Season Retrospective / Looking to 2011

Although this year's 5-4 campaign fell below expectations, there were some positive aspects to 2010 for Hobart. That said, below is my “the Good, the Bad and the Ugly” for the Statesmen's 2010 season:

The Good:

The additions of FY's Steven Webb (783 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns) and Devin Worthington (LL Rookie of the Year).

A crowd of 4,000 strong at Homecoming (not to mention a brand new, state of the art, field turf Boswell Field) and the first ever night game in Hobart's 115+ year history.

The emergence of SO QB Nick Strang who threw for 405 yards and 5 touchdowns, including the game winning rushing touchdown to beat Union in 2OT.

Finishing the season #1 in the LL in scoring offense (31.3 PPG), pass offense (233.7 YPG), total offense (378.8 YPG and 35 TD), and red zone offense (24 scores in 30 tries).

Special teams – going a perfect 35-35 on PATs, #1 in kickoff coverage and punt returns.

Getting 18 players on All LL team.

The Bad:

In spite of the record crowd, Hobart simply played one of their worst games, if not the worst, against Saint John Fisher going 0 for 10 on third down and committing three turnovers.

The two picks in final minute vs. SLU to end the hopes of a Statesmen comeback.

Losing on last second FG to RPI (a game that also featured four Hobart turnovers)

Losing in 2OT to Rochester to end the season.

Finishing the season #1 in the LL in penalties (52.6 YPG average).

Only converting five of nine on field goals.

Hobart's worst reg season finish since 2003, worst overall since 1999.

The Ugly:

Finishing dead last in the LL with a -7 turnover margin (the worst for a Hobart team in well over 10 seasons). It's an understatement to say turnovers cost the Statesmen the LL title this season.

Looking to 2011:

Getting back to the positive – the Statesmen do return a large core of this season's team in 2011.

On offense the Statesmen bring back the vast majority of their skill position players and more than half of this season's offensive line. The returning offensive players includes:

QB - Doug Vella and Nick Strang.

FB - Juan O’Farrill, who backed up Matt Howard '10 appeared in all nine games this season and accounted for 126 rushing and one rushing touchdown is the likely starter for Hobart at this position for the next several seasons.

TB - Webb, Bobby Dougherty and Kyle Tritten.

WR - Junior Woodard, Garth Muratori and Yosh Karbowniczak (who also served as punter) meaning either Vella and/or Strang will have at least a couple of seasoned receivers to throw to in 2011.

TE - Hobart returns all their tight ends, although they were often rarely used, Matt Marsh (key catch in the Rochester game) and Greg Clifford (two touchdowns) each made big plays in 2010.

OL - Anthony Coletta (missed several games due to injury but appeared in four of Hobart's final six games), Art Garvey (starter and 2nd team All LL), Max Janoff (will compete for a starting role), Jarrid Blades (backed up Co-Captain Kelvin Cruz and is likely to take over at center in 2011), Kyle Sandy (started eight games) and Brendan Hatlee (unanimous first team All-LL selection).

DE - This is an area of concern as the Statesmen graduated both starters. There are several underclassmen that will vie for these open positions with a slight nod to Tim Murray (6' 4”, 225 lbs.) who appeared to have played the most snaps / made the most tackles as a back-up.

DT - Nick Auriemma, Dane Wilcoxen, Gianni Contro, and Jordan Sisti either started or had significant playing time this season so this should be a area of strength for Hobart in 2011.

OLB - The Statesmen lose several key players here but do return ROY Devin Worthington (really a strong safety). One player that did see some action in 2010 and should see more in 2011 is Bobby Marrafa.

ILB - Hobart always has fielded strong linebacker squads under Coach Cragg and 2011 looks like it won't be any exception with Andrew Klindera (had eight tackles vs. Rochester), first team All-LL Reggie Robinson and Nick Zapp (played in all nine games for Hobart at LB).

FS - Chad Dorrance played in seven games and started in place for Sr Co-Captain John Kelliher while he was out with a hand injury capably and is likely the starter at free safety for the Statesmen heading into 2011.

CB - Another strong suit for the Statesmen with unanimous All-League Drake Woodard as well as Connor Garrett (who pretty much started at CB for Hobart from the Union game on). Kevin Hearon will also compete for time at the CB position opposite Woodard.

On special teams Hobart returns pretty much all their specialists save for long snapper.

H - Vella

K - Conor Callahan and Reyes Guevara

P - Karbowniczak

PR - Junior Woodard

KR - Dougherty and Webb

All in all, Hobart looks pretty good on paper. Questions will remain around whether or not the Statesmen can cure the ills that hurt them this season, mainly turnovers and penalties.

It's a long off-season, so a long way to go until then, but until next year – go 'Bart and thanks for reading!

Happy holidays.....

Seven Statesmen Named 1st Team All Liberty League, Worthington ROY

The Hobart Statesmen football team was honored with seven first team selections to the All-Liberty League team today.

FY OLB/S Devin Worthington took home the "Rookie of the Year" award after leading the LL in tackles for loss and sacks. Worthington ranked 5th in nation in tackles for loss and 7th in sacks (based on NCAA data thru 11/6/10). His 19 tackles for loss ranks second all-time on the Hobart single-season list.

The Statesmen on the First Team consisted of the following players:

Offense
QB Doug Vella
RB Steven Webb
OL Brendan Hatlee*

Defense
LB Reggie Robinson
LB Devin Worthington
DB Drake Woodard*

Special Teams
RS Junior Woodard
*unanimous decision

Statesmen on the Second Team roster included:

Offense
WR Junior Woodard
FB Matt Howard
OL Art Garvey

Defense
DL Chris Luber
DB John Kelliher

Special Teams
P Yosh Karbowniczak

Statesmen receiving Honorable Mention included:

Offense:

WR Garth Muratori

Defense:
DL Nick Auriemma DL
LB Kyle O'Laughlin
DL James Rayhill

Special Teams:
K Conor Callahan

Congratulations to these Hobart honorees!

Hobart gamble doesn't pay off, loses to Rochester 35-34 in 2OT

The Rochester Yellow Jackets came to Geneva this Saturday riding a league best three game winning streak while the Hobart Statesmen were looking to send off the 12 members of its football senior class with a win on Senior Day and Hall of Fame weekend.

The Statesmen would field a short kickoff and begin their first drive from their own 42 yard line. Hobart would use a balanced attack to get to the Yellow Jacket 10, but the Rochester defense would hold on third down forcing the hosts to settle for a 27 yard Conor Callahan field goal with 8:43 to play in the first.

The Yellow Jackets would take the ensuing possession on a short field as well, starting at their 49 yard line after a 24 yard kickoff by freshman Reyes Guevara. Rochester drove down the field and capped an eight play drive when quarterback Braezen Subick found Thomas Norman for a 10 yard touchdown pass with 3:56 to play in the first quarter. The White-Stellato point after was good posting the visitors to a 7-3 advantage.

The Statesmen and Jackets traded possessions until Hobart caught a break when Subick shanked a punt off the side of his foot for seven yards giving the Statesmen the ball on their own 47 yard line. Hobart made the most of the opportunity driving eight plays to the Rochester one yard line when on second down, freshman Steven Webb scored his 12th rushing TD of the season. The point after was good giving Hobart a 10-7 lead with 6:39 remaining in the first half.

Rochester would swarm right back however, converting two fourth down conversions to drive the ball to the Statesmen's eight yard line. On the 14th play of the drive Subick would connect with Norman for their second TD on the day, this time an eight yard pass on 3rd and goal. With the point after, the Jackets were back in front by a score of 14-10 with 16 seconds remaining in the first half.

To Hobart's credit, they made the most of the time remaining, taking another short kickoff to their 49 yard line. Quarterback Doug Vella would find wide receiver Garth Muratori on back-to-back 15 yard pass plays to advance the ball to the Rochester 21 with only four seconds to go in the half. Reyes Guevara would attempt his first career field goal and had just enough to convert the 38 yarder as time expired on the first half. The FG would pull the Statesmen within one, making the score 14-13 Rochester at the half.

The second half would be a defensive battle as both teams struggled to move the ball. Rochester however controlled the time of possession to a 10:24 to 4:36 advantage in the period.

The fourth quarter had an auspicious start for Hobart. Freshman Yosh Karbowniczak failed to convert a fake punt on fourth down giving Rochester the ball on the Hobart 43. The Statesmen would appear to catch a break however when three plays later Chris Bickford fumbled on a short yardage play giving Hobart the ball at the 35. The good luck would be short lived though as Vella would lose control of the ball on a play fake and fumble himself, returning the ball to right back to Rochester at the same spot the Statesmen initially received it.

The Jackets would fail to gain any yardage on their initial three snaps, running for no gain and throwing two incomplete passes setting up a 4th and 10. Subick would find Tony Messana for a 13 yard gain and a first down. On the ensuing first down, Subick would find Norman for the third TD of the day. This time on a 22 yard reception to make it 21-13 with 11:18 to play in the game.

The game would remain deadlocked at this point with both teams attempting and failing to convert fourth downs on successive drives. Hobart had the ball with a first and goal from the Rochester five yard line but failed to find the end zone. This gave the Yellow Jackets the ball with just over three minutes to play with a chance to ice the game – but from their own three.

Hobart would allow Rochester to escape the shadow of their goal line, but eventually clamp down leading to a critical fourth and one with 1:28 to play. Instead of punting the ball away, Yellow Jacket Scott Greene called for another Bickford short yardage play. The Statesmen stuffed the Rochester offense and gave the offense the ball on the Jacket 29 yard line.

Vella would drive the offense to the end zone, hitting Muratori twice on the drive – first on an improbable throw that bounced off a Hobart player's shoulder pads and went straight up in the air. Rochester, who looked poised to make the easy interception, somehow missed the ball and it dropped right into the hands of a prone Muratori, who had fallen to the turf, for a 20-yard gain. On the second pass, Vella hit Muratori for 12 yards and a TD. On the ensuing possession, Hobart's Junior Woodard was wide open in the end zone for the two point conversion, tying the game at 21 all with 34 seconds to play.

