Hobart came off their fifth consecutive NCAA berth (including a first round victory over the Middle Atlantic Conference Champion Lycoming) another league championship and a program record-tying 9 wins in 2008. That said expectations (and the accompanying #15 pre-season national ranking) were very high to say the least.
It was clear out of the gate; however, that this year would be a “rebuilding” one for the Statesmen. Hobart would drop the season opener to a strong Dickinson team. Although the Statesmen kept it close at the half, the powerful offense of the Red Devils wore down the Hobart defense as the game wore on. Dickinson would go on to compete for the Centennial Conference title falling just short losing to eventual champion and NCAA participant John Hopkins (first round winners over Hampton-Sydney). A season ending 35-32 loss to Ursinus effectively ended the Red Devil’s NCAA hopes as an 8-2 overall record would not be enough for an at-large bid based on the NCAA’s criteria.
The 26-3 loss would be the lowest offensive point total for the Statesmen since 1993. Fortunately Hobart bounced back the following weekend with a well played 24-16 victory over Carnegie Mellon University (5-5, 1-2).
The Statesmen’s season turned for the worse against eventual league champion Susquehanna in a frustrating 20-10 loss in Selinsgrove, PA. The offense once again struggled to score points and questions arose over SO QB Doug Vella’s ability to run the Statesmen’s offense. Although considered an upset at the time, Susquehanna would end up having an 8-2 season, winning the league’s “Pool A” bid (and share of the LL championship) with a victory over Union College in the season finale.
The cure for the Statesmen’s ills would come the following week back at home in Geneva. Hobart won in resounding fashion 33-10 over Saint Lawrence behind four rushing and one passing touchdowns.
The next week was the highly anticipated show-down between Union and Hobart. The Dutchmen were the only blemish on the Statesmen’s 2008 regular season record and both teams came into the game vying for the 2009 LL title. For the first time since probably 1997 I was actually in attendance for the first half for a live Statesmen game (and had a great view from the press box thanks to my friend and “In the HuddLLe” co-host Frank Rossi who has been calling Union games for WABY since 1994).
Although Hobart controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game and scored 21 points in the first half, the Statesmen failed to stop the deep ball and Union torched the Hobart defense on plays that covered 41 yards, 42 yards, 70 yards and 76 yards en route to a 31-21 victory. This loss would effectively end the Statesmen’s bid for a sixth consecutive NCAA bid and put Union in the driver’s seat for the LL title leading up to their season ending show down with Susquehanna. Although Union would lose their head-to-head clash with the Crusaders, the Dutchmen improved to 8-3, 6-1 on the season; including an ECAC bowl bid and victory over Hartwick, and captured a share of the LL title just a year after finishing 5-4, 4-3. With Susquehanna departing the LL for the Centennial Conference, expect Union to be a pre-season favorite to win the LL in 2010.
At the season’s midpoint the Statesmen caught fire and won their final four games by a combined 113-40, including shutting out the Merchant Marine Academy (4-6, 2-5) and RPI (5-4, 3-4). The shut out of RPI was the first over the Engineers since 2000, but was a relatively ugly offensive game. Both teams were a combined 2 for 33 on third downs and it was really the Hobart special teams (fumbled punt recovery) and defense (three interceptions) that won the game for the Statesmen.
The Hobart offense came out of its funk in the season finale rattling off 24 first half points to retain the Centennial Cup against their oldest rival, Rochester (4-6, 5-2). Although the 2009 regular season ended on a good note, there would be no post-season football for Hobart for the first time since the 2001 season. The Statesmen would have qualified were denied the opportunity to compete in an ECAC bowl game due to financial considerations cited by the HWS administration. This was an unfortunate sign of the times, but one the team and specifically the graduating 19 seniors seemed to take well given the circumstances.
Although Hobart had not lost two league games since 2001 (back when the LL was the UCAA), the Statesmen finished strong and have a lot of momentum heading into 2010. Based on my count the Statesmen will return 16 offensive, 11 defensive and 1 special teams (place kicker Conor Callahan) letter men (based on the two-deep roster at the time of the Rochester game).
QB Doug Vella now has a full season under his belt and all three of the Statesmen RB’s (Andrew Marlier, Kyle Tritton and Pat Julian) return as does the starting FB Matt Howard. The OL loses stalwarts such as Co-Captain Brian Monaco and Angelo Catalano to graduation, but Coach DeWall has a solid core group of starters in Kelvin Cruz, Brendan Hatlee and Kyle Sandy as well as Sean Kluber who was a starter until he was injured in the Susquehanna game.
The biggest gap that Hobart needs to fill is on the defensive line given the graduations of Kwame Lovell, Tony Guidetti, Mike Ardiuni, Mike Faracca and Anthony Shaw. There is also the loss of linebackers Orlando Patterson (29 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries) and Co-Captain Ryan Robinson who was second on the team with 57 total tackles. No small task, but I trust Coach Cragg is hitting the recruiting trail hard this winter and we will likely see some role players such as FY DT Nick Auriemma and SO DT Dane Wilcoxen be the likely starters. Other key defensive returning letterman are leading tackler Kyle O’Laughlin (77 tackles) and third leading tackler Reggie Robinson (37). The Statesmen return most of their defensive secondary including first team all-league DB Drake Woodard (32 tackles).
Still, Hobart has a tough start to the 2010 with three out of conference games against Dickinson (8-2), @ Carnegie Mellon (5-5) and St John Fisher (7-3). Fortunately both the Dickinson and SJFC games are at the Boz (which will be upgraded to field turf among other stadium improvements prior to the 2010 season) where the Statesmen were 4-0 in 2009. For the Statesmen to make another run at the play-offs in 2009, Hobart will need to improve upon their 2-3 road record from 2009.
The LL schedule commences with Hobart traveling to Saint Lawrence, home against rival Union College, traveling to Kings Point, home against WPI, away at RPI before hosting Rochester in the season finale.
I am certainly looking forward to another year of Statesmen football. Until then, thanks for reading these posts and go ‘Bart!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
In the HuddLLe podcast at 7:30 PM ET Sunday
Tomorrow's show may be our season finale; pending the outcome of today's opening round NCAA game between the LL co-champ Susquehanna (8-2, 6-1) and MAC champ Delaware Valley (9-1, 9-0).
If Susquehanna advances, we'll preview the next week's game against the winner of the Albright-Alfred game.
We'll also review the ECAC bowls as well as have a few call in guests for the show. Hope you can tune in live (or download the 'cast after the fact).
If Susquehanna advances, we'll preview the next week's game against the winner of the Albright-Alfred game.
We'll also review the ECAC bowls as well as have a few call in guests for the show. Hope you can tune in live (or download the 'cast after the fact).
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Faracca, Marlier, Monaco, Robinson and Woodard named 1st team all-LL
The LL published their league awards today and although Hobart only received one first team nod on offense (SR Co-Capt Brian Monaco), the Statesmen did place three defenders (including SR Co-Capt Ryan Robinson and SR DT Mike Faracca) on the all-league team. JR RB Andrew Marlier was named to the first team in the kick returning/special teams category.
Not surprisingly LL champs Susquehanna (8-2, 6-1) won the majority of the individual awards including Coach of the Year Steve Briggs.
A link to the award winners can be accessed here:
http://www.libertyleaguesports.org/awards/football
Congratulations to all!
Not surprisingly LL champs Susquehanna (8-2, 6-1) won the majority of the individual awards including Coach of the Year Steve Briggs.
A link to the award winners can be accessed here:
http://www.libertyleaguesports.org/awards/football
Congratulations to all!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Play-off Previews on "In the HuddLLe"
Last night Frank Rossi and I co-hosted the LL's weekly talk-radio show at www.inthehuddlle.com.
We had a full slate of topics and guests on the show including:
1) Around the League - covering the weekend's action
2) Tim Denhany, the LL commissioner
3) Dr. Joy Solomen, AD of Rowan University and Chair of the D3 football national tournament committee (our interview with Dr. Solomen was featured on D3football.com)
4) Head Coach of Susquehanna University and LL champion Steve Briggs
5) Gordon Mann, D3football.com contributor and voice of the MAC champion Delaware Valley Aggies
6) ECAC bids and play-off predictions
It was a very interesting show that any D3 football fan would enjoy.
Thanks for listening!
We had a full slate of topics and guests on the show including:
1) Around the League - covering the weekend's action
2) Tim Denhany, the LL commissioner
3) Dr. Joy Solomen, AD of Rowan University and Chair of the D3 football national tournament committee (our interview with Dr. Solomen was featured on D3football.com)
4) Head Coach of Susquehanna University and LL champion Steve Briggs
5) Gordon Mann, D3football.com contributor and voice of the MAC champion Delaware Valley Aggies
6) ECAC bids and play-off predictions
It was a very interesting show that any D3 football fan would enjoy.
Thanks for listening!
Centennial Cup Recap
The Hobart Statesmen traveled to the University of Rochester on Saturday looking to retain the Centennial Cup.
The Statesmen wasted little time capping an 11 play, 67 yard drive with an Andrew Marlier touchdown from nine yards out with 7:54 to play in the first quarter. Hobart’s lead was short lived however as the Yellow Jackets responded behind the capable arm of back-up quarterback Kapps Killingstad. Filling in for the injured Braezen Subick, Killingstad directed the Rochester offense on an 8 play, 65 yard drive. Kapps would cap off the drive with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Adam Barrett to tie the game with 3:30 to play in the first.
The second quarter would be all Hobart as the Statesmen scored 17 unanswered points. Both touchdowns were collected by Hobart SR WR Tyler Vincent on passes from Vella covering 9 and 10 yards respectively. Conor Callahan would convert both PATs and added a chip shot 27 yard field goal as time expired in the 2nd to post the Statesmen to a 24-7 half-time lead.
The second half was more of the same for Hobart who 60 yards on 11 plays but had to settle on another short Callahan field goal. The sophomore place kicker was true on the 22 yard attempt pushing the Statesmen’s lead to 27-7 with 11:37 to play in the 3rd quarter.
Rochester didn’t give up; however, and JR RB Clarence Onyiriuka took a 4th and 1 carry from the Hobart 33 yard line to the house. Following a White-Stellato PAT, the Yellow Jackets trailed 27-14 with 9:33 to play in the quarter.
The Yellow Jackets had a chance to make it a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter, but SR cornerback Chris Szymanski intercepted Killingstad in the end zone to quell the threat.
The Statesmen would turn the take-away into a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive. As Hobart followers have come to expect, offensive coordinator Kevin DeWall would dip into his bag of tricks twice on the drive. The first time Vincent caught a lateral and threw a 47-yard pass to sophomore WR Garth Muratori. The second time Vincent took a toss on a reverse with the option to run or pass. He decided to throw a 6-yard strike to Vella for a touchdown with 3:18 remaining. Callahan's extra point gave Hobart a 34-14 lead.
Rochester would score one last time in the game, but it was too little too late as Hobart would eventually cover the onside kick and run out the clock to win the game 34-20.
Killingstad would finish the day 24 for 42 passing for 314 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Barrett was Killingstad’s favorite target collecting 10 passes (including two passing TDs) for 149 yards receiving. Onyiriuka had 17 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. Linebackers Ed Dauphin and Brendan Pidgeon once again lead the Yellow Jacket defense with 9 and 7 total tackles, respectively.
Hobart’s Andrew Marlier led the Statesmen rushing attack with a game-high 98 yards. Vella finished the game 14-of-26 for 201 yards and two passing touchdowns; but the star of this game was SR Tyler Vincent. He caught nine passes for 112 yards and two receiving touchdowns and was 2-of-2 passing for 55 yards and one passing touchdown. Vincent ended his remarkable career as a Statesmen sixth on the all-time lists for receptions and receiving touchdowns and ninth on the receiving yards list, respectively.
Perhaps as a literal "passing of the torch", from Vincent to SO WR Garth Muratori, the SO WR would nearly match Vincent’s output with a 6 reception 119 yd game.
Defensively, Muratori's classmate and ILB Reggie Robinson produced a game-high 10 tackles.
With the win the Statesmen ended their 2009 campaign on a four-game winning streak. Hobart retained the Centennial Cup and improved its record to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the LL. Rochester drops to 4-6, 4-3 in the LL.
The Statesmen wasted little time capping an 11 play, 67 yard drive with an Andrew Marlier touchdown from nine yards out with 7:54 to play in the first quarter. Hobart’s lead was short lived however as the Yellow Jackets responded behind the capable arm of back-up quarterback Kapps Killingstad. Filling in for the injured Braezen Subick, Killingstad directed the Rochester offense on an 8 play, 65 yard drive. Kapps would cap off the drive with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Adam Barrett to tie the game with 3:30 to play in the first.
The second quarter would be all Hobart as the Statesmen scored 17 unanswered points. Both touchdowns were collected by Hobart SR WR Tyler Vincent on passes from Vella covering 9 and 10 yards respectively. Conor Callahan would convert both PATs and added a chip shot 27 yard field goal as time expired in the 2nd to post the Statesmen to a 24-7 half-time lead.
The second half was more of the same for Hobart who 60 yards on 11 plays but had to settle on another short Callahan field goal. The sophomore place kicker was true on the 22 yard attempt pushing the Statesmen’s lead to 27-7 with 11:37 to play in the 3rd quarter.
Rochester didn’t give up; however, and JR RB Clarence Onyiriuka took a 4th and 1 carry from the Hobart 33 yard line to the house. Following a White-Stellato PAT, the Yellow Jackets trailed 27-14 with 9:33 to play in the quarter.
The Yellow Jackets had a chance to make it a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter, but SR cornerback Chris Szymanski intercepted Killingstad in the end zone to quell the threat.
The Statesmen would turn the take-away into a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive. As Hobart followers have come to expect, offensive coordinator Kevin DeWall would dip into his bag of tricks twice on the drive. The first time Vincent caught a lateral and threw a 47-yard pass to sophomore WR Garth Muratori. The second time Vincent took a toss on a reverse with the option to run or pass. He decided to throw a 6-yard strike to Vella for a touchdown with 3:18 remaining. Callahan's extra point gave Hobart a 34-14 lead.
Rochester would score one last time in the game, but it was too little too late as Hobart would eventually cover the onside kick and run out the clock to win the game 34-20.
Killingstad would finish the day 24 for 42 passing for 314 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Barrett was Killingstad’s favorite target collecting 10 passes (including two passing TDs) for 149 yards receiving. Onyiriuka had 17 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. Linebackers Ed Dauphin and Brendan Pidgeon once again lead the Yellow Jacket defense with 9 and 7 total tackles, respectively.
Hobart’s Andrew Marlier led the Statesmen rushing attack with a game-high 98 yards. Vella finished the game 14-of-26 for 201 yards and two passing touchdowns; but the star of this game was SR Tyler Vincent. He caught nine passes for 112 yards and two receiving touchdowns and was 2-of-2 passing for 55 yards and one passing touchdown. Vincent ended his remarkable career as a Statesmen sixth on the all-time lists for receptions and receiving touchdowns and ninth on the receiving yards list, respectively.
Perhaps as a literal "passing of the torch", from Vincent to SO WR Garth Muratori, the SO WR would nearly match Vincent’s output with a 6 reception 119 yd game.
Defensively, Muratori's classmate and ILB Reggie Robinson produced a game-high 10 tackles.
With the win the Statesmen ended their 2009 campaign on a four-game winning streak. Hobart retained the Centennial Cup and improved its record to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the LL. Rochester drops to 4-6, 4-3 in the LL.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Hobart 34 - Rochester 20
I'll do a more thorough write up soon, but the Statesmen finished up their 2009 season on a four game winning streak to end up 6-3 overall, 5-2 in the LL.
Although there will be no opportunity to compete in the ECACs, this Hobart team is full of winners, especially the Class of 2010.
These Statesmen played their final collegiate game today (thanks and congrats guys):
#5 Tyler Vincent WR/P
#7 Mike Lazore WR
#9 Zach Schultz WR
#10 Chris Szymanski CB
#11 Ryan Robinson LB (Co-Capt)
#16 Paul Overdorf WR/PK
#22 Scott Holton FS
#26 Orlando Patterson OLB
#46 Andrew Miller FB
#47 Will Schweitzer LB
#52 Tony Guidetti DE
#54 Mike Faracca DT
#59 Scott Ghiraldi LB
#61 Brian Monaco OL (Co-Capt)
#79 Angelo Catalano OL
#86 David Degan TE
#90 Kwame Lovell DE
#93 Anthony Shaw DT
#94 Mike Arduini DT
Although there will be no opportunity to compete in the ECACs, this Hobart team is full of winners, especially the Class of 2010.
These Statesmen played their final collegiate game today (thanks and congrats guys):
#5 Tyler Vincent WR/P
#7 Mike Lazore WR
#9 Zach Schultz WR
#10 Chris Szymanski CB
#11 Ryan Robinson LB (Co-Capt)
#16 Paul Overdorf WR/PK
#22 Scott Holton FS
#26 Orlando Patterson OLB
#46 Andrew Miller FB
#47 Will Schweitzer LB
#52 Tony Guidetti DE
#54 Mike Faracca DT
#59 Scott Ghiraldi LB
#61 Brian Monaco OL (Co-Capt)
#79 Angelo Catalano OL
#86 David Degan TE
#90 Kwame Lovell DE
#93 Anthony Shaw DT
#94 Mike Arduini DT
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
2009 Season Finale - Hobart vs. Rochester Preview
The Hobart Statesmen (5-3, 4-2) travel to Fauver Stadium this Saturday to face their oldest rival, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets (4-5, 4-2). The Statesmen and Jackets face off for the 103rd time. The all-time series is deadlocked 47-47-7 between the two schools. Last season Hobart retained the Centennial Cup for the second straight season in a hard fought and muddy 10-7 victory in Geneva.
Hobart currently enjoys a five game winning streak over Rochester; the Yellow Jackets last win in the series was a 17-13 triumph back in 2003. After entering the season with the 4th most difficult schedule in DIII football, Rochester struggled to a 1-4 start. Still, aside from a lopsided loss to #9 Case Western Reserve, it should be noted that the Yellow Jackets lost games by only two, seven and three points to St. John Fisher (5-3, 3-1 and in contention for the E8 championship), Union (7-2, 6-0 and in contention for the LL championship) and Susquehanna (7-2, 5-1 also contending for the LL title); respectively. Both the Fisher (:47) and Union (:10) losses literally came with under a minute to play in each game.
Since then, Rochester has won three out of its last four games, the most recent being a 20-7 victory over Saint Lawrence (2-7, 1-5). The Yellow Jackets boast the #1 passing attack in the LL behind SO QB Braezen Subick. The SO has thrown for 1,446 yards (132-221 with 10 interceptions and 12 touchdowns) and is ranked second in the LL in pass efficiency with a 123.6 rating.
Rochester also has the #2 rusher in the LL with JR RB Clarence Onyiriuka averaging 128.1 YPG. The JR has racked up 1,153 total rushing yards on the season and only trails leading rusher SR RB Dave Paveletz from Susquehanna by only 78 yards going into the final regular season game. Onyiriuka is also a receiving threat having caught 26 balls for 248 yards and four touchdowns. This versatility has helped Onyiriuka lead the LL in all purpose yards (1401 total yards or 155.7 YPG).
Subick’s favorite target is the SR WR Mike Coolbaugh who leads the LL in receptions per game (4.89) and is fourth in total receiving yards with 513 including two touchdown catches. Another key receiver in the Rochester passing game is SR TE Pedro Sosa. He is second the team with 36 receptions for 322 yards.
In spite of all of this offense, the Jackets also bring the #1 rushing defense (120.9 yards allowed per game) and have earned an impressive +8 turnover ratio which is good for second in the LL. The Rochester defense is lead by FY LB Brendan Pidgeon (51.5 total tackles, including three TFLs, three forced fumbles and one interception) and JR LB Ed Dauphin (45.5 total tackles, including 5.5 TFL, three interceptions and seven forced fumbles).
Rochester would like nothing more than to end the season at .500 overall, as well as 5-2 in the LL; which pending the outcome of the Union-Susquehanna championship game, would be good enough to tie for second place.
Keys to the game:
1. Contain Onyiriuka – The JR RB is virtually Rochester’s entire rushing game given his average YPG is only one yard less than the Yellow Jacket’s season average (129.1). Although Rochester has a potent passing offense, the Hobart defense has improved to second in the LL allowing only 149.8 YPG and has as many interceptions as touchdowns allowed (seven).
2. Pressure Subick – The SO QB has a strong arm but is prone to make mistakes having thrown 10 interceptions over nine games played.
