The Hobart College Statesmen will make the short trip down I-90W to face off against a familiar foe, the Saint John Fisher College Cardinals. Both Hobart and SJFC are off to 2-0 starts, which is ironic and/or coincidental in that this will be the 20th game between the two programs (2 and 0, get it? Ok, bad "dad joke" there, moving on...).
The Statesmen lead the all time series 12-7 and won the most recent matchup, 31-3, back in 2017. While that was a good win, it was only the 2nd after SJFC had Hobart's number winning 5 straight between 2002-2010. The Statesmen had their biggest win in the series (56-20) in 2011, but lost to the Cardinals, 27-6, in the 2nd round of the NCAA playoffs back in 2013.
Last weekend, SJFC had their way with what appears to be a down Framingham State Rams (0-2) squad, winning 38-7. After a scoreless 1st quarter the Cardinals offense woke up (so did the defense which added a scoop and score to make it 14-0) and the rout was on.
Scouting the Cardinals
SJFC presents Hobart's first real challenge as far as a strong offense goes. While they haven't played world beaters in Weeks 1 & 2, the Cardinals have managed to average nearly 30 PPG and 275.5 YPG.
SO QB Hunter Walsh is a dual threat, able to throw and run it in for the Cardinals. He had an impressive debut in 2019, passing for 2,713 yards and 17 TDs while adding another 5 rushing TDs. He ended that season ranked third in the Empire 8 in passing yards.
This season Walsh is off to another good start, going 28-45 (62%) passing with 332 yards and 3 TDs, adding 1 TD via the run. His OL has done a good job protecting him also, only allowing 2 sacks so far, and Walsh has yet to throw an INT.
In the running game, the Cardinals have leaned on JR RB Dahmir Pross. He leads SJFC with 27 carries for 123 (net) yards or a 4.6 YPR average, to go with 2 TDs. He will occasionally spelled by SO RB Alex Schudt who has rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries with 1 TD. Based on these stats, it wouldn't surprise me if the slightly bigger Schudt is used for short-yardage situations.
Walsh likes to spread the ball around but his favorite target has been 5th year SR WR TySean Sizer. He leads the Cardinals with 6 catches for 101 yards and 1 TD. Sizer was a transfer from Patriot League / FCS Colgate University and had a strong 2019 campaign with 32 catches for 678 yards and 5 TDs.
Pross technically leads the team with 7 receptions, so he's clearly an option in the passing game as well. Another 5th year SR WR Johnatan Letta has also scored on a receiving TD as has SO WR Richie Quinn, who's a big target at 6' 1" 210 lbs.
Defensively, SJFC is led by the dynamic duo of SO LB Kyle Vachon and FY LB Joe Miscia with 14 tackles and 1 TFL, respectively. Vachon also has a sack so he's likely a threat to blitz on certain downs. Speaking of blitzers, JR DB Anthony Manna leads the Cardinals with 2 TFL and is tied for the team lead with Vachon in sacks with 1. He recovered a fumble for a "scoop and score" TD last weekend against FSU. Manna has 1 INT on the year, but the real ball hawk of the Cardinals secondary is SO DB Jason Rodriguez. He finished tied for 3rd in the nation in 2019 with 7 INTs and has already snagged 2 picks in the first two games of the season.
On special teams SJFC has a "do-it-all" specialist in 5th year SR PK Joe Dotterweich. He handles punting, kickoff and PAT/FG duties. So far the Cardinals have only needed him to kick one FG, a 30-yarder, against Framingham State, and it was good. He's yet to miss a PAT, going 8-8 on those.
Keys to the Game:
1. Next Man Up - The good news about outscoring your opponents 76-3 so far has been a lot of Statesmen players are having more opportunities to get valuable playing time and experience. I am expecting SR OLB Emmett Forde (shoulder) to sit this one out so Hobart will need some of the younger LB talent on their squad to step up. So far so good as players like FY LB Peterson Moxenant and Anthony Romano have tallied 1 INT each to go with 4 and 6 tackles, respectively. LB play will be important given Walsh's mobility as well as Pross' ability to run routes and/or be an outlet receiver.
2. Catch the Damn Ball - Hobart needs a WR (or 2-3) to step up and make some plays on offense. JR QB David Krewson delivers a good ball, but has seen drops make his stat line: 21-42 passing for 308 yards and 2 TD - look average. JR WR Alex LaBella had what could be looked back on as a breakout game with 5 catches for 75 yards and 1 TD vs. Morrisville State. SO WR Chris Bartosic is tied with LaBella with 6 catches for the team lead.
3. Quiet the Home Crowd - This matchup is listed as SJFC's "Alumni Weekend" (f/k/a Homecoming) game. Thus, the Statesmen can expect and large and hostile home crowd to start. If and when Hobart can get some early defensive stops and add a few points on the scoreboard, hopefully that'll settle things down. Hobart can definitely expect to get Fisher's best shot and while SJFC has dropped off a little in recent years (the Cardinals haven't had a better than 5-win regular season since 2016), the Statesmen only have a 5-4 record in Pittsford. The Statesmen have yet to allow more than 91 passing YPG and Fisher averages nearly 200 YPG. Something's got to give...
Useful Game Day Info:
Here's a handy Visitor's Guide provided by SJFC Athletics. It appears as though based on current campus updates, visitors will be welcome in the stadium but will be expected to abide by "adherence to current face covering requirements." You can read more here.
Prediction:
I think the excitement and hype of the big game atmosphere, plus the subtraction of a couple of top Hobart players due to injuries, will keep this one low-scoring to start. It's a 2 PM kickoff too which means extra tailgating time which has both good and bad consequences sometimes.
I expect a steady dose of running plays (the Statesmen have averaged 46 running plays for 233.5 YPG and 4 TDs to open the season) to burn some clock and quiet down the SJFC Homecoming crowd.
The Statesmen will need to protect the football and not give Fisher any easy points. In the end, I think Hobart's power running game will wear the Cardinals down. I'll take Hobart to win 31-14.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
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