After a loss on the first play from scrimmage following the kickoff, Rochester kneeled on the ball and the teams were headed to overtime.

The Yellow Jackets won the toss and elected to go on defense first. After completing two short passes, Vella handed off to Webb who took off for 22 yards and the TD. The point after was good and Hobart had a 28-21 lead.

Rochester would send the game into a second overtime when Subick called his own number on a one yard TD run.

The second overtime began with an incomplete pass from Subick, but he found Byron Saggese for 19 yards to the Hobart six. Three RJ Napadono rushes later and the Jackets were back on top 35-28.

The Statesmen called Webb's number for a three yard gain on first down, but the Rochester defense would throw Webb for a loss on second down. Facing a third and 10, Vella would scramble for eight yards setting up a 4th and 2 from the Rochester 17. On the ensuing play, Vella completed a 13 yard pass to junior Matt Marsh – his first catch of the season – which was good for a first and goal from the Jacket four.

Webb would score on the next play to make it 35-34. Head Coach Mike Cragg – who was honored at halftime along with his fellow Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame inductees – decided to play for the win.

Unfortunately, the Vella pass would be just out of reach for Muratori giving Rochester a 35-34 double overtime win. It was the first time Rochester had beaten Hobart since 2003, which was the last time the Statesmen only had five regular season wins, and only the second time in Hobart history the Statesmen had lost in overtime.

The Yellow Jackets were lead by Subick who completed 21-of-31 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns, all to junior tight end Thomas Norman who made seven catches for 76 yards.

The Yellowjacket defense kept Vella under pressure throughout the game, logging six sacks. Junior end Cainaan Webb led the charge counting three sacks among his five tackles. First-year linebacker Tony Ortega led Rochester with 10 stops (7 solo).

Vella was 22-of-35 for 222 yards and a TD. Muratori finished the game with 10 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. Webb rushed for a game-high 98 yards and three touchdowns.

The Hobart defense was led by senior linebacker and co-captain Kyle O’Laughlin and junior linebacker Reggie Robinson with 12 tackles a piece. First-year strong safety Devin Worthington added eight tackles and a sack. Senior free safety and co-captain John Kelliher had nine tackles and a forced fumble.

With its fourth straight win Rochester improves to 4-5 on the season and 3-3 in the league. Hobart drops to 5-4 overall (the first time Hobart hasn't won six games since 1999) and 3-3 in the league as well.

Although Hobart did receive an ECAC bid in 2003 with a 5-4 record (which they in turn took and defeated Norwich 34-18), that seems very unlikely given the number of teams with better records and the amount of bids submitted (only six teams will be given ECAC berths).

That said, barring a miracle tomorrow when ECAC games are announced, it would appear the 2010 Statesmen season is over.

More analysis to follow and you can catch further discussion on this game, the DIII national playoffs and much more tomorrow night on ITH - www.inthehuddlle.com - we're on at 7:30 PM ET.

Centennial Cup / Rochester Preview

The Hobart Statesmen (5-3, 3-2) will be playing for pride and for a potential, but not guaranteed, shot at an ECAC “regional bowl” when they host their oldest rivals, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets (3-5, 2-3). This Saturday at Boswell Field, the Statesmen will recognize their graduating senior class which includes the following student athletes:

7 WR Mike Lazore
18 SS Fernando Jones
21 FB Matt Howard
22 CB Nick Bianchi
29 FB Shlomo Gelernter
30 FS and Co-Capt John Kelliher
31 WR Kevin Grogan
39 OLB and Co-Capt Kyle O’Laughlin
55 OL and Co-Capt Sean Kluber
57 DE Chris Luber
64 OL and Co-Capt Kelvin Cruz
97 DE James Rayhill

Hobart and Rochester will face off for the “Centennial Cup” in the 103rd game between the two schools. The rivalry dates back to 1892 and the Statesmen have a slight 48-47-7 edge overall in the series, mostly in part to the fact Hobart has won six straight against the Yellow Jackets. The Statesmen defeated Rochester 34-20 at Fauver Stadium last season. The Yellow Jackets’ last win came in 2003, a 17-13 win at Boswell Field.

After a tough start to the 2010 season, including the loss of their All-League RB Clarence Onyiriuka, the Jackets have won their last three straight, including a dominating 34-14 win of LL champions Saint Lawrence (4-5, 4-1). In fact, including the 24-14 victory over Alfred (who won the Empire 8 after a convincing 31-16 win over Ithaca last Saturday); Rochester has knocked off two NCAA qualifiers in the last two weeks.

The Yellow Jackets defense has been the primary reason holding their last three opponents to only two touchdowns a game. The rush defense has also seen a resurgence as Rochester has allowed only 20 and 52 yards rushing, respectively, in the last two games.

Keys to the Game:

1. Turnovers – Hobart committed 4 turnovers in last week’s loss to RPI. The Statesmen had five turnovers in their loss to SLU. In general this category has really hurt Hobart all season and they are ranked at -7 in turnover margin, the worst in the LL. WEOS play-by-play man Ted Baker emailed me the following stats which shows that Hobart to the extent turnovers have steadily increased in the past few seasons:

2009: +3, ranked 4th in the LL in turnover margin
2008: +4, 3rd
2007: +18, 1st
2006: +4, 3rd
2005: +12, 1st
2004: +19, 1st
2003: +11, 2nd

On a more positive note, Hobart has been less turnover prone at home, e.g., of Doug Vella's 11 interceptions on the season, only two have occurred at Boswell Field.

2. Air it out – The Statesmen's #1 passing offense (averaging 235.1 YPG) should look to test Rochester’s pass defense given it ranks last in the LL allowing 206.4 YPG and 13 passing TDs (also last in the LL).

3. Bend, but don’t break – Hobart will need to brace itself for a Yellow Jacket offense that has risen to third in the conference gaining 302.9 YPG. In spite of this success, Rochester has only punched in 15 TDs, compared to the Statesmen’s 31. If the Hobart defense can clamp down – especially in the red zone where Rochester is second only to the Statesmen in red zone offense (75% - 15 scores, including 12 TDs and three FGs in 20 trips - compared to Hobart’s 80% - 17 TDs and three FGs on 25 trips) – the Statesmen should prevail.

4. Senior Day / Hall of Fame Weekend – Hobart is a much better home than road team and this weekend also marks Head Coach Mike Cragg’s induction into the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame which is a rare and unique, but also well deserved, accomplishment for an active coach. Hobart has also not finished a regular season with less than six wins since 1999, so here’s hoping that trend continues on Saturday.

Prediction:

As I stated last Sunday on “In the HuddLLe” (www.inthehuddlle.com) I have to give a slight edge to Rochester given how well they have played in recent weeks. The Statesmen have been inconsistent during the same time frame – looking dominant, but letting Merchant Marine come back from a 23-0 deficit, dominating WPI, then turning the ball over four times against RPI en route to a heart breaking loss.

That said, I will take a leap of (partisan) faith and assume that Boswell Field, Senior Day, HOF weekend and the fact a potential berth into an ECAC game is on the line will allow the Statesmen to prevail in a close contest.

I’ll take Hobart to rebound and to win this weekend, 31-20.

Kickoff is 12 PM ET.

We’ll be recapping this game as well as welcoming the Chair of the DIII Football Championship Selection Committee onto “In the HuddLLe” as well as getting reactions to the ECAC bids (also out on Sunday night with Hobart hopefully getting a bid) so hope you can tune into our show at 7:30 PM ET on BlogTalkRadio.com!

Thanks for reading and go ‘Bart!

RPI kills Hobart's NCAA hopes on last second FG, Statesmen fall 24-21

Both the Engineers and Statesmen looked to keep their NCAA playoff hopes alive when they faced off Saturday at the East Campus Athletic Village Saturday in Troy, NY.

The visitors struck first as Hobart drove 60 yards and capped an eight play drive when junior quarterback Doug Vella scored on a 1 yard run with 8:45 to play in the first quarter. The Statesmen's momentum looked to continue into the second quarter when the Hobart defense blocked a 29 yard Peter Nilson field goal attempt. Hobart would fail to cash in on the opportunity, as Vella had a pass batted down by RPI defensive lineman Darryl Brown and intercepted by Mike Kukesh.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Hermann would get the Engineers on the board completing a one play, 42 yard TD from WR Ray Davis on the option pass on the ensuing possession.

After the Nilson point after was good, the score was knotted at 7-7 with 9:34 to play in the second quarter. The Engineers would hit pay dirt again when Bryan Carmody hauled in a 3 yard pass from Hermann capping a 13 play, 71 yards drive with 22 seconds to play in the half. Although Hobart's Steven Webb's kickoff return gave the Statesmen (who still had all three time outs) a shot to score, Brown sacked Vella on the ensuing play and the Statesmen elected to kneel on the ball to end the half with the Engineers ahead by a score of 14-7

In the second half RPI would cash in on another Hobart miscue, this time on a muffed punt with the Statesmen backed up to their end zone. Dustin Schuld pounced on the ball for the touchdown giving the hosts a 21-7 advantage with 12:33 to play in the third quarter.

To Hobart's credit, they came back, overcoming a Vella fumble thanks to the Statesmen defense and special teams units. After holding RPI on their ensuing possession, Hobart returned the Engineer's punt to the 50 yard line. The Statesmen would drive the short field on nine plays leading to Vella's second TD run.

With the extra point made by freshman Reyes Guevara, who was filling in for junior kicker Conor Callahan, Hobart cut the Engineer lead to 21-14 with 3:25 to play in the third.

The remainder of the third and much of the fourth quarter would remain a defensive battle. The Statesmen would take advantage of another short field and drove 51 yards in six plays capped by Webb's first touchdown on the day, his 11th rushing touchdown of the season.

