The Hobart College Statesmen are off to a 2-0 start and go into Week 3's bye as a team that's putting together their identity. Built around an attack-minded defense and power running game, Hobart has soundly defeated their first two opponents and are a heavy favorite going into Week 4's matchup against Keystone (1-1, with a Week 3 game vs. Saint John Fisher on Saturday).
Given Ithaca's (1-1) recent struggles, and the general lack of data points being just two weeks (1/5 or 20%) into the season, I'd say any number of contenders, including Hobart, can win the Liberty League championship.
To start, let's look at the DEFENSE:
While certainly undersized up front on the DL, the strength of this team starts with their speed, quickness, power and most importantly, the ability to allow the Statesmen's very talented LB corps to get free and make plays.
JR LBs Peterson Monexant and Anthony Romano have combined for 30 tackles, 3 TFL, 2.5 sacks and 2 FFs already on the year. Emerging stars such as SO LB Mike McGhee have made a big impact also, recovering a FF and an INT in the win over Morrisville. Co-Captain and JR OLB Jamien Bliss is tied for the team lead with 2 INTs after that game to go with nine tackles.
The secondary is off to a great start also as SR DB Abdoulaye Diallo leads the team with 3 PBUs and had a 44-yard "scoop and score" for a TD back in Week 1. SR DB Joe McCoy has tallied 2 INTs and overall, the Statesmen have tallied an impressive nine PBUs.
If we dive into the numbers, we see that Hobart is second in the LL only allowing 9.5 PPG. The only reason they aren't first is because Union (2-0) has pitched two shut outs against two programs that have been historically down and one that's just getting started.
The Statesmen's rush defense is allowing only 62.5 YPG and is tied for second place in the LL with Rochester (1-1) for allowing only one rushing TD. Hobart's pass defense has been a little "bend but don't break", is the most opportunistic in the LL so far. While they've given up the second most amount of yardage (367 total yards or a 183.5 YPG average), Hobart has only allowed one passing TD and leads the league, and is tied for fourth in the nation, with 6 INTs. The Statesmen also leads the LL with six sacks and have held opponents to a 34.6 third down conversion percentage.
The numbers tell the story that the Hobart defense is for real and an excellent unit. The Statesmen are ranked in the Top 20 scoring defenses in the nation and are getting stronger each week. They just need to clean up the penalty issues we've already discussed, and when they do, this could shape up to be another special year for Hobart on the defensive side of the ball.
Now let's pivot to the OFFENSE:
No surprise here as SR RB Rayshawn Boswell is off to a great start, ranking 13th in the nation with 243 rushing yards on 35 carries. He's scored four rush TDs (which is tied with four others for 2nd in the nation) and is tied for the team lead in receptions with four catches for 19 yards.
The Hobart OL is off to a great start, helping the Statesmen average 261.5 YPG on the ground (second best in the LL). They've only allowed one sack over two games and have opened up substantial running lanes for SR RB Tim Denham, Jr. also. He's carried the ball 34 times for 140 yards and two rushing TDs. A pleasant surprise has been the productivity of FY RB E.J. Taylor who's made the most of his opportunities, rushing for 56 yards on 14 carries (4.0 YPR).
JR QB Johnny Columbi now has two career starts under his belt and is clearly being eased into the system by the Hobart coaching staff. While his individual statistics are at the bottom of the LL as far as yards (186), YPG (93), TDs (0), INTs (2), longest pass plays (28 yards), and efficiency rating (85.5), he's just getting started and has plenty of time to grow into the role. He does have a positive completion percentage of 20-37 (54.1%) which is fifth in the LL and only a few points behind the fourth and third placed passers in the completion category.
To his credit, Columbi distributes the ball well. He's completed at least one pass to eight different Statesmen receivers already. At least six of these passes have gone for over 12 yards also. I think it'll be just a matter of time and more reps until he's finding JR WR Rane Daramola, who's tied for the team lead in catches with four and a team high 37 receiving yards, for longer and more significant pass plays.
Overall, he's lead Hobart's offense to two wins (the most important stat there is), 29 PPG and 354.5 YPG which are both fourth in the LL in their respective categories.
Let's wrap it up with SPECIAL TEAMS:
JR PK Tobias Wefering has done a great job handling KOs, punts, FGs and PATs for Hobart to open the season. He's averaged 61.3 YPKO, 38.25 YPP, gone 3-4 on FGs (with a long of 36 yards) and 7-7 on PATs.
SR RB Rayshawn Boswell has returned four punts for 18 yards, with a long of 9. The KO return team has featured FY RB E.J. Taylor (2 KOR for 58 yards), FY RB Caleb Nicolas (1 KOR for six yards) and JR RB Andres Duran (1 KOR for four yards) so far this season.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Statesmen will get a rare Saturday night home game against Keystone next weekend. After that, the conference season starts. Hobart has yet to win a game at Ithaca, but they'll will look to break that streak in Week 5.
I'll plan to do another review like this about Week 6 which is effectively the season's halfway point. Only 20% in, there are several positive trends starting but certainly areas for improvement. Overall, I'm optimistic Hobart will continue to improve and evolve as the season progresses.
Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!
No comments:
Post a Comment