Final D3football.com Poll Smacks Statesmen

The 2011 Liberty League co-champion Hobart Statesmen (7-2) gave #3 Wesley (12-2, losers by a touchdown to national runners up # 2 Mount Union, 14-1) one of their closest games of the NCAA playoffs, but was left out of the final Top 25 poll by the "panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country."

Saint John Fisher (10-3), who benefited from a better seeding from the NCAA Playoff Committee (in spite of a 36 point loss to Hobart back in September) finished the year with a #11 ranking.  That said the final placement of Johns Hopkins (#18, 10-1), Delaware Valley (#13, 11-1) and Baldwin-Wallace (#24, 8-2) really calls this group of pollsters into question. 

Although Hobart didn't do itself any favors with voters given their eight game schedule and the one point RPI loss; the Statesmen acquitted themselves very well taking the Wolverines to the brink with several key offensive players out of the line up.  Hobart proved with out a doubt they not only belonged in the tournament, but had they had Fisher or another team's (better) draw, they would have likely advanced a couple of rounds given how well they played against Wesley.

Still, the voters apparently took the view that Hobart was a two-loss team that exited the playoffs in the first round (even though they challenged the #3 team in the country as well, if not better than other higher ranked teams).  That said all the evidence shows they overlooked the fact that the Statesmen were clearly a Top 25 team. 

Hopefully the returning Hobart players will take this oversight by the D3football.com community as added fuel to push for another LL title and a better / longer playoff run in 2012.

Comin' Atcha hits 10,000!!!

Thanks to all the readers out there who helped get this blog to 10,000 views since going live back in August of 2009.  I appreciate the visits and interest in Division III and specifically Hobart football from all the fans, alumni and others out there!

See you in 2012 when I am sure to have a few updates on incoming recruits.

Happy holidays!

JB

Hobart lands four players on the D3football.com All-East Region Team

Hobart SR CB Drake Woodard was named to the D3football.com All-East Region first team today.

Statesmen SR OL Brendan Hatlee, SO OLB Devin Worthington and FY DE Tyre Coleman each received second team recognition as well. 

A copy of the press release is below:

http://static.psbin.com/f/3/f3e93d39hkcp7q/d3football-all-east-region-2011.pdf

While the Woodard selection isn't a surprise, Coleman's not making the first team can be thought of as an "upset" given his stats (e.g., second in DIII in sacks). Still it's extremely rare for a freshman to break through to a first team award, which tend to go to upperclassmen.

Still, it's quite an accomplishment for all the Hobart players selected.  Congratulations to Drake, Brendan, Devin and Tyre!

What Could Have Been (with a side of sour grapes)

Although the Statesmen's season wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, I have been keeping an eye on the DIII football playoffs and marvelling at the advancement of the Saint John Fisher Cardinals (10-2).  The Cardinals, who potentially were the "last team into the tournament" as an 8-2 at-large selection and Empire 8 conference runner up, have defeated two conference champions in successive weeks (Johns Hopkins and Delaware Valley) after receiving a ranking / seed that was supposedly "lower" than Hobart's (given the Statesmen's convicing head-to-head victory over SJF on 9/24).

Perhaps this is just a case of a team peaking at the right time but it does make me wonder "what if" the Statesmen ended up in Fisher's bracket vs. being placed (as some would argue as the seventh seed) in a more difficult (containing several top 10 teams) and geographically far-fetched bracket with #7 ranked Wesley (who by the way, rallied down 27-7 in the first half to win 49-34 over Northwest Conference champion Linfield last Saturday in Dover)?

Fisher fans will argue the 36 point loss to Hobart back in September was an aberration and as it stands now, the Cardinals clearly have benefited and have taken advantage of their placement in the tournament (playing two conference champs with really no serious out of conference games) and will likely end the season with a better ranking than the Statesmen (who I am guessing will be "rewarded" with a 20-25 ranking by D3football.com due to playing Wesley close in Round 1) once the season ends in a couple of weeks.

Given the new playoff format, it remains to be seen whether or not Hobart will encounter more odd / bad seedings in the future.  That said it seems clear that for now, the Statesmen and the LL won't be getting any preferential treatment anytime soon.  At least Hobart is bolstered by a 10 game schedule in 2012 and the addition of new LL member Springfield.  It's a long way until September so I can't help but wonder how 2011 could have been different had a few plays / decisions went in a slightly different direction......?

2011 Season Retrospective

The 2011 Hobart Statesmen football team came into this fall with a lot of offseason baggage but went quietly about their work in getting back on top of the Liberty League and returning to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2008.

2011 really seemed like a “tale of two seasons” in that the Statesmen completely blew away their competition by an average score of 39-13 in their first five games. Then, in the snow and cold of the WPI game, Hobart’s offense seemed to lose its spark, getting shut out in the second half and scoring no more than 28 points in their last two regular season games. Even the Statesmen’s previously lock-down defense gave up a season high 29 points in their only losing effort to RPI on Senior Day. Although the Statesmen would recover to capture a share of the LL title and the automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA’s (due to a 41-24 win over Union on 10/8) the following week against Rochester, Hobart would lose their star QB Nick Strang to a concussion, their top WR Garth Muratori to a PCL injury and their punter and third WR Yosh Karbonwiczak to an ankle sprain all in the same game. SR LB Reggie Robinson also suffered a concussion, but obviously a milder one, as he was able to play in the playoffs.