The score would tie the game at 21 a piece with only 1:20 remaining in the game.

Although the Hobart defense had been stout all game, Hermann lead the Engineers down the field to set up another potential game winner for Nilson, who kicked a 37 yarder two weeks ago to knock off then #20 Alfred.

Nilson hit the 34 yarder as time expired in the game and on the Statesmen's NCAA hopes. Saint Lawrence had lost earlier in the day, but the loss effectively handed the Saints the title and Hobart with its second year in a row of losing two LL games.

RPI was lead on offense by Hermann who passed for 181 yards and one touchdown. Just like last week, senior wide out Pat McCarthy was Hermann's favorite target, collecting six catches for 77 yards.

The Engineer “black shirt” defense was lead by graduate student Colin King with 10 tackles, but Ray Pasco (8 tackles, including 3 sacks and an interception) and Darryl Brown (8 tackles, one for a loss) also came up big for RPI.

Hobart was lead by Webb who gained 83 yards and a touchdown. Although Vella threw for 238 yards and accounted for two of Hobart's rushing TDs, he also was responsible for three turnovers in the game.

The Statesmen's defense was once again lead by freshman safety Devin Worthington who tallied eight tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks.

With the win RPI improves to 5-3, 3-2 in the league and Hobart drops to the same record. Next week the Statesmen host Rochester in Geneva for the annual Centennial Cup game. RPI wraps up its regular season in Kings Point, Long Island vs. the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

We'll be recapping this game, among others, tomorrow night on In the HuddLLe (www.inthehuddlle.com).

RPI Game Preview

The Hobart Statesmen (5-2, 3-1) will take on another group of Engineers, this time the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (4-3, 2-2), on Saturday in Troy, NY. The Statesmen’s league leading scoring and total offense will look to best the league’s current #1 scoring and #2 total defense in Saturday’s showdown at the “ECAV”. RPI is holding their opposition to 16.3 points per game (PPG) and has allowed the fewest number of touchdowns (15 TDs) in the Liberty League.

Last year Hobart blanked the Engineers by a score of 10-0 at Boswell Field in a defensive struggle that saw both offenses complete only two third down conversions (out of 32) the entire game. Overall the Statesmen and RPI have faced off 52 times since 1910 with the Engineers enjoying a slight edge in the series (26-25-1), but Hobart has had RPI’s number of late. The Statesmen went 8-2 vs. the Engineers in the last decade and haven’t lost to the men from Troy since former QB Jimmy Robertson took advantage of a soft Hobart prevent defense to the tune of 67 yards in 35 seconds to lead the Engineers a 35-31 victory in the final 48 seconds of that game.

This season RPI is lead on offense by SO QB Mike Hermann. This QB is a big guy (6’ 6”, 240 lbs) who is first in the LL in total offense with 212.7 yards per game (YPG). Hermann has passed for 1159 yards, including nine passing touchdowns compared to five interceptions. Hermann is also a threat to run the ball and currently ranks seventh in rushing in the LL, posting 330 yards rushing and one touchdown on the season.

Hermann’s favorite target is SR WR Pat McCarthy who racked up LL Offensive Player of the Week honors due to a game-high eight catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns in last weekend’s “Dutchman Shoes” game, a 21-7 victory over Union College (2-5, 2-3). McCarthy is complimented by a duo of dynamic receivers including SO WR Austin Caswell (24 catches for 218 yards and four TDs) and SR WR Ray Davis (13 catches for 130 yards and one TD).

When Hermann is not passing or calling his own number in the running game, the Engineers feature a tandem of backs. SO RB Matt Wood has carried the ball 54 times for 220 yards and SR RB Nick Costa has carried 68 times for 202 yards. Both Wood and Costa have scored one rushing touchdown a piece. Wood also handles return duties for the Engineers.

On defense the Engineers are lead by SR LB Jeff McCormick who’s tallied 72 total tackles including six and a half tackles for a loss (TFL) and a sack. Graduate student and LB Colin King, nephew of RPI HC Joe King, has added 56 tackles including five TFL and a sack and an interception.

Special teams is also a strength of RPI as they boast one of the LL’s best kickers, SR Peter Nilson, who is tied for first in field goal percentage making seven of 11 tries with a long of 37 yards.

Keys to the game:
1. Turnovers – RPI ranks second in the LL with a +4 turnover margin. Last season Hobart took advantage of two Engineer turnovers – first being a fumble on a punt that set up a 28 yard Conor Callahan FG and the second being a John Kelliher interception of Hermann at the Hobart 46 and returning it 43 yards to the RPI 11. A few plays later, RB Andrew Marlier ‘10 punched in the only TD for either team on the day. Hermann was picked three times in last year’s contest, but he’s a year older and wiser coming into this game. Although Hermann trails Vella in passing yards, touchdowns and efficiency; the SO has thrown four less interceptions than the Hobart QB.

2. Balance – Hobart and RPI’s rushing and pass defense are virtually even, with the Engineers allowing a few less YPG than the Statesmen. The difference in the game could be Hobart’s passing attack as the Statesmen are currently #1 in the LL averaging 233 YPG thru the air. That said I wouldn’t be surprised to see a defensive struggle with Hobart having to grind out tough yards like they did in 2009. Hobart racked up 156 yards rushing in that game. The Engineers made the passing game virtually non-existent holding QB Doug Vella to a season low 37 yards passing and an interception. However, RPI has only allowed five rushing TDs this season, so FY RB Steven Webb may not see the end zone as much as he has in prior weeks, thus putting the game in the hands of Vella and his trio of WRs Muratori, Woodard and Lazore. Last season Hobart negated McCarthy holding him to only two catches for 14 yards. If the Statesmen can force Hermann to try and run the ball himself, we could see some hurried throws (or fumbles) that could lead to turnovers for RPI.

3. Focus (i.e., just win) – The Statesmen will likely know the outcome of the Rochester vs. Saint Lawrence game as early as the first quarter given the later kickoff against RPI (this game is 2 pm start, while the Saints and Jackets game starts at 12 pm). It is possible that the Statesmen could have a letdown if the Saints win and know their NCAA hopes are dashed. Obviously the Statesmen would be bolstered by a Saints loss, but it is my hope that Hobart will remain focused regardless of the outcome.

Prediction:
I think this game will come down to quarterback play and the respective defenses. Hobart put together one its most dominant defensive games of the season forcing five WPI turnovers, including a fumble return for a TD. RPI’s defensive is equally stout and hasn’t given up more than three touchdowns all season since a 42-21 loss to Utica College back in September. By comparison, the Engineer offense is only averaging 15 PPG, less than half what the Statesmen have been scoring each week.

Needless to say, something’s got to give in this game.

That said I’ll take Hobart in close one 24-17 and hope the Saints get stung by Yellow Jackets keeping Hobart’s NCAA hopes on life support until the regular season finale.

Robinson, defense leads Statesmen past Engineers, 38-13

The Hobart Statesmen (5-2, 3-1) used a combination of turnovers and a balanced offensive game to defeat visiting WPI (3-5, 1-4) last Saturday at Boswell Field.

It was a very impressive defensive performance by the Statesmen who ended up collecting seven turnovers off of the Engineers including three interceptions, two fumbles, and two stands on 4th down. Hobart also held the #1 rushing offense in WPI to only 116 yards - a season low for the Engineers.

JR LB Reggie Robinson made several big plays including returning a 41 yard interception return to the WPI 9 yard line which set up FY RB Steven Webb's second TD on the day. Robinson also forced a fumble that was returned 53 yards by FY S Devin Worthington to post the Statesmen to 21-0 halftime lead. This fumble return for a TD was the longest by a Statesman in over 10 years!

SR S John Kelliher returned from injury and had two interceptions off of the newly minted WPI starting QB Johny Antonopolous (who was a lone bright spot for the Engineers rushing for 52 yards and passing for 198 and two TDs). SR LB Kyle O'Laughlin lead the Hobart defense with 10 tackles and a forced fumble.

Although WPI out gained the Statesmen 324 yards to 294, most of that yardage came in "garbage time" with the Statesmen ahead by a comfortable margin.

While the Hobart offense did struggle a bit (only accumulating 137 passing yards) against the #1 pass defense in the nation; given the field position and big plays afforded by the defense, didn't matter at the end of the day. The Statesmen rushed for 163 yards and were lead by Steven Webb (12 carries for 60 yards and two TDs). Webb's classmate, FB Juan O'Farrill scored his first career TD and SO RB Bobby Dougherty scored a TD as well.

Perhaps my favorite stat of the game is this one:

Penalties: Number-Yards 4-30

This tied the season low for number of penalties and was the lowest amount of penalty yards that the Statesmen have been flagged for all season. Hopefully this will become the norm for Hobart going forward.

Looking ahead

WEOS play-by-man Ted Baker got Coach Cragg to state that the ECACs "were possibility" for the Statesmen this year in the event Saint Lawrence (4-4, 4-0) wins one of its last two games and thus clinching the Liberty League title. The Statesmen will need to win out as well to benefit from a SLU stumble for a NCAA berth.

The Saints' next opponent is the Rochester Yellow Jackets (2-5, 1-3) who upset #20 Alfred University (6-2, 3-0) 24-14 at Alfred last Saturday.

Hobart will travel to league rival RPI (4-3, 2-2) who regained the "Dutchman Shoes" trophy from rival Union College (2-5, 2-3) at the ECAV in Troy, NY.

I'll have more on that game later this week - you can also catch a preview of said game from the "In the HuddLLe" (http://www.inthehuddlle.com/) archive.

Until then, thanks and go 'Bart!

WPI Game Preview

It will be another case of the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object when Hobart and their Liberty League (LL) leading scoring offense, averaging 31.5 points per game (PPG), faces the leading scoring defense (14.7 PPG – good for top 20 in all of DIII) of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute this Saturday at Boswell Field.