3. Back to basics – Hobart’s three game winning streak has been due to great defense (two shut outs) but also by the offense’s success in running the ball and controlling the clock. The Statesmen have gained 156 (RPI), 209 (WPI) and 149 (MMA) yards rushing over this time period and averaged approximately 31 minutes in TOP during these games. The key to defeating the Yellow Jackets means more of JR RB Andrew Marlier and less passing. That said Rochester is last in the LL in pass defense, allowing 216.7 YPG on average, but I think most Statesmen fans would like to see more ball control and straight ahead running plays vs. shot-gun formations and trips to the right.
4. Be special – Although often over-looked, the Hobart special teams unit leads the LL in kick-off returns (23.6 YPR), punting (33.8 YPP) and punt coverage (only five returns of only 10 yards total all season). Rochester is first in the LL in kick-off coverage, so it will be interesting to see how Hobart fares in the very important field position battle.
All considered I think each team may struggle to move the ball and it will once again be a close call for the Statesmen, but I expect Hobart to end the year on a positive note and pick the Statesmen to prevail 14–10 and hang onto the Centennial Cup.
Hobart currently enjoys a five game winning streak over Rochester; the Yellow Jackets last win in the series was a 17-13 triumph back in 2003. After entering the season with the 4th most difficult schedule in DIII football, Rochester struggled to a 1-4 start. Still, aside from a lopsided loss to #9 Case Western Reserve, it should be noted that the Yellow Jackets lost games by only two, seven and three points to St. John Fisher (5-3, 3-1 and in contention for the E8 championship), Union (7-2, 6-0 and in contention for the LL championship) and Susquehanna (7-2, 5-1 also contending for the LL title); respectively. Both the Fisher (:47) and Union (:10) losses literally came with under a minute to play in each game.
Since then, Rochester has won three out of its last four games, the most recent being a 20-7 victory over Saint Lawrence (2-7, 1-5). The Yellow Jackets boast the #1 passing attack in the LL behind SO QB Braezen Subick. The SO has thrown for 1,446 yards (132-221 with 10 interceptions and 12 touchdowns) and is ranked second in the LL in pass efficiency with a 123.6 rating.
Rochester also has the #2 rusher in the LL with JR RB Clarence Onyiriuka averaging 128.1 YPG. The JR has racked up 1,153 total rushing yards on the season and only trails leading rusher SR RB Dave Paveletz from Susquehanna by only 78 yards going into the final regular season game. Onyiriuka is also a receiving threat having caught 26 balls for 248 yards and four touchdowns. This versatility has helped Onyiriuka lead the LL in all purpose yards (1401 total yards or 155.7 YPG).
Subick’s favorite target is the SR WR Mike Coolbaugh who leads the LL in receptions per game (4.89) and is fourth in total receiving yards with 513 including two touchdown catches. Another key receiver in the Rochester passing game is SR TE Pedro Sosa. He is second the team with 36 receptions for 322 yards.
In spite of all of this offense, the Jackets also bring the #1 rushing defense (120.9 yards allowed per game) and have earned an impressive +8 turnover ratio which is good for second in the LL. The Rochester defense is lead by FY LB Brendan Pidgeon (51.5 total tackles, including three TFLs, three forced fumbles and one interception) and JR LB Ed Dauphin (45.5 total tackles, including 5.5 TFL, three interceptions and seven forced fumbles).
Rochester would like nothing more than to end the season at .500 overall, as well as 5-2 in the LL; which pending the outcome of the Union-Susquehanna championship game, would be good enough to tie for second place.
Keys to the game:
1. Contain Onyiriuka – The JR RB is virtually Rochester’s entire rushing game given his average YPG is only one yard less than the Yellow Jacket’s season average (129.1). Although Rochester has a potent passing offense, the Hobart defense has improved to second in the LL allowing only 149.8 YPG and has as many interceptions as touchdowns allowed (seven).
2. Pressure Subick – The SO QB has a strong arm but is prone to make mistakes having thrown 10 interceptions over nine games played.
3. Back to basics – Hobart’s three game winning streak has been due to great defense (two shut outs) but also by the offense’s success in running the ball and controlling the clock. The Statesmen have gained 156 (RPI), 209 (WPI) and 149 (MMA) yards rushing over this time period and averaged approximately 31 minutes in TOP during these games. The key to defeating the Yellow Jackets means more of JR RB Andrew Marlier and less passing. That said Rochester is last in the LL in pass defense, allowing 216.7 YPG on average, but I think most Statesmen fans would like to see more ball control and straight ahead running plays vs. shot-gun formations and trips to the right.
4. Be special – Although often over-looked, the Hobart special teams unit leads the LL in kick-off returns (23.6 YPR), punting (33.8 YPP) and punt coverage (only five returns of only 10 yards total all season). Rochester is first in the LL in kick-off coverage, so it will be interesting to see how Hobart fares in the very important field position battle.
All considered I think each team may struggle to move the ball and it will once again be a close call for the Statesmen, but I expect Hobart to end the year on a positive note and pick the Statesmen to prevail 14–10 and hang onto the Centennial Cup.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Nov 8 - In the HuddLLe Podcast
I filled in for a flu-ridden Eric Ren and co-hosted the ITH podcast with WABY's Frank Rossi last Sunday night.
We reviewed the prior weekend's games as well as previewed the Susquehanna-Union LL championship game on Saturday in Schenectady.
The podcast can be replayed at www.inthehuddlle.com
Thanks as always for listening.
We reviewed the prior weekend's games as well as previewed the Susquehanna-Union LL championship game on Saturday in Schenectady.
The podcast can be replayed at www.inthehuddlle.com
Thanks as always for listening.
Hobart records 2nd consecutive home shutout, 10-0, over RPI
Last Saturday was Senior Day for the Hobart Statesmen. The Senior Class consisting of 19 future graduates of Hobart College had earned a 30-10 record and three consecutive NCAA tournament bids. In the wake of the announcement that Hobart would not participate in the ECACs, Coach Cragg didn't see a let down coming from this group of student-athletes:
“We just talked,” he said. “I said, ‘Is it the time to whine and cry about it and point fingers and mope about it, or is it time to see if we can win two more games and end our careers with two more victories?’
“This senior class is special. How much it must have broken their heart not to be able to return back to the NCAA playoffs, and then this week to find out they’re not going to the ECAC playoffs. I’m so happy that if we’re not going to the playoffs, that this was the group because this group could handle it. I’m not sure many of the others could.” (credit to ALAN BRIGNALL, Finger Lakes Times, 11/9/09)
Not wanting to let Coach and their fellow teammates down, the Hobart Seniors lead the way against the RPI Engineers on a windy day in Geneva, NY.
Although the game was dominated by turnovers, Hobart collected four off the Engineers and the first came when RPI’s Nick Herrera muffed a Hobart punt at his own 12. The loose ball was recovered by SO CB Drake Woodard and three plays later classmate Conor Callahan booted a 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:07 left in first quarter.
Hobart nearly returned the favor as a Statesman fell on an RPI punt near midfield that the Engineers recovered, but SO and JR LBs Reggie Robinson and Kyle O’Laughlin stopped RPI’s Zach Scruggs short of the first down marker on fourth and two from the Hobart 16.
Midway through the second quarter, Hobart JR FS John Kelliher set up the Statesmen for the only touchdown of the game when he intercepted FY RPI quarterback Mike Hermann at the Hobart 46 and returned it 43 yards to the RPI 11.
Four plays later, JR Andrew Marlier just barely gained enough on fourth and one from the two to get a first down. The Chicago native would then dive into the end zone on the next play for the touchdown – his 8th on the season. Callahan’s PAT was good and would give the Statesmen a 10-0 lead with 5:45 remaining before the half.
Neither team would see the end zone in the second half nor did the Hobart defense allow RPI to cross midfield. In general both offenses struggled in the contest, as the Statesmen and Engineers were a combined 2 for 32 on third down. The Statesmen’s efforts were bolstered by winning the field position battle; as well as Tyler Vincent converting two fourth downs and averaging 36.6 yards per punt. Vincent especially hurt RPI’s field position by dropping four of his nine punts inside the Engineers’ 20 and sending four more into the end zone for touchbacks. Vincent was named the co-Special Teams Player of the Week by LL for his outstanding kicking (and scrambling) on Saturday.
Although a bad day for both offenses, Hobart’s defense pitched its second consecutive home shutout (the first of RPI since 2000) bolstered by the aforementioned takeaways. Linebacker and SR Co-captain Ryan Robinson (led the charge in his final game at the “Boz” with a team-high 10 tackles, including two for a loss, while O’Laughlin and Kelliher recorded an interception each to go with seven and five tackles, respectively. Robinson was named the LL co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
RPI linebacker Stefan Schulz (the other co-Defensive Player of the Week by the LL) produced a game-high 14 tackles for the Engineers, while defensive end Colton Hill and defensive tackle Colin Elliott added 12 and 10 stops, respectively. Hermann led the RPI offense with 41 yards rushing, while completing 10-of-27 passes for 87 yards with three interceptions.
Marlier led the Hobart rushing attack with 77 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. SO QB Doug Vella struggled against a strong RPI defense going five for 18 for only 37 yards and an interception. Vella also added 24 rushing yards for the Statesmen. To Vella’s credit several passes were dropped by Statesmen receivers, as Hobart only made six catches overall on the day.
Hobart, which moves to 5-3 overall, 4-2 in the league, guaranteed the Statesmen a program record 13th consecutive winning season. Hobart will wrap up the regular season on Nov. 14, when it travels to Rochester for the third annual Centennial Cup game.
With the loss the Engineers dropped to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the league. RPI will close out the 2009 season looking for a winning season at home against Merchant Marine (4-5, 2-4).
“We just talked,” he said. “I said, ‘Is it the time to whine and cry about it and point fingers and mope about it, or is it time to see if we can win two more games and end our careers with two more victories?’
“This senior class is special. How much it must have broken their heart not to be able to return back to the NCAA playoffs, and then this week to find out they’re not going to the ECAC playoffs. I’m so happy that if we’re not going to the playoffs, that this was the group because this group could handle it. I’m not sure many of the others could.” (credit to ALAN BRIGNALL, Finger Lakes Times, 11/9/09)
Not wanting to let Coach and their fellow teammates down, the Hobart Seniors lead the way against the RPI Engineers on a windy day in Geneva, NY.
Although the game was dominated by turnovers, Hobart collected four off the Engineers and the first came when RPI’s Nick Herrera muffed a Hobart punt at his own 12. The loose ball was recovered by SO CB Drake Woodard and three plays later classmate Conor Callahan booted a 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:07 left in first quarter.
Hobart nearly returned the favor as a Statesman fell on an RPI punt near midfield that the Engineers recovered, but SO and JR LBs Reggie Robinson and Kyle O’Laughlin stopped RPI’s Zach Scruggs short of the first down marker on fourth and two from the Hobart 16.
Midway through the second quarter, Hobart JR FS John Kelliher set up the Statesmen for the only touchdown of the game when he intercepted FY RPI quarterback Mike Hermann at the Hobart 46 and returned it 43 yards to the RPI 11.
Four plays later, JR Andrew Marlier just barely gained enough on fourth and one from the two to get a first down. The Chicago native would then dive into the end zone on the next play for the touchdown – his 8th on the season. Callahan’s PAT was good and would give the Statesmen a 10-0 lead with 5:45 remaining before the half.
Neither team would see the end zone in the second half nor did the Hobart defense allow RPI to cross midfield. In general both offenses struggled in the contest, as the Statesmen and Engineers were a combined 2 for 32 on third down. The Statesmen’s efforts were bolstered by winning the field position battle; as well as Tyler Vincent converting two fourth downs and averaging 36.6 yards per punt. Vincent especially hurt RPI’s field position by dropping four of his nine punts inside the Engineers’ 20 and sending four more into the end zone for touchbacks. Vincent was named the co-Special Teams Player of the Week by LL for his outstanding kicking (and scrambling) on Saturday.
Although a bad day for both offenses, Hobart’s defense pitched its second consecutive home shutout (the first of RPI since 2000) bolstered by the aforementioned takeaways. Linebacker and SR Co-captain Ryan Robinson (led the charge in his final game at the “Boz” with a team-high 10 tackles, including two for a loss, while O’Laughlin and Kelliher recorded an interception each to go with seven and five tackles, respectively. Robinson was named the LL co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
RPI linebacker Stefan Schulz (the other co-Defensive Player of the Week by the LL) produced a game-high 14 tackles for the Engineers, while defensive end Colton Hill and defensive tackle Colin Elliott added 12 and 10 stops, respectively. Hermann led the RPI offense with 41 yards rushing, while completing 10-of-27 passes for 87 yards with three interceptions.
Marlier led the Hobart rushing attack with 77 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. SO QB Doug Vella struggled against a strong RPI defense going five for 18 for only 37 yards and an interception. Vella also added 24 rushing yards for the Statesmen. To Vella’s credit several passes were dropped by Statesmen receivers, as Hobart only made six catches overall on the day.
Hobart, which moves to 5-3 overall, 4-2 in the league, guaranteed the Statesmen a program record 13th consecutive winning season. Hobart will wrap up the regular season on Nov. 14, when it travels to Rochester for the third annual Centennial Cup game.
With the loss the Engineers dropped to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the league. RPI will close out the 2009 season looking for a winning season at home against Merchant Marine (4-5, 2-4).
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Regardless of Saturday's outcome - No ECACs for Hobart in 2009
I learned yesterday that due to budget constraints across both men's and women's athletic programs that no teams - including football - will be submitted for ECAC post-season consideration.
Although I understand the financial aspects of the decision, I am also disappointed as a fan and more importantly, for the senior class, who are denied a final opportunity to suit up for the Statesmen and Heron teams.
Although I understand the financial aspects of the decision, I am also disappointed as a fan and more importantly, for the senior class, who are denied a final opportunity to suit up for the Statesmen and Heron teams.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
RPI vs. Hobart - Preview
The Hobart Statesmen (4-3, 3-2) host the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers (4-3, 2-3) in the “final regular season” game at the “original” Boswell Field. With preparations underway to upgrade the “Boz” to field turf, as well as new stands, lights and additions to the Bristol Field House in time for the 2010 season; Hobart will clash with RPI on the gridiron (aka quagmire) that is the Boz one last time. The Engineers will be looking to return the favor of the Statesmen’s playing spoiler to their final regular season game on ’86 Field last season. The Statesmen prevailed 20-17 kicking a 37 yard field goal as time expired knocking off a then #20 RPI.
A highlight clip of that game can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf6LUe-zgl4
Kick-off for this season’s match-up is slated for noon ET and conditions look pretty good for an early November football game in Upstate New York (i.e., 40s and cloudy).
Rensselaer leads the series 26-25-1 all-time, but the Statesmen have won four of the last five games against the Engineers. Although Hobart has had some recent success against RPI, all of these games have all been battles.
Check out these scores from the past four seasons:
2008 Hobart 20 – RPI 17 (Statesmen kick the winning FG as time expired)
2007 RPI 35 – Hobart 31 (Engineers score the winning TD with nine seconds left)
2006 Hobart 24 – RPI 17 (Engineers score 14 pts in the 4th quarter but fall short)
2005 Hobart 56 – RPI 48 (3OT game – enough said)
That’s only a 5.5 point average differential between these two rivals over four games!
So are these teams even again this season? Well, both are 4-3 overall with Hobart holding a one game edge in the LL standings. The statistics point to another close game between the Statesmen and the Engineers.
Just how similar (statistically speaking) are these squads? Check out these stats:
Scoring offense (average points per game scored): Hobart 22.9 PPG vs. RPI 21.7 PPG
Scoring defense (average points allowed): Hobart 17.6 PPG vs. RPI 17.9 PPG
Recently; however Hobart seems to be clicking on offense having averaged 30 PPG in their last 3 games. RPI has averaged 18.33 PPG during the same time period.
Total offense (average yards per game gained): Hobart 345.1 YPG vs. RPI 345.4 YPG
Total defense (average yards per game allowed): Hobart 308.3 YPG vs. RPI 329.3 YPG
#1 Hobart vs. #2 RPI in 3rd down conversions
Turnover margin – both are +1
Time of possession average has Hobart with a 30:51 to 28:19 edge (or 2:41) over RPI.
So will Boswell Field bring Hobart a major home field advantage?
Hobart is 3-0 at home this season and is 8-1 at the Boz since 2008. The Statesmen have averaged 29 PPG (offense) vs. only giving up 8 PPG at Boswell this season. However; RPI has averaged 29 PPG on offense in road games and did win their most recent appearance (2007) at Boswell (but with a very different offense given the graduations of former RPI QB Jimmy Robertson and WR Eren Savasli).
Although capable of putting up a lot of points, the RPI offense has struggled in the red zone this year. The Engineers are currently last in the LL in red zone offense only converting 16-26 trips (61.5%) but Hobart is ranked 7th in red zone defense allowing 11-14 attempts for scores (78.6%), so this may be a moot point.
The Engineers are lead by FY QB Michael Hermann who is a threat to run and pass racking up 323 yards rushing, 6 touchdowns while also passing for 1147 yards and 8 touchdowns (163.9 avg). Hermann is fairly accurate earning a 120.2 pass efficiency rating, which is good for #2 in LL this season.
Leading the Engineer rushing attack is SR RB Nick Costa. The SR has tallied 572 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the season. Hermann’s main target in the receiving corp is SR Patrick McCarthy. McCarthy leads the LL with 518 yards receiving and has hauled in four receiving touchdowns this season.
One area where RPI has a clear edge over the Statesmen is in the kicking game. JR PK Peter Nilson is six for nine in field goals (long of 38 yards) and has made all his PAT (18-18) attempts. Hobart has only converted three of seven field goals between SO PK Conor Callahan and SR WR/PK Paul Overdorf.
On defense RPI is lead by SR DB Joe Albano and SR LB Tim Acker who both have 60 total tackles; respectively. JR DL Darryl Brown leads the Engineers defense with 5 sacks.
1. Freshman orientation – Although at 6’ 6” 220 lbs Mike Hermann is a big kid and an exceptional talent that may win his share of games against Hobart in the future; he has never stepped foot on the Boz nor played Hobart to date. Look for the Statesmen defense to exploit this inexperience on Saturday with a mix of blitz schemes and disguised pass coverage. Hermann, like most running QBs, will likely be slowed down given the wet turf (it is supposed to rain all day Friday). The FY has thrown six interceptions (almost a one per game average) so look for the Statesmen to be opportunistic and convert an errant throw into a take-away.
2. Continue the forward progress – Hobart has been on a roll both offensively and defensively coming off their bye two weeks ago. The Statesmen need to maintain this momentum and continue their home streak of scoring first (Hobart has scored 14, 13 and 7 points, respectively in the first quarter of all of their three home games this season). The defense has been equally impressive at home only allowing one touchdown in the first half in three games.
3. Keep the streak alive – This Hobart SR class has never missed the post-season. Although the string of five consecutive NCAA play-off berths was effectively broken with the losses to Dickinson, Susquehanna and Union; the Statesmen would qualify to either host or participate in an ECAC “Regional Bowl Game” if they end the year at 6-3. A 5-4 or 4-5 finish would eliminate them from any post-season consideration. The last time Hobart participated in the ECACs was 2003 when they hosted and subsequently defeated the Norwich University Cadets 34-18 in the “North Atlantic Bowl”.
However, as of this posting the Statesmen have not submitted for consideration for an ECAC berth.
Six teams will be picked from the list of teams that file for consideration. The deadline for consideration without a “late fee” is THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH at 5pm EST.
Teams will be selected by the ECAC Football Championships Committee on or about 11/15/09 (following selection of the NCAA Playoffs field). Teams historically have been selected by win-loss record except when ties exist. The #1 team hosts the #6 team, the #2 team hosts the #5 team and the #3 team hosts the #4 team, unless the higher-seeded team does not file to host the game. All games begin at 12pm local time on 11/21/09.
Assuming Hobart DOES file an ECAC bid, this game with RPI is in effect an “ECAC elimination” game for both teams. RPI is undefeated in their ECAC bowls to date, but losing to Hobart (and falling to 4-4, 2-4) would eliminate them from consideration.
All of these factors considered, I am predicting Hobart over RPI in another close one, 21-17.
I will post an update regarding the ECAC filing status and any other pertinent information leading up to Saturday’s contest.
Thanks for reading and go ‘Bart!
A highlight clip of that game can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf6LUe-zgl4
Kick-off for this season’s match-up is slated for noon ET and conditions look pretty good for an early November football game in Upstate New York (i.e., 40s and cloudy).
Rensselaer leads the series 26-25-1 all-time, but the Statesmen have won four of the last five games against the Engineers. Although Hobart has had some recent success against RPI, all of these games have all been battles.
