as far as a true regional set up and basically guaranteeing a trip to the Final Four for whomever makes it through) in years.

So what happened?

I'm an avid follower of this team, but I wasn't able to attend any games in person this season. I did watch several online and reviewed a LOT of statistics. Here's my take, for what it's worth...

The Good:

The Statesmen offense finished the season 1st in the LL in scoring (34.9 PPG), 2nd in rushing (169.1 YPG), 2nd in passing (254.5 YPG), had the #1 ranked QB and 2nd leading RB and WR in SR QB Shane Sweeney, FY RB Dakota Harvey and SR WR Brandon Shed. 

Defensively, SO LB Jedh Downey had another great season, finishing 3rd in the LL and 1st on the team with 85 total tackles. SO OLB Jayson Prince and SR DE Brandon Ball had solid seasons as well with Prince leading the league in FRs and Ball tied for 1st with three FF.

FY PK Kyle Hackett was literally the best PK in all of CFB, going a perfect 10-10 on FGs (long of 40), which is unmatched across the nation at any level. Hackett also added 43 points via PATs to barely edge Harvey as the scoring leader with 73 points on the year. SR PK Rio Schmidt was also outstanding, averaging nearly 42 YPP and landing 28 of his 32 punts either inside the opponent's 20 yard line, fair caught or go over 50 yards. Both kickers deserve All-American recognition.

A special s/o goes to SR OL Stephen VanHousen who played RT, LG and RG during different parts of the season. His versatility helped the offense battle through injuries.

Needs Improvement:

Although the Hobart offense led the league in scoring, they ended up being slow starters which I mentioned in my Union game preview. Leading up to that critical game, the Statesmen offense scored 64% of their points in the second half. It should also be noted that 107 of the 349 points scored came against two teams, Shenandoah and Rochester. The former ended up briefly looked like a contender in the ODAC race, until they faded, losing three of their four final games and finishing 6-4, 3-3. Rochester is still reeling from the 2015 off-season and their future of a program could be in question, depending on what their administration decides to do.

In the Union game, Hobart's offense had this performance in three quarters (against a defense that allowed 322 YPG, but to be fair, only allowed a respectable 16.4 PPG):

Punt
Punt
Punt
Turnover on downs
Punt
FG
Half
Fumble (led to a Union TD)
Punt
Punt
Loss on downs

Not exactly what you'd expect from the best scoring offense in the league in a must win game. Especially against a Union team that lost to Husson of the ECFC (one of the weakest leagues in the nation) and barely survived 17-14 against Curry from the CCC (not that much better).

I think the main issues with the offense this season were a combination of factors, namely injuries affecting OL make up and, in some cases, just bad luck. Hobart had two new starters in for the critical IC game on the OL and the 2.8 yards per carry showed it.

The Statesmen also had horrible field position in the first half of the Ithaca game, starting within their five yard line twice. On what was effectively the final few plays of the IC game, SR PK Rio Schmidt had a rare, bad punt which set up Ithaca with great field position, which helped them score and take the lead with under a minute to go. On the ensuing KO, FY RB Dakota Harvey made the rookie mistake of fielding a ball that probably would have gone out of bounds at the five yard line, giving Hobart better field position, and a chance to win it.

Defensively, Statesmen secondary took a big step back this season, showing a lot of soft coverage with DBs 8-10 yards off the LOS all season. Even though that is supposed to prevent the offense from getting behind them, the secondary and LB corps were beat several times on long pass and run (sometimes referred to as "explosive") plays in key games such as these:

Brockport - 68 yard TD run and 67 yard TD pass
Ithaca - 37 yard run early 4th quarter that helped IC take a 17-14 lead
Union - 33 and 64 yard TD passes in the 3rd quarter to push Union's lead to 21-3

The Statesmen pass defense ended up dead last in the LL allowing 251.9 YPG. The loss of JR DE AJ MacFarlane to injury in Week 3 was a big blow to the Statesmen's pass rush and rush defense but the DL did improve after the Brockport game. Still Hobart ended up with the second to last Total Defense in the LL, allowing over 350 YPG. Not surprisingly, the Defensive Efficiency was fifth in the conference, with a 125.4 for allowing opposing QB's to complete 56.9% of their passes for 2,519 yards and 16 TDs.

On the bright side, the Statesmen defense ended up third in the LL with 22 sacks on the season and finished 2nd in the LL with a solid 98.3 YPG rushing and only seven rushing TDs allowed all season. Hobart also improved their interceptions to 10, finishing third in the LL in that category.

What's next?

Hobart will likely enter the 2018 season as a bit of an underdog, something that hasn't happened much in the last seven seasons or so. The Statesmen will need to find new starters at QB, WR, OL and TE on offense, while filling a few positions, like NT, CB and LB on defense. Special teams remains in good shape with Hackett having three more years, but the coaches will need to find a replacement for Schmidt.

While Harvey lost out on LL ROTY honors to Ithaca's FY QB Wahib Nabi, he showed flashes of bringing Statesmen Football back to the "glory days" when Hobart just beat opposing teams down with a hard-nosed rushing attack. I do think the defense has to stiffen up, and with around 5 new starters this season, the growing pains we saw should hopefully be improved upon in 2018.

The WR corps, other than Shed of course, were fairly inexperienced coming into this year and now have had valuable playing time. While Brandon's skills will certainly be missed, the cupboard is far from bare at WR, including at TE, given JR TE Matt Woods coming back in 2018.

I'm hoping that seeing a team they beat 30-0 in the NCAA playoffs motivates this Statesmen squad to have a better 2018. Most pieces are in place, but another demanding schedule and teams like Brockport, Ithaca and Union likely reloading, there's a lot of work to be done to get Hobart back on top of the LL and considered a top Eastern contender again.

Thanks again to all the readers who've visited the site this season. I'll likely go on a bit of a hiatus over the holidays, but will hopefully have some recruiting and other information to post on as it trickles in over the off-season. Thanks again to the Class of 2018 and good luck in your post-Hobart careers.

As always, go 'Bart!

19 Statesmen Earn All-Conference Honors

The Hobart College Statesmen may have ended up fourth in the conference standings to end the 2017, but many individual players earned 1st and 2nd team All-LL honors.

For the second year in a row, SR QB Shane Sweeney earned the OPOTY award. Sweeney passed for over 2,400 yards and 18 TDs. FY PK Kyle Hackett earned Co-STPOTY award for leading the LL in scoring with 73 points, including a perfect 10-10 on FGs.