After a promising start to 2010, WPI (3-4, 1-3) has stumbled of late losing three in a row after a somewhat surprising 24-10 victory over RPI on 9/25. The Statesmen (4-2, 3-1) lead the all-time series 6-0 and defeated the Engineers with relative ease last season in Worcester by a 41-20 margin.

That said WPI has a new head coach in Chris Robertson who specializes in defense. WPI’s pass defense is tops in the league allowing only 100.9 YPG through the air. The Engineers also lead the LL in total defense (240.7 YPG) and have only allowed 13 touchdowns over seven games.

SO LB Chris O’Connor leads all WPI defenders with 52 total tackles, while SRs DL Brendan Gove and co-captains LB Michael Oliveri and FS Jack Mulhern have 39, 33 and 31 tackles, respectively. Gove and Oliveri also both have 2.5 sacks a piece on the year.

Another area that WPI excels in is turnover margin, where they lead the LL with an impressive +12 compared to Hobart’s -7 (second to last in the LL). They are also the second least penalized team in the LL whereas the Statesmen are the most. JR DB John Perron is third in the LL with 4 interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

That said the problem for WPI in recent weeks has been the offense, which has averaged less than 14 PPG during their current losing streak. The Engineers are last in the LL in passing, throwing for a paltry 81 YPG. However, where the Engineers excel is in the running game, where they are currently #1 in the LL averaging 190.9 YPG. By comparison Hobart is second with 154.3 YPG. The WPI rushing attack is lead by JR RB Ernie Mello who has racked up 530 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Mello leads the LL in yards per carry (5.2). JR QB Pat McAuley has gone 58 for 133 for 533 passing yards, including 5 TD and 4 INT. The JR QB has also rushed for 311 yards and 1 touchdown.

On special teams, JR PK Cody Beckel has booted eight FGs on the season, which is good for a #2 ranking in the LL, with a long of 30 yards.

Keys to game:
1. Shut down the run; force the pass – WPI will likely focus on rushing the ball so look for Hobart to stack the line with their linebackers and blitz FY S Devin Worthington regularly. The Statesmen will likely bring pressure on most plays, but need to be careful not to get sloppy on contain assignments if McAuley decides to run. If Hobart is successful in limiting the run game, the Statesmen could have some opportunities to pick off McAuley given his relative inexperience as a passing QB.

2. Avoid turnovers and penalties – Hobart’s achilles heel has been this category all season and it will likely ultimately cost them a NCAA berth if they lose another game and/or Saint Lawrence doesn’t win one of its last two games. Given WPI’s opportunistic defense’s ability to force turnovers, the Statesmen will need to be extra careful with the ball. The interceptions last week in the MMA game gave the Mariners new life in a game that Hobart otherwise was completely dominating.

3. Run to set up play action – Last season Statesmen QB Doug Vella only completed nine passes against this Engineer team, but did throw for 192 yards and a touchdown. Vella was fairly effective last week, other than the two interceptions in the third quarter, throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns. I imagine JR WR Garth Muratori will get more looks downfield given last week’s 129 yard and three touchdown performance against MMA, but given the strength of the WPI pass defense, it may make sense for Vella to hand the ball off and look for shorter patterns to his TEs and RBs coming out of the backfield. Hopefully Steven Webb and the stable of Statesmen runners will get many opportunities to carry the ball. Last season Hobart had eight different ball carriers en route to a 198 yard rushing day that tallied five rushing touchdowns.

Prediction:

I like Hobart to get another win at the “Boz” this weekend as they hang on for dear life in the LL playoff race. WPI’s defense will be tough, but the Engineer offense just isn’t potent enough to keep up with the Statesmen’s.

Therefore, I’ll take Hobart 28-14 in this one. Kickoff is Saturday at noon. Game notes are up and can be accessed here:

http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2010/10/27/WPInotes.pdf

Go ‘Bart!

SO QB Nick Strang Out for the Season - More MMA Game Highlights

I received word that the mononucleosis that has befallen SO QB Nick Strang will sideline him for the remainder of the 2010 season. Looks like JR QB Doug Vella will retain his starting role (and let's hope his knee holds up!).

HWS also has posted these highlight clips from last Saturday's MMA game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lmSewg8qIE&feature=player_embedded#1

Will have a WPI game preview up in the next 48 hours.

Go 'Bart!

Hobart builds big lead but turnovers keep it close against the Merchant Marine, 40-33

The Hobart Statesmen (4-2, 3-1) won their seventh straight over the United States Merchant Marine Academy (3-5, 2-2) in mixed fashion this past Saturday in Kings Point, Long Island.

The Statesmen looked completely in control early on in the game en route to jumping out to 23-0 lead behind a 24 yard FY RB Steven Webb TD run, a FY S Devin Worthington sack that lead to a two point safety and two JR QB Doug Vella (who started given SO QB Nick Strang was apparently out with mono) to JR WR Garth Muratori TD passes for 41 and 23 yards.

To the Mariners credit, they didn't go away quietly and responded with 13 of their own unanswered points to pull within 10 with 4:16 to play in the first half. The second of these two scores came off a Hobart fumble - the first of three turnovers on the day - which gave the MMA the ball on the Statesmen 21 yard line. SO RB JL Gosselin would run untouched to the end zone on the ensuing play.

Muratori would get the "hat trick" when he caught his third TD pass from Vella with 35 seconds to go in the half to post the Statesmen to a 30-13 lead. The plucky Mariners however would notch a 41 yard FG to go into the half down 30-16.

The second half started off promising for the Statesmen thanks to Vella's fourth TD pass of the day, this time to SR WR Mike Lazore for a 27 yard TD. Unfortunately, Vella's otherwise solid performance was marred by two back-to-back interceptions allowed the Mariners with short fields and enabled them to crawl back into the game. The MMA would score on both possessions - the first a SR RB Karl Heimbrock three yard TD run and the second a 31 yard FG - to pull within nine points of the Statesmen with 5:58 to play in the third.

The Hobart offense would close out their day with a short Conor Callahan FG late in the fourth quarter, but the Mariner offense would make things interesting after a 13 yard Ventre to Dunn TD pass would pull the MMA within a TD with 2:39 to play in the game. The Statesmen would recover the onside kick and almost run out the clock, but the Mariners did get one last play with four seconds to go. Fortunately after a lateral, SR LB Kyle O'Laughlin tackled the ball carrier and ensured the Hobart victory, 40-33.

Analysis

I have to view this game from two perspectives:

Glass half full - Hobart truly dominated in the first half and once again finished with over 400 yards of total offense. Vella connected on 18 of 33 attempts passing for 305 yards, finding Muratori for three of his four TD throws. The defense forced two fumbles and a safety and Devin Worthington (2.5 sacks) and Reggie Robinson (10 tackles) were down right unstoppable.

Glass half empty - Vella once again threw some questionable passes that lead to easy interceptions for MMA which allowed them to stay in the game. The Statesmen continued to play sloppy football, getting flagged 10 times for 83 yards. The team was particularly inept in the third quarter (when the two interceptions occurred) losing the time of possession battle by a 11:12 to 3:48 margin.

Hobart posted a short but interesting interview of Coach Cragg following the game which can be accessed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8MXMLiRClo&feature=player_embedded

Bottom line

With only three weeks of the regular season to go Hobart is already on the brink of NCAA elimination. Saint Lawrence (4-4, 4-0) continues to sweep it's Liberty League opposition, most recently taking down RPI (3-3, 1-2) 14-3 on Saturday. Unless the Saints lose their FINAL TWO GAMES (against 1-5 Rochester and 3-4 WPI), Hobart is out of the NCAA conversation for the second consecutive season.

That said, I am guessing Hobart will continue to play out their schedule with the goal of finishing 7-2. While it's not certain whether the team will put in a bid for a possible ECAC game based on last year's experience, the only hope for the Statesmen at this point is keeping winning and for SLU to somehow shoot themselves in the foot down the home stretch.

Hobart vs. Merchant Marine Preview

I had a full travel week for work so my attempt at a mid season review and a full on preview for this week was thwarted. Below is a quick synopsis of this weekend's game and more information can be gleaned from the Hobart game notes which were posted earlier today:

http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2010/10/20/MMAnotes.pdf

The Hobart Statesmen (3-2, 1-1) resume the 2010 season coming off their bye week to face the Mariners of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (3-4, 2-1) in Kings Point, Long Island. The Statesmen have four games remaining on their schedule and need to win out and hope Saint Lawrence, now 3-0 in the League after a 23-14 triumph over Union College, loses at least one LL game in the next four weeks.

This weekend SLU will face RPI (2-2, 1-1) who upset then #21 Alfred (5-1) after SR PK Peter Nilson connected on a 37 yard FG with less than 10 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. The Engineers held onto the 27-24 victory and will host Hobart in Troy, NY in two weeks.

After struggling with injuries and an early season losing streak, the USMMA has won two in a row, outscoring their opposition 74-27 over that same time period. That said, the Statesmen have enjoyed a six game win streak over the Mariners, and have shut them out twice since 2007. Needless to say, when we interviewed USMMA Coach Mike Toop last Sunday on “In the HuddLLe” (www.inthehuddLLe.com) he was very focused on getting on the board against Hobart.

The Mariners recently overhauled their offense to a triple option and so far the move has paid off. The Statesmen have not played any triple option schools this season; the closest would have been the Wing T they saw at Carnegie Mellon.

The USMMA’s rushing attack is lead by SO RB JL Gosselin (had a career high 157 yards against Rochester last weekend) and SR co-captain and RB Karl Heimbrock, who just returned from a knee injury. QB Derrek Ventre rarely throws, but is generally accurate when he does.

The Mariners defense has given up some big points - particularly in the 64-0 undressing by Springfield College - and in the past has been susceptible to the Statesmen passing game.