Check out these scores from the past four seasons:
2008 Hobart 20 – RPI 17 (Statesmen kick the winning FG as time expired)
2007 RPI 35 – Hobart 31 (Engineers score the winning TD with nine seconds left)
2006 Hobart 24 – RPI 17 (Engineers score 14 pts in the 4th quarter but fall short)
2005 Hobart 56 – RPI 48 (3OT game – enough said)
That’s only a 5.5 point average differential between these two rivals over four games!
So are these teams even again this season? Well, both are 4-3 overall with Hobart holding a one game edge in the LL standings. The statistics point to another close game between the Statesmen and the Engineers.
Just how similar (statistically speaking) are these squads? Check out these stats:
Scoring offense (average points per game scored): Hobart 22.9 PPG vs. RPI 21.7 PPG
Scoring defense (average points allowed): Hobart 17.6 PPG vs. RPI 17.9 PPG
Recently; however Hobart seems to be clicking on offense having averaged 30 PPG in their last 3 games. RPI has averaged 18.33 PPG during the same time period.
Total offense (average yards per game gained): Hobart 345.1 YPG vs. RPI 345.4 YPG
Total defense (average yards per game allowed): Hobart 308.3 YPG vs. RPI 329.3 YPG
#1 Hobart vs. #2 RPI in 3rd down conversions
Turnover margin – both are +1
Time of possession average has Hobart with a 30:51 to 28:19 edge (or 2:41) over RPI.
So will Boswell Field bring Hobart a major home field advantage?
Hobart is 3-0 at home this season and is 8-1 at the Boz since 2008. The Statesmen have averaged 29 PPG (offense) vs. only giving up 8 PPG at Boswell this season. However; RPI has averaged 29 PPG on offense in road games and did win their most recent appearance (2007) at Boswell (but with a very different offense given the graduations of former RPI QB Jimmy Robertson and WR Eren Savasli).
Although capable of putting up a lot of points, the RPI offense has struggled in the red zone this year. The Engineers are currently last in the LL in red zone offense only converting 16-26 trips (61.5%) but Hobart is ranked 7th in red zone defense allowing 11-14 attempts for scores (78.6%), so this may be a moot point.
The Engineers are lead by FY QB Michael Hermann who is a threat to run and pass racking up 323 yards rushing, 6 touchdowns while also passing for 1147 yards and 8 touchdowns (163.9 avg). Hermann is fairly accurate earning a 120.2 pass efficiency rating, which is good for #2 in LL this season.
Leading the Engineer rushing attack is SR RB Nick Costa. The SR has tallied 572 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the season. Hermann’s main target in the receiving corp is SR Patrick McCarthy. McCarthy leads the LL with 518 yards receiving and has hauled in four receiving touchdowns this season.
One area where RPI has a clear edge over the Statesmen is in the kicking game. JR PK Peter Nilson is six for nine in field goals (long of 38 yards) and has made all his PAT (18-18) attempts. Hobart has only converted three of seven field goals between SO PK Conor Callahan and SR WR/PK Paul Overdorf.
On defense RPI is lead by SR DB Joe Albano and SR LB Tim Acker who both have 60 total tackles; respectively. JR DL Darryl Brown leads the Engineers defense with 5 sacks.
1. Freshman orientation – Although at 6’ 6” 220 lbs Mike Hermann is a big kid and an exceptional talent that may win his share of games against Hobart in the future; he has never stepped foot on the Boz nor played Hobart to date. Look for the Statesmen defense to exploit this inexperience on Saturday with a mix of blitz schemes and disguised pass coverage. Hermann, like most running QBs, will likely be slowed down given the wet turf (it is supposed to rain all day Friday). The FY has thrown six interceptions (almost a one per game average) so look for the Statesmen to be opportunistic and convert an errant throw into a take-away.
2. Continue the forward progress – Hobart has been on a roll both offensively and defensively coming off their bye two weeks ago. The Statesmen need to maintain this momentum and continue their home streak of scoring first (Hobart has scored 14, 13 and 7 points, respectively in the first quarter of all of their three home games this season). The defense has been equally impressive at home only allowing one touchdown in the first half in three games.
3. Keep the streak alive – This Hobart SR class has never missed the post-season. Although the string of five consecutive NCAA play-off berths was effectively broken with the losses to Dickinson, Susquehanna and Union; the Statesmen would qualify to either host or participate in an ECAC “Regional Bowl Game” if they end the year at 6-3. A 5-4 or 4-5 finish would eliminate them from any post-season consideration. The last time Hobart participated in the ECACs was 2003 when they hosted and subsequently defeated the Norwich University Cadets 34-18 in the “North Atlantic Bowl”.
However, as of this posting the Statesmen have not submitted for consideration for an ECAC berth.
Six teams will be picked from the list of teams that file for consideration. The deadline for consideration without a “late fee” is THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH at 5pm EST.
Teams will be selected by the ECAC Football Championships Committee on or about 11/15/09 (following selection of the NCAA Playoffs field). Teams historically have been selected by win-loss record except when ties exist. The #1 team hosts the #6 team, the #2 team hosts the #5 team and the #3 team hosts the #4 team, unless the higher-seeded team does not file to host the game. All games begin at 12pm local time on 11/21/09.
Assuming Hobart DOES file an ECAC bid, this game with RPI is in effect an “ECAC elimination” game for both teams. RPI is undefeated in their ECAC bowls to date, but losing to Hobart (and falling to 4-4, 2-4) would eliminate them from consideration.
All of these factors considered, I am predicting Hobart over RPI in another close one, 21-17.
I will post an update regarding the ECAC filing status and any other pertinent information leading up to Saturday’s contest.
Thanks for reading and go ‘Bart!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
In the Huddlle - Nov 1 podcast!
Check out the replay of tonight's "In the Huddlle" broadcast on Blog Talk Radio at www.inthehuddlle.com
We discussed the Hobart-WPI game as well as the potential LL championship show-down between Susquehanna and Union, ECAC bids for the Statesmen and other topics.
Hope you download the show. Thanks for listening!
We discussed the Hobart-WPI game as well as the potential LL championship show-down between Susquehanna and Union, ECAC bids for the Statesmen and other topics.
Hope you download the show. Thanks for listening!
Hobart 41 - WPI 20
The Hobart Statesmen (4-3, 3-2) had their highest scoring game of the season, winning their first ever Halloween game and first road game of 2009. Although WPI kept the score 21-14 at the half due to recovering two Statesmen fumbles, Hobart blew the game open in the second half and never looked back.
Statesmen JR RB Andrew Marlier once again lead the Hobart ground attack behind 73 yards and two of the Statesmen's five rushing TDs. SO QB Doug Vella had an efficient outing throwing nine completions on 17 attempts for 192 yards and a touchdown. SO WR Garth Muratori was Vella's main target hauling in 71 yards and a score. On defense it was JR LB Kyle O'Laughlin's 10 tackles that helped keep the Engineers (3-5, 0-5) in check.
Hobart returns to Boswell Field for the "last time" (on grass anyway - renovations including new field turf are expected to begin following the football season) against RPI (4-3, 2-3).
RPI is coming off of a close 20-15 loss to rival Union College (6-2, 5-0) in the annual "Dutchman's Shoes" game. These Engineers will also be out for some revenge from last season's 20-17 loss on the last (regular season game - RPI would go on to defeat Alfred in a home post-season ECAC game) game at old '86 Field.
Kick-off is scheduled for noon ET. Will have more on this game later in the week.
Statesmen JR RB Andrew Marlier once again lead the Hobart ground attack behind 73 yards and two of the Statesmen's five rushing TDs. SO QB Doug Vella had an efficient outing throwing nine completions on 17 attempts for 192 yards and a touchdown. SO WR Garth Muratori was Vella's main target hauling in 71 yards and a score. On defense it was JR LB Kyle O'Laughlin's 10 tackles that helped keep the Engineers (3-5, 0-5) in check.
Hobart returns to Boswell Field for the "last time" (on grass anyway - renovations including new field turf are expected to begin following the football season) against RPI (4-3, 2-3).
RPI is coming off of a close 20-15 loss to rival Union College (6-2, 5-0) in the annual "Dutchman's Shoes" game. These Engineers will also be out for some revenge from last season's 20-17 loss on the last (regular season game - RPI would go on to defeat Alfred in a home post-season ECAC game) game at old '86 Field.
Kick-off is scheduled for noon ET. Will have more on this game later in the week.
Friday, October 30, 2009
WPI Preview
It's been a crazy week and so I am not going to post much of a preview. That said I think Hobart will finally pick up a win on the road in Woostah, dude (that's Massachusetts-speak for you non-New Englanders) this Halloween. The Statesmen are 0-4 on Halloween but I expect this year to turn from a trick into a treat for Hobart.
Although the WPI offense is ranked #1 scoring (28.1 PPG) and #2 in total offense (362.4 YPG) in the LL, their stats were padded somewhat from earlier non-conference NEFC patsies such as Becker College (0-8).
WPI is 0-4 in the LL to date and has not scored over 19 points in their past three games. Hobart's improved "D" has risen up to become the #1 scoring defense in the LL allowing only 17.2 PPG.
My inthehuddlle.com prediction was Hobart will win 24-14 so I am sticking with that same call - Hobart moves to 1-4 all time on Halloween.
You can read up on the pre-game notes on the Hobart football website at:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/10/30/WPI.pdf
Kick-off is 1 PM ET and will be covered live at www.weos.org and live stats are available on:
http://livestats.prestosports.com/wpi/fball/?e=p1l97usgpwrjf4qa
Thanks, Happy Halloween and Go 'Bart!
Although the WPI offense is ranked #1 scoring (28.1 PPG) and #2 in total offense (362.4 YPG) in the LL, their stats were padded somewhat from earlier non-conference NEFC patsies such as Becker College (0-8).
WPI is 0-4 in the LL to date and has not scored over 19 points in their past three games. Hobart's improved "D" has risen up to become the #1 scoring defense in the LL allowing only 17.2 PPG.
My inthehuddlle.com prediction was Hobart will win 24-14 so I am sticking with that same call - Hobart moves to 1-4 all time on Halloween.
You can read up on the pre-game notes on the Hobart football website at:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/10/30/WPI.pdf
Kick-off is 1 PM ET and will be covered live at www.weos.org and live stats are available on:
http://livestats.prestosports.com/wpi/fball/?e=p1l97usgpwrjf4qa
Thanks, Happy Halloween and Go 'Bart!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Hobart shuts out the Mariners for the second year in a row
The Hobart Statesmen and the US Merchant Marine Academy Mariners came into Saturday’s contest looking to rebound after tough Liberty League losses. On a wet and rainy day in Geneva, both teams traded punts to start the game. Turnovers are always a concern in wet weather and Hobart stuck first when Statesmen JR OLB Kyle O’Laughlin caused and SR OLB Orlando Patterson recovered a JR RB Karl Heimbrock fumble set up Hobart with a 1st and 10 from the MMA 39 yard line with 4:12 to play in the first quarter.
With a short field and momentum, Coach Cragg opted to give JR QB and Illinois State transfer Preston Earl a chance to complete his first touchdown drive as Statesman. The young man from Lincolnshire did not disappoint. With a balanced mix of short passes and SO RB Pat Julian runs, Earl drove Hobart to Mariner 15 yard line. The USMMA nearly capitalized on a Hobart fumble, but Earl fell on the ball to make it 2nd down and 19 from the Mariner 24. The JR QB’s next pass fell incomplete but on 3rd down Earl connected with SR WR Tyler Vincent for 24 yards and the score. A Conor Callahan kick followed and the Statesmen were up 7-0 with 1:22 to play in the first quarter.
Hobart didn’t waste any time getting back to the end zone. After holding the Mariners to another three and out, Hobart opened their first drive of the second quarter with a 31 yard burst from SO RB Kyle Tritten. Starting QB SO Doug Vella then found classmate Garth Muratori for a 16 yard strike to the USMMA 11 yard line. After an 8 yard Vella rush, Tritten hit pay-dirt from three yards out to push Hobart to a 14-0 advantage with 12:57 to play in the second quarter.
The teams would continue to trade possessions to end the half highlighted by the Statesmen defense thwarting the Mariners best offensive possession of the day – an 11 play, 55 yard drive – which ultimately ended on downs at the Hobart 25 after four failed pass attempts by Derrick Ventre.
It was more of the same for the Mariners who opened the third quarter with another three and out. Hobart would embark on its best drive of the day – a 10 play, 75 yard march down Boswell Field behind the arm (four for four passing for 39 yards) and legs of SO QB Doug Vella (3 carries for 22 yards including two first downs). After another long pass (19 yards) to Muratori, Hobart was once again knocking on the MMA red zone.
Although Vella primarily moved the chains on this particular drive, it was JR RB Andrew Marlier who got the call on a 1st and goal from the MMA seven yard line (set up by a personal foul penalty to Alex Coviello on a late hit to Vella as he scampered out of bounds). Marlier scored his sixth TD on the season to make it 21-0 8:16 to play in the third.
The Statesmen’s final scoring drive was set up by a big play on special teams. On the final play of the third quarter, reserve DE James Rayhill blocked the Mariners’ punt attempt and WR Kevin Grogan (who apparently has the majority of his best games – having both forced a fumble in 2007 and blocked a punt that was recovered for a TD in last year’s game - against the Mariners) recovered for Hobart at the Merchant Marine 45.
The punt block put the Statesmen in prime position to start the fourth quarter. Hobart quickly rattled off with a four play, 55 yard drive that was capped off by a rare carry for SR FB Andrew Miller. He would not waste this special opportunity and the SR from Washington, PA would rumble 10 yards for his first career touchdown. After another successful PAT, Hobart led 28-0 with 13:36 to play in the game.
By the end of the game, the Statesmen defense had shutout the USMMA for the second consecutive season, holding the Mariner offense to only 159 total yards (71 rush, 88 pass) on the day. The MMA only crossed the 50 four times and never advanced into the Statesmen red zone. The Hobart defense was lead by O’Laughlin (10 tackles) and SR DT Mike Arduni (7 tackles including 1.5 TFL and 1 sack).
While the Mariners offense only converted two of 16 on third down, Hobart racked up 334 yards of total offense, holding the ball for over 33 minutes and, most importantly, went a perfect four for four in the red zone. Also of note is the fact that the Statesmen had their first game of the season without any penalties (by contrast, Hobart was flagged for over 100 yards in penalties against Union two weeks ago).
The Statesmen used five quarterbacks in the contest with starter Doug Vella completing 10-of-15 for a game-high 105 yards. Merchant Marine starter Derrick Ventre was 8-of-24 for 66 yards. Hobart also used 10 different ball carriers, with Kyle Tritton the leading rusher with four carries for 46 yards. WRs Vincent, Muratori and Lazore each had three catches for 38, 38 and 31 yards, respectively. Chris Adema lead the Mariners with 38 yards on three receptions and Karl Heimbrock tallied 41 yards on 16 carries.
The win brings Hobart back to .500, both 3-3 and 2-2 overall, while the loss drops the MMA to 4-4 and 2-3 in the league. Next week Statesmen will look to earn their first road victory of the season in Worcester, MA against WPI while the Mariners are on a bye week.
With a short field and momentum, Coach Cragg opted to give JR QB and Illinois State transfer Preston Earl a chance to complete his first touchdown drive as Statesman. The young man from Lincolnshire did not disappoint. With a balanced mix of short passes and SO RB Pat Julian runs, Earl drove Hobart to Mariner 15 yard line. The USMMA nearly capitalized on a Hobart fumble, but Earl fell on the ball to make it 2nd down and 19 from the Mariner 24. The JR QB’s next pass fell incomplete but on 3rd down Earl connected with SR WR Tyler Vincent for 24 yards and the score. A Conor Callahan kick followed and the Statesmen were up 7-0 with 1:22 to play in the first quarter.
Hobart didn’t waste any time getting back to the end zone. After holding the Mariners to another three and out, Hobart opened their first drive of the second quarter with a 31 yard burst from SO RB Kyle Tritten. Starting QB SO Doug Vella then found classmate Garth Muratori for a 16 yard strike to the USMMA 11 yard line. After an 8 yard Vella rush, Tritten hit pay-dirt from three yards out to push Hobart to a 14-0 advantage with 12:57 to play in the second quarter.
The teams would continue to trade possessions to end the half highlighted by the Statesmen defense thwarting the Mariners best offensive possession of the day – an 11 play, 55 yard drive – which ultimately ended on downs at the Hobart 25 after four failed pass attempts by Derrick Ventre.
It was more of the same for the Mariners who opened the third quarter with another three and out. Hobart would embark on its best drive of the day – a 10 play, 75 yard march down Boswell Field behind the arm (four for four passing for 39 yards) and legs of SO QB Doug Vella (3 carries for 22 yards including two first downs). After another long pass (19 yards) to Muratori, Hobart was once again knocking on the MMA red zone.
Although Vella primarily moved the chains on this particular drive, it was JR RB Andrew Marlier who got the call on a 1st and goal from the MMA seven yard line (set up by a personal foul penalty to Alex Coviello on a late hit to Vella as he scampered out of bounds). Marlier scored his sixth TD on the season to make it 21-0 8:16 to play in the third.
The Statesmen’s final scoring drive was set up by a big play on special teams. On the final play of the third quarter, reserve DE James Rayhill blocked the Mariners’ punt attempt and WR Kevin Grogan (who apparently has the majority of his best games – having both forced a fumble in 2007 and blocked a punt that was recovered for a TD in last year’s game - against the Mariners) recovered for Hobart at the Merchant Marine 45.
The punt block put the Statesmen in prime position to start the fourth quarter. Hobart quickly rattled off with a four play, 55 yard drive that was capped off by a rare carry for SR FB Andrew Miller. He would not waste this special opportunity and the SR from Washington, PA would rumble 10 yards for his first career touchdown. After another successful PAT, Hobart led 28-0 with 13:36 to play in the game.
By the end of the game, the Statesmen defense had shutout the USMMA for the second consecutive season, holding the Mariner offense to only 159 total yards (71 rush, 88 pass) on the day. The MMA only crossed the 50 four times and never advanced into the Statesmen red zone. The Hobart defense was lead by O’Laughlin (10 tackles) and SR DT Mike Arduni (7 tackles including 1.5 TFL and 1 sack).
While the Mariners offense only converted two of 16 on third down, Hobart racked up 334 yards of total offense, holding the ball for over 33 minutes and, most importantly, went a perfect four for four in the red zone. Also of note is the fact that the Statesmen had their first game of the season without any penalties (by contrast, Hobart was flagged for over 100 yards in penalties against Union two weeks ago).
The Statesmen used five quarterbacks in the contest with starter Doug Vella completing 10-of-15 for a game-high 105 yards. Merchant Marine starter Derrick Ventre was 8-of-24 for 66 yards. Hobart also used 10 different ball carriers, with Kyle Tritton the leading rusher with four carries for 46 yards. WRs Vincent, Muratori and Lazore each had three catches for 38, 38 and 31 yards, respectively. Chris Adema lead the Mariners with 38 yards on three receptions and Karl Heimbrock tallied 41 yards on 16 carries.
The win brings Hobart back to .500, both 3-3 and 2-2 overall, while the loss drops the MMA to 4-4 and 2-3 in the league. Next week Statesmen will look to earn their first road victory of the season in Worcester, MA against WPI while the Mariners are on a bye week.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Merchant Marine Preview
The Hobart Statesmen (2-3, 1-2) come out of their bye week to face the US Merchant Marine Academy (4-3, 1-2) on what looks to be a wet Boswell Field this Saturday. Showers are in the forecast for Geneva and the surrounding area beginning this Friday and continuing through the weekend. Both Hobart and the USMMA are coming off losses to league rivals (Union and Rochester, respectively) and would like to get back to .500 in Liberty League (LL). The Statesmen have won the last five straight (including last season’s 24-0 shutout at Kings Point, NY) against the USMMA, but this is a much improved Mariners squad.
The USMMA caught the league’s attention back in week five with a 24-8 upset over the Susquehanna Crusaders (5-2, 3-1). Since that win the USMMA has split games against LL opponents by defeating WPI (3-3, 0-3) and losing to Rochester (2-4, 2-2).
The Mariner offense is the second rated scoring offense in the LL averaging 25.7 points per game. The USMMA is lead by JR QB Derrick Ventre (81 completions on 144 attempts for 850 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions) and JR RB Karl Heimbrock (132 carries for 603 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns; 16 receptions for 129 yards and two receiving touchdowns). Heimbrock (who was a linebacker his first and sophomore years but who also starred at RB at Cherry Creek High School in Denver, CO) leads the LL in points scored thanks to 12 touchdowns.
In the event Ventre struggles, USMMA will look to SR QB Carlton Hobkirk to lead the offense. Hobkirk has started three games this season and has decent stats (24 completions on 49 attempts for 208 yards and one touchdown). Back up FY RB Alex Coviello has also been effective, tallying 295 yards rushing on 66 carries and two touchdowns.