Overall, there were 19 Statesmen that earned All-LL honors, as announced last week:

ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM - OFFENSE
QB- Shane Sweeney, Sr., Hobart
WR- Brandon Shed, Sr., Hobart
RB- Joe Letizia, Sr., Hobart
TE- Zach Withers, Sr., Hobart
OL- John Deveney, Jr., Hobart
OL- Alex Helm, Sr., Hobart

ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM - DEFENSE
DL- Brandon Ball, Sr., Hobart
DB- Tom D’Antonio, Sr., Hobart

ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM - SPECIALISTS
PK- Kyle Hackett, Fr., Hobart
P- Rio Schmidt, Sr., Hobart

ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM - OFFENSE
RB- Dakota Harvey, Fr., Hobart

ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM - DEFENSE
LB- Jedh Downey, So., Hobart
LB- Almamy Conde, Sr., Hobart
DB- Jayson Prince, So., Hobart

HONORABLE MENTION - OFFENSE
OL- Jack Koch, Jr., Hobart
OL- Stephen VanHoesen, Sr., Hobart

HONORABLE MENTION - DEFENSE
DL- Zackary Robak, Sr., Hobart
DB- Kai Brandford, Jr., Hobart

HONORABLE MENTION - SPECIALISTS
ATH- Tynard Barfield, Jr., Hobart

That's an impressive number of players to earn All-LL honors, and with 8 of them are coming back in 2018, there's a lot to look forward to for Hobart fans.

In addition to the above honors, six Statesmen players (which tied with RPI for most in NYS) also earned CoSIDA All District All Academic team awards. To earn a spot on the Academic All-District team, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum 3.3 cumulative grade point average, be a starter or significant reserve and be at least a sophomore academically. The Hobart players who earned this award included:

SR QB Shane Sweeney (3.47)
SR OL Alex Helm (3.60)
SR OL Stephen VanHoesen (3.46) 
SR DE Brandon Ball (3.63)
JR DB Kai Brandford (3.56)
SR P Rio Schmidt (3.52)

Congratulations to all these individual accomplishments!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and you families, both near and far away.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Coach DeWall Out at Endicott

Last night some surprising news hit social media when Hobart AD Mike Hanna '68 tweeted out the following message:

This is disappointing on a number of levels, especially considering Coach Kevin DeWall '00's program had one of the highest SOS numbers (I believe it comes in at 19 out of nearly 250) in the nation and placed over 10 players on the CCC's All-Conference team. The story was later followed up on via formal press release and an article on D3football.com, among others.

While I am certain Coach DeWall will land on his feet, I am not sure we can hope to get him back to Geneva. President Vincent has alluded to the next AD being an external hire (vs. a promotion of HC Mike Cragg, which is obviously what most Hobart alumni and fans would love to see), but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

There are several other programs at the D3 and upper divisions that would likely be happy to have him on staff in some form or fashion. Either way, we wish Coach DeWall the best and will look forward to reporting where he lands very soon.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Run Over Rochester, 51-12, to Retain Centennial Cup

The Hobart College Statesmen punctuated the 2017 season with a 51-12 thrashing of oldest rival Rochester (2-7, 0-5). Hobart (7-3, 3-2) saw FY RB Dakota Harvey have a career day, rushing for 207 yards and three TDs. As a team the Statesmen averaged nearly nine yards per carry and ground out a total of 364 yards on the day. SR RB Joe Letizia scores two TDs in his final game as a Statesmen player. Overall Hobart out-gained the Yellow Jackets 507 to 264 total yards.

SR QB Shane Sweeney did not suit up for his final collegiate game, giving SO QB Ryan Hofmann his first start, and he did well. Hofmann passed for 143 yards and a TD, a nine yard pass to JR WR Joseph Barrocas.

SR DB Tommy D'Antonio punctuated the final game of his Hobart career with a 28 yard PR for a TD to go with five tackles and a pass break up. SO OLB Jayson Prince and SR DE Brandon Ball led the Statesmen defense with nine tackles a piece. Ball added 2.5 TFL, a sack, blocked a kick and three QB hits on the day. Prince also had a TFL and a sack as well.

FY PK Kyle Hackett kicked a 32 yard FG, giving him a perfect 10-10 record on the season. That mark is the best / most perfect record for any PK at any level of CFB this season. Congratulations to Kyle on that achievement!

You can read the Hobart recap here.

With Union losing 20-14 to RPI, the Engineers (8-2, 4-1) will go to the NCAA playoffs as the LL Champions (technically Ithaca shares the title, but RPI gets the playoff bid given the H2H win over the Bombers) and the Dutchmen (7-3, 3-2) will likely end up in the NYS Bowl, assuming Ithaca (7-3, 4-1) opts out on a rematch against Cortland, who they defeated 48-20 Saturday in the Cortaca Jug rivalry game.

I'll have a 2017 recap sometime next week.

As always, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 11 - Rochester / Centennial Cup Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will wrap up the 2017 season on the road against their oldest rival, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets.

Hobart (6-3, 2-2) leads the all-time series 54-48-7, making this the 110th game between the two schools. Last season, the Statesmen defeated the 'Jackets 56-27 behind JR RB Tynard Barfield's 123 rushing yards and two TDs and SR QB Shane Sweeney's 256 passing yards and three TDs. The Centennial Cup will once again be on the line, but the Statesmen have kept it at Bristol Gym since 2011, winning the last six straight contests.

Rochester's (2-6, 0-4) recent struggles have been well documented and they have effectively led to the resignation of Coach Scott Greene after this final game. Although the Yellow Jackets did finish over .500 in 2015, the last time they've had more than five wins dates back to 2007.

Last weekend RPI (7-2, 3-1) dominated Rochester, 63-14, in a game that could have been more lopsided. The Yellow Jackets have failed to score more than 14 points in any of their games, save for a 28-10 win over Becker (but the Hawks are only 1-8). Given Union's 20-3 loss to Ithaca on Saturday, it appears as though an appearance in the New York State Bowl is likely not going to happen (barring both Ithaca or RPI and Union declining to participate), and given Hobart's historical stance on ECAC participation, this should be the final game of 2017, but we probably won't know for sure until early next week.

Needless to say I am not going to spend much time analyzing this game, but suffice to say, I do think Hobart will win going-away.

I'll have some more analysis and thoughts later next week to recap the season, while looking ahead to 2018.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Sweeney and Statesmen Defense Shine on Senior Day, 34-7

The Hobart College Statesmen took on the Saint Lawrence University Saints on Senior Day at Boswell Field. It was an earlier start (11 am) than usual for both teams, and the offenses took a little time to warm up.