A few interesting observations based on the 2 deep are as follows:

•It appears as though Doug Vella’s knee still has not healed (he's not listed on the travel roster) so it appears as though SO QB Nick Strang is set for his second straight start
•SR Co-captain and FS John Kelliher is also not in the line up for the defensive backfield. FY Chad Dorrance will start at FS as will FY CB Connor Garrett.
•SR Kyle O’Laughlin will stay at OLB and SO LB Andrew Klindera will remain as the starting ILB.

Keys to game:

1. Bend but don’t break vs. the triple option - At 5' 10" and 225 lbs, JL Gosselin is a load and a quick one at that (he claimed to run a 4.5 40 yard dash when we interviewed him after the WPI win on ITH). If Hobart's defense can bottle up Gosselin, they'll be on their way to ensuring a seventh straight win over the USMMA.
2. Remember the shut outs - The Statesmen's D has had some of its best days against this Mariner squad, so they should be very confident. Hopefully Hobart will channel that energy into Saturday's game, but I don't expect them to have as easy a time with the triple option....
3. Continue to focus on fundamentals – Hobart leads the Liberty League in penalties received and is second to last with a -6 turnover margin. Simply put, the Statesmen have to quit turning the ball over and making as many mental mistakes as they have in the prior five games if they expect to have a shot at winning their next four games and have a shot at going back to the NCAAs.

Prediction:

Given the past history of this series I like Hobart's chances, but nothing is a guarantee this year. The USMMA will likely get some yards and a few scores but I don't think their defense can keep up with a Hobart offense that's averaging over 400 yards and nearly 30 points per game.

That said I'll take the Statesmen in this one 31-19.

Kickoff is at 1 PM ET on WEOS.

Go 'Bart!

SO QB Nick Strang Scores Six TDs as Statesmen Outlast Union in 2OT, 41-34

The Hobart Statesmen (3-2, 1-1) breathed new life into their 2010 season overcoming six turnovers to defeat the Union College Dutchmen (2-2, 1-1). The Statesmen began this pivotal game with several key players out due to injury including SR Co-captain and S John Kelliher and starting QB JR Doug Vella.

Stepping in for Vella was SO QB Nick Strang. Needless to say we may have a QB controversy after this performance.

Both teams exchanged possessions in a scoreless first quarter. The fireworks began early in the second as Hobart jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a 61 yard and 20 yard receptions by WRs Junior Woodard and Garth Muratori, respectively.

Union would respond with their own long TD pass, as JR QB Drew Connolly used his feet to improvise until he found SR RB Chris Coney on a 46 yarder to make it 14-7. Strang fired right back, finding JR TE Greg Clifford on a 42 yard strike to push the Statesmen lead to 21-7. The Dutchmen would score again almost immediately as Connolly turned another broken play into a 65 yard SR WR Justin Gallo TD. The PAT failed and the 21-13 score stood at halftime.

The tide turned in Union's favor in the second half as the SO QB from Hopewell Junction made a few rookie mistakes and the Dutchmen converted blocked Hobart FG into points. Union posted a five yard TD run by Coney as well as a another Connolly to Gallo TD to post Union to a 28-21 lead, its first of the game, early in the fourth quarter.

Strang would rebound and find Junior Woodard for a 70 yard TD catch and run to tie it at 28-28. Another turnover would threaten to break the Statesmen, as a (what would appeared to have been a downed) Hobart receiver was stripped of the ball by Union S JP Sticco and returned for a 49 TD, posting the Dutchmen to a 35-28 lead with only 2:58 to play in the game.

That would be plenty of time for Strang to lead the Statesmen offense down the field. The drive covered 59 yards and was capped by another Muratori TD reception, this time for 10 yards with just under a minute to play.

Not surprisingly Coach Cragg would go for broke, opting to go for two and the Statesmen succeeded until an illegal formation penalty (one of seven times Hobart was flagged - costing them -75 yards) killed the conversion. Callahan would convert on a 25 yard PAT to tie it. Callahan had missed FG attempts from 42 yards and had a 25 yarder blocked in the third quarter.

Union kicker Blaise Ancona missed a 55 yard FG attempt as time expired so the Statesmen and Dutchmen headed into overtime for the second time in the past six seasons.

Union won the toss and elected to start on defense - a move which almost paid off when Strang's fourth interception killing Hobart's initial drive. The Dutchmen would fail to take advantage, missing a potentially game winning 37 yard FG and giving the Statesmen the chance to win the game on the final possession of the second OT.

Ironically, on a day when Hobart turned over the ball six times, it would be a Union turnover - a fumble by Justin Gallo that gave the Statesmen the chance to win the game. Strang would score his sixth and final TD of the day on a seven yard rush up the middle to win it for Hobart, 41-34.

Strang finished his first start going 19-of-29 for 405 yards (good for third on Hobart's all time game record list), tying the Hobart record with five TD passes (which was set by Shawn Mizro '07 who had five TDs vs. Union in the 2004 OT thriller). He also rushed for 93 yards and the game winner making his 498 yards of total offense a single game record and his 12.4 yards per play average the highest in history for a single game.

Strang’s top target was Woodard, who caught five passes for 182 yards and two TD. His total ranks third on the single game receiving yards list.

Defensively, FY S Devin Worthington led the way with 12 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. SR OLB Kyle O’Laughlin and JR LB linebacker Reggie Robinson each had 11 tackles, Robinson also collected an interception.

Although Coney produced his 20th career 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 120 yards and a touchdown, this was his lowest output against the Statesmen. Connolly, who initially started 0 for 9, eventually went 13-of-29 for 248 yards and three TDs. Gallo lead all Dutchmen receivers with six catches for 141 yards and two TDs.

The Dutchmen defense was led by Anthony Cassese’s 11 tackles, while Alex Macchio and JP Sticco each logged two interceptions. Sticco accounted for the defensive TD on the fumble recovery.

With the loss the Dutchmen will need to beat first place Saint Lawrence (2-4, 2-0) next weekend to stay in the LL race. Hobart is idle until Oct 23 when they travel to Kings Point, Long Island to face the US Merchant Marine Academy (2-4, 1-1).

Analysis

This was probably the most exciting game in the past 20 years for Hobart fans. The 2004 OT game against Union arguably had more at stake, but that one didn't boast over 1,000 yards of offense and 10 TDs!!!

Still, the Statesmen got very lucky given how sloppily they played at times, what with all the turnovers (6) and penalties (-75 yards). So far this season Hobart has been flagged 39 times for -330 yards!! Compare that to the 2008 NCAA playoff team that was flagged 58 times for 478 yards IN 11 GAMES.

If Hobart is going to have hope at running the table in the LL and returning to the NCAAs, they really need to improve on the mental mistakes, turnovers and penalties.

Credit should go to this team for hanging in there and not getting down, especially when things started to go awry in the third quarter. Hobart's defense also played a really great game, practically shutting down the Union offense in the first quarter other than the blown coverages on the two first half TD plays.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether this Hobart offense can improve itself in putting up more points per game. It was pretty incredible that even with over 600 yards in total offense, Hobart found itself tailing late in the fourth quarter.

Perhaps with more reps, Strang will become a more consistent player and ultimately take this offense to the next level? In the meantime, it would appear Doug Vella's starting job is tenous at best. I don't know how the Statesmen coaching staff could bench a player after having such a big coming out party? Time, and practice over the next two weeks leading up to the MMA game will tell.

You can catch an interview with Nick Strang on yesterday's archived broadcast of In the HuddLLe (www.inthehuddLLe.com) and a tape delayed broadcast on WHWS 105.7 FM LP in Geneva (our first "affiliate", pretty cool if you ask me!).

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Union Game Preview - It's Now or Never for Hobart

The Hobart Statesmen (2-2, 0-1) host league rival Union College (2-1, 2-0) in what amounts to a must win game. Union has had the Statesmen’s number as of late, defeating Hobart three times in the past four seasons, including last year’s 31-20 victory in Schenectady (a game I had the pleasure of attending in person, at least for the first half). The Dutchmen lead the all-time series 50-41-2. Union and Hobart first squared off in 1896, making the Dutchmen the second oldest active Statesmen rival. The Statesmen’s last victory over the Garnet was back on November 3, 2007 when Hobart prevailed 30-20 at Union’s Frank Bailey Field.

This season Union has several key offensive players for the Statesmen defense to stop, but none that have given them as many fits as SR RB Chris Coney. Coney has burned the Statesmen for a grand total of 357 yards rushing and four TDs in his career. Coney leads the LL in rushing with 392 yards this season (130.7 YPG/average). JR QB Drew Connolly is 2-0 versus Hobart and has passed for 388 yards and five TDs against the Statesmen defense over that same time period.

Connolly is currently third in the LL in passing (154.7 YPG/average) and fourth in total offense (179 YPG/average). The JR QB has passed for 464 yards (34 completions on 75 attempts) with four TDs and 3 INTs. Connolly’s favorite target is the fleet footed SR WR Justin Gallo, the same Gallo who smoked the Hobart secondary for three TDs and 268 yards in last year’s match up. This year, Gallo has collected 15 passes for 233 yards and one TD. Gallo’s numbers make him the leader in receptions and receiving yards (77.7 YPG/average) per game in the LL. Gallo’s younger brother, JR WR Connor, has caught eight balls for 135 yards and two receiving TDs.

Coney eventually broke an otherwise stout WPI (3-2, 1-1) defense to the tune of 197 rushing yards (the 15th time Coney has broken the 100 yard milestone in his career) and combined with Connolly for four second half touchdowns to help Union rally back from a 14-0 third quarter deficit to defeat the Engineers 25-17 in Worcester last Saturday.

On defense the Dutchmen are lead by a duo of LBs SR AJ Rocchio (27 tackles, one TFL and one sack) and JR Steve Modliszewski (21 tackles, 1.5 TFL) and SR S Anthony Cassese (24 tackles, 1 INT).