Ventre and Hobkirk have several targets on offense including SO WR Mike Mitchell (24 receptions for 298 yards and three touchdowns), JR TE Grant Wright (21 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns) and SO WR Chris Adema (16 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown). These weapons have enabled the Mariners to be first in the LL in time of possession. The USMMA is also not prone to make mistakes and are the least penalized team in the LL.
On defense the Mariners are lead by SR LB Calder Kaatz (42 solo and 55 total tackles including three TFL, one sack and two forced fumbles). JR FS Marcus Broeder (31 solo, 44 total tackles including 2.5 TFL, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and FR SS Sal Milone (23 solo, 39 total tackles including 3.5 TFL, three sacks and one fumble recovery) are also defensive stalwarts.
The USMMA are second in the LL in pass defense (only allowing an average 159.7 yards per game) and are opportunistic. The Mariners are +5 in turnover margin and lead the LL with 18 sacks. If there is a chink in this defense’s armor, it’s defending against the running game. The Mariners rank last in the LL on rush defense allowing 192.3 rushing yards per game on average. This could be an opportunity for Hobart and JR RB Andrew Marlier and the Statesmen offensive line to exploit on Saturday.
That said here are my
Keys to the Game:
1. Avoid turnovers – A lot of rain Friday and Saturday morning means the “Boz” will likely return to its “quagmiresque” late October form. The mud and rain will likely make the football slippery and thus “fumble prone”. Also the USMMA is used to playing on “new-style” turf vs. grass. Expect a lot scoring affair that will probably see field position being a big factor in the outcome of the game. The Mariners are +5 in turnover margin, but their offense has 12 “give aways” to the Statesmen’s six (three fumbles and three interceptions on the season; respectively). SO QB Doug Vella struggled a great deal in similar wet conditions in Hobart’s season finale against Rochester (ultimately being benched after getting his first career start), but I expect Vella will have learned from that experience and will have a better game on Saturday.
2. Another 100 yard day by Marlier – #2 had a career day against Union gaining 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The OL had a great day running a trap/zone blocking scheme that racked up 245 yards on the ground. The Statesmen need to test the somewhat undersized USMMA defensive line by mixing the run with either play action and/or short, high completion percentage passing plays
3. Protect Vella – The Statesmen gave up five sacks under pressure in the Union game and the Mariners excel in rushing the passer. That said the Hobart OL will need to improve their pass protection and/or simply dominate the LOS on running plays to limit the need for Vella to drop back and/or play out of the shot gun.
4. Stop Heimbrock and Ventre – Although Heimbrock is a very good RB, the Mariner rushing game has struggled at times this season. The USMMA were held to 62 yards rushing last week against Rochester and tallied -7 yards against Saint Lawrence. The Statesmen were burned on several long pass plays against Union where a speedy Justin Gallo out ran the Hobart secondary. Given the wet conditions on Saturday the Statesmen defensive backs will need to keep Mitchell and the USMMA receivers in front of them at all times. One slip or a missed tackle on the wet turf could easily result in long gains by the Mariners. The Hobart DL also needs to step up the pressure (they were held without a sack against Union) and force Ventre into rushing his passes – the JR QB does have seven interceptions on the season. Ventre is not a very mobile QB, having rushed for only 63 yards on 41 carries so far this season (1.5 yards per carry average). The Mariners are only converting third downs at a 33% rate this season. If Statesmen are successful, they can take advantage of the Mariners punting game which is second to last place in the LL – only 25.9 yards net on average.
Given these factors and Hobart’s 2-0 home record so far this season (and the fact that the Mariners have not won on a grass surface since November 6, 2004 OT victory at Saint Lawrence), I like the Statesmen to pull off a muddy, close game at the Boz by a score of 21-14.
You can tune into WEOS (www.weos.org) for Ted Baker’s call and track the game via “Live Stats” (http://campus.hws.edu/athletics/hobart/football/live/xlive.htm).
Kick-off is at 12:00 PM ET.
Also, don’t forget to catch up on all the LL action on Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET on “In the HuddLLe” (www.inthehuddlle.com).
Thanks for reading and go ‘Bart!
The USMMA caught the league’s attention back in week five with a 24-8 upset over the Susquehanna Crusaders (5-2, 3-1). Since that win the USMMA has split games against LL opponents by defeating WPI (3-3, 0-3) and losing to Rochester (2-4, 2-2).
The Mariner offense is the second rated scoring offense in the LL averaging 25.7 points per game. The USMMA is lead by JR QB Derrick Ventre (81 completions on 144 attempts for 850 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions) and JR RB Karl Heimbrock (132 carries for 603 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns; 16 receptions for 129 yards and two receiving touchdowns). Heimbrock (who was a linebacker his first and sophomore years but who also starred at RB at Cherry Creek High School in Denver, CO) leads the LL in points scored thanks to 12 touchdowns.
In the event Ventre struggles, USMMA will look to SR QB Carlton Hobkirk to lead the offense. Hobkirk has started three games this season and has decent stats (24 completions on 49 attempts for 208 yards and one touchdown). Back up FY RB Alex Coviello has also been effective, tallying 295 yards rushing on 66 carries and two touchdowns.
Ventre and Hobkirk have several targets on offense including SO WR Mike Mitchell (24 receptions for 298 yards and three touchdowns), JR TE Grant Wright (21 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns) and SO WR Chris Adema (16 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown). These weapons have enabled the Mariners to be first in the LL in time of possession. The USMMA is also not prone to make mistakes and are the least penalized team in the LL.
On defense the Mariners are lead by SR LB Calder Kaatz (42 solo and 55 total tackles including three TFL, one sack and two forced fumbles). JR FS Marcus Broeder (31 solo, 44 total tackles including 2.5 TFL, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and FR SS Sal Milone (23 solo, 39 total tackles including 3.5 TFL, three sacks and one fumble recovery) are also defensive stalwarts.
The USMMA are second in the LL in pass defense (only allowing an average 159.7 yards per game) and are opportunistic. The Mariners are +5 in turnover margin and lead the LL with 18 sacks. If there is a chink in this defense’s armor, it’s defending against the running game. The Mariners rank last in the LL on rush defense allowing 192.3 rushing yards per game on average. This could be an opportunity for Hobart and JR RB Andrew Marlier and the Statesmen offensive line to exploit on Saturday.
That said here are my
Keys to the Game:
1. Avoid turnovers – A lot of rain Friday and Saturday morning means the “Boz” will likely return to its “quagmiresque” late October form. The mud and rain will likely make the football slippery and thus “fumble prone”. Also the USMMA is used to playing on “new-style” turf vs. grass. Expect a lot scoring affair that will probably see field position being a big factor in the outcome of the game. The Mariners are +5 in turnover margin, but their offense has 12 “give aways” to the Statesmen’s six (three fumbles and three interceptions on the season; respectively). SO QB Doug Vella struggled a great deal in similar wet conditions in Hobart’s season finale against Rochester (ultimately being benched after getting his first career start), but I expect Vella will have learned from that experience and will have a better game on Saturday.
2. Another 100 yard day by Marlier – #2 had a career day against Union gaining 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The OL had a great day running a trap/zone blocking scheme that racked up 245 yards on the ground. The Statesmen need to test the somewhat undersized USMMA defensive line by mixing the run with either play action and/or short, high completion percentage passing plays
3. Protect Vella – The Statesmen gave up five sacks under pressure in the Union game and the Mariners excel in rushing the passer. That said the Hobart OL will need to improve their pass protection and/or simply dominate the LOS on running plays to limit the need for Vella to drop back and/or play out of the shot gun.
4. Stop Heimbrock and Ventre – Although Heimbrock is a very good RB, the Mariner rushing game has struggled at times this season. The USMMA were held to 62 yards rushing last week against Rochester and tallied -7 yards against Saint Lawrence. The Statesmen were burned on several long pass plays against Union where a speedy Justin Gallo out ran the Hobart secondary. Given the wet conditions on Saturday the Statesmen defensive backs will need to keep Mitchell and the USMMA receivers in front of them at all times. One slip or a missed tackle on the wet turf could easily result in long gains by the Mariners. The Hobart DL also needs to step up the pressure (they were held without a sack against Union) and force Ventre into rushing his passes – the JR QB does have seven interceptions on the season. Ventre is not a very mobile QB, having rushed for only 63 yards on 41 carries so far this season (1.5 yards per carry average). The Mariners are only converting third downs at a 33% rate this season. If Statesmen are successful, they can take advantage of the Mariners punting game which is second to last place in the LL – only 25.9 yards net on average.
Given these factors and Hobart’s 2-0 home record so far this season (and the fact that the Mariners have not won on a grass surface since November 6, 2004 OT victory at Saint Lawrence), I like the Statesmen to pull off a muddy, close game at the Boz by a score of 21-14.
You can tune into WEOS (www.weos.org) for Ted Baker’s call and track the game via “Live Stats” (http://campus.hws.edu/athletics/hobart/football/live/xlive.htm).
Kick-off is at 12:00 PM ET.
Also, don’t forget to catch up on all the LL action on Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET on “In the HuddLLe” (www.inthehuddlle.com).
Thanks for reading and go ‘Bart!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Union goes deep to beat 'Bart 31-21
It was a picture perfect Upstate NY October afternoon last Saturday in Schenectady. Matt Hawley '95 and I parked along Nott Street and made our way onto the Union College campus. We quickly came across the familiar sight of Orange (and some WWP camoflauge) clad Hobart fans tailgating just outside Union's Frank Bailey field.
The tailgate quickly welcomed us and we enjoyed the hospitality of several Hobart players' families including the Howard's, Catalano's, Monaco's, Farraca's and Guidetti's. Shots of Crown Royal were served up by the "Hobart Dads" as well as some delicious hamburgers and hot dogs from the tailgaters' grills.
Although we could have stayed up until kick-off at this Hobart party, Matt and I made our way up to the Rich Barlette '01 alumni tailgate behind the Union field house and caught up with other local alums, including my classmate, Chris Kirvin '96.
Our visit with the Barlette crowd was brief, however, given I had a pre-game show with WABY's Frank Rossi and Tom Santa Barbara. I made my way to the Union broadcast booth and prepared for my first ever spot as a color commentator.
Both Frank and Tom were real pros and welcomed me (although I was with the "enemy") into the fold. We did some pregame analysis then ran through the Union and Hobart rosters before the singing of the National Anthem.
Shortly thereafter the game was underway.
Obviously given the late date of this report we know that Union went on to win. The Union Dutchmen (4-1, 3-0) were lead by a record-breaking performance by JR WR Justin Gallo who surpassed a 42 year old mark for most receiving yards in a game with eight catches for 246 yards.
The first of Gallo's three touchdowns came after Hobart (2-3, 1-2) missed a huge opportunity to go up 14-0 after a fumble on the Union one yard line. After a 22 yard Chris Coney scamper, Gallo burned the Hobart secondary by a good 10-15 yards for a 76 yard touchdown catch and run.
The Statesmen and Dutchmen would trade scores throughout the first and second quarters to end up tied at 21 going into the half. Hobart took over 22 minutes off the clock rushing the ball behind an excellent zone blocking job by the Statesmen OL. JR RB Andy Marlier would have a career day posting 136 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns. Still, the Statesmen had no answer for Gallo who simply out-played and out-ran the Hobart defensive secondary all day.
The Statesmen blitz was generally nullified by the Union OL allowing SO QB Drew Connolly plenty of time to make plays. JR RB Chris Coney was somewhat held in check given eight men in the box, but the Ft Lauderdale, FLA native still racked up over 100 yards rushing on the day on 23 carries for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Coney scored the Dutchmen's second touchdown on a 42 yard run with 12:09 to play in the 2nd quarter. Coney veered off the left side of the Union OL then side-stepped several would-be Hobart tacklers and skated down the sideline for the score.
The Statesmen would respond to the Coney touchdown with two excellent drives covering over 20 plays, 100 yards and eight minutes of TOP. Both drives resulted in Marlier touchdowns to allow Hobart to take a 21-14 lead with 1:57 to play in the first half. Unfortunately all the Statesmen momentum built during those long drives was quickly eroded on an incredible one play, 70 yard Connolly to Gallo strike that only took 20 seconds off the clock.
To say Gallo was "wide open" is an understatement.
The second half both defenses asserted themselves and the 21-21 tie remained deadlocked until a 30 yard SR PK Zach Epley field goal gave Union a three point lead with 11:21 to play in the game.
Hobart SO QB Doug Vella (10 for 22 passing for 107 yards and one passing touchdown) was never really able to get comfortable in the pocket due to the Union blitz. Vella was sacked five times by the Union defense and often had to run away from pressure resulting in as much as 21 carries for only 30 (net) yards.
On defense the Dutchmen were lead by SO LB Steve Modliszewski who tallied 15 tackles on the day. Hobart was lead by co-captain Ryan Robinson with 13 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and one interception.
Although the Hobart rushing attack looked unstoppable at times, both penalties (seven for 107 yards) and defensive break-downs ultimately cost Hobart the game. Gallo would seal the deal for Union with a final 41 yard touchdown reception to cap a seven play, 76 yard Dutchmen drive with 3:22 remaining.
To their credit, the Statesmen never gave up hope. The game remained on the line until SO PK's Conor Callahan 33 yard field goal attempt with 41 seconds to play failed.
The loss dropped Hobart to 1-2 in the Liberty League and marked the first time the Statesmen have lost more than one league game since 2001 (prior to the LL when Hobart belonged, along with RPI, Rochester, St Lawrence and Union, to the Upstate Athletic Association or UAA). The loss also ends Hobart's five year streak of NCAA play-off appearances. Union continues to have the Statesman's number having defeated Hobart four times in the past five seasons.
For more info on the Hobart-Union game please check out the following link:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/news/2009/10/10/HFB_1010091435.aspx?path=football
Some nice pix from the Hobart-Union game were posted on D3football as well:
http://www.pictureprints.net/albums.php?gallery=3056
Although a return to the NCAAs is no longer on the table, the Statesmen would have an opportunity to play in an ECAC "bowl game" by ending the year with a winning record.
On a personal note, although it ended up as a loss, it was a real treat for me personally to attend a Hobart game in person for the first time since 1997. Hopefully the next game I attend will be in less than 10+ years!
Hobart's next game is on Saturday, Oct. 24th against the Merchant Marine Academy (currently 4-2, 2-1). The MMA will face off against Rochester (1-4, 1-2) at noon this Saturday in Kings Point. The MMA has never defeated (0-13) the Yellow Jackets.
The tailgate quickly welcomed us and we enjoyed the hospitality of several Hobart players' families including the Howard's, Catalano's, Monaco's, Farraca's and Guidetti's. Shots of Crown Royal were served up by the "Hobart Dads" as well as some delicious hamburgers and hot dogs from the tailgaters' grills.
Although we could have stayed up until kick-off at this Hobart party, Matt and I made our way up to the Rich Barlette '01 alumni tailgate behind the Union field house and caught up with other local alums, including my classmate, Chris Kirvin '96.
Our visit with the Barlette crowd was brief, however, given I had a pre-game show with WABY's Frank Rossi and Tom Santa Barbara. I made my way to the Union broadcast booth and prepared for my first ever spot as a color commentator.
Both Frank and Tom were real pros and welcomed me (although I was with the "enemy") into the fold. We did some pregame analysis then ran through the Union and Hobart rosters before the singing of the National Anthem.
Shortly thereafter the game was underway.
Obviously given the late date of this report we know that Union went on to win. The Union Dutchmen (4-1, 3-0) were lead by a record-breaking performance by JR WR Justin Gallo who surpassed a 42 year old mark for most receiving yards in a game with eight catches for 246 yards.
The first of Gallo's three touchdowns came after Hobart (2-3, 1-2) missed a huge opportunity to go up 14-0 after a fumble on the Union one yard line. After a 22 yard Chris Coney scamper, Gallo burned the Hobart secondary by a good 10-15 yards for a 76 yard touchdown catch and run.
The Statesmen and Dutchmen would trade scores throughout the first and second quarters to end up tied at 21 going into the half. Hobart took over 22 minutes off the clock rushing the ball behind an excellent zone blocking job by the Statesmen OL. JR RB Andy Marlier would have a career day posting 136 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns. Still, the Statesmen had no answer for Gallo who simply out-played and out-ran the Hobart defensive secondary all day.
The Statesmen blitz was generally nullified by the Union OL allowing SO QB Drew Connolly plenty of time to make plays. JR RB Chris Coney was somewhat held in check given eight men in the box, but the Ft Lauderdale, FLA native still racked up over 100 yards rushing on the day on 23 carries for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Coney scored the Dutchmen's second touchdown on a 42 yard run with 12:09 to play in the 2nd quarter. Coney veered off the left side of the Union OL then side-stepped several would-be Hobart tacklers and skated down the sideline for the score.
The Statesmen would respond to the Coney touchdown with two excellent drives covering over 20 plays, 100 yards and eight minutes of TOP. Both drives resulted in Marlier touchdowns to allow Hobart to take a 21-14 lead with 1:57 to play in the first half. Unfortunately all the Statesmen momentum built during those long drives was quickly eroded on an incredible one play, 70 yard Connolly to Gallo strike that only took 20 seconds off the clock.
To say Gallo was "wide open" is an understatement.
The second half both defenses asserted themselves and the 21-21 tie remained deadlocked until a 30 yard SR PK Zach Epley field goal gave Union a three point lead with 11:21 to play in the game.
Hobart SO QB Doug Vella (10 for 22 passing for 107 yards and one passing touchdown) was never really able to get comfortable in the pocket due to the Union blitz. Vella was sacked five times by the Union defense and often had to run away from pressure resulting in as much as 21 carries for only 30 (net) yards.
On defense the Dutchmen were lead by SO LB Steve Modliszewski who tallied 15 tackles on the day. Hobart was lead by co-captain Ryan Robinson with 13 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and one interception.
Although the Hobart rushing attack looked unstoppable at times, both penalties (seven for 107 yards) and defensive break-downs ultimately cost Hobart the game. Gallo would seal the deal for Union with a final 41 yard touchdown reception to cap a seven play, 76 yard Dutchmen drive with 3:22 remaining.
To their credit, the Statesmen never gave up hope. The game remained on the line until SO PK's Conor Callahan 33 yard field goal attempt with 41 seconds to play failed.
The loss dropped Hobart to 1-2 in the Liberty League and marked the first time the Statesmen have lost more than one league game since 2001 (prior to the LL when Hobart belonged, along with RPI, Rochester, St Lawrence and Union, to the Upstate Athletic Association or UAA). The loss also ends Hobart's five year streak of NCAA play-off appearances. Union continues to have the Statesman's number having defeated Hobart four times in the past five seasons.
For more info on the Hobart-Union game please check out the following link:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/news/2009/10/10/HFB_1010091435.aspx?path=football
Some nice pix from the Hobart-Union game were posted on D3football as well:
http://www.pictureprints.net/albums.php?gallery=3056
Although a return to the NCAAs is no longer on the table, the Statesmen would have an opportunity to play in an ECAC "bowl game" by ending the year with a winning record.
On a personal note, although it ended up as a loss, it was a real treat for me personally to attend a Hobart game in person for the first time since 1997. Hopefully the next game I attend will be in less than 10+ years!
Hobart's next game is on Saturday, Oct. 24th against the Merchant Marine Academy (currently 4-2, 2-1). The MMA will face off against Rochester (1-4, 1-2) at noon this Saturday in Kings Point. The MMA has never defeated (0-13) the Yellow Jackets.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Union Game Preview
“To say [the Union game on] October 10 is circled on my calendar is an understatement.” – JB, August 28, 2009.
The Hobart Statesmen (2-2, 1-1) travel to Schenectady, NY this Saturday to face the Liberty League (LL) leading Union College Dutchmen (3-1, 2-0). For all intents and purposes this contest against Union amounts to an “elimination” game for Hobart. The Dutchmen are the only LL team with a winning record (3-1) against the Statesmen since 2005, but Hobart has never lost two LL games in a season since the league was formed back in 2004. Last year, Union upset Hobart by a score of 38-35 in Geneva. The loss was Hobart’s only blemish on what would end up being an otherwise perfect regular season.
This season Union has a statistical advantage in virtually every key offensive, defensive and special team categories. Hobart does have a slight edge in a handful of significant ones though, including turnover ratio, time of possession and kickoffs.