Hobart (6-3, 2-2) got on the board first when SR QB Shane Sweeney scampered for 15 yards to give the Statesmen an early 7-0 lead. A FY RB Dakota Harvey fumble was quickly cashed in when SR QB Sean Richardson hit SR WR Vincenzo Ferraro on the next play for a 40-yard TD strike.

The Statesmen would go on to score 27 unanswered points, holding the Saints (2-6, 1-3) to only eight first downs, -19 rushing yards and only 157 yards of total offense (while forcing three turnovers). Hobart would roll up 465 total yards, including 278 passing yards and two TDs by Sweeney. SR WR Brandon Shed set the all-time receiving record, notching his 30th consecutive game with a catch, with 121 yards. SR TE Zach Withers and SO WR Isaiah Hill had receiving TDs for Hobart and FY PK Kyle Hackett hit his 8th and 9th FGs on the season, from 30 and 35 yards, respectively.

The defense was led by SO LB Jedh Downey with six tackles, including a sack and TFL. SR DE Brandon Ball added five stops and 2.5 TFL.

The HWSAthletics.com recap can be seen here. The Statesmen will wrap up the 2017 season at Rochester (2-6, 0-4) in the annual Centennial Cup game next Saturday at noon.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 10 - Saint Lawrence Game Preview

While I thought this game would have LL title implications for both teams, Hobart (5-3, 1-2) and Saint Lawrence (2-6, 1-3) will be playing for pride this Saturday. Last season the Statesmen went to Canton and dominated a supposedly strong Saints squad, giving them their only loss of the season by a score of 34-18. SR QB Shane Sweeney passed for 363 yards and five TDs in the game, two of those TDs and 241 of those yards were collected by SR WR Brandon Shed. The defense gave SLU SR QB Sean Richardson a long day, sacking him three times and intercepting him once in the win.

This season the Hobart-SLU game coincides with Senior Day for the Class of 2018 and these players will be suiting up for their final regular season home game at the Boz:

1			Joe Letizia	RB	SR	5-9	195	Blauvelt, N.Y.	Trinity-Pawling School
3		C	Shane Sweeney	QB	SR	6-1	200	Phelps, N.Y.	Geneva
5			Brandon Shed	WR	SR	6-4	195	West Palm Beach, Fla.	Benjamin School
21			Daryl Scales	CB	SR	6-1	180	Parlin, N.J.	St. Mark's School
23			Tom D'Antonio	CB	SR	6-0	195	Greenwich, Conn.	Salisbury School
34			Will Hoffer	OLB	SR	5-11	210	Round Hill, Va.	Woodgrove
38			Christian Coons	ILB	SR	6-0	220	Windham, Maine	Windham
40			Dylan Quay	FB	SR	6-0	225	Latham, N.Y.	Shaker
42		C	Zach Withers	TE	SR	6-4	245	Webster, N.Y.	Webster Schroeder
50			Michael Clancy	ILB	SR	5-10	208	Lawrenceville, N.J.	The Pennington School
52		C	Almamy Conde	ILB	SR	5-11	232	Bronx, N.Y.	St. Peter's Prep
55			Stephen VanHoesen	RT	SR	6-2	270	Niskayuna, N.Y.	Niskayuna
61			TJ Adams	DT	SR	5-10	270	Brockton, Mass.	Berkshire School
62		C	Zackary Robak	NG	SR	6-0	285	Haddam, Conn.	Xavier
69			Liam Murphy	C	SR	6-4	275	Whitesboro, N.Y.	Whitesboro
72			Alex Helm	LG	SR	6-3	300	Fallston, Md.	Fallston
92			Brandon Ball	DE	SR	6-2	242	Springville, N.Y.	Springville Griffith Institute
96			Rio Schmidt	P	SR	5-11	195	Mason, Texas	Mason

These 18 players have earned a 33-9 mark over the past four seasons and two LL titles. It's been a pleasure covering their careers and I wish them the best in these final two games and their post-Hobart careers.

Scouting the Saints

The graduation of several key offensive and defensive stars have the Saints in a rebuilding mode. They have been competitive, however, losing three games by a combined 10 points, including last week's 21-17 loss to RPI (6-2, 2-1). On paper the Statesmen have a clear edge in scoring offense, averaging 33 PPG vs. SLU's 17.6 PPG. However, both squads are basically even on defense, with Hobart having allowed 20.4 PPG to the Saints 21.4 PPG.

The Saints are also similar to Hobart in that they've evolved to be more of passing, than running,  team. SR QB Sean Richardson missed one game this season due to injury, but he's averaged over 200 YPG passing, throwing for 1403 yards, 12 TDs and six INTs on the season. JR RB Roderick Payne averages over 88 YPG rushing, but has only scored two TDs this season.

Richardson's favorite targets are JR WR Travis Marnell (630 receiving yards and six TDs) and SR WR Vincenzo Ferraro (486 receiving yards and two TDs). Vincenzo's little brother, FY WR Anthony Ferraro, scored on a 49 yard TD to give the Saints a brief lead late in the RPI game last weekend.

Defensively, SLU is led by SR LB Skyler Williamson, who has 86 tackles on the season, the most by any defender in the league. JR DL Tyler Mirabile has emerged as a strong pass rusher, leading the Saints in sacks with eight and adding 14.5 TFL.

SR PK Daly Hebert handles KOs, PAT and FG duties for SLU. SR WR/PK Austen Lauricella handles punting duties.

Keys to the Game:

1. Back to Basics - The Statesmen should have both a size and speed advantage against SLU this Saturday, and the Saints have allowed more rushing (13) than passing (7) TDs this season. When Hobart has lost this season, they've called 24 runs and 46 passes per game. In their wins, they've called 36 runs and 31 passes, on average. A more balanced attack should help get Hobart back into the win column, especially when you consider the three top RBs the Statesmen have combined for over 1000 yards and 16 TDs (and a 5+ yards per carry average) on the season.

2. Reel in Richardson - The SLU QB is one of the more, if not the most, mobile ones the Statesmen defense will have faced this season. It'll be imperative for assignments to be executed well and tackles made upon initial contact. Richardson can break long runs if allowed. The Hobart defense will need to be ready. While it was in a losing effort, Richardson did have 350 yards passing against the Statesmen defense last season.