Keys to the Game:
1. Contain Coney – The SR RB from Florida is the spark that fuels the Dutchmen offense. If the Statesmen are going to still be relevant in the LL race, they need to control Coney, tackle at first contact and penetrate the backfield much better than they did against Saint Lawrence.

2. Put Pressure on Connolly – Last weekend Connolly struggled mightily against a tough WPI defense and was held to a mere 52 yards passing, including two INTs. Hobart did not get any meaningful pass rush going against SLU (0 sacks) and it cost them – particularly on third and fourth downs – in key spots in the game. Although Hobart’s JR CB Drake Woodard tallied an interception against the Saints, the Statesmen failed to capitalize on that opportunity. If Hobart has success bottling up Coney, I am not sure if Connolly can win the game for the Dutchmen – the only caveat being if Gallo goes off again beats the secondary deep like he did three times in 2009.

3. Avoid (all those big) mistakes – Hobart has killed themselves the past two games losing turnover battles (-2, not including the blocked punt, vs. SJFC and -4 vs. SLU) and have been flagged 10 times for 115 yards over that same time period. Clearly the Statesmen can’t afford to make that many mistakes and expect to defeat the better teams in their league or otherwise. Hopefully Hobart has learned from the past two weeks and will play smarter against the Dutchmen – not to mention recalling the blown coverage that Gallo capitalized on en route to last year’s 268 yard and three TD performances.

4. Better play calling and execution – The Statesmen offense didn’t do itself any favors with the play calling in the SLU game. While I am willing to give the Saints defense the credit they deserve in bottling up FY RB Steven Webb, Hobart really should have moved away from the shotgun formation, especially in the second half. Vella is not really cut out to be a pure drop back passer like his predecessors (e.g., Doyle ‘09, Strom ‘08 and Mizro ‘07) so I would recommend his taking more snaps directly behind center and working short to intermediate routes to his RBs, FBs (FY Juan O’Farrill had a key reception that teed up the Webb TD in the fourth quarter) and WRs given he under threw several longer ones in last Saturday’s contest en route to his four interceptions. It would also be nice to see Hobart get some TE play going but it doesn’t appear that offensive coordinator Kevin DeWall ’00 has much confidence in his TEs other than blocking. So far Statesmen TEs have only one catch on the season - JR TE Greg Clifford tallied a five yard catch against Dickinson in the season opener.

5. Get on the board and go for the kill – The Union defense has not allowed a TD in over 90 minutes of football, so Hobart needs to be aggressive on defense to capitalize on Dutchmen turnovers as well as punch in some offensive scores early to get their confidence back after last weekend’s debacle in Canton. In the recent past it has been the Dutchmen who have found ways to win in these slug fests. Hobart needs to take a page from that book and find a way to put the game away if and when they have the opportunity to do so.

Prediction:

I am in a bit of quandary here given after the last two weeks, I am now unsure which Hobart team is going to show up on Saturday? The team from the first two games played virtually mistake-free, team and opportunistic football; making plays on all facets (i.e., offense, defense and special teams) of the game. The last two games the Statesmen have been the complete opposites of the team from Games 1 and 2.

That said, Hobart has not lost three straight since a similar skid ended the 1997 season when the Statesmen fell to Ithaca, Hartwick and RPI – the latter two by a mere three combined points. The Statesmen have traditionally played the Dutchmen tough at the Boz but actually haven’t beaten Union at home since 2004. That game was a thrilling 33-27 comeback and overtime victory that clinched Hobart’s and the first ever Liberty League championship behind a record setting 339 passing yards and five passing TDs by then SO QB Shawn Mizro.

Union is always a tough out, but they have had the Statesmen’s number as of late and I am certain they probably relish the opportunity to potentially provide the proverbial knockout punch to one of their primary league rivals, on Hobart’s home court no less.

Given Statesmen’s struggles and inconsistent play I am reticent to pick Hobart in this one (and trust me, this pains me a lot). That said I am going to have to swallow my Statesmen pride and pick Union 28-24.

Hobart has the most to lose this Saturday and hopefully they’ll play like their lives depend on it (because let’s be honest, in the event Hobart loses, it’s basically game over for the Statesmen for 2010). A loss in this game would certainly mean another year without a NCAA or post season berth, unless budgets (and final season records) provide Hobart with a possible ECAC game (i.e., the DIII equivalent to the NIT or “lower tier bowl game”).

If Hobart can win the game, they remain statistically viable to regain the LL title via various tie breaker scenarios down the road.

My classmate and friend, Matt Smith ’94 will be making the trip to Hobart all the way from Korea so I hope he brings some luck with him from the Far East. My colleague and co-host of “In the HuddLLe” Frank Rossi will be on the call for WABY AM, but I’ll probably have to go with Ted Baker and the WEOS broadcast as usual.

If the Statesmen ever (desperately) needed a win, it’s Saturday. Kickoff is at 12 PM ET.

Until then, good luck and go ‘Bart!

Saint Lawrence Recap

All good things must come to an end, but I honestly wasn't expecting Saint Lawrence to break Hobart's 18 game winning streak this weekend. To the Saints credit, they made the big plays necessary to win the game.

The SLU defense basically shut down the Statesmen's running game and it was apparent later in the second half that the offense didn't quite know what to do and seemed to rely on running out of the shotgun formation (not a great option in my opinion).

Vella's four interceptions definitely were a back breaker but some of the blame could fall on the Statesmen defense who blew a few key one on one assignments (the Walker TDs) and rarely sacked Saint QB JP Kearney - particularly on third and fourth down when the Saints scored their first and last TDs.

That said, it's clear the Statesmen weren't 100% focused given six penalties for 70 yards - the final one giving the Saints the ball on the Hobart 35 with under two minutes to play and the game on the line.

Hobart was sloppy and deserved to lose, but ironically, even after the Sutton 33 yard TD catch; the Statesmen had one more chance to either tie or win the game. Fittingly, Vella was picked off twice when he under threw his receivers and the Saints hung on to win the game.

The bottom line is Hobart failed to protect the ball (-4 in turnover margin), continued their struggles on third down going six for 15 (40%), had zero sacks and failed to convert their only interception on defense into points.

I can only imagine how long a bus ride it was for the team last Saturday and this weekend it doesn't get any easier. The 0-1 hole means that for all intents and purposes, Union is a "must win" if Hobart harbors any hopes to make it back to the NCAAs. Even then, a win against Union is no guarantee the chips would fall into place for the Statesmen, who's only hope in winning the league (and the accompanying automatic bid) would be the (somewhat complex) LL tiebreaker rules.

Basically Hobart has to win out from here forward, but the Dutchmen have beaten Hobart three of the past four seasons, including two straight and are the de facto defending league champions.

I'll have more to say on this weekend's Union match up but unless the Statesmen correct some basic fundamentals, I think a third and season ending loss may be in store for Hobart....

Statesmen Stunned by Saints, 24-21

Four Doug Vella interceptions and a number of missed opportunties knocked off the Hobart Statesmen (2-2, 0-1) in Canton, NY. Saint Lawrence (2-3, 2-0) scored on three SR QB JP Kearney TD passes to defeat Hobart for the first time since 1991. It was also the first time since 2003 that the Statesmen have lost two consecutive games.

I'll have more analysis on this one later this week, but needless to say, Hobart's young season may already be over with this shocking defeat- their NCAA hopes potentially are with this loss barring certain LL tiebreaker scenarios.

Congrats to the Saints who all of a sudden are tied with Union, winners over WPI by the score of 25-17, for 2-0 in the LL.

Liberty League Opener - Saint Lawrence Game Preview

The Hobart Statesmen (2-1, 0-0) open their league play against one of their oldest rivals, the Saint Lawrence University Saints (1-3, 1-0). The Saints and Statesmen have squared off 82 times since 1901 with Hobart enjoying a 44-36-2 series lead. The Statesmen's series advantage has been bolstered in recent years, as Hobart hasn't lost to SLU since 1991 – the longest active winning streak (18) against any opponent.

Last season the Statesmen defeated the Saints 33-10 at Boswell Field to earn Coach Cragg's 100th career victory. It was also the debut of the Hobart “Wounded Warrior Project” camouflage football uniforms to raise funds and awareness for injured veterans of the Gulf Wars. The Statesmen racked up 373 yards of total offense and four touchdowns on the day – two by air (Vincent and Muratori) and two by the ground (Marlier). The defense sacked SLU QB JP Kearney six times and held Saint runners to a total of 72 yards on the day.

If Hobart's going to get win #19 against the scarlet and brown they will need to focus on breaking the Saints strong rush defense. SLU ranks third in the league allowing only 115 yards per game on the ground and second overall (based mostly on non-conference play) in total defense, allowing just under 300 yards per game. The Saints are especially tough when backed into a corner, as the defense has only allowed five scores on fifteen opponent visits to their red zone (33%).

The Saints have had a tough slate of games to start the season including Ithaca (3-1), #25 Alfred (3-0) and Norwich (3-1). SLU picked up its first win of the season, and the first win for new head coach Mark Raymond (previously the defensive coordinator at Ithaca), last Saturday against the Merchant Marine Academy (1-3, 0-1) by the score of 13-6 in Kings Point. The Saints were lead by JR WR Ethan Sutton who scored both of SLU's touchdowns – the first on an 80 yard fake punt in the first quarter and the second on a 75 yard catch and run with 6:06 to play in the game. A clip of the game winning touchdown can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GPxPsxaH0t8

The Saints were paced by JR RB Ramon Mignott who finished with a career-high 127 yards rushing for St. Lawrence on 23 carries. The SLU defense also answered the call, led by senior linebackers Ryan Fedo (leads the Saints with 37 tackles, including five TFL) and captain Ben Cryts (21 tackles, 2.5 TFL and two sacks), holding the Mariner offense without a touchdown and Fedo sacked the quarterback a career-high three times (the Saints had nine sacks total on the day).

