For the first time in many years, I missed the window to get a game recap up. I suppose I could blame the family weekend and travel. Really, I think it's the fact that I was just so disappointed with the outcome of Saturday's game, I had to mull it over for a bit before writing anything about it.
The sad truth of the matter is Hobart (0-2, 0-0) is off to their worst start since 1999. They are at risk of going 0-3 with a surprisingly strong Utica (2-0, 0-0) team that's brought in an upper-division transfer QB who's blown out Washington & Jefferson and RPI in the last two weeks. The Pioneers were the last team to beat the Statesmen on their home field back in 2023, and only Ithaca has defeated Hobart twice at home since HC Kevin DeWall '00 took over the program in 2018.
Looking Back
You can read the Brockport game recap from HWSAthletics here. Although Hobart led most of the game and the defense stood up for about 58 minutes, the offense gained only 37 yards on 23 plays in the second half. Ultimately what was supposed to be the strength (the offense) of the Statesmen going into this season, has really hurt the team, and when I asked one of the Golden Eagles' coaches who is a long-time acquaintance via In the D3FB Huddle about what's going on with the Statesmen, all he said was "they got some OL depth issues". I think QB play has been pretty inconsistent also, and it's been an issue for some time now. If you look at the teams at the top of D3, they have guys with over 60-70% completion percentages and who can throw for 200-300+ YPG. We haven't had one of those since Shane Sweeney '18.
Either way, the Statesmen could easily be 2-0 but a couple of bad plays have given them this difficult start. Factoring in Ithaca drubbing Alfred (1-1, 0-0) by a 45-14 margin last weekend also, the rest of September's outlook looks grim to say the least.
So how can Hobart turn things around?
Looking Ahead
Scouting the Pioneers:
A big part of Utica's resurgence has to do with the addition of FCS transfer (via University of Albany and Robert Morris) SR QB Tyler Szalkowski. His numbers so far this season are fantastic, going 55-69 for 913 yards, 10 TDs and only 2 INTs in ONLY TWO GAMES!
The Pioneers' defense has been allowing over 22 PPG, but Szalkowski and the offense has put up an average of 45 PPG, which they'll likely expect to do to the Statesmen this weekend. Three Utica WRs have over 100 yards receiving already and the running game is led by JR RB Eze Frazier (39 rushes for 139 yards and 1 TD), but honestly, the Pioneers haven't needed to run the ball much.
Defensively, Utica is led by SO LB Isaiah Thomas with 18 total tackles. SR DB Eli Douglas has 2 INTs already on the season. JR DL Jordan Davis leads the team with two sacks.
On special teams the Pioneers have only punted three times and are 0-1 on FGs, so not much to report there. JR PK Nico Duarte has been averaging just over 48 YPKO and has gone 12-13 on PATs.
Leading Utica since 2008 is HC Blaise Faggiano who is currently the longest tenured D3 HC (if not all of NYS, would need to double check that) in NYS.
Keys to the Game:
1. Sack Szalkowski - It goes without saying that Hobart must get pressure on this talented QB. He has carved up opposing defenses in the last two weeks and the most points Hobart has allowed in the DeWall era at the Boz was 31 to Ithaca back in the 2022 season. Utica will look to stretch the field and get points on the board quickly. They've scored 21 and 28 points in the first half in both their Week 1 and 2 games, respectively.
2. Back to Basics - While I know the OL is banged up (they've lost 2-3 starters), establishing the run and controlling the clock is a big key to keeping Szalkowski on the sideline. JR RB E.J. Taylor will need to get rolling, as the Utica defense has allowed over 3 YPR and close to 93 YPG rushing (but that number is deceiving given how their opposition has had to play from behind). You could make an argument to try starting SR QB Tru Styles and go with a more RPO based offense against the Pioneers, but that's up to the coaches, not me.
3. Home Sweet Home - We all know that Hobart has a 90.6% winning percentage at home since the 2018 season. One of those losses was a surprising one to Utica in 2023, however, so they will be very confident coming to the Boz this Saturday. The Statesmen just have to play a strong fundamental football game and not beat themselves like they have in Weeks 1 and 2.
Final Thoughts:
I don't bother with Logan Hansen's ratings or models, but my guess is he has Utica as at least 10–14-point favorites in this game. You don't need to be a statistician after watching the games to see that Hobart has some issues they need to fix. Utica seems to be on a roll and could be looking to make another statement like they did against W&J and RPI.
Hobart hasn't started 0-3 since 1996, Coach Cragg's second season as HC. Here's hoping the Statesmen can lean on their winning ways at the Boz and pull off kind of an upset win Saturday.
Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!
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