3. Just Win - The Statesmen have a shot, albeit a long one, of possibly qualifying for the newly created New York State Bowl if they can end the season 3-2 in the LL. It'll come down to tiebreakers and/or other schools potentially opting out, since Ithaca and RPI have already had a lot of overlap with Empire 8 teams this season. There is no requirement that both second place teams from the respective conferences have to play in the bowl game (e.g., I would be very surprised if Ithaca would play Cortland in back-to-back weeks), so a bid could fall into Hobart's lap. Regardless of what happens, the Statesmen must win their final two contests to even have a chance.

Prediction:

I think the Saints will come to play spoiler, but the Hobart offense will surge late like they have on occasion this season. I'll take the Statesmen to win on Senior Day, 35-21.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Too Little, Too Late in 28-23 Loss at Union

The Hobart Statesmen will miss the NCAA playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons, after a disappointing performance at Union today. It was the Dutchmen's Homecoming, and the Statesmen (5-3, 1-2) played like the typical "patsy" for three quarters in a poor showing in a must-win, playoff style game.

The Statesmen finally realized their season was on line and scored three, fourth quarter TDs, but after a couple of onside kicks failed, that was it. It really does appear that the dominant run we Hobart fans enjoyed from 2011-16 is over. Time will tell if the Statesmen can get back to being a Top 10-25 type of program again, but losses like this will sting for some time.

The coaching staff will have to get back to the film (and the recruiting trail) to do what's needed to fix what's clearly broken in Geneva. It's really a shame, as this year's Statesmen team has so much talent all over the roster, but they have clearly under-performed after very high preseason expectations. At this point its even unlikely Hobart can qualify for the inaugural NYS Bowl game on November 18th looking up to three other teams in the LL standings.

While I'm not sure what went wrong, all I can say is it once again a slow start, poor offensive execution and a worn out defense had the Statesmen behind the eight-ball to a gritty Dutchmen (7-1, 3-0) team that just seemed better-coached and prepared for today's match up. The defense hung in there for a long time, but offensive stalls and special teams mistakes took their toll.

SR QB Shane Sweeney seemed off, going 1-8 early in the game, always looking deep for SR WR Brandon Shed, but ultimately ended the day, 33-59 for 293 yards and one TD. SO LB Jedh Downey led all tacklers with 12 stops and he made 10 of those in the first half.

Hobart will have the next week off and hopefully the team can take some solace in travelling to Buffalo to cheer on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ali Marpet '15.

Thanks for reading and please tune into the next episode of ITH where we recap this and all the other East Region action from this weekend.

Week 8 - Union Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen and Union College Dutchmen have had a good rivalry over the years (or centuries, depending how you look at it), starting all the way back in 1896. The all-time series stands with Union having a slight, 48-50-2, edge. The Statesmen (5-2, 1-1) have caught up in recent years, thanks to a seven game winning streak going back to the 2010 season. Speaking of the 2010 season, that was the last time Union (6-1. 2-0) came into a game with Hobart with a better overall W/L record. That game made my "Best Games of the Last 20 Years" at #14, and introduced us to a young QB named Nick Strang '13, who would go on to make his mark for the Statesmen over the next couple of seasons.

Last season the Statesmen struggled against the Dutchmen in Geneva, trailing for significant parts of the game. Ultimately Hobart needed a 23-yard SR WR Brandon Shed TD with 2:16 remaining in the game and a defensive stand from their own 36 yard line as time expired, to rally and beat Union, 27-23.

With Ithaca's loss to RPI last Saturday, Saint Lawrence (1-5, 0-2) and Rochester's (2-4, 0-2) continuing to fade, Hobart can put itself into the "driver's seat" for the Liberty League's NCAA Playoff Automatic Qualifier (aka the Pool A bid) with a win over Union this Saturday in Schenectady.

Scouting the Dutchmen

*Photo credit - UnionAthletics.com

The Dutchmen have won six straight, not necessarily against the best competition, but Union has managed to get the wins they have by a combination of a balanced offense and tough, bend-don't-break, defense.

JR QB Nick Cascione has come into his own, passing for 1,127 with 11 TDs (he's run into two TD scores as well), compared to seven INTs. He is highly accurate, going 107-159, competing 67.3% of his passes. Cascione's favorite target this season has been SR WR Alex Kaplanovich. The Don Bosco grad leads the Dutchmen with 35 catches for 439 yards and two TDs. SO WR Griffin Beal and JR WR Packy Brown have added 273 and 212 receiving yards, respectively, to go with three and two TDs apiece.

JR RB Connor Kinzelmann (shown above) leads the rushing attack with 376 yards and three TDs. He will be occasionally spelled by FY RB Travis Demby (188 yards) and JR RB Derek Khnazir (160 yards and one TD - although word has it that Khnazir is out with an injury so I don't expect him to play).

Defensively Union has a strong LB corps, led by SR LB Jake Lombardo. He's averaging about 10 TPG and he's added four TFL and three sacks to go with his team high 69 total tackles. JR LB Jack Reilly and SO DE Vincent DiCaterino have terrorized opposing backs, tallying 11 and 10.5 TFL, respectively. DiCaterino leads the Dutchmen defense with seven sacks. JR CB Tucker Newman has been a ball hawk this season, collecting five INTs to go with 32 tackles and six PBUs.

SR PK Jonathan Schaible has been fairly accurate, making 21-22 PATs and going 5-8 on FGs, with a long of 34 yards. SR PK Tyler Barnes is the punter, and he's averaged 39.05 YPP and has dropped 16 of his 38 punts inside the opposition's 20 yard line. SO PK Will Halpin typically handles KOs and he's averaged a very respectable 55.4 YPKO. The Dutchmen have used a wide variety of their skill players, including DBs like Newman, in the return game.

Keys to the Game:

1. Start Fast(er) - After seven games we have a decent amount data on the Statesmen, and what I've found is that they are slow starters. Of the 241 points scored this season, 63.5% of it (153 points) have come in the second half. The Hobart offense hasn't scored more than one TD in the first quarter in every game this season, save for Week 3 against Shenandoah. The Statesmen have scored zero points in the first quarter in Weeks 1, 2 and 5. Fortunately, the offense has been helped out by the defense which has only allowed 23 first quarter points this season, pitching shutouts in Weeks 2, and 4-6. Interestingly enough, Hartwick was the first team to score on the Statesmen in the 1st quarter since Shenandoah did it to open the Homecoming game. What's given Hobart fans some heartburn is the fact the Statesmen have only out-scored their opposition 47-46 in the second quarter, hence a lot of close games at halftime. While it's great to be a "second half team" (and they clearly are, outscoring opponents 153-66 after the break), it would be nice to get off to a fast start Saturday at Union.