Here’s the “tale of the tape”:
Union Hobart
Scoring Offense 6 8 League Rank
Scoring Defense 4 5 League Rank
Passing Offense 2 3 League Rank
Passing Defense 3 4 League Rank
Turnover Margin -4 +1 TO Margin
Rushing Defense 4 7 League Rank
Total Offense 3 6 League Rank
Total Defense 1 3 League Rank
Red zone Defense 3 7 League Rank
Third down conversions 2 1 League Rank
Time of possession 28:54 28:26 Average
Red zone TDs scored (6-14) (9-13) Percent
Kickoff coverage 8 1 League Rank
Punting 3 5 League Rank
PATs (9-9) (7-9) League Rank
Field Goals (3-3) (3-6) League Rank
The Dutchmen are lead on offense by #8 SO QB Drew Connolly who leads the LL in passing yards per game (219.5) and total offense (232.2 YPG). Connolly is third in the LL in pass efficiency (128) has thrown for 878 yards (51-100 for 51% completion percentage) including four touchdowns and five interceptions. Connolly’s favorite target is #7 JR WR Justin Gallo (320 yards receiving and three touchdowns). Gallo is second and fifth in the LL in average yards (80) and receptions (4.25) per game, respectively. Another big receiving threat for Union is New Orleans native #1 JR WR Jared Gourrier (165 yards receiving).
Although Connolly, Gallo and Gourrier are solid players, in my opinion, Union’s greatest offensive weapon is #10 JR RB Chris Coney. The JR from Fort Lauderdale has rushed for 467 yards (116.8 average good for third in the LL) with four touchdowns. Coney has also caught nine passes for 154 yards and one receiving touchdown. Last season Statesmen fans cringed at the sight of Coney crushing Hobart’s defense racking up 243 yards on 33 carries (long of 57) and three touchdowns.
On defense Union is lead by #34 SR LB John Peters (#1 in the LL with 57 tackles, ½ sack and six tackles for loss). Peters is not a one man gang as he has four teammates ranked in the LL’s top 20 (in average tackles per game) including #57 SO LB Rich Sixto (26 total), #43 SO LB Steve Modliszewski (25), #92 SR DL Peter Haviland-Eduah (24) and #18 SR DB Eric Baxter (22 tackles and two interceptions).
So based on this analysis, what hope for a victory on Saturday do the Statesmen have given all of Union’s statistical advantages? Basically it’s the “fine print.”
Not taking anything away from the Dutchmen’s early season success, but this team could just as easily be 1-3 as 3-1. Both of Union’s victories against Ithaca and Rochester literally came with seconds (17 and 10, respectively) to play in the game. Last week the Dutchmen had to lean on their defense to preserve a 21-17 win against WPI (3-2, 0-2). Union’s only loss was to a 1-3 Muhlenberg team.
Regardless, Hobart and Union rarely disappoint as this game has become somewhat of an annual event. Although the Dutchmen have gotten the best of the Statesmen in recent years, Hobart has added incentive to play spoiler this season a) because of last season’s game and b) the Statesmen are literally in a “must win” situation with one loss in LL play already.
Keys to the game:
1. Score points – I know this sounds overly simplistic but the importance of converting trips to the red zone cannot be understated for a Hobart team that is averaging only 6.5 points per game on the road. The only concern in an otherwise dominating performance against Saint Lawrence (2-2, 1-1) last weekend was the Statesmen kicking game. If SO PK Conor Callahan continues to struggle as he did last week (missing two PATs and one 30 yard field goal), expect Coach Cragg to put SR WR Paul Overdorf in to kick for the Statesmen. Last season Overdorf converted both of his field goal attempts (long of 29 yards) and was 14-of-15 on PATs.
2. Contain Coney – Last week against WPI Coney rushed for 153 yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns. The JR RB and also caught three passes for 66 yards. This game was Coney's ninth career 100 yard rushing effort, moving him into eighth place in the career rushing at Union with 2,217 yards. Coney was named LL co-offensive performer of the week for his efforts. You can bet the Statesmen closely studied the Muhlenberg-Union game tape as the Mules (1-3) were able to keep Coney in check to the tune of 60 yards on 20 carries.
3. Pressure Connolly/Coney - If the Statesmen have a chance to defeat Union it will mostly be based on how well the Hobart DL and LBs handle the Dutchmen OL and penetrating to the ball. If Coney gets outside the tackle box or the first Statesmen tackler doesn’t wrap him up on initial contact, you can pretty much kiss Hobart’s sixth consecutive NCAA playoff berth goodbye. Last weekend against Saint Lawrence the Hobart DL – especially JR DE Chris Luber – did an excellent job breaking up plays behind the line of scrimmage. The Statesmen D recorded eight tackles for loss including a season high six sacks. Two and a half of those sacks came from Luber to add to his five tackles in Hobart's 33-10 victory over the Saints (2-2, 1-1). This performance resulted in the most sacks by a Statesman since Kwame Lovell posted three at WPI on Sept. 29, 2007. Not surprisingly Luber was named LL co-defensive player of the week for his efforts last Saturday.
4. Make big plays – It wouldn’t be a Hobart-Union game if there are no fireworks. I fully expect Statesmen offensive coordinator Kevin DeWall ’00 to pull out all the stops in order to defeat the Dutchmen. The Hobart defense will need to capitalize on Union turnovers (which they have been prone to do so far in 2009) and I expect the DL and LBs to be blitzing/stunting aggressively all game.
Prediction:
I have not attended a “live” Hobart game since 1997. The last game I honestly remember is a 28-17 defeat at the hands of, you guessed it, Union. The Dutchmen came into the game highly ranked and Hobart lead at the half, but Union rallied to spoil the Statesmen’s upset bid.
Although I did pick Hobart to win 28-24 on “In the HuddLLe” (www.inthehuddlle.com), I am prepared for the Statesmen’s road struggles to continue on Saturday. That said if I am being “truly objective” I am going to pick Union to win 30-20 this weekend. I hope I am wrong, but unless the 2-0 Hobart “home team” shows up to Schenectady, it will be difficult for the Statesmen to overcome this very talented Union squad.
This year given a little luck in scheduling I will be in attendance (at least for the first half) for this year’s Hobart-Union match-up. To say I am excited to be there is an understatement.
Please tune into www.saratogamoon.com at 2 PM ET to hear me “go behind enemy lines” and join WABY/Union play-by-play man Frank Rossi and color man Tom Santa Barbara call the game.
Any Statesmen fans heading up to the game should look for Rich Barlette ’01 and the Hobart tail-gate which kicks off at 12:30 PM ET. Please contact Rebecca Frank at the Alumni House if you're interested in attending.
The Hobart Statesmen (2-2, 1-1) travel to Schenectady, NY this Saturday to face the Liberty League (LL) leading Union College Dutchmen (3-1, 2-0). For all intents and purposes this contest against Union amounts to an “elimination” game for Hobart. The Dutchmen are the only LL team with a winning record (3-1) against the Statesmen since 2005, but Hobart has never lost two LL games in a season since the league was formed back in 2004. Last year, Union upset Hobart by a score of 38-35 in Geneva. The loss was Hobart’s only blemish on what would end up being an otherwise perfect regular season.
This season Union has a statistical advantage in virtually every key offensive, defensive and special team categories. Hobart does have a slight edge in a handful of significant ones though, including turnover ratio, time of possession and kickoffs.
Here’s the “tale of the tape”:
Union Hobart
Scoring Offense 6 8 League Rank
Scoring Defense 4 5 League Rank
Passing Offense 2 3 League Rank
Passing Defense 3 4 League Rank
Turnover Margin -4 +1 TO Margin
Rushing Defense 4 7 League Rank
Total Offense 3 6 League Rank
Total Defense 1 3 League Rank
Red zone Defense 3 7 League Rank
Third down conversions 2 1 League Rank
Time of possession 28:54 28:26 Average
Red zone TDs scored (6-14) (9-13) Percent
Kickoff coverage 8 1 League Rank
Punting 3 5 League Rank
PATs (9-9) (7-9) League Rank
Field Goals (3-3) (3-6) League Rank
The Dutchmen are lead on offense by #8 SO QB Drew Connolly who leads the LL in passing yards per game (219.5) and total offense (232.2 YPG). Connolly is third in the LL in pass efficiency (128) has thrown for 878 yards (51-100 for 51% completion percentage) including four touchdowns and five interceptions. Connolly’s favorite target is #7 JR WR Justin Gallo (320 yards receiving and three touchdowns). Gallo is second and fifth in the LL in average yards (80) and receptions (4.25) per game, respectively. Another big receiving threat for Union is New Orleans native #1 JR WR Jared Gourrier (165 yards receiving).
Although Connolly, Gallo and Gourrier are solid players, in my opinion, Union’s greatest offensive weapon is #10 JR RB Chris Coney. The JR from Fort Lauderdale has rushed for 467 yards (116.8 average good for third in the LL) with four touchdowns. Coney has also caught nine passes for 154 yards and one receiving touchdown. Last season Statesmen fans cringed at the sight of Coney crushing Hobart’s defense racking up 243 yards on 33 carries (long of 57) and three touchdowns.
On defense Union is lead by #34 SR LB John Peters (#1 in the LL with 57 tackles, ½ sack and six tackles for loss). Peters is not a one man gang as he has four teammates ranked in the LL’s top 20 (in average tackles per game) including #57 SO LB Rich Sixto (26 total), #43 SO LB Steve Modliszewski (25), #92 SR DL Peter Haviland-Eduah (24) and #18 SR DB Eric Baxter (22 tackles and two interceptions).
So based on this analysis, what hope for a victory on Saturday do the Statesmen have given all of Union’s statistical advantages? Basically it’s the “fine print.”
Not taking anything away from the Dutchmen’s early season success, but this team could just as easily be 1-3 as 3-1. Both of Union’s victories against Ithaca and Rochester literally came with seconds (17 and 10, respectively) to play in the game. Last week the Dutchmen had to lean on their defense to preserve a 21-17 win against WPI (3-2, 0-2). Union’s only loss was to a 1-3 Muhlenberg team.
Regardless, Hobart and Union rarely disappoint as this game has become somewhat of an annual event. Although the Dutchmen have gotten the best of the Statesmen in recent years, Hobart has added incentive to play spoiler this season a) because of last season’s game and b) the Statesmen are literally in a “must win” situation with one loss in LL play already.
Keys to the game:
1. Score points – I know this sounds overly simplistic but the importance of converting trips to the red zone cannot be understated for a Hobart team that is averaging only 6.5 points per game on the road. The only concern in an otherwise dominating performance against Saint Lawrence (2-2, 1-1) last weekend was the Statesmen kicking game. If SO PK Conor Callahan continues to struggle as he did last week (missing two PATs and one 30 yard field goal), expect Coach Cragg to put SR WR Paul Overdorf in to kick for the Statesmen. Last season Overdorf converted both of his field goal attempts (long of 29 yards) and was 14-of-15 on PATs.
2. Contain Coney – Last week against WPI Coney rushed for 153 yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns. The JR RB and also caught three passes for 66 yards. This game was Coney's ninth career 100 yard rushing effort, moving him into eighth place in the career rushing at Union with 2,217 yards. Coney was named LL co-offensive performer of the week for his efforts. You can bet the Statesmen closely studied the Muhlenberg-Union game tape as the Mules (1-3) were able to keep Coney in check to the tune of 60 yards on 20 carries.
3. Pressure Connolly/Coney - If the Statesmen have a chance to defeat Union it will mostly be based on how well the Hobart DL and LBs handle the Dutchmen OL and penetrating to the ball. If Coney gets outside the tackle box or the first Statesmen tackler doesn’t wrap him up on initial contact, you can pretty much kiss Hobart’s sixth consecutive NCAA playoff berth goodbye. Last weekend against Saint Lawrence the Hobart DL – especially JR DE Chris Luber – did an excellent job breaking up plays behind the line of scrimmage. The Statesmen D recorded eight tackles for loss including a season high six sacks. Two and a half of those sacks came from Luber to add to his five tackles in Hobart's 33-10 victory over the Saints (2-2, 1-1). This performance resulted in the most sacks by a Statesman since Kwame Lovell posted three at WPI on Sept. 29, 2007. Not surprisingly Luber was named LL co-defensive player of the week for his efforts last Saturday.
4. Make big plays – It wouldn’t be a Hobart-Union game if there are no fireworks. I fully expect Statesmen offensive coordinator Kevin DeWall ’00 to pull out all the stops in order to defeat the Dutchmen. The Hobart defense will need to capitalize on Union turnovers (which they have been prone to do so far in 2009) and I expect the DL and LBs to be blitzing/stunting aggressively all game.
Prediction:
I have not attended a “live” Hobart game since 1997. The last game I honestly remember is a 28-17 defeat at the hands of, you guessed it, Union. The Dutchmen came into the game highly ranked and Hobart lead at the half, but Union rallied to spoil the Statesmen’s upset bid.
Although I did pick Hobart to win 28-24 on “In the HuddLLe” (www.inthehuddlle.com), I am prepared for the Statesmen’s road struggles to continue on Saturday. That said if I am being “truly objective” I am going to pick Union to win 30-20 this weekend. I hope I am wrong, but unless the 2-0 Hobart “home team” shows up to Schenectady, it will be difficult for the Statesmen to overcome this very talented Union squad.
This year given a little luck in scheduling I will be in attendance (at least for the first half) for this year’s Hobart-Union match-up. To say I am excited to be there is an understatement.
Please tune into www.saratogamoon.com at 2 PM ET to hear me “go behind enemy lines” and join WABY/Union play-by-play man Frank Rossi and color man Tom Santa Barbara call the game.
Any Statesmen fans heading up to the game should look for Rich Barlette ’01 and the Hobart tail-gate which kicks off at 12:30 PM ET. Please contact Rebecca Frank at the Alumni House if you're interested in attending.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Check out these great pix from the SLU-Hobart game
http://www.hwsathletics.com/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=31
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Hobart wins big in Wounded Warrior uniforms, 33-10
The Hobart Statesmen (2-2, 1-1) earned their second victory of the 2009 season with a dominating 33-10 performance against the Saint Lawrence University Saints (2-3, 1-1). The win was also Head Coach Mike Cragg's 100th at the helm of the Statesmen Football program.
Hobart scored consecutive rushing touchdowns on their initial three possessions to take a 20-3 lead into half-time. JR RB Andrew Marlier (14 carries for 50 yards) scored the first Hobart rushing TD of the day to cap a 61 yard drive. On the ensuing SLU possession the Statesmen defense blocked a Chris Dris punt and recovered the ball on the Saint 3 yard line. Marlier found pay dirt again to make it 13-0 only nine minutes into the first quarter. Although SLU would get on the board thanks to an impressive 45 yard field goal by Dris, Hobart would score again on the next drive on a SO RB Kyle Tritton (seven rushes for 25 yards) 1 yard touchdown run.
SO QB Doug Vella (13 completions on 23 attempts for 201 passing yards) scored the Statesmen's final two touchdowns, the first on a 22 yard pass to SO WR Garth Muratori (three catches for 31 yards) at 7:27 to go in the third quarter. Vella scored Hobart's final rushing touchdown on a designed QB draw with 13:22 in the fourth quarter to push the Statesmen lead to 33-3.
Hobart's defense kept the pressure on the Saints all day (including six sacks) and held SLU to 74 rushing yards on the day. Saint JR QB JP Kearney struggled against the Statesmen pass rush going 13 for 29 for 119 yards. Kearney was eventually pulled in favor of SO QB Andy Spadoni who was much more effective (seven for eight for 82 yards and one touchdown and an interception), albeit against the Statesmen's reserves.
Pretty much everything worked well for Hobart this Saturday save for the kicking game. JR PK Connor Callahan struggled on the day missing two PATs and a 30 yard field goal with 8:40 to play in the second quarter. Coach Cragg would later opt to go for it on a few fourth downs deep in Saints terriory rather than try more FG attempts.
It will be interesting to see if Callahan remains the starting PK or if he will get demoted again like he did last season after missing three fields in the Union game (which Hobart ended up losing 38-35).
If that happens Paul Overdorf will likely be the PK for the Statesmen next week at Union.
Hobart scored consecutive rushing touchdowns on their initial three possessions to take a 20-3 lead into half-time. JR RB Andrew Marlier (14 carries for 50 yards) scored the first Hobart rushing TD of the day to cap a 61 yard drive. On the ensuing SLU possession the Statesmen defense blocked a Chris Dris punt and recovered the ball on the Saint 3 yard line. Marlier found pay dirt again to make it 13-0 only nine minutes into the first quarter. Although SLU would get on the board thanks to an impressive 45 yard field goal by Dris, Hobart would score again on the next drive on a SO RB Kyle Tritton (seven rushes for 25 yards) 1 yard touchdown run.
SO QB Doug Vella (13 completions on 23 attempts for 201 passing yards) scored the Statesmen's final two touchdowns, the first on a 22 yard pass to SO WR Garth Muratori (three catches for 31 yards) at 7:27 to go in the third quarter. Vella scored Hobart's final rushing touchdown on a designed QB draw with 13:22 in the fourth quarter to push the Statesmen lead to 33-3.
Hobart's defense kept the pressure on the Saints all day (including six sacks) and held SLU to 74 rushing yards on the day. Saint JR QB JP Kearney struggled against the Statesmen pass rush going 13 for 29 for 119 yards. Kearney was eventually pulled in favor of SO QB Andy Spadoni who was much more effective (seven for eight for 82 yards and one touchdown and an interception), albeit against the Statesmen's reserves.
Pretty much everything worked well for Hobart this Saturday save for the kicking game. JR PK Connor Callahan struggled on the day missing two PATs and a 30 yard field goal with 8:40 to play in the second quarter. Coach Cragg would later opt to go for it on a few fourth downs deep in Saints terriory rather than try more FG attempts.
It will be interesting to see if Callahan remains the starting PK or if he will get demoted again like he did last season after missing three fields in the Union game (which Hobart ended up losing 38-35).
If that happens Paul Overdorf will likely be the PK for the Statesmen next week at Union.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Saint Lawrence Game Preview
This Saturday at Boswell Field the Hobart Statesmen (1-2, 0-1) look to get back to .500, on the season and in the Liberty League (LL) standings, against the St. Lawrence University Saints (2-2, 1-0). Although Hobart has enjoyed a 17 game winning streak against the “Larries”, the Statesmen cannot afford to look past the Saints this year. SLU has already improved from last season’s 1-9 mark with a 41-22 win over the US Merchant Marine Academy (2-2, 0-1) last weekend. The Saints dominated the MMA on offense (380 to 202 yards) and held the Mariner rushing attack to -7 yards on the day. The win enabled the SLU to retain the “Hoffman Cup” which is awarded to the annual winner of this league rivalry game. Last season Hobart had to rally after being down 7-3 to SLU at the half before riding their defense to hold onto a hard fought and sloppy 16-10 victory in Canton, NY .
This year SLU is lead on offense by JR QB JP Kearney (43 for 82 with 448 passing yards including three touchdowns and seven interceptions) and SR RB Connor Hackett (199 yards on 64 carries for two touchdowns. Complementing Hackett’s “between the tackles” style of running is JR RB Eric Jones (115 yards on 18 carries). Jones took off on a 75 yard touchdown run last weekend in Kings Point.
On defense the Saints are lead by SR DT Gerard Bryant. The 6’2" 215lbs tackle from White Plains, NY has total 40 tackles (#2 in the LL), including five sacks (also #2 in the LL) and 15 tackles for a loss or TFL (#1 in the LL). JR CB Louis Jenkins is #1 in the LL in passes defended, breaking up six and collecting three interceptions (#2 in the LL).
A few key things to watch/listen for in Saturday’s game:
1. Turnovers/penalties – During his interview on “In the HuddLLe”, Connor Hackett emphasized the Saints’ need to avoid turnovers and limit mistakes. SLU has had a tough year so far with ball control resulting in a LL worst -8 turnover ratio as well as a 62 yards/game average penalty yards (a LL worst). Although Hobart is fared better on turnovers that SLU, the Statesmen are -1 in turnover margin and have only one interception on defense so far this season (compared to 19 from last year’s 2008 effort).
2. Time of possession – Hobart is 7th in the league in TOP (27:33). The defense has spent over 100 minutes on the field which has caught up to the Statesmen in the second half of their games this season. So far Hobart has only allowed 10 points in the first quarter, but has been outscored by a 20-3 margin in the third quarter.
3. 3rd down – Hobart leads the LL in 3rd down conversions and SLU leads the LL in allowing opponent 3rd down conversions. If the Statesmen are going to be successful in Saturday’s game they need to be more effective not only controlling the line of scrimmage, but also completing drives and scoring points. Hobart is last in the LL in Points For with 37 and the Statesmen have only notched three touchdowns in three games (a LL worst).
4. Sacks for/against – The Saints are #2 in the LL in sacking opposing quarterbacks but the Statesmen are equally effective (#2 in the LL) in defending their opponents pass rush. The Statesmen offense has only allowed four sacks for -17 yards, but some of this is attribute to the fact that Hobart QB Doug Vella is an effective runner (he leads the Statesmen with 45.7 yards per game average).