Keys to the Game:

1. Quick start – The Saints have only allowed 26 points total in the first quarter of their games this season. Thus if Hobart can attack and post a couple of scores early in the game, it will put added pressure onto a SLU offense that's really struggled in scoring – currently averaging only 11.5 points per game.

2. Get back to basics – Hobart went 0 for 10 on third down against a tough St. John Fisher defense last Saturday. Obviously the key to a win this Saturday is sustained drives and moving the chains. Expect a healthy mix of passes from Doug Vella and runs by FY phenom Steven Webb (six rushing touchdowns this season). The Statesmen OL will also need to step up to protect Vella against a SLU pass rush that leads the league in sacks.

3. Get the defense's swagger back – Hobart gave up 24 points in the first half last Saturday after only allowing seven in their first two games combined. Given SLU's offensive struggles, this game could be a great opportunity for the Statesmen defense to flex their collective muscles and potentially shut out, if not shut down the Saints.

Prediction:

I like Hobart to run away with this one, both literally and figuratively, the Saints defensive prowess notwithstanding. That said, I'll pick Hobart to win this one 35-10.

Kick-off is Saturday at 2 PM ET. Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Homecoming Weekend Recap, Hobart Falls to Fisher 34-14

I am just getting the cob webs out after arriving home from New York last night after 12 AM PT.

I am scraped and bruised from the HWS Fall Nationals (aka soap box car racing), where I commandeered, then subsequently crashed, the Hobart Alumni Association car. A picture of me prior to the disaster is posted on the HWS website:

http://www.hws.edu/experience/twip/photo231/

The box car is the 12th photo in. There are also a few clips my classmates and I playing some live rock n' roll (as "The Rum Runner Band") prior to the SJFC-Hobart game as well.

Needless to say, the campus looked great and the weather was pretty good. Unfortunately the Cardinals spoiled the Statesmen's Homecoming and looked very much like one of the Top 25 teams in all of DIII.

Anyway, here's a recap of last Sunday's game. Will post more regarding the upcoming match up against Saint Lawrence and the commencement of Liberty League play later this week:

Homecoming Game Recap

The first night football game ever played on Boswell Field would be a battle of the unbeatens, as the Hobart Statesmen hosted the St John Fisher Cardinals last Saturday in Geneva, NY.

Both teams took the field for the standing-room-only crowd of 3,903 on Hobart's Homecoming and Family Weekend.

The Statesmen won the coin toss and elected to take the ball. Hobart had a chance to put points on the board, but Conor Callahan's 37-yard field goal attempt was no good.

The vaunted Cardinal offense wasted little time and countered with a 12-play, 74-yard drive, but the Statesmen defense held and so Fisher settled for a 23-yard field goal - which was good - by placekicker Chad Monheim giving Fisher an early 3-0 lead.

Hobart's second offensive possession also stalled and Fisher would take advantage capping a seven-play, 81-yard drive with a FuQuan Borum 8 yard touchdown run.

Down 10-0 the Statesmen advanced to the St. John Fisher 25 on their ensuing drive, but rather than attempt another field goal, failed to convert and turned the ball over on downs.

Hobart defense forced the Cardinals to punt on their next possession, but the Fisher made a big play, recovering a Statesmen fumble to set them up at the Hobart 42. Nine plays later, Borum barreled in from 2 yards out to post Fisher to 17-0 lead.

Hobart went three-and-out again, but Kyle Macey busted through the middle of the line and blocked the Statesmen punt out of bounds at the Hobart 41.

With another short field, Fisher once again only needed seven plays to return to the end zone. Cardinals’ quarterback Tim Bailey threw a 3-yard pass to Scott Biehl to make it a 24-0 lead and the rout was on.

Hobart finally responded with a two-play, 63-yard drive that featured Steven Webb making one of the most athletic plays I've been in a live football game since I watched Reggie Bush at USC. Webb caught a short pass on second and eight and burned the Cardinal defense for a 61-yard touchdown, closing out the first half scoring.

Both teams traded possessions for most of the third quarter until Fisher connected on it's second field goal of the game - a 25 yarder - to push the Cardinal lead to 27-7 with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter.

FuQuan Borum scored his third and Fisher's final touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter.

Hobart's Steven Webb would score his second touchdown of the game capping a 12-play, 63-yard drive with a 7-yard run to the end zone for his sixth rushing TD of the season. Still, the night belonged to the Cardinals and they took the win by a 34-14 final.

Fisher out gained Hobart 473 to 400 yards. Borum lead the Cardinal ground attack posted 177 yards on 33 carries and three touchdowns.

Quarterback Tim Bailey threw for 248 yards and one touchdown, completing 23 of 39 attempts.

Webb finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and three receptions for a game-high 109 yards and a TD. Webb is the first Hobart player in more than a decade to gain 100 rushing and receiving in the same game.

Statesmen quarterback completed 17 of 32 attempts for 243 yards and one touchdown and an interception.

Statesmen senior Kyle O’Laughlin and junior Reggie Robinson shared game-high honors with 10 tackles apiece.

Brendan Moore had nine stops for Fisher.

The Cardinals improved to 4-0 and will open their Empire 8 play against 4-0 Utica College next Saturday.

With the loss Hobart drops to 2-1 and the Statesmen will look to rebound when they begin Liberty League play next Saturday, when the Hobart travels to St. Lawrence.

You can check out the archive of last Sunday night's "In the HuddLLe" show at http://www.inthehuddlle.com/ where I was "surprise guest" given I called in from the Atlanta airport en route back to California. We covered the Hobart-Fisher game, among others, and previewed the upcoming weekends' games.

Brief analysis on the Fisher game

While the Cardinals deserved to win the game and were the better team, the Statesmen didn't do themselves any favors with four major mistakes that ultimately Fisher took advantage of to put the game out of reach.

These plays included the following miscues by Hobart:

1. Missed 37 yard field goal on the opening possession
2. Fumbled punt return, giving the Cardinals a short field (took over from the Statesmen 42 yard line)
3. Overthrowing on 4th down from the Fisher 25
4. Giving up the punt block which gave the Cardinals the ball near the Hobart 40

The Hobart offense especially stuggled on third down where they were 0 for 10 on the day. These struggles, compounded by the turnovers, gave Fisher a 17:43 to 12:17 advantage in time of possession in the first half which ultimately put the game away. The Cardinals rode Borum to a career day and the Fisher OL seemed to man handle the Hobart front four with most of the Statesmen linebackers playing off the ball and not blitzing very often due to the concerns around Bailey and the Fisher passing attack.

Hopefully the Statesmen will learn from this game and fortunately start with a clean slate (0-0) in Liberty League play on Saturday.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Hobart Homecoming Preview - St. John Fisher

The Hobart Statesmen (2-0) will host the Saint John Fisher College Cardinals (3-0) in the first ever night football game at newly remodeled Boswell Field and Caird Center for Sports and Recreation. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM. Fisher brings one of the most potent offenses in the east region averaging over 52 points and almost 500 yards of offense per game. The Statesmen have 10-5 edge in the all time series against the Cardinals, but the Cardinals have won the last three head-to-head match ups with the Statesmen, including the first round of the NCAA playoffs in 2007. Hobart’s last victory over Fisher came back in 2001.

St. John Fisher has now advanced to the postseason each of the last eight years and has enjoyed eight straight winning seasons. Fisher entered the 2010 season with a 55-16 record (77.46%) over the last six years. Hobart, by comparison has a 49-14 record (77.77%). Head coach Paul Vosburgh enters his 20th season at Fisher, and like Mike Cragg, earned his 100th victory in 2009.

The Cardinals passing attack is lead by SR QB Tim Bailey who is off to an incredible start to 2010. He’s already passed for 874 yards (a 291.3 YPG average) completing 66.3% of his attempts and 14 TDs. Last week Bailey passed for 315 yards and four TDs in a 49-21 victory over the Rochester Yellow Jackets (0-2). Although Bailey was picked off twice by the Jackets, his performance secured the win for the Cardinals in the second half and ultimately took him over the 6,000 yard mark for his career.

JR RB FuQuan Borum is the Cardinals’ leading rusher, having tallied 242 yards on 56 attempts (4.3 average) and tallying four rushing TDs. Bailey has multiple targets including an explosive tandem of JR WRs - Ryan Schmidt (22 catches, 333 yards and six TDs) and speedster Ryan Francis (13 catches for 274 yards and three TDs). These Ryan’s are also kick return treats and have combined for 270 return yards and a 86 yard TD to open last weekend’s game against Rochester. SR HB Scott Biehl has only received a few targets, but has made the most of those opportunities, converting two of his four catches into scores.

The Fisher defense has allowed 19.7 PPG and 362.7 YPG on average and are lead by JR LB Joe Leavell (30 tackles), JR FS Adam Burdick (19 tackles) and JR SS Dave Vosburgh (18 tackles). The Cardinals have been opportunistic in the areas of turnovers and have picked off opposing QBs six times, including one returned for a TD. The Cardinals also seem to be especially strong against the run, allowing opponents an average of 110 YPG and four rushing TDs.


Keys to the game:
1. Win the time of possession and turnover battles – I think it goes without saying that the best defense to Fisher’s high octane offense is to keep Bailey and the Cardinals on the Boswell sidelines. While the Statesmen are no slouches on offense – averaging 36.5 PPG and 331.5 YPG in total offense – or on defense – having held teams to only 14 points on average I don’t think they can afford to get into a shoot out with Fisher. That said, I expect healthy doses of FY RB Steven Webb (178 yards rushing, five TDs) behind Hobart’s big and experienced offensive linemen. To do this the Statesmen will need to improve upon their 31% (eight for 26) third down conversion percentage and keep moving the chains (and the clock). Both teams are +4 (Hobart) and +6 (Fisher) in turnover margin, respectively, so something will have to give Saturday. Doug Vella threw his first interception of the season against Carnegie Mellon last Saturday, but was otherwise fairly accurate going 15 for 29 (51.7%) and 274 yards. The Hobart OL will need to keep the pressure off of Vella as the Fisher defense has tallied seven sacks and 17 tackles for a loss so far this season.