2. Pass (and Ball) Protection - The Dutchmen are tough against the run, allowing only 92.5 rushing YPG and five rushing TDs all season (and one of those TDs was a last second score-padding one by Husson in Week 1). By contrast, opponents have averaged 207.43 YPG passing and 10 receiving TDs. What's helped Union is their opportunistic defense which has forced 15 fumbles, recovering 11 of those to add to 11 INTs of opposing QBs. Overall it would appear as though the Dutchmen are +11 in turnover margin, so obviously the Statesmen will need to protect SR QB Shane Sweeney against an aggressive pass rush (which has 20 sacks and 43 TFLs for -202 yards this season), and focus on ball control.

3. SOS - While I alluded to it above, and certainly the Statesmen can't afford to be overconfident against a revived Union program, the fact is the Dutchmen haven't played a schedule as tough as Hobart's. In fact, Union has a strength of schedule of 111 (according to D3football.com, based on NCAA methodology) compared to Hobart's, which is 36th (out of 248 teams in DIII). This tougher slate should have the Statesmen well prepared in what's effectively a playoff type of game between one of their oldest rivals.

Prediction:

Hobart has a lot riding on this one, and they should be excited about the opportunity this game presents them. It'll be tough to put up a lot of points on this defense that's only allowed 14.43 PPG, but the Dutchmen simply haven't faced a team of the Statesmen's caliber so far.

I do think this will be a low-scoring, defensive affair, unless the Statesmen offense can start out quickly and put the Dutchmen behind early. Union's offense is good, but only averages 24 PPG. If Hobart can get an early lead and let the defense attack, the Statesmen should be in good shape.

I'll take Hobart to win this one, 30-21 (probably with a late score or two since 35% - 84 - of the Statesmen's points have come in the fourth quarter).

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Hobart Soars Past Hawks, 49-27

The Hobart College Statesmen faced off against the Hartwick College Hawks for the first time in 20 years today in Oneonta, NY. The Statesmen (5-2, 1-1) started off slow, trailing 10-0 and 17-7 thanks to two early SR WR Koree Reed receiving TDs.

Although the Hobart offense only had 19 plays in the first half, they made the most of them. SR WR Brandon Shed got the Statesmen on the board with a 63 yard TD catch and run, and SR RB Joe Letizia took a hand-off and ran 54 yards for a TD. Hobart took their first lead of the game, 21-20, after SR QB Shane Sweeney found SR TE Zach Withers on a broken play for a 33 yard TD play with 13 seconds before halftime.

Although the Hobart defense gave up 184 yards in the first quarter, they buckled down and held Hartwick (3-4, 2-2) to 146 yards and seven points down the stretch. The Statesmen defense also kept the Hawks out of the end zone, forcing Hartwick to kick two FGs in the first half.

The second half the Statesmen saw the Hawks' Reed scored his third TD of the game and brought Hartwick within 1, 28-27, after Hobart took it's opening drive of the third quarter and scored on a one-yard Letizia TD run.

After that Hobart pulled away, with Sweeney finding JR TE Matthew Wood twice and handing off to JR RB Tynard Barfield for a 49-27 win.

The Hobart defense had five players tally seven tackles in the game. SO OLBs Jayson Prince and David McCarthy each added INTs off of Hartwick SR QB Billy Pine. Pine finished the game with 330 passing yards and three TDs. Sweeney went 19-30 for 305 yards and four scores. Shed tallied 111 yards and a TD and Letizia led all rushers with 71 yards and two scores.

Up next is Union (6-1. 2-0) in a key LL match up given RPI (4-2, 1-1) beat Ithaca (3-3, 3-1) today, 27-14.

Hobart is in prime position take advantage of the LL tie-breaker, but they'll need to defeat Union next Saturday in Schenectady.

Week 7 - Hartwick Game Preview

It's been 21 years since the Hobart College Statesmen's last trip to Oneonta, NY to face off against the Hartwick College Hawks. Hartwick (3-3, 2-2) and Hobart (4-2, 1-1) will resume a rivalry that ended in the 1997 season (a game I'm old enough to have followed and remember). That game was a 31-30 win by the Hawks as a late Statesmen rally came up short. Hobart won the 1996 game at Hartwick by a 42-27 margin, and made it onto Sportscenter for a fluky TD play by the Hawks. Former Statesmen Co-captain Tony Aguilar '97 had a pass ricochet off his helmet and into the hands of the opposing WR. While that play made the Sportscenter highlight reel, Aguilar got the last laugh with a 62 yard "pick six" to put the game away in the fourth quarter.

Hobart leads the (short) all-time series, 4-2, with games that have been scattered (including 1933, 1939, and 1994-97) over several decades. Although the Hawks haven't had a winning season since 2013, the Statesmen can't afford to look past what I'd call a "sneaky good" team.

This season Hartwick has been impressive offensively, and their three losses have come by a combined six points. The Hawks lost two, one-point games to Western Connecticut (4-1, 2-1) and Cortland (3-2, 2-1), respectively. They lost to Utica, 28-24, in Week 5 after the Pioneers (2-3, 1-2) scored on an eight-yard TD run with 28 seconds remaining in their game.

Scouting the Hawks

*photo credit to Hartwick Football's Facebook page

The Hawks bring a high-scoring offense averaging 37 PPG and 484 YPG, thanks to several of the top offensive players in the East Region. SR QB Billy Pine has already passed for nearly 2,000 yards this season and has 21 TDs to only five INTs. He was the 2016 NCAA Statistical Champion for passing yards per completion (17.92) and total offense (388.2 YPG) while ranking second nationally in pass yards per attempt with 10.07.

Pine's top targets are the pair of SR WR Koree Reed (819 receiving yards and 7 TDs) and SR WR Brad Garcia (665 receiving yards and 11 TDs). Reed was also the 2016 NCAA Statistical Champion with 1,606 receiving yards and an incredible 160.6 RYPG.

Hartwick uses a couple of runners to mix things up, SR RB Tito Pitchardo has rushed for 396 yards and three TDs and SO RB Ronald Ballard has added 287 yards and two TDs. Most of Ballard's stats came last weekend in a 52-34 win over Morrisville State, as he rushed for 151 yards and a TD as the featured back (probably because of an injury to Pitchardo who did not play).

Defensively the Hawks are allowing 27 PPG and 364.2 YPG. The Hartwick defense is led by two JR LBs in Mark Hackett (48 tackles and three INTs) and Josh Wilcox (43 tackles, four sacks and 7.5 TFL). Another player to keep an eye on is SR DB David Van Alstine, who may be small in size (5'6" 155 lbs) but has an eye for the football and is tied for the team lead in INTs with 3.