Bottom line and Prediction:
Hobart needs to score more points on offense and get more consistent at sustaining their possessions. In the Susquehanna game the Statesmen were successful in racking up yards, and ultimately out-gained the Crusaders, but Hobart ultimately failed in the red zone (as well as in the turnover battle) where it matters most. On defense, Kearney (leads the LL in interceptions thrown) provides the Hobart defense with an opportunity to return to their ball-hawking roots.
That said the Statesmen are 1-0 at home this season and have the added incentive and excitement surrounding the “camo jerseys” and related Wounded Warrior Project fundraising efforts. Also on the line is the opportunity to earn Coach Mike Cragg’s 100th career win.
Given the factors listed above as well as general belief that the Statesmen will rebound from last week’s loss, I’m going to predict a 21-14 win for Hobart .
Hobart-SLU game notes are up:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/10/2/SLU.pdf
This year SLU is lead on offense by JR QB JP Kearney (43 for 82 with 448 passing yards including three touchdowns and seven interceptions) and SR RB Connor Hackett (199 yards on 64 carries for two touchdowns. Complementing Hackett’s “between the tackles” style of running is JR RB Eric Jones (115 yards on 18 carries). Jones took off on a 75 yard touchdown run last weekend in Kings Point.
On defense the Saints are lead by SR DT Gerard Bryant. The 6’2" 215lbs tackle from White Plains, NY has total 40 tackles (#2 in the LL), including five sacks (also #2 in the LL) and 15 tackles for a loss or TFL (#1 in the LL). JR CB Louis Jenkins is #1 in the LL in passes defended, breaking up six and collecting three interceptions (#2 in the LL).
A few key things to watch/listen for in Saturday’s game:
1. Turnovers/penalties – During his interview on “In the HuddLLe”, Connor Hackett emphasized the Saints’ need to avoid turnovers and limit mistakes. SLU has had a tough year so far with ball control resulting in a LL worst -8 turnover ratio as well as a 62 yards/game average penalty yards (a LL worst). Although Hobart is fared better on turnovers that SLU, the Statesmen are -1 in turnover margin and have only one interception on defense so far this season (compared to 19 from last year’s 2008 effort).
2. Time of possession – Hobart is 7th in the league in TOP (27:33). The defense has spent over 100 minutes on the field which has caught up to the Statesmen in the second half of their games this season. So far Hobart has only allowed 10 points in the first quarter, but has been outscored by a 20-3 margin in the third quarter.
3. 3rd down – Hobart leads the LL in 3rd down conversions and SLU leads the LL in allowing opponent 3rd down conversions. If the Statesmen are going to be successful in Saturday’s game they need to be more effective not only controlling the line of scrimmage, but also completing drives and scoring points. Hobart is last in the LL in Points For with 37 and the Statesmen have only notched three touchdowns in three games (a LL worst).
4. Sacks for/against – The Saints are #2 in the LL in sacking opposing quarterbacks but the Statesmen are equally effective (#2 in the LL) in defending their opponents pass rush. The Statesmen offense has only allowed four sacks for -17 yards, but some of this is attribute to the fact that Hobart QB Doug Vella is an effective runner (he leads the Statesmen with 45.7 yards per game average).
Bottom line and Prediction:
Hobart needs to score more points on offense and get more consistent at sustaining their possessions. In the Susquehanna game the Statesmen were successful in racking up yards, and ultimately out-gained the Crusaders, but Hobart ultimately failed in the red zone (as well as in the turnover battle) where it matters most. On defense, Kearney (leads the LL in interceptions thrown) provides the Hobart defense with an opportunity to return to their ball-hawking roots.
That said the Statesmen are 1-0 at home this season and have the added incentive and excitement surrounding the “camo jerseys” and related Wounded Warrior Project fundraising efforts. Also on the line is the opportunity to earn Coach Mike Cragg’s 100th career win.
Given the factors listed above as well as general belief that the Statesmen will rebound from last week’s loss, I’m going to predict a 21-14 win for Hobart .
Hobart-SLU game notes are up:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/10/2/SLU.pdf
Monday, September 28, 2009
Susquehanna recap and a reminder to support the WWP
I am going to keep this post short and sweet this week given we covered this game and the Hobart’s general ups and downs so far in 2009 on last night's edition of “In the HuddLLe” (www.inthehuddlle.com).
A big thanks to St Lawrence RB Connor Hackett, WEOS’ (www.weos.org) Ted Baker and Statesmen SR LT Angelo Catalano for their participation during the show. I hope if you missed the broadcast you’ll download it and take a listen this week. We had some technical difficulties to start off, but bear with us - once Connor Hackett dials in (and gives his thoughts on the upcoming game against Hobart), things pick up considerably.
More importantly, I hope you will go online and support the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org). WWP and Hobart Football related merchandise can be purchased at www.shopgraph-tex.com (all proceeds go to the WWP which assists severely wounded service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan).
I’ve picked up my Statesmen “camo jersey” (available until October 7th). Have you?
That said here are a few things I took away from the Susquehanna game:
• Susquehanna (3-1, 1-0) was more consistent and successful at rushing and defending the run (188 to 102 net yards) than Hobart (1-2, 0-1). Dave Paveletz dragged Statesmen defenders for multiple yards after contact. Paveletz is arguably the best RB in the LL this season (leads the LL in rushing and has averaged 134.9 rushing yards per game). Paveletz is looking at 1300+ rushing yards if his OL continues to block as well as they did Saturday (it also doesn’t hurt Paveletz’s chances that he got the ball on 37 of the 50 running plays the Crusaders called Saturday).
• Hobart lost starting JR RT Sean Kluber with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter following Vella’s four yard touchdown run which capped a nine play 63 yard drive. Kluber’s status is unknown as of this point, but he was carted off the field and did return to the game.
• Hobart committed too many penalties (eight for 57 yards) and dropped too many passes (at least 5-7 by my count) to keep any consistency on offense.
• The Statesmen defense did a great job in the red zone (held Susquehanna to one touchdown), but ran out of gas after being on the field for nearly 20 minutes of the first half. However, the defense should get the credit for the game being 13-10 at the half. The toll on the Statesmen D was most apparent when Hobart missed several tackles in the open field on Crusader WR Mike Ritter’s 56 yard touchdown catch and run mid-way thru the 3rd quarter.
• Down 20-10 Hobart had the ball for only 5:26 in the fourth quarter.
• Vella had a career day passing (245 yards) but also had his fair share of bad throws, was sacked three times by the Crusaders defense, watched his receivers drop several passes where the ball hit them directly in the hands, and threw two costly interceptions (both by Crusader DB Jalon Scott who leads the LL with four interceptions).
Looking ahead – Hobart has a chance to return to .500, both overall and in the LL when the Saint Lawrence Saints (2-2, 1-0) come to Geneva. Kick-off is noon ET. I’ll have more on this match up between the Statesmen and the Saints later this week.
A big thanks to St Lawrence RB Connor Hackett, WEOS’ (www.weos.org) Ted Baker and Statesmen SR LT Angelo Catalano for their participation during the show. I hope if you missed the broadcast you’ll download it and take a listen this week. We had some technical difficulties to start off, but bear with us - once Connor Hackett dials in (and gives his thoughts on the upcoming game against Hobart), things pick up considerably.
More importantly, I hope you will go online and support the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org). WWP and Hobart Football related merchandise can be purchased at www.shopgraph-tex.com (all proceeds go to the WWP which assists severely wounded service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan).
I’ve picked up my Statesmen “camo jersey” (available until October 7th). Have you?
That said here are a few things I took away from the Susquehanna game:
• Susquehanna (3-1, 1-0) was more consistent and successful at rushing and defending the run (188 to 102 net yards) than Hobart (1-2, 0-1). Dave Paveletz dragged Statesmen defenders for multiple yards after contact. Paveletz is arguably the best RB in the LL this season (leads the LL in rushing and has averaged 134.9 rushing yards per game). Paveletz is looking at 1300+ rushing yards if his OL continues to block as well as they did Saturday (it also doesn’t hurt Paveletz’s chances that he got the ball on 37 of the 50 running plays the Crusaders called Saturday).
• Hobart lost starting JR RT Sean Kluber with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter following Vella’s four yard touchdown run which capped a nine play 63 yard drive. Kluber’s status is unknown as of this point, but he was carted off the field and did return to the game.
• Hobart committed too many penalties (eight for 57 yards) and dropped too many passes (at least 5-7 by my count) to keep any consistency on offense.
• The Statesmen defense did a great job in the red zone (held Susquehanna to one touchdown), but ran out of gas after being on the field for nearly 20 minutes of the first half. However, the defense should get the credit for the game being 13-10 at the half. The toll on the Statesmen D was most apparent when Hobart missed several tackles in the open field on Crusader WR Mike Ritter’s 56 yard touchdown catch and run mid-way thru the 3rd quarter.
• Down 20-10 Hobart had the ball for only 5:26 in the fourth quarter.
• Vella had a career day passing (245 yards) but also had his fair share of bad throws, was sacked three times by the Crusaders defense, watched his receivers drop several passes where the ball hit them directly in the hands, and threw two costly interceptions (both by Crusader DB Jalon Scott who leads the LL with four interceptions).
Looking ahead – Hobart has a chance to return to .500, both overall and in the LL when the Saint Lawrence Saints (2-2, 1-0) come to Geneva. Kick-off is noon ET. I’ll have more on this match up between the Statesmen and the Saints later this week.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Hobart outgains but can't outscore Susquehanna, 20-10
Hobart (1-2, 0-1) lost it's Liberty League opener against Susquehanna (3-1, 1-0) in Selinsgrove, PA. It was a rainy game and the Statesmen dropped a lot of passes and QB Doug Vella was picked off twice. SU RB and LL leading rusher Dave Paveletz lead the Crusaders with 161 yards on 37 carries and one touchdown.
I have more on this later and please tune in tomorrow night to "In the HuddLLe" (www.inthehuddlle.com) at 7:30 PM ET as WEOS announcer Ted Baker and Hobart LT Angelo Catalano '10 recap the Susquehanna game and the Statesmen's prospects to rebound next week against Saint Lawrence (2-2, 1-0) in Geneva. The Saints won their LL opener, and the Hoffman Cup, 41-22 against the Merchant Marine Academy (2-2, 0-1).
I have more on this later and please tune in tomorrow night to "In the HuddLLe" (www.inthehuddlle.com) at 7:30 PM ET as WEOS announcer Ted Baker and Hobart LT Angelo Catalano '10 recap the Susquehanna game and the Statesmen's prospects to rebound next week against Saint Lawrence (2-2, 1-0) in Geneva. The Saints won their LL opener, and the Hoffman Cup, 41-22 against the Merchant Marine Academy (2-2, 0-1).
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Hobart begins LL title defense in Selinsgrove
The Hobart Statesmen (1-1) will open their Liberty League (LL) title defense against the Susquehanna University Crusaders (2-1). Hobart is 2-0 against Susquehanna since they joined the LL in 2007. This is the Crusaders final season in the LL as they will depart to join the Centennial Conference in 2010. The Statesmen will make the trip down to Selinsgrove, PA for a 2 PM ET kick-off.
If Hobart prevails in Saturday’s contest, Head Coach Mike Cragg will have 100 victories in his coaching career at Hobart. As he goes for his 100th win, Coach Cragg will also be participating in the AFCA’s national campaign “Coach to Cure Muscular Dystrophy” campaign. Hobart and SU fans can donate money to Coach to Cure MD, either through the Web site:
www.CoachToCureMD.org
or by texting “CURE” to 90999 to donate $5 on your next cell phone bill.
Last season Hobart literally ran out to 20-0 lead behind 221 yards rushing and cruised to a 27-14 win. Although that loss dropped the Crusaders to 1-3, SU would finish the season 4-6 and fourth place in the LL with wins over Rochester, Merchant Marine and WPI. The Crusaders also hung very tough in shoot outs nearly defeating St. Lawrence (49-42) and Union (51-45).
This season SU enters the LL opener averaging 30 points per game and allowing 16.7. The Crusaders have a very explosive and balanced attack, averaging 171 yards rushing and 207.7 yards passing a game. SU also has a nose for the end zone going 11 for 11 in end zone scores (eight touchdowns and three field goals). JR PK Bobby Eppleman is also perfect – going four for four on field goals on the season (long of 38).
Leading the SU attack is SR RB Dave Paveletz (79 attempts for 378 yards and four touchdowns) and SO QB Rich Palazzi 48 for 80 passing for 623 yards six touchdowns and only two interceptions. Palazzi’s leading receivers are classmate WR Mike Ritter (13 catches for 199 yards and 1 touchdown) and SR WR J.J. Moran (11 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns).
That said the Crusaders aren’t just about offense – SU has only allowed one passing touchdown this season, and opponents are three for 10 in scoring red zone touchdowns against the Crusader “D”. Also of note is that SU defensive line has sacked opposing QBs nine teams and the secondary has five interceptions.
The Crusader defense is lead by SR LB Erich Majors (17 tackles, 14 solo) but boast seven other defenders with double digit tackles. SR DE Pete Johnsen leads the SU “D” with 7.5 tackles for loss (TFL) including 5.5 sacks.
Keys to the game:
1. Rushing
a. Offense - Last season RBs Andy Marlier (21 carries) and Anthony Hobaica ’09 (15 carries) racked up an impressive 177 yards and two touchdowns against the SU defense. It appears as though Marlier will start this Saturday and it’s crucial that the Hobart OL control the line of scrimmage against the aggressive Crusader defense. Marlier has a track record of success against SU, but so far he hasn’t had much playing time (only 12 carries for 52 yards so far this season). Hopefully Marlier will return to form now that he has returned to the starting RB role – one in which he was very successful at, especially late in 2008 and in the NCAA play-offs.
b. Defense - On the flip side, the Hobart defense needs to be prepared to handle RB Dave Paveletz who currently is the #1 rusher in the LL. To win on Saturday, the Statesmen defense needs to learn from the Lycoming (1-1) playbook as the Warrior defense stifled SU to only 43 yards on 27 carries (1.6 average yards per carry) in a 37-23 victory over the Crusaders last weekend in Selinsgrove.
2. Pick off Palazzi – Hobart will face the leading passer (by average yards per game and second in overall passing efficiency) in the LL. Last season the Statesmen handled the SU passing attack of Derek Pope ’09 limiting SU to only 107 yards. This year is a different story. Hobart will be challenged downfield by Palazzi but the Statesmen pass defense is only allowing 125 yards per game. Hobart has only one interception on the season so far, but the majority of the Statesmen’s defensive backfield that finished 2008 ranked fourth in the nation in pass efficiency defense will be on the field Saturday. SO DB Drake Woodard (who finished 14th in the nation in interceptions as a rookie) will be looking for his first interception of the season – assuming the Crusaders challenge his side of the field.
3. Limit mistakes/maximize opportunities – SU is +2 on the season in turnovers and has always cashed in on trips to their opponent’s red zone – scoring eight touchdowns to date. Hobart will need to improve their red zone defense (opponents scoring 86% of the time, 71% of which are touchdowns), while concurrently avoid turning the ball over.
Although my “In the HuddLLe” broadcast partners picked Susquehanna to win on Saturday, I am going with Hobart to take the win late in the fourth quarter, 24-21.
Both Hobart and SU game notes are up and can be accessed at:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/9/24/Susquehanna.pdf
and
http://www.gosusqu.com/sports/men/fball/2009-10/game-previews/hobart/Hobart_insert.pdf?dec=
As always, you can hear the game at www.weos.org and live stats are available on both the Hobart and Susquehanna football websites.
Don’t forget to listen in to www.inthehuddlle.com on Sunday night at 7:30 PM.
Thanks and Go ‘Bart!
If Hobart prevails in Saturday’s contest, Head Coach Mike Cragg will have 100 victories in his coaching career at Hobart. As he goes for his 100th win, Coach Cragg will also be participating in the AFCA’s national campaign “Coach to Cure Muscular Dystrophy” campaign. Hobart and SU fans can donate money to Coach to Cure MD, either through the Web site:
www.CoachToCureMD.org
or by texting “CURE” to 90999 to donate $5 on your next cell phone bill.
Last season Hobart literally ran out to 20-0 lead behind 221 yards rushing and cruised to a 27-14 win. Although that loss dropped the Crusaders to 1-3, SU would finish the season 4-6 and fourth place in the LL with wins over Rochester, Merchant Marine and WPI. The Crusaders also hung very tough in shoot outs nearly defeating St. Lawrence (49-42) and Union (51-45).
This season SU enters the LL opener averaging 30 points per game and allowing 16.7. The Crusaders have a very explosive and balanced attack, averaging 171 yards rushing and 207.7 yards passing a game. SU also has a nose for the end zone going 11 for 11 in end zone scores (eight touchdowns and three field goals). JR PK Bobby Eppleman is also perfect – going four for four on field goals on the season (long of 38).
Leading the SU attack is SR RB Dave Paveletz (79 attempts for 378 yards and four touchdowns) and SO QB Rich Palazzi 48 for 80 passing for 623 yards six touchdowns and only two interceptions. Palazzi’s leading receivers are classmate WR Mike Ritter (13 catches for 199 yards and 1 touchdown) and SR WR J.J. Moran (11 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns).
That said the Crusaders aren’t just about offense – SU has only allowed one passing touchdown this season, and opponents are three for 10 in scoring red zone touchdowns against the Crusader “D”. Also of note is that SU defensive line has sacked opposing QBs nine teams and the secondary has five interceptions.
The Crusader defense is lead by SR LB Erich Majors (17 tackles, 14 solo) but boast seven other defenders with double digit tackles. SR DE Pete Johnsen leads the SU “D” with 7.5 tackles for loss (TFL) including 5.5 sacks.
Keys to the game:
1. Rushing
a. Offense - Last season RBs Andy Marlier (21 carries) and Anthony Hobaica ’09 (15 carries) racked up an impressive 177 yards and two touchdowns against the SU defense. It appears as though Marlier will start this Saturday and it’s crucial that the Hobart OL control the line of scrimmage against the aggressive Crusader defense. Marlier has a track record of success against SU, but so far he hasn’t had much playing time (only 12 carries for 52 yards so far this season). Hopefully Marlier will return to form now that he has returned to the starting RB role – one in which he was very successful at, especially late in 2008 and in the NCAA play-offs.
b. Defense - On the flip side, the Hobart defense needs to be prepared to handle RB Dave Paveletz who currently is the #1 rusher in the LL. To win on Saturday, the Statesmen defense needs to learn from the Lycoming (1-1) playbook as the Warrior defense stifled SU to only 43 yards on 27 carries (1.6 average yards per carry) in a 37-23 victory over the Crusaders last weekend in Selinsgrove.
2. Pick off Palazzi – Hobart will face the leading passer (by average yards per game and second in overall passing efficiency) in the LL. Last season the Statesmen handled the SU passing attack of Derek Pope ’09 limiting SU to only 107 yards. This year is a different story. Hobart will be challenged downfield by Palazzi but the Statesmen pass defense is only allowing 125 yards per game. Hobart has only one interception on the season so far, but the majority of the Statesmen’s defensive backfield that finished 2008 ranked fourth in the nation in pass efficiency defense will be on the field Saturday. SO DB Drake Woodard (who finished 14th in the nation in interceptions as a rookie) will be looking for his first interception of the season – assuming the Crusaders challenge his side of the field.
3. Limit mistakes/maximize opportunities – SU is +2 on the season in turnovers and has always cashed in on trips to their opponent’s red zone – scoring eight touchdowns to date. Hobart will need to improve their red zone defense (opponents scoring 86% of the time, 71% of which are touchdowns), while concurrently avoid turning the ball over.
Although my “In the HuddLLe” broadcast partners picked Susquehanna to win on Saturday, I am going with Hobart to take the win late in the fourth quarter, 24-21.
Both Hobart and SU game notes are up and can be accessed at:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/9/24/Susquehanna.pdf
and
http://www.gosusqu.com/sports/men/fball/2009-10/game-previews/hobart/Hobart_insert.pdf?dec=
As always, you can hear the game at www.weos.org and live stats are available on both the Hobart and Susquehanna football websites.
Don’t forget to listen in to www.inthehuddlle.com on Sunday night at 7:30 PM.
Thanks and Go ‘Bart!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Go Camo and Support the WWP!
The Statesmen football team will wear camouflage jerseys emblazoned with Hobart football and Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) logos when they take on the Saint Lawrence Saints at Boswell Field next Saturday, October 3rd. Kick-off is scheduled for noon ET.
