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!
Friday, October 30, 2009
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)