Van Alstine also stars on special teams, averaging 21.85 YPR and a TD on KOs. FY DB Matthew Scottman has handled the majority of punt returns, but Reed did make one PR last weekend against the Mustangs. Hartwick has a reliable kicker in SR PK Brian McGovern who's a perfect 5-5 on FGs (long of 36) this season while adding 27 PATs. McGovern also handles KOs, but only averages 40.8 yards on those, which could help Hobart with field position. The Hawks punter is Pine, the QB, and he's punted 14 times for 37.71 YPP average. The defense will have to keep an eye out for a potential quick kick play Saturday, as the Hawks are only 2-12 on fourth downs this season.

Keys to the game:

1. Clip the Wings - Hartwick averages 338.2 passing YPG and will be facing a Hobart defense that has really struggled at times against strong QBs. The Statesmen have allowed 266.8 YPG via the air, but that stat has been bolstered by the fact RPI only threw for 137 yards last Saturday. Pine is a much better QB than Trimpert, and will likely drop back at least 30-35 times against Hobart. The Statesmen have allowed opposing QBs to break 300 yards passing three times this season (vs. Brockport, vs. Shenandoah and vs. Ithaca), going 1-2 in those games. Needless to say, Hobart will need to keep the pressure on Pine up front all game.

2. The Run - I'm a broken record here, but the Statesmen's best defense will be to keep Pine, Reed and Garcia off the field and when they're in the game, pin them back by taking Ballard's ability to run the ball off the table. Offensively Hobart is averaging 150 rushing YPG and their stable of RBs have done very well in YPR:

SR RB Joe Letizia - 5.6 AVG
FY RB Dakota Harvey - 4.4 AVG (this number would be higher if not for last week's limited action of 7 carries for three yards and a TD)
SO RB Brian Haeffner - 6.4 AVG
JR RB Tynard Barfield - 5.2 AVG

Hartwick has allowed almost 180 rushing YPG and 12 rushing TDs this season. In their three losses, the Hawks opponents averaged 208 rushing YPG. Both WCSU and Cortland had over 100+ yard rushers, and Utica came close, with their QB rushing for 94 (and their RB adding 87 yards). Saint John Fisher rushed for 274 yards in Week 4, a 24-21 loss, but they couldn't stop Pine, who went 26-41 for 375 yards and three TDs.

3. Turnovers - Last weekend the Hobart defense killed RPI with three forced turnovers. The Statesmen offense turned over the ball as well, but it didn't cost them thanks to the stellar play of the D. Hartwick is +5 in TOM, so they can be opportunistic. The Statesmen will need to take better care of the ball than they did against RPI.

Prediction:

This game has the potential to be a shootout, but I think it may surprise some and end up being more of a defensive and field position battle. The Statesmen have the edge field position wise given better specialist players (on KOs and punting) than Hartwick, but otherwise you can say this is a pretty even match-up. While it won't count towards playoff consideration given its an OOC game, it would bode well for the Statesmen to keep the momentum going and get an important road win.

I'll pick Hobart to outlast Hartwick, 35-27.

Thanks for reading (and getting the blog to over 200k views!) and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Shut Out RPI, 30-0

The Hobart College Statesmen needed a day like today.

After a 3-2 start, the Statesmen were on the verge of playoff elimination, and a visit from RPI (3-2, 0-1) was a big game. The Engineers had beaten Hobart two years in a row, but the third time would not be the charm.

The Statesmen (4-2, 1-1) offense had successful drives but had to settle for two FY PK Kyle Hackett FGs instead of TDs. The Hobart offense coughed up the ball twice, once on a fumble and an INT, but the defense stepped up, keeping RPI scoreless in the first half (and the rest of the game).

Two SR QB Shane Sweeney TDs would spark the Statesmen in the second half, the first to SO WR Jake Catalioto for 13 yards and the second to SR WR Brandon Shed for eight yards. That TD catch tied Shed for third all-time for consecutive games with a reception at 27. Hackett added one more FG, to extend his streak to a perfect 5-5, and FY RB Dakota Harvey added a late TD to seal the 30-0 win.

SR LB Almamy Conde had an INT and FR to go with four tackles. SR DL Zackary Robak led the defense with seven stops. A recap from HWSAthletics.com can be seen here.

Up next is Hartwick (3-3, 2-2) who beat Morrisville State, 52-34, today. Hobart has not faced off against the Hawks since the 1997 season.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 6 - RPI Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen's season so far hasn't gone as planned, and they face another tough task as RPI (3-1, 0-0) returns to Boswell Field this weekend. The Engineers have defeated Hobart (3-2, 0-1) in consecutive seasons, each on last second-type plays.

Last season, RPI JR QB Ed Trimpert scored on a five-yard TD run with 20 seconds left to upset the Statesmen in Troy, by a score of 21-17. Hobart out-gained the Engineers 435 to 192 yards but 15 penalties for -148 yards, including a critical face-mask by the Statesmen on the kickoff of RPI's final possession, ended up coming back to haunt Hobart (particularly come playoff time when their 9-1 overall record resulted in a very poor RD1 draw, thanks to the NCAA Selection Committee).

The Engineers took back the lead in the all-time series with last year's win, 29-30-1. RPI is coming off a bye week, after dropping a 21-9 halftime lead in a 33-21 loss to Buffalo State (3-1, 1-1). Highlights from that matchup can be viewed here.

Scouting the Engineers

*Photo courtesy of RPIAthletics.com

RPI brings a potent offense (33.25 PPG) and a tough defense (15.25 PPG) to the Boz this Saturday. JR QB Ed Trimpert once again leads the offense and has improved from his injury-plagued SO season. He's passed for 662 yards and 10 TDs, compared to three INTs. He's completed 52.38% of his passes, and has a high efficiency rating (183.5) bolstered by his good TD:INT ratio.

The Engineers have a strong OL and three good runners in JR RB Nick Cella (235 yards and two TDs), SR RB Ethan Wells (201 yards and three TDs) and SR RB Mike Tivinis (188 yards and one TD). 

Trimpert's favorite targets in the passing game have been JR WR Keaton Ackerman (146 yards and two TDs) and SR RB Johnny Ramsdell (who's really more of a WR than RB, leading the team with 10 catches. He has 130 yards and two TDs lining up in the backfield and going out for passes). Not far behind them is JR WR Danny Calabro with four catches for 129 yards and a TD.