Customizable Hobart football jerseys - along with WWP/Hobart t-shirts, hats and other merchadise - designed by shopgraph-tex (www.shopgraph-tex.com) are available for purchase until Oct. 7. You can order the jersey online or purchase one on game day if you are near Geneva.
Support this great cause and Hobart Football!
Also, please log onto www.inthehuddlle.com on Blogtalk radio to hear more about the WWP, the Susquehanna game and more LL action this Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET. Guests include WEOS play-by-play man Ted Baker and Hobart OT Angelo Catalano '10!
Customizable Hobart football jerseys - along with WWP/Hobart t-shirts, hats and other merchadise - designed by shopgraph-tex (www.shopgraph-tex.com) are available for purchase until Oct. 7. You can order the jersey online or purchase one on game day if you are near Geneva.
Support this great cause and Hobart Football!
Also, please log onto www.inthehuddlle.com on Blogtalk radio to hear more about the WWP, the Susquehanna game and more LL action this Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET. Guests include WEOS play-by-play man Ted Baker and Hobart OT Angelo Catalano '10!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Hobart takes Tartans in home opener, 24-16
There really is no place like home.
Hobart (1-1) won their eighth consecutive home opener, 24-16, at Boswell Field last Saturday against the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans (2-1). Although the Statesmen offense was inconsistent at times, Hobart racked up 327 yards and never trailed. The win is the Statesmen’s third consecutive victory against the Tartans (Hobart is 3-0 all-time against CMU), but once again Hobart needed a fourth quarter touchdown to beat them.
Up 17-16 after the Tartans failed to convert an extra point following RB Justin Pratt’s second touchdown of the day (Pratt lead CMU with 60 yards rushing on 16 carries), the Statesmen offense drove 51 yards to the CMU three yard line in six plays. The drive was capped by a Doug Vella to Paul Overdorf touchdown with 7:36 to play in the game. Hobart’s defense was able to stand firm and the offense ran out the clock - much like the 2008 game.
My “keys to the game” last week were:
1. Revive the offense with a dose of PASSING –
Doug Vella went 16 for 26 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns – the first being a 51 yard flea flicker to WR Tyler Vincent to allow the Statesmen to take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
2. Avoid turnovers and control the time of possession (TOP)
Although the Statesmen committed two turnovers and lost the overall TOP battle (32:20-27:40); the Hobart defense caused three Tartan turnovers and the Statesmen offense really controlled the clock in the second half (17:59 to 12:01).
The defense gets my “game ball” having risen to the occasion after giving up 298 yards rushing to Dickinson by holding the CMU offense to 129 yards rushing on 46 carries (well below the 218.5 yards/game average the Tartans brought into the game). The Statesmen’s success against the run took Tartan QB Phil Pantalone out of his comfort zone and forced him to pass 13 for 21 for 166 yards - a career high - and one interception. Team captain and LB Ryan Robinson lead the Statesmen with nine tackles including one for a loss. The Hobart “D” really attacked the ball and ended up having eight players with at least five tackles in the game.
3. Convert red zone visits into points
Hobart was two for two inside the red zone this week. That said the Statesmen really had their greatest successes, i.e., scoring the first and second touchdowns of the game, via the big play – the Vincent 51 yard TD reception as well as an exciting 85 yard kick-off return for a touchdown by RB Andy Marlier (who also lead the Statesmen with 10 carries for 31 yards) with 1:39 to play in the first quarter. WEOS play-by-play man Ted Baker (no relation) indicated it was Hobart’s first kick-off return for a touchdown since the 2000 season (confirmed after the fact by SID Ken DeBolt the last return occurred on Sept. 30, 2000, when Dyshaun Washington ’04 ran back the opening kickoff against St. Lawrence for a school record 97 yards).
In my opinion the kick-off return was the spark Hobart needed and I believe a real game changer having come immediately after CMU’s first scoring drive – a 13 play, 63 yard march that took 6:19 and ended with a Justin Pratt touchdown. Although CMU would almost come back to tie it in the fourth quarter, Hobart really dictated the tempo of the game after that 85 yard touchdown return.
The Statesmen will head back to Pennsylvania to begin their defense of the Liberty League crown this Saturday against Susquehanna University (2-1). Kick-off is slated for 2 PM ET. The Crusaders lost a 37-23 decision this past weekend against the defending Middle Atlantic Conference champion, Lycoming Warriors (1-1), in Selinsgrove.
Last season Hobart beat Lycoming 33-15 and Susquehanna 27-14, respectively, in Geneva. I’ll post a Crusader-Statesmen preview later this week.
As always, please tune into the LL’s weekly recap online at www.inthehuddle.com. Thanks and go ‘Bart!
Hobart (1-1) won their eighth consecutive home opener, 24-16, at Boswell Field last Saturday against the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans (2-1). Although the Statesmen offense was inconsistent at times, Hobart racked up 327 yards and never trailed. The win is the Statesmen’s third consecutive victory against the Tartans (Hobart is 3-0 all-time against CMU), but once again Hobart needed a fourth quarter touchdown to beat them.
Up 17-16 after the Tartans failed to convert an extra point following RB Justin Pratt’s second touchdown of the day (Pratt lead CMU with 60 yards rushing on 16 carries), the Statesmen offense drove 51 yards to the CMU three yard line in six plays. The drive was capped by a Doug Vella to Paul Overdorf touchdown with 7:36 to play in the game. Hobart’s defense was able to stand firm and the offense ran out the clock - much like the 2008 game.
My “keys to the game” last week were:
1. Revive the offense with a dose of PASSING –
Doug Vella went 16 for 26 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns – the first being a 51 yard flea flicker to WR Tyler Vincent to allow the Statesmen to take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
2. Avoid turnovers and control the time of possession (TOP)
Although the Statesmen committed two turnovers and lost the overall TOP battle (32:20-27:40); the Hobart defense caused three Tartan turnovers and the Statesmen offense really controlled the clock in the second half (17:59 to 12:01).
The defense gets my “game ball” having risen to the occasion after giving up 298 yards rushing to Dickinson by holding the CMU offense to 129 yards rushing on 46 carries (well below the 218.5 yards/game average the Tartans brought into the game). The Statesmen’s success against the run took Tartan QB Phil Pantalone out of his comfort zone and forced him to pass 13 for 21 for 166 yards - a career high - and one interception. Team captain and LB Ryan Robinson lead the Statesmen with nine tackles including one for a loss. The Hobart “D” really attacked the ball and ended up having eight players with at least five tackles in the game.
3. Convert red zone visits into points
Hobart was two for two inside the red zone this week. That said the Statesmen really had their greatest successes, i.e., scoring the first and second touchdowns of the game, via the big play – the Vincent 51 yard TD reception as well as an exciting 85 yard kick-off return for a touchdown by RB Andy Marlier (who also lead the Statesmen with 10 carries for 31 yards) with 1:39 to play in the first quarter. WEOS play-by-play man Ted Baker (no relation) indicated it was Hobart’s first kick-off return for a touchdown since the 2000 season (confirmed after the fact by SID Ken DeBolt the last return occurred on Sept. 30, 2000, when Dyshaun Washington ’04 ran back the opening kickoff against St. Lawrence for a school record 97 yards).
In my opinion the kick-off return was the spark Hobart needed and I believe a real game changer having come immediately after CMU’s first scoring drive – a 13 play, 63 yard march that took 6:19 and ended with a Justin Pratt touchdown. Although CMU would almost come back to tie it in the fourth quarter, Hobart really dictated the tempo of the game after that 85 yard touchdown return.
The Statesmen will head back to Pennsylvania to begin their defense of the Liberty League crown this Saturday against Susquehanna University (2-1). Kick-off is slated for 2 PM ET. The Crusaders lost a 37-23 decision this past weekend against the defending Middle Atlantic Conference champion, Lycoming Warriors (1-1), in Selinsgrove.
Last season Hobart beat Lycoming 33-15 and Susquehanna 27-14, respectively, in Geneva. I’ll post a Crusader-Statesmen preview later this week.
As always, please tune into the LL’s weekly recap online at www.inthehuddle.com. Thanks and go ‘Bart!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Game day
Hobart's going to start Doug Vella at QB again, but Pat Julian's dropped off the two deep depth chart. SO RB Kyle Tritten will get the start. The Statesmen are 10-4 in home openers in the Coach Cragg era.
Kick-off is slated for 12:06 PM. Tune into Ted Baker and WEOS coverage via www.weos.org. Local (NYS) fans can see the game on Time Warner Cable.
Kick-off is slated for 12:06 PM. Tune into Ted Baker and WEOS coverage via www.weos.org. Local (NYS) fans can see the game on Time Warner Cable.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Carnegie Mellon Preview
The Hobart Statesmen football team started a new quarterback and suffered a tough loss to Dickinson College. The following weekend, the Statesmen welcomed an undefeated Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Tartan team to Boswell Field.
Sound familiar?
It should to Hobart (and CMU) fans. In 2007 Andy Strom ’08 took a loss in his first start as QB in Carlisle but rallied the team the following week to defeat the then #22 Tartans 27-26 in Geneva.
Last season Hobart defeated CMU 21-16 in Pittsburg in a sloppy game that featured five interceptions by QBs Rich Doyle ’09 (three) and Phil Pantalone (two). The Statesmen and Tartans traded touchdowns in the first and second halves until Hobart won the field position battle and returned a punt to the CMU 34 with approximately seven minutes in the game. On the next play, Doyle found WR Zach Schultz ’10 open and Hobart had a quick touchdown to put them up 21-14. The Statesmen defense held for the remainder of the game – lead by record-setting performances by LBs Justin Hager ’09 (21 tackles) and Jeff Sanders ’09 (20 tackles) – with the offense taking an intentional safety with three seconds on the clock to preserve the victory.
Last weekend CMU (2-0) outlasted Grove City (0-2) by a score of 45-40. The Tartans had previously beaten Ohio Wesleyan (0-1) in Week 1 by a score of 19-7. Against the Wolverines of GCC, the Tartans ran their Wing-T to the tune of 73 plays from scrimmage - paced by 64 carries that amassed 317 rushing yards. Two CMU RBs eclipsed the 100 yard mark on the day: JR Justin Pratt (26 carries for 157 yards and three touchdowns) and SO Chris Garcia (21 carries for 107 yards and 1 touchdown as well as one 35 yard touchdown reception). The Wing-T was so effective that SR QB Phil Pantalone only attempted nine passes (he completed four for 83 yards and two touchdowns). Given the large number of running plays it’s not surprising that CMU also dominated the time of possession by a wide (36:02 – 23:58) margin.
Although the CMU defense did allow 500 total yards against Grove City, they did so mostly after the Tartan offense had run out to a 31-7 lead with 12:30 to play in the third quarter.
Going into Week 3 against Hobart, here’s what I know about the 2009 Tartans:
Their offense is averaging:
• 32 points per game
• 218.5 rushing yards per game
• 64 passing yards per game (based on 18 attempts in two games)
• 100% scoring success rate (including four touchdowns and 1 FG) in the red zone
The defense is averaging:
• Allowing 23.5 PPG
• 0 rushing touchdowns
• +5 in turnovers
• Great special teams coverage – only allowing .6 yard/punt return average
For Hobart (0-1) to get back on track in 2009, the Statesmen will need to have history repeat itself against the Tartans. Here are my keys to a Hobart victory on Saturday:
1. Revive the offense with a dose of PASSING – CMU has allowed an average of 247 yards passing on the season. The CMU defense is relatively tough against the run (158 yards allowed average – no rushing TDs scored) and given the struggles in the running game against Dickinson, Hobart should look to capitalize on the size (6’ 4” and 240 lbs) and experience of SR TE David Degan. Last season all of Hobart’s touchdowns where delivered by Doyle via airmail – two to TE Matt Duliba ’09 who Degan backed up during the 2008 season. So far in 2009 CMU has allowed seven passing TDs to their opponents. Bottom line is if Hobart doesn’t improve on their 65 yard passing performance from last week, the Statesmen will be 0-2
2. Avoid turnovers and control the time of possession (TOP) – Hobart failed on both parts last weekend and it cost them. The Tartans have been opportunistic on defense and have enjoyed a +5 turnover margin only two games into the season. It cannot be understated the importance of Julian’s fumble in the first quarter of the Dickinson game. It ultimately led to a 14 point swing and set a precedent from which Hobart never really recovered. Although the Statesmen OL continued to open holes against the Red Devils; as the game wore on Vella became antsy and started pressing – rushing throws and generally looking to run rather than sit back in the pocket and let plays develop. When it came to TOP, although the Statesmen took nearly 10 minutes off the clock in the opening quarter, the Red Devils dominated TOP by more than six minutes for the remainder of the contest. By late in the third quarter, the Hobart defense appeared fatigued after taking a continuous pounding from the Dickinson rushing attack. What scares me most about this game is this Tartan team is equipped to do more of the same to the Statesmen if the Hobart offense continues to struggle in the red zone. Speaking of that, perhaps the most basic, but essential key to beating CMU is:
3. Convert red zone visits into points – Sounds self-explanatory but the Statesmen had a fumble, personal foul(s) and sacks kill their scoring opportunities against the Red Devils. Hobart simply cannot afford to waste any chances to come away with points against a CMU team averaging 32 PPG on offense.
I am anxiously awaiting Saturday’s game and hope the Statesmen can and will rebound after last weekend’s disappointing loss. Kick-off is at noon ET and accessible online at www.weos.org. I’ll be joining the guys from “In the Huddle” (www.inthehuddle.com) on “Blogtalk” radio again on Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET to recap the Tartan-Statesmen game as well as other Liberty League (and other national D3) games. Hope you’ll tune in and say “Go ‘Bart!”
Sound familiar?
It should to Hobart (and CMU) fans. In 2007 Andy Strom ’08 took a loss in his first start as QB in Carlisle but rallied the team the following week to defeat the then #22 Tartans 27-26 in Geneva.
Last season Hobart defeated CMU 21-16 in Pittsburg in a sloppy game that featured five interceptions by QBs Rich Doyle ’09 (three) and Phil Pantalone (two). The Statesmen and Tartans traded touchdowns in the first and second halves until Hobart won the field position battle and returned a punt to the CMU 34 with approximately seven minutes in the game. On the next play, Doyle found WR Zach Schultz ’10 open and Hobart had a quick touchdown to put them up 21-14. The Statesmen defense held for the remainder of the game – lead by record-setting performances by LBs Justin Hager ’09 (21 tackles) and Jeff Sanders ’09 (20 tackles) – with the offense taking an intentional safety with three seconds on the clock to preserve the victory.
Last weekend CMU (2-0) outlasted Grove City (0-2) by a score of 45-40. The Tartans had previously beaten Ohio Wesleyan (0-1) in Week 1 by a score of 19-7. Against the Wolverines of GCC, the Tartans ran their Wing-T to the tune of 73 plays from scrimmage - paced by 64 carries that amassed 317 rushing yards. Two CMU RBs eclipsed the 100 yard mark on the day: JR Justin Pratt (26 carries for 157 yards and three touchdowns) and SO Chris Garcia (21 carries for 107 yards and 1 touchdown as well as one 35 yard touchdown reception). The Wing-T was so effective that SR QB Phil Pantalone only attempted nine passes (he completed four for 83 yards and two touchdowns). Given the large number of running plays it’s not surprising that CMU also dominated the time of possession by a wide (36:02 – 23:58) margin.
Although the CMU defense did allow 500 total yards against Grove City, they did so mostly after the Tartan offense had run out to a 31-7 lead with 12:30 to play in the third quarter.
Going into Week 3 against Hobart, here’s what I know about the 2009 Tartans:
Their offense is averaging:
• 32 points per game
• 218.5 rushing yards per game
• 64 passing yards per game (based on 18 attempts in two games)
• 100% scoring success rate (including four touchdowns and 1 FG) in the red zone
The defense is averaging:
• Allowing 23.5 PPG
• 0 rushing touchdowns
• +5 in turnovers
• Great special teams coverage – only allowing .6 yard/punt return average
For Hobart (0-1) to get back on track in 2009, the Statesmen will need to have history repeat itself against the Tartans. Here are my keys to a Hobart victory on Saturday:
1. Revive the offense with a dose of PASSING – CMU has allowed an average of 247 yards passing on the season. The CMU defense is relatively tough against the run (158 yards allowed average – no rushing TDs scored) and given the struggles in the running game against Dickinson, Hobart should look to capitalize on the size (6’ 4” and 240 lbs) and experience of SR TE David Degan. Last season all of Hobart’s touchdowns where delivered by Doyle via airmail – two to TE Matt Duliba ’09 who Degan backed up during the 2008 season. So far in 2009 CMU has allowed seven passing TDs to their opponents. Bottom line is if Hobart doesn’t improve on their 65 yard passing performance from last week, the Statesmen will be 0-2
2. Avoid turnovers and control the time of possession (TOP) – Hobart failed on both parts last weekend and it cost them. The Tartans have been opportunistic on defense and have enjoyed a +5 turnover margin only two games into the season. It cannot be understated the importance of Julian’s fumble in the first quarter of the Dickinson game. It ultimately led to a 14 point swing and set a precedent from which Hobart never really recovered. Although the Statesmen OL continued to open holes against the Red Devils; as the game wore on Vella became antsy and started pressing – rushing throws and generally looking to run rather than sit back in the pocket and let plays develop. When it came to TOP, although the Statesmen took nearly 10 minutes off the clock in the opening quarter, the Red Devils dominated TOP by more than six minutes for the remainder of the contest. By late in the third quarter, the Hobart defense appeared fatigued after taking a continuous pounding from the Dickinson rushing attack. What scares me most about this game is this Tartan team is equipped to do more of the same to the Statesmen if the Hobart offense continues to struggle in the red zone. Speaking of that, perhaps the most basic, but essential key to beating CMU is:
3. Convert red zone visits into points – Sounds self-explanatory but the Statesmen had a fumble, personal foul(s) and sacks kill their scoring opportunities against the Red Devils. Hobart simply cannot afford to waste any chances to come away with points against a CMU team averaging 32 PPG on offense.
I am anxiously awaiting Saturday’s game and hope the Statesmen can and will rebound after last weekend’s disappointing loss. Kick-off is at noon ET and accessible online at www.weos.org. I’ll be joining the guys from “In the Huddle” (www.inthehuddle.com) on “Blogtalk” radio again on Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET to recap the Tartan-Statesmen game as well as other Liberty League (and other national D3) games. Hope you’ll tune in and say “Go ‘Bart!”
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Red Devils stick a fork in the #15 Statesmen, 26-3
Carlisle, PA – The #15 Hobart Statesmen (0-1) stumbled out of the gate and lost their 2009 season opener against Centennial Conference rival Dickinson College, 26-3. The Red Devils’ (2-0) offense amassed 383 total yards – including an impressive 298 on the ground - against the Statesmen who were held to their lowest offensive scoring output since being on the losing end of a 26-3 decision to Union College in 1993.
Hobart entered the game with a lot of questions on offense and unfortunately the Statesmen left Carlisle with no answers. Although the Hobart OL did a good job controlling the line of scrimmage early on (Hobart racked up 113 of their 195 rushing yards in the first half), the starting tandem of SO RBs Kyle Tritten (10 carries for 53 yards) and Pat Julian (six carries for 15 yards and one fumble which ruined Hobart’s best scoring chance in the 1st quarter) were mostly ineffective against the Dickinson defense. JR RB Andrew Marlier (two carries for 21 yards) did actually appear in the second half and word is he apparently dropped to third in the depth chart during training camp. This is a big disappointment considering how strong he was running the ball late in 2008 (especially given his 24 carries for 96 yards and 1 touchdown performance against Lycoming in the NCAAs).
SO QB Doug Vella got the start but clearly missed having SR WR Zach Schultz (out for the season with an injury) in the game. Vella rarely looked to test the Dickinson secondary like past Statesmen signal callers, going 11 for 22 for only 65 yards. Although Vella is certainly more mobile than his predecessor, Hobart clearly needs him to develop into a pocket passer like Rich Doyle ’09 to be successful. In fact WEOS announcer Ted Baker opined that Vella appeared to have “happy feet” scrambling out of the shotgun formation and did not even attempt to look downfield on most plays. That said neither team had a good passing day – Hobart and Dickinson were held to 80 and 85 yards, respectively; nor were star receivers Tyler Vincent for Hobart (eight catches for 45 yards) and WR Pat O’Connor (two catches for only 17 yards) for Dickinson a factor. Going forward Hobart simply cannot rely on their QB to be their leading rusher. In the event neither Tritten nor Julian improves, I’d advocate converting Vella to RB and hand over the QB duties to JR transfer Preston Earl (who also appeared in the game briefly going three for five passing for 15 yards). To say it was concerning that the Statesmen had virtually had no passing game given Dickinson’s weakness vs. the pass (having allowed 291 passing yards against Grove City last week) is an understatement.