2. Establish the Defense Early – Fisher has scored 102 of its 158 points (64.5%) in the first half of this season. Rochester had a good deal of success in the first half and was able to move the ball effectively against the Cardinal defense scoring 21 points, but they also allowed 35 points. The Statesmen tend to defer when they win the coin toss to start the game and I would expect Fisher to want the ball regardless, so the Hobart defense has an opportunity to set the tone of the game if they can limit the Cardinal offense to shorter and (most importantly) low or non-scoring possessions early in the first quarter. The Statesmen DL has been better than expected, especially in pressuring the QB. Hobart has tallied 10 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in its first two games. Obviously the more hits they can make on Bailey – who’s been very well protected by his OL (only two sacks so far over three games) – the better.

3. Make (and Don’t Allow) the Big Play(s) – The Statesmen have broke open their past two games with big plays on offense – the fake punt conversion and 90 yard kickoff return for a TD in the Dickinson game and the intentional onside kick in the CMU game – and defense (the punt block for TD in CMU game) this season. That said, there is greater risk going for it against a team like Fisher, and the Hobart defense and special teams will want avoid the mistakes Rochester made (e.g., the Francis 86 yard kickoff return for a TD and the 84 yard Bailey to Francis TD pass). Needless to say, the Francis vs. JR CB Drake Woodard match up will have a huge impact on this game.

4. Home Sweet Home – Hobart hasn’t lost a game at Boswell Field since October of 2008 (three FG misses costing them a win over Union College). There is a lot of excitement around Geneva over it being the first ever football night game in Hobart history and Homecoming weekend. Fisher being in nearby Rochester will likely mean a decent travel crowd for the visitors. That said, hopefully the team and the home crowd can channel that energy (and related noise from cheering) and disrupt the Fisher offense on Saturday night.


Prediction:
As I stated on last Sunday’s (9/19) “In the HuddLLe” broadcast, this is a tough call for me. On one hand I want to go with my heart that believes Hobart can pull off the “upset”. On the other hand, the statistical analysis, QB comparisons and other data point to a potential 10 or 14 point Cardinal victory. I don’t expect Fisher to hit their season average with respect to points given I believe the Hobart defense is the best unit they have faced to date. Still, the same is true for the Cardinal defense for the Statesmen offense, so QB Doug Vella’s ability to drive Hobart down the field and limit mistakes will be just as significant.

That said, in the interest of being objective, I am going to predict a 35-24 Fisher win over the Statesmen on Saturday night. Hopefully Hobart will rise to the occasion and prove me wrong! I know I am certainly looking forward to being in attendance and seeing my first football game at the new Boz (and first home football game since 1997).

For those you alumni/ae coming back – look for me and my former college band (The "Rum Runner Band" which consists of Brady Shelsy, Jim Mastrianni and Chris Hamlen) as we’ll be performing right next to Boswell Field about and hour (starting at 5:30 PM ET) as part of the pregame Homecoming festivities.

Go ‘Bart!

Hobart runs away from Carnegie Mellon, 35-21

The Hobart Statesmen improved to 2-0 on the season with a resounding 35-21 victory over the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans (1-2) today in Pittsburgh.

The hosts would score on their opening possession, capping a seven play, 53 yard drive via a 10 yard Rob Kalkstein to Chris Garcia TD.

Hobart would respond with 35 unanswered points including three TD runs, including a long of 73 yards, for FY RB Steven Webb. The Statesmen struck with big plays including an onside kick in the second quarter that set up a 49 yard Vella to Muratori strike to post Hobart to a 21-7 lead going into the half.

CMU would score a couple of TDs late in the fourth quarter, but the day was all Statesmen. Hobart racked up nearly 470 yards of offense and the defense collected 10 tackles for losses, including eight sacks. DE James Rayhill lead Statesmen tacklers with 11, including 3 TFL and 2.5 sacks.

Hobart's Vella had a banner day throwing for 274 yards and two TDs. The star once again was FY phenom Steven Webb whose hat trick lead lead the Statesmen ground attack with 120 yards on 13 carries.

Hobart will face off against area rival St John Fisher under the lights - the first ever night game in Hobart Football's 100+ year history - AND I WILL BE THERE!!!!

Will post more analysis on this one and preview the big SJFC match up later this week.

Go 'Bart!

Carnegie Mellon Game Preview

“Carnegie Mellon is a totally different bear that we’ve got to go after, but we’re a little better than I thought we were, which I feel very good about.” — Hobart head coach Mike Cragg (“Hobart’s dandy debut,” Greg McNall, Finger Lakes Times, 9-13-10)

The Hobart Statesmen (1-0) will embark their longest road trip of the season to Pittsburgh, PA to face the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans (1-1) of the University Athletic Association (UAA). The Statesmen have won all three games dating back to the series opener in 2007, but all have been very competitive games usually decided by a touchdown or less. CMU opened their season with a victory over Grove City College (1-1) but lost last weekend 34-27 against Allegheny College (2-0).

Last season Hobart defeated the Tartans by a score of 24-16 at the “Boz”. The Statesmen produced 321 yards of offense in the game, including 216 yards passing from Doug Vella (16-of-26 with two TDs). Hobart RB Andrew Marlier '10 ran a kickoff 85 yards for a TD for the first kickoff return by a Statesman since Sept. 30, 2000, when Dyshaun Washington ’04 ran back the opening kickoff against St. Lawrence a school record 97 yards. The game was back and forth with Hobart hanging onto a one point lead (thanks in part to a blocked PAT by the Statesmen after CMU scored with 11:21 to play) in the fourth quarter until a short Vella to WR Paul Overdorf '10 TD pass put the Statesmen up 24-16 with 7:36 to play in the game.

This season the Tartans return 14 starters (six offensive and eight defensive) from last season’s (5-5, 1-2) squad. On offense CMU is lead by All-UAA SR FB Justin Pratt and All-UAA JR RB back Chris Garcia. This tandem of backs accounted for 1,200 of the Tartans’ 1,769 rushing yards in 2009. Pratt finished the 2009 campaign with a team-leading 11 rushing TDs while Garcia found the end zone three times on the ground and three TD receptions. Garcia was the team’s second-leading receiver with 18 receptions for 268 yards.

The 2010 Tartan defense includes three players who made the All-UAA Team – SR LB Mike Shedlosky (currently leads CMU in tackles with 32 over the past two games) SR DLs Jason Stearns and David O’Connor. Shedlosky led the Tartans with 68 tackles and Sterns and O’Connor combined for five of the Tartans’ 13 sacks in 2009.

Also returning for CMU is SR All-UAA punter Richard Pattison and All-UAA return specialist Dan Miller. For the second straight season, Pattison is coming off a standout performance after ranking nationally all season in punt average. He ended the season with an average of 40.5 yards per punt on 48 punts, ranking fifth in the nation. He placed 15 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and had nine punts of 50 yards or more with a career-long of 68 yards at Kenyon. Miller had a season-long return of 26 yards last season against Ohio Wesleyan.

Keys to the Game:
1. Make CMU one dimensional on offense – The Tartans lost their prior QB starter, Phil Pantalone, to graduation last spring so they have a FY QB to run their Wing-T offense in 2010. For those not familiar with the “Wing,” it is a system predicated on forcing the opposing defense into multiple adjustments throughout the game due to the varying position of the wingback. The wingback can be any player in this four back running system and this formation forces the secondary to play at least three deep, due to the possibility of three deep receiving threats. FY QB Rob Kalkstein has been fairly effective and efficient (15 of 25) in his first two starts throwing for 274 yards and three TDs. He appears to be somewhat mobile having called his own number 16 times this season but only gaining 43 (net) yards. If the Statesmen can take away the pass, they will be able to be more aggressive at the point of attack like they were in the Dickinson game and force three and outs. RBs Chris Garcia and Justin Pratt have only averaged ~47 and 24 yards per game so far this season, so neither appears to be a big run threat.

2. Win the field position battle – With a punter like Pattison, Hobart needs to watch having getting pinned back in their own side of the field which leads to:

3. Attack the Tartan defense – The Statesmen should look to challenge a CMU defense that’s allowing an average of 421.5 yards per game (214.5 rushing yards per game and 207 passing yards on average, respectively). Last week Hobart didn’t need much offense given the play of the defense and special teams. Barring plays like blocked punts and kickoff return TDs; however, the Statesmen should look to move the chains and score on each possession, putting more pressure on the young Kalkstein to keep up.

4. Red zone defense – The Tartans are 8 for 8 (100%) in the red zone scoring six TDs and 2 FGs (long of 40). While Dickinson had limited opportunities, last season Hobart ranked 5th in the LL in this category allowing 13 scores (10 TDs, 3 FGs) scores on 18 attempts (72.9%) so they could certainly afford to improve on that statistic in 2010.

Prediction:
Given the fact the average scores between these teams have been 24-19 the past three seasons, I went out on a limb last Sunday night when I predicted a 21-7 Hobart win. That said I am confident the Statesmen are a much better squad than last season and CMU was picked to finish last in the UAA this year - perhaps given the losses at QB and other key positions on offense. This confidence is bolstered by the apparent struggles the Tartans are having on defense (e.g., giving up a lot of yards and a points – 27.5 PPG on average) and the emergence of game breaking players such as Statesman FY RB Steven Webb (3 TDs) and OLB Devin Worthington (10 tackles and a punt block).

Hopefully I’ll be right and Hobart will take care of business this Saturday (and not be looking past CMU to the big St John Fisher / Homecoming game the following weekend).

Kickoff for this Saturday’s game is at 12:00 PM ET. Go ‘Bart!