Defensively the RPI is led by SR DB Brian Hayes with 37 tackles. JR LB Brandt Beck has added 29 stops, an INT and two FFs. On the DL, SR DT Malik Joseph brings size (6'1" 310 lbs.) and pass rushing ability. SR DL Diego Cuitino (pictured above) is also an effective run-stuffer. SR DB Sean Egan is an excellent cover corner who did well against SR WR Brandon Shed last season. He's third on the team with 20 tackles and leads the Engineers with three INTs.

On special teams RPI once again boasts the best kicker in the LL with SR PK Christian Kapp. He has not missed a FG (2-2 with a long of 32) or a PAT (17-17) all season. In the one instance he had a PAT blocked, Kapp scooped it up and scored a two-point conversion. Kapp also handles KOs where he averages an impressive 62.5 YPKO. The punters for RPI have FY P Zac Montrief and SR P Matt Raczak who've averaged 35.42 and 37.33, respectively.

Keys to the Game:

1. The Run - The Engineers have basically doubled up their opponents rushing yardage this season (877:425), averaging 219.3 YPG offensively while limiting their opposition to only 106.3 YPG. The best defense Hobart has is keeping SR RB Joe Letizia and FY RB Dakota Harvey grinding out yards to limit RPI's trio of runners from wearing out the defense.

2. Turnovers - Three second half turnovers by the Engineers ended up being the difference in Buffalo State's comeback against RPI in Week 4. A couple of forced fumbles caused by the Bengals were later cashed in for TDs and a late INT by Trimpert sealed the win for Buff State. The Statesmen defense is +3 in turnover margin this season, and they'll need to remain in that plus-margin territory to help them win this game.

3. Just Win - The Statesmen aren't mathematically eliminated from the LL title and NCAA playoff picture just yet, but they must win this game to keep their hopes alive. If they can stay loose, but play with intensity and execute their game plan to the best of their ability, they'll have a chance to stay in the hunt.

Prediction:

On one hand, I expect a good amount of offense in this one, especially given Hobart's defensive struggles of late. The Statesmen defensive backfield will need to play their best game of the season and the LBs will need to be ready as the Engineers like to send RBs on short to mid-range routes.

On the other, the last two games have been more defensive battles, however, so I'll take Hobart to get back on track in a (very) close 28-24 contest.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

PS - On a personal note, Happy Birthday to my son, Declan! He's 11 today.

How the LL Tiebreaker Could Work in Hobart's Favor

Credit this to an IC fan from the d3boards.com Liberty League page:

Assuming RPI/Bart/IC win out in LL, except for RPI over IC [making all three teams tied in the conference standings at 4-1]. I'll also assume the following:

 - Rochester loses to Union and St. Lawrence, so they have seven losses and are removed [likely]
 - St. Lawrence loses to Brockport, so they have six and are out [very likely]
 - Union gets to 5 with the win over Rochester [likely - what could throw this out the window however is if Union ends up in the 4-1 conversion because their easy OOC will likely have them in better position, but that's a big "if"]

This leaves us:

Hobart
Brockport: 5-0 Loss
Fisher: 0-4 Win
Shenandoah: 3-1 Win
Endicott: 1-4 Win
Hartwick: 2-3 not played
Union: Win

You're looking at 2-1, as I doubt Endicott and Fisher get to .500, and the Wick doesn't either (Not with Bart, Alfred, and Brockport on the docket)

RPI
WP: 0-4 Win
WPI: 3-2 Win
WNE: 3-2 Win
Buff State: 3-1 loss
Alfred: 5-0 Not played
Union: Win

I'm guessing Buff State finds themselves two wins (one will come against Fisher) and that they'll lose to Alfred [they did]. So, if WPI/WNE hold on, it's 3-2

Ithaca
Alfred 4-0 Loss
Brockport 5-0 loss
Utica 2-3 not played
Cortland 2-2 not played
Fisher: 0-4
Union: win

So you're 1-2, and the question is, can Utica and Cortland both get to .500 while losing to Ithaca, AND one of them losing to the other? This is going to be a tall order if Utica loses to Cortland, but it's possible.

So it looks like Hobart gets it, since the criteria is record, and 2-1 is better than 3-2.

Here's hoping this is a scenario that plays out, but it's got to start with a win on Saturday vs. RPI for the Statesmen. I'll have more on that matchup later this week.

Technically, the LL tie-breaker reads as follows:

In the sport of football, the league shall use the following tie-breaking formula to determine the automatic qualifier.  Prior to using the formula to determine the automatic qualifier, co-champions would be declared.

1.    Head-to-head results.
2.    Comparison of records between tied institutions beginning with the lowest conference finisher and continuing through the highest conference finisher.  If more than two teams are tied, at the point one team has been eliminated, revert back to step 1 (head-to-head results).
3.    Comparison of final winning percentage against all opponents with a record of .500 or above.  At the point when one team has been eliminated, revert back to step 1 (head-to-head results).
4.    Comparison of final winning percentage against all opponents with a record below .500.  At the point when one team has been eliminated, revert back to step 1 (head-to-head results).
5.    Coin flip.

The wrinkle here is that the LL cites winning percentage, not just W/L.

More on this to come. Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Stunned By Bombers in Final Minute, 24-21

The Hobart College Statesmen's woes at Butterfield Stadium continued, as a late TD by Ithaca (2-2, 2-0) knocked out the Statesmen's Liberty League and NCAA playoff hopes. While it's still statistically possible for Hobart (3-2, 0-1) to win the LL, it would take an incredible amount of luck and tie-breaker rules to go their way for that to happen.

SR QB Shane Sweeney and SR WR Brandon Shed will probably rewrite the Statesmen record books (and Sweeney did break the all-time passing and career TD marks in the game), the fact he will likely only appear in one playoff game in his outstanding three-year Hobart career is very disappointing.

The Statesmen defense couldn't solve the Ithaca offense, as they allowed FY QB Wahid Nabi pass for 343 yards and a TD, while also allowing SR RB Tristan Brown to rush for 120 yards and two scores, including the game-winner. Brown averaged 5.2 YPC, which was a season high for him.

Highlights from the IC side can be viewed here. The HWS recap can be seen here.

This one's going to hurt for a bit, but there won't be much time to dwell on this as RPI (3-1, 0-0) comes to Geneva next weekend, riding a two-game winning streak over the Statesmen.

While a chance at the playoffs may have been dashed today, a win over the Engineers would do some good in making this season feel better after this weekend.