Dickinson JR RB Greg Lord (117 yards and one TD) had his second 100 yard rushing day against the Statesmen (he gained 106 yards in last season’s game), especially in the second half, when the Red Devils controlled the clock by a 17:26 to 12:34 advantage. With their offense faltering, the Statesmen defense eventually wore down after holding Dickinson to seven points and 67 yards rushing in the first half. Behind Lord, the Devils tired out the Hobart D behind the legs of FB Tim Wells (53 yards on 10 carries), RB Tim Smith (59 yards on 10 carries) and QB Ian Mitchell (66 yards on 12 carries including two rushing touchdowns).
Mitchell’s first rushing touchdown on the day capped off on a 12 play 88 yard drive after the Julian fumble to make it 7-0 with 4:37 to play in the first half. The Statesmen defense almost kept Dickinson out of the end zone but finally acquiesced on a fourth and goal. Although they had two extra points blocked, Dickinson was three for three scoring inside the Hobart red zone (compared to Hobart’s one for three).
Although Hobart responded with a 25 yard chip shot field goal for JR PK Conor Callahan to trail 7-3 at the half, Lord (39 yard run) and Mitchell (19 yard run and a three yard pass) found the end zone three more times before the day was done. Hobart never truly threatened again other than a Callahan 39 yard FG attempt at 12:04 in the 4th quarter that went wide left.
Needless to say, this performance was quite a diversion from the Hobart teams Statesmen fans have become accustomed to seeing this decade. Hobart lost key battles in the turnover and time of possession front. The Statesmen had two 15 yard personal foul penalties set them back during two otherwise good drives early in the first quarter. Hobart also failed to come up with any big plays on offense or defense which has been a hallmark of Cragg and DeWall-coached teams. In fact WEOS’ Baker indicated that the defense was generally pushed around in the second-half by a comparatively smaller Dickinson OL. I don’t want to say that the Statesmen quit, but it was evident the team was clearly deflated by the fourth quarter.
Given Union’s big 24-21 upset of #8 Ithaca College today, it would appear that Hobart, the defending Liberty League (LL) champions, are literally (being one of two in the eight team LL with no wins at this stage in the season) and figuratively looking up at the Dutchmen and the rest of the LL.
Next week doesn’t get any easier with an unbeaten (2-0) Carnegie Mellon Tartan team (winners this weekend by a 45-40 shoot out over Grove City who were losers to Dickinson by a score of 52-47 the week prior) coming to Geneva to avenge a 21-16 loss to Hobart in Pittsburgh from last season.
Although today was a bad start on all counts, Hobart’s season is far from over. The Statesmen will need to take the lessons learned from today’s outing and look to improve prior to the CMU game and, more importantly, when the Statesmen’s LL slate begins. It was only 2007 when the Statesmen started the season 1-2 prior to rattling off seven consecutive victories en route to a share of the LL title and another NCAA berth. So let’s not lose hope yet Statesmen fans! There’s a lot of football to be played.
Please tune into Sunday’s “In the Huddle” broadcast to hear more analysis on the Hobart game as well as other games around the LL. Broadcast is on at 7:30 PM ET and accessible online via www.inthehuddle.com
Thanks for reading and Go ‘Bart!
Hobart entered the game with a lot of questions on offense and unfortunately the Statesmen left Carlisle with no answers. Although the Hobart OL did a good job controlling the line of scrimmage early on (Hobart racked up 113 of their 195 rushing yards in the first half), the starting tandem of SO RBs Kyle Tritten (10 carries for 53 yards) and Pat Julian (six carries for 15 yards and one fumble which ruined Hobart’s best scoring chance in the 1st quarter) were mostly ineffective against the Dickinson defense. JR RB Andrew Marlier (two carries for 21 yards) did actually appear in the second half and word is he apparently dropped to third in the depth chart during training camp. This is a big disappointment considering how strong he was running the ball late in 2008 (especially given his 24 carries for 96 yards and 1 touchdown performance against Lycoming in the NCAAs).
SO QB Doug Vella got the start but clearly missed having SR WR Zach Schultz (out for the season with an injury) in the game. Vella rarely looked to test the Dickinson secondary like past Statesmen signal callers, going 11 for 22 for only 65 yards. Although Vella is certainly more mobile than his predecessor, Hobart clearly needs him to develop into a pocket passer like Rich Doyle ’09 to be successful. In fact WEOS announcer Ted Baker opined that Vella appeared to have “happy feet” scrambling out of the shotgun formation and did not even attempt to look downfield on most plays. That said neither team had a good passing day – Hobart and Dickinson were held to 80 and 85 yards, respectively; nor were star receivers Tyler Vincent for Hobart (eight catches for 45 yards) and WR Pat O’Connor (two catches for only 17 yards) for Dickinson a factor. Going forward Hobart simply cannot rely on their QB to be their leading rusher. In the event neither Tritten nor Julian improves, I’d advocate converting Vella to RB and hand over the QB duties to JR transfer Preston Earl (who also appeared in the game briefly going three for five passing for 15 yards). To say it was concerning that the Statesmen had virtually had no passing game given Dickinson’s weakness vs. the pass (having allowed 291 passing yards against Grove City last week) is an understatement.
Dickinson JR RB Greg Lord (117 yards and one TD) had his second 100 yard rushing day against the Statesmen (he gained 106 yards in last season’s game), especially in the second half, when the Red Devils controlled the clock by a 17:26 to 12:34 advantage. With their offense faltering, the Statesmen defense eventually wore down after holding Dickinson to seven points and 67 yards rushing in the first half. Behind Lord, the Devils tired out the Hobart D behind the legs of FB Tim Wells (53 yards on 10 carries), RB Tim Smith (59 yards on 10 carries) and QB Ian Mitchell (66 yards on 12 carries including two rushing touchdowns).
Mitchell’s first rushing touchdown on the day capped off on a 12 play 88 yard drive after the Julian fumble to make it 7-0 with 4:37 to play in the first half. The Statesmen defense almost kept Dickinson out of the end zone but finally acquiesced on a fourth and goal. Although they had two extra points blocked, Dickinson was three for three scoring inside the Hobart red zone (compared to Hobart’s one for three).
Although Hobart responded with a 25 yard chip shot field goal for JR PK Conor Callahan to trail 7-3 at the half, Lord (39 yard run) and Mitchell (19 yard run and a three yard pass) found the end zone three more times before the day was done. Hobart never truly threatened again other than a Callahan 39 yard FG attempt at 12:04 in the 4th quarter that went wide left.
Needless to say, this performance was quite a diversion from the Hobart teams Statesmen fans have become accustomed to seeing this decade. Hobart lost key battles in the turnover and time of possession front. The Statesmen had two 15 yard personal foul penalties set them back during two otherwise good drives early in the first quarter. Hobart also failed to come up with any big plays on offense or defense which has been a hallmark of Cragg and DeWall-coached teams. In fact WEOS’ Baker indicated that the defense was generally pushed around in the second-half by a comparatively smaller Dickinson OL. I don’t want to say that the Statesmen quit, but it was evident the team was clearly deflated by the fourth quarter.
Given Union’s big 24-21 upset of #8 Ithaca College today, it would appear that Hobart, the defending Liberty League (LL) champions, are literally (being one of two in the eight team LL with no wins at this stage in the season) and figuratively looking up at the Dutchmen and the rest of the LL.
Next week doesn’t get any easier with an unbeaten (2-0) Carnegie Mellon Tartan team (winners this weekend by a 45-40 shoot out over Grove City who were losers to Dickinson by a score of 52-47 the week prior) coming to Geneva to avenge a 21-16 loss to Hobart in Pittsburgh from last season.
Although today was a bad start on all counts, Hobart’s season is far from over. The Statesmen will need to take the lessons learned from today’s outing and look to improve prior to the CMU game and, more importantly, when the Statesmen’s LL slate begins. It was only 2007 when the Statesmen started the season 1-2 prior to rattling off seven consecutive victories en route to a share of the LL title and another NCAA berth. So let’s not lose hope yet Statesmen fans! There’s a lot of football to be played.
Please tune into Sunday’s “In the Huddle” broadcast to hear more analysis on the Hobart game as well as other games around the LL. Broadcast is on at 7:30 PM ET and accessible online via www.inthehuddle.com
Thanks for reading and Go ‘Bart!
Dickinson 26 - Hobart 3 Final
I'll write up a recap later today, but the bottom line was Hobart's offense could not come up with points to keep up with Dickinson (2-0). Being held to three points on offense hasn't occurred for the Hobart (0-1) since back in 1992 and 1993 (both against Union College).
A lot of questions at QB, WR and RB for this year's Statesmen squad based on this lackluster performance.
A lot of questions at QB, WR and RB for this year's Statesmen squad based on this lackluster performance.
Dickinson 7 - Hobart 3 at the half
2 personal foul penalties and a fumble inside Dickinson territory haven't helped the Statesmen. In general the offense has racked up 10 (unofficial) first downs and about 170 total yards but has otherwise struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
Dickinson QB Ian Mitchell scored on a fourth and goal finishing a 89 yard drive in the 2nd quarter.
Conor Callahan kicked a 25 yard FG to end the half. Hobart gets the ball back to start the second half.
Dickinson QB Ian Mitchell scored on a fourth and goal finishing a 89 yard drive in the 2nd quarter.
Conor Callahan kicked a 25 yard FG to end the half. Hobart gets the ball back to start the second half.
Dickinson Game Notes Up
A couple of points of interest -
No Marlier? - apparently our leading rusher from last season is either injured or lost the starting job to SO RB Pat Julian, a former spread QB at Sauquoit Valley who's battled injuries as a converted slot receiver so far in his Hobart career, who will get the start at RB today against Dickinson.
Schultz out as well - SR WR Zach Schultz is also not on the game day roster, but this is not as big an issue given the depth at WR given SO WR Garth Muratori and SO WR Andy Schettine's play from last season.
Vella at QB - It appears that SO Doug Vella gets the starting nod at QB today with JR transfer Preston Earl the #2 QB.
Here are the game notes:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/9/11/2009-0912%20Dickinson%20Game%20Notes.pdf
Kick-off is in less than 1 hour! Go BART!
No Marlier? - apparently our leading rusher from last season is either injured or lost the starting job to SO RB Pat Julian, a former spread QB at Sauquoit Valley who's battled injuries as a converted slot receiver so far in his Hobart career, who will get the start at RB today against Dickinson.
Schultz out as well - SR WR Zach Schultz is also not on the game day roster, but this is not as big an issue given the depth at WR given SO WR Garth Muratori and SO WR Andy Schettine's play from last season.
Vella at QB - It appears that SO Doug Vella gets the starting nod at QB today with JR transfer Preston Earl the #2 QB.
Here are the game notes:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/9/11/2009-0912%20Dickinson%20Game%20Notes.pdf
Kick-off is in less than 1 hour! Go BART!
9/11/ 01 - Remembering Andy
Although Andrew Golkin '93 was a senior when I was first-year on the 'Bart football squad - we were both in the defensive secondary and definitely cracked pads and helmets a few times that fall.
I didn't know Andy well, but I was certainly sad when I learned of his (as well as Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simons '83) passing in WTC on Sept 11.
The link below is the obit posted in the HWS alumni/ae magazine. The pic of Andy is the exact same from the '92 fall football program.
http://web.hws.edu/alumni/keepintouch/pssurvey/fall01_memorium.asp
RIP and God Bless
I didn't know Andy well, but I was certainly sad when I learned of his (as well as Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simons '83) passing in WTC on Sept 11.
The link below is the obit posted in the HWS alumni/ae magazine. The pic of Andy is the exact same from the '92 fall football program.
http://web.hws.edu/alumni/keepintouch/pssurvey/fall01_memorium.asp
RIP and God Bless
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Season Opener - Hobart vs. Dickinson
The #15 Hobart Statesmen will open up their 116th football season against the Dickinson College Red Devils. This is the 18th consecutive season the Statesmen will face the Red Devils in their season opener. Hobart is 8-9-1 all-time against Dickinson but has won the last three of four against their Centennial Conference rivals from Carlisle, PA. Last season Hobart defeated Dickinson 28-21 in Geneva. The Statesmen lead 14-0 at the half but had to rally down 14-21 to win the game in the final four minutes.
Dickinson returns virtually their entire offense (10 starters) from what was one of the most prolific units in 2008 (ranked 28th in DIII in total offense) and returns four players who were either first- or second-team All Conference including SR WR Pat O'Connor and SR OL Anthony Abbate on the first team and SR QB Ian Mitchell and JR RB Greg Lord on the second team. The Red Devils return only four defensive starters (SR S Mike Maxwell and SR DB Matt DeStefano along with JR LBs Kevin Wood and Cole Glennon) from a team that held Hobart to 97 rushing yards last season.
Dickinson (1-0) opened their 2009 season with a non-conference 52-47 victory over the Grove City College Wolverines (PA). The Red Devils needed every bit of the 504 yards they gained on offense to defeat the determined Wolverines (0-1). Dickinson was lead by an impressive performance by QB Ian Mitchell who accounted for 437 yards (21 for 27 passing for 288 yards with two interceptions/149 yards rushing on 14 carries) and four touchdowns. Grove City were no slouches on offense either, racking up 449 yards behind the arm (32 for 41 passing for 291 yards, one interception and three touchdowns) and legs (22 carries for 109 yards and one touchdown) of QB Andrew DiDonato. In the end, it was two big plays by Mitchell – a 39 yard pass to JR TE Austen Steele to make it 45-41 with 6:08 to play in the game, followed by a 45 yard touchdown run with 2:05 remaining to seal the victory for Dickinson.
Keys to the game:
1. Improve tackling at the point of attack – Last season the Red Devils’ multiple option offense racked up 229 rushing yards on 51 attempts (a 4.5 yards per carry average) against the Statesmen defense. RB Greg Lord was the leading rusher that day with 106 yards (5.6 average yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Although Lord was the leading rusher last season, look for him to split carries with JR RB Tim Smith this season. I also expect the Red Devils to test Hobart’s interior defense given the graduation of Sanders, Aruck and Hager. Although the Statesmen’s losses due to graduation on the interior defense may be perceived as this season’s potential Achilles heel; Hobart fans will likely recall that Dickinson’s bread and butter in the 2008 game were off-tackle plays that exploited the Statesmen’s early season tendency to over-pursue (as well as their somewhat undersized DEs and OLBs). Although both Dickinson LT Abbate and SO RT Andrew Hubley are not exceptionally big (both are 6’ 3” and 240 LBs), they are quick and able blockers. Red Devil SR FB Tim Wells (210 lbs) is also a key component to attacking opposing defenses to spring Mitchell, Lord and/or Smith for long runs.
2. Capitalize on turnovers – Although Mitchell is an offensive force, he is also prone to throw interceptions. In fact he had two last Saturday against Grove City and was also picked twice (once by Boyington and once by Woodard) during last season's Hobart-Dickinson game. Look for the Statesmen D to keep the pressure on Mitchell and trust their experienced secondary to lock up the Dickinson receivers in man coverage. Although there is a risk given Pat O’Connor’s talent, I believe Hobart has enough depth and speed in the secondary to limit him somewhat.
3. Control the clock – In the 2008 game, Hobart rode the time of possession battle (18:51-11:09) to a 14-0 lead in the first half before Dickinson took over in the second half (19:26 to 10:34). This year look for JR RB Andrew Marlier to improve on last season’s 52.1 yards per game average and play a bigger role in handling the bulk of the carries (moving the chains and the clock) against the Dickinson defense.
4. Go to the air - The Red Devils gave up 158 yards rushing to the Wolverines last Saturday, but more importantly showed they were susceptible to the pass allowing 291 yards. Given the Statesmen’s deep receiving corp of Tyler Vincent, Zach Schultz and Matt Duliba (who accounted for 197 of Hobart’s 234 passing yards and two receiving TDs against Dickinson last season), look for Hobart to ease their new QB with its pro-set, west-coast offense style of short yardage completions to move the chains.
Prediction:
I believe Hobart’s defense will be the deciding factor in this game. Mitchell et al will get their yards, but ultimately the final score will depend on how effective the Statesmen are at coming up with key stops (and/or turnovers). That said although Hobart needs to avoid a getting into a shoot-out with this Dickinson squad, I’ll predict this will likely be a high scoring game with Hobart hanging on to win 31-28 in Carlisle.
For more info on the Statesmen, please check out the official Hobart Football season preview here:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/news/2009/9/7/HFB_0907093346.aspx
Go Bart!
Dickinson returns virtually their entire offense (10 starters) from what was one of the most prolific units in 2008 (ranked 28th in DIII in total offense) and returns four players who were either first- or second-team All Conference including SR WR Pat O'Connor and SR OL Anthony Abbate on the first team and SR QB Ian Mitchell and JR RB Greg Lord on the second team. The Red Devils return only four defensive starters (SR S Mike Maxwell and SR DB Matt DeStefano along with JR LBs Kevin Wood and Cole Glennon) from a team that held Hobart to 97 rushing yards last season.
Dickinson (1-0) opened their 2009 season with a non-conference 52-47 victory over the Grove City College Wolverines (PA). The Red Devils needed every bit of the 504 yards they gained on offense to defeat the determined Wolverines (0-1). Dickinson was lead by an impressive performance by QB Ian Mitchell who accounted for 437 yards (21 for 27 passing for 288 yards with two interceptions/149 yards rushing on 14 carries) and four touchdowns. Grove City were no slouches on offense either, racking up 449 yards behind the arm (32 for 41 passing for 291 yards, one interception and three touchdowns) and legs (22 carries for 109 yards and one touchdown) of QB Andrew DiDonato. In the end, it was two big plays by Mitchell – a 39 yard pass to JR TE Austen Steele to make it 45-41 with 6:08 to play in the game, followed by a 45 yard touchdown run with 2:05 remaining to seal the victory for Dickinson.
Keys to the game:
1. Improve tackling at the point of attack – Last season the Red Devils’ multiple option offense racked up 229 rushing yards on 51 attempts (a 4.5 yards per carry average) against the Statesmen defense. RB Greg Lord was the leading rusher that day with 106 yards (5.6 average yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Although Lord was the leading rusher last season, look for him to split carries with JR RB Tim Smith this season. I also expect the Red Devils to test Hobart’s interior defense given the graduation of Sanders, Aruck and Hager. Although the Statesmen’s losses due to graduation on the interior defense may be perceived as this season’s potential Achilles heel; Hobart fans will likely recall that Dickinson’s bread and butter in the 2008 game were off-tackle plays that exploited the Statesmen’s early season tendency to over-pursue (as well as their somewhat undersized DEs and OLBs). Although both Dickinson LT Abbate and SO RT Andrew Hubley are not exceptionally big (both are 6’ 3” and 240 LBs), they are quick and able blockers. Red Devil SR FB Tim Wells (210 lbs) is also a key component to attacking opposing defenses to spring Mitchell, Lord and/or Smith for long runs.
2. Capitalize on turnovers – Although Mitchell is an offensive force, he is also prone to throw interceptions. In fact he had two last Saturday against Grove City and was also picked twice (once by Boyington and once by Woodard) during last season's Hobart-Dickinson game. Look for the Statesmen D to keep the pressure on Mitchell and trust their experienced secondary to lock up the Dickinson receivers in man coverage. Although there is a risk given Pat O’Connor’s talent, I believe Hobart has enough depth and speed in the secondary to limit him somewhat.
3. Control the clock – In the 2008 game, Hobart rode the time of possession battle (18:51-11:09) to a 14-0 lead in the first half before Dickinson took over in the second half (19:26 to 10:34). This year look for JR RB Andrew Marlier to improve on last season’s 52.1 yards per game average and play a bigger role in handling the bulk of the carries (moving the chains and the clock) against the Dickinson defense.
4. Go to the air - The Red Devils gave up 158 yards rushing to the Wolverines last Saturday, but more importantly showed they were susceptible to the pass allowing 291 yards. Given the Statesmen’s deep receiving corp of Tyler Vincent, Zach Schultz and Matt Duliba (who accounted for 197 of Hobart’s 234 passing yards and two receiving TDs against Dickinson last season), look for Hobart to ease their new QB with its pro-set, west-coast offense style of short yardage completions to move the chains.
Prediction:
I believe Hobart’s defense will be the deciding factor in this game. Mitchell et al will get their yards, but ultimately the final score will depend on how effective the Statesmen are at coming up with key stops (and/or turnovers). That said although Hobart needs to avoid a getting into a shoot-out with this Dickinson squad, I’ll predict this will likely be a high scoring game with Hobart hanging on to win 31-28 in Carlisle.
For more info on the Statesmen, please check out the official Hobart Football season preview here:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/news/2009/9/7/HFB_0907093346.aspx
Go Bart!
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