Thanks for the almost 200k readers over the last nine seasons. We'll be alright - go 'Bart!

Week 5 - Ithaca Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen finally enter Liberty League play against the newest member of the conference, but a familiar foe in Ithaca College. The Bombers (1-2, 1-0) earned their first win of the season, and in conference, with a 24-13 defeat of Saint Lawrence (1-2, 0-1) in Week 3.

A spectacular video highlight reel of that contest can be seen here. We also invited new Bombers HC Dan Swanstrom onto ITH and that video interview can be seen here.

Hobart and Ithaca have resumed a series back in 2014 that was on hiatus since 2003. The Bombers lead the all-time series 5-25, but the Statesmen have a slight edge, 4-3, since the 2000 season. Hobart defeated Ithaca, 23-3, last year at Homecoming.

The Bombers got on the board first, after converting a 24 yard FG, to lead 3-0 only 4:33 into the game. The rest of the way was all Statesmen, however, as Hobart's defense shut out Ithaca. The offense would score 23 unanswered points, cashing in on two SR WR Brandon Shed receiving TDs and a rushing TD by SR RB Joe Letizia. Sean Kirshe '17 added a 29 yard FG as well. SO LB Jedh Downey led the defense with eight tackles.

Scouting the Bombers

"A work in progress" is how Coach Swanstorm describes his team, but the newest era of Bombers football shows promise. FY QB Wahid Nabi was thrown into the fire in a 31-0 loss to Brockport (4-0) in Week 2, but he rebounded well with a 357 yard passing, three TD performance against SLU.

SR RB Tristan Brown leads the Ithaca run game with 110 yards over two games (he didn't play against Alfred in Week 1). SO WR Will Gladney leads the Bombers with 362 yards and three TDs for an impressive 120.67 YPG. SR WR JR Zazzara and FY WR Andrew Vito have caught nine and seven passes for 135 and 110 yards, respectively. Vito scored his first collegiate receiving TD against SLU.

Defensively Ithaca returned nine starters from what was one of the best scoring defenses in the Empire 8 last season. SR LBs Dan Loizos and Kenny Bradley lead the Bombers with 29 tackles each. JR LB Pat Minogue and JR DL Brian Gill have tallied 22 stops as well.

Minogue doubles as the Ithaca punter, averaging 38.07 average YPP. JR PK David Prudhomme has struggled a bit, only converting two of five FG tries. He's better on KOs and PATs, averaging 48.3 YPKO, and going five for five.

Keys to the Game:

1. First Blood - The Statesmen got off to a fast, then sluggish, start last weekend against Endicott. The Bombers don't put up a lot of points, averaging only 13.67 PPG. It would bode well for Hobart to get a few early scores under their belt and put Ithaca behind the eight ball early in this one.

2. Under 100 - The Brockport game showed that if the Bombers are held to under 100 rushing yards, they are prone to pass more (and potentially be turnover prone). The Hobart DL will need to apply pressure at the point of attack, and bottle up the small, but quick, Brown.

3. Don't Be Soft - The Statesmen got a little soft in their coverage after the Brockport game, and while Ithaca's WRs are talented, the Hobart secondary shouldn't play off the line of scrimmage too far like they have on several occasions this season. A good pass rush will be necessary to avoid having the Hobart CBs being left in coverage too long and giving up deep routes.

4. Ancient History - I saw Brad Paisley in concert in Tampa a couple of weeks ago. His new single is "There's a Last Time for Everything." Well, guess what? The Butterfield shut out of Hobart has to end someday. The Statesmen literally fumbled away a great opportunity to do that in 2015, but this Hobart team is definitely stronger than the squad that played there then, so hopefully we can watch them put this streak to bed (finally).

Prediction:

It's hard to gauge how good this Bombers team is this season. They nearly beat #20 Alfred (3-0), but the defending E8 Champion Saxons barely beat Utica (1-3) and allowed 355 yards to Rochester (1-2). SLU is 1-2 also, losing to Utica in Week 1 and barely beating Norwich (0-4) in Week 2.

The Ithaca defense has talented players, but they are allowing 360 YPG and three TDs per game also so there's no reason for this Hobart offense not to have success this Saturday. I do get that the Bombers have had an extra week to prepare, and that'll probably mean a lower scoring first half (especially with rain in the forecast). Since I do think Hobart is closer to Brockport (4-0) than Ithaca in this one, and while they probably won't pitch a shut out, I do like the Statesmen to win 31-17, with a late surge in the second half.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Fly Past Gulls, 34-17

The Hobart College Statesmen got off to a good start, forcing two interceptions and taking a 10-0 lead, but needed a second half surge to put away the Endicott College Gulls. The Statesmen offense struggled at times, but SR QB Shane Sweeney caught his stride, passing for 321 yards and four TDs. He broke the all-time completions mark with his 456th in the first half. His final TD of the game tied him with Shawn Mizro '07 for the all-time passing TD mark.

SR WR Brandon Shed only caught two passes on the day, but both went for TDs. SO WR Ray Conley added two receiving scores as well. FY OL Corey Simmons did well in his first career start at LT, subbing in for JR OL John Deveney, but made a couple of rookie of mistakes, which is to be expected.

Hobart got off to a first start, taking their opening drive 59 yards and an early 7-0 lead. FY PK Kyle Hackett converted his first of two FGs, a 27 yarder, to extend the Statesmen's lead to 10-0 with 12:25 to go in the second quarter. Hobart's next two possessions would sputter out, and the Gulls made a short FG just before halftime to give the Statesmen a 10-3 edge.

The Hobart offense scored ten unanswered points to open the third quarter, including Shed's first TD and a 40 yard FG by Hackett, the longest since Sean Kirshe '17 hit a 42 yarder in the 2014 NCAA playoffs.

The Statesmen defense did well for most of the game, but a long Endicott drive narrowed the Hobart lead to 20-10 just after the start of the fourth quarter. Shed would push the Statesmen's lead back to two scores with his second TD, but a breakdown in coverage kept the Gulls hanging around.

A final Conley score would be good for the 34-17 win. Hobart out-gained Endicott 412 to 324 yards. The Statesmen defense forced two Gulls INTs and held Endicott to 4-13 on third downs. Once again SO LB Jedh Downey led all Statesmen tacklers with a game-high 12 stops.

The win improves Hobart to 3-1 overall and they'll face Ithaca (1-2, 1-0) in their LL opener next Saturday at Butterfield Stadium, where the Statesmen have never won.

I'll have more on this one, and on the upcoming game, soon.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!