Still this Hobart team, and particularily the defense, came back with a chip on their shoulder, ultimately proving they were one of the top teams in the country by taking #7 Wesley College to the brink, before falling 35-28 on the road in the first round of the playoffs.  While the Wolverines exploited the Statesmen's one true achilles heel (i.e., struggle to defend the deep ball when a team has more than one receiving threat), Hobart forced multiple turnovers and saw back up JR QB Kelly Olney rise to the occasion passing for over 200 yards against one of the best defenses in Division III.

Although 7-2 is somewhat a disappointing finish given the talent level of this team, it does signify a return to form for a Statesmen program that went to the playoffs six times in eight seasons during the last decade.  Hobart graduates several key contributors including SR DB Drake Woodard, Robinson, Muratori and five SR OL including Anthony Coletta, Kelvin Cruz, Jarrid Blades, Kyle Sandy and Brendan Hatlee but several underclassmen saw playing time on both sides of the ball.
 
One nice change in 2012 is the return of a 10 game regular season schedule.  Springfield College joins the LL as an associate member and new OOC games with Utica and Geneva College have been added to Hobart's slate.
 
Thanks to all who've followed the blog this season (up to 9,755 views and counting since Sept 2009).  As always I will be on the look out for new recruits over the offseason and other Statesmen-related news.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Undermanned but undeterred, Hobart pushes #7 Wesley to the brink before falling 35-28

The Hobart Statesmen traveled to Dover, Delaware Saturday to take on #7 ranked Wesley College Wolverines in the first round of the NCAA Division III football tournament.  Hobart would be short-handed as their starting JR QB Nick Strang was out with a concussion, and SR WR and co-captain Garth Muratori would leave the game with an injury early in the second quarter.

Both team's offenses got off to a slow start, turning the ball over on their initial possessions.  After he Hobart offense stalled on it's second drive, Wesley's SR QBk Shane McSweeny drove the Wolverines to the Statesmen eight yard line before finding Jared Morris open for an eight yard touchdown.  The Tryon point after was good and Wesley staked itself to an early 7-0 lead.

McSweeny would strike again on the ensuing possession finding FY phenom Steven Koudossou on a 72 yard catch and watched his receiver out run the Statesmen secondary for the Wolverines' second score of the day.  The Tryon point after was good and Hobart found themselves down 14-0 with 4:03 to play in the first.

The Statesmen defense would try and turn the tide and tone of the game in the second quarter when JR DL Nick Auriemma picked off McSweeny at the 13 yard line, returning it to the 12.  Four plays later JR RB Bobby Dougherty would score from one yard out.  JR PK Stephen Bruening's point after was good and Hobart would make it 14-7 with 9:20 to play in the first half.

The Wolverines would respond almost immediately on a second long Koudossou catch and run, this one a 66 yarder to post the Wolverines to a 21-7 lead after the Tryon point after.  Hobart would battle back though, once again after the Statesmen defense forced a McSweeny fumble at the Wesley 32.  Back up JR QB Kelly Olney would lead the Statesmen to the one yard line until SO RB Steven Webb broke through to pull Hobart back within seven points after the Bruening point after was good.

The Wolverine offense would tack on one more score, this time a 42 yard pass from McSweeny to Matt Barile with 17 seconds to play.  The Tryon point after pushed the Wesley lead to 28-14 which stood at the half.

In the second half the Hobart defense continued to keep the Statesmen in the game, holding Wesley to a three and out on their first possession and then blocked a Wolverine punt at the 24 yard line which was recovered by SO OLB Devin Worthington and returned for a touchdown.  The Bruening point after was good and Hobart found themselves only  down 28-21 with 8:01 to play in the third quarter.

Wesley would embark on their longest drive of the game, taking over seven minutes and 13 plays before McSweeny connected with tight end Shane McAndrew from 15 yards out to put the Wolverines back up by 14 points, 35-21, with 47 seconds to play in the third quarter.  Although the ensuing Statesmen drive stalled, the Hobart special teams made another big play when Wesley's Sean Hopkins mishandled an FY WR Elvin Souffrant punt, which Hobart recovered at the Wolverine 16 yard line.  Two plays later Webb scored his second touchdown of the game, and after the Bruening kick was good, the Statesmen were once again back within seven, down 35-28, with eight seconds left in the third.

The fourth quarter would see teams trade possessions with Hobart driving inside the Wesley 10 yard line on two occasions.  The first time Hobart failed on a fourth and goal from the five yard line when they could have come away with at least a field goal.  The second would be Hobart's final drive of the game which ended when Olney's pass intended for JR WR Junior Woodard was incomplete with 1:43 to play.  The Wolverines gained a first down and ran out the clock to escape with a hard fought 35-28 victory.

Olney lead the Statesmen with 211 passing yards.  Webb lead all Hobart rushers with 45 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns.  On defense the Statesmen were lead by SR LB Reggie Robinson with a game high 15 tackles, one and a half taclkes for loss and a forced fumble.

Wesley was lead by McSweeny's 336 passing yards and five touchdowns.  The senior quarterback also had a game high 61 yards rushing.  Kossoudou lead all receivers with 166 yards and two touchdowns.  The Wolverine defense was lead by linebacker Mike Asiedu with 14 tackles.

With the win Wesley improved to 10-1 on the season and will advance to play Linfield College, who were 30-27 winners over Cal Lutheran in Oregon.  With the loss the Statesmen fall to 7-2 on the season.

More on this game and a post-season retrospective later this week.  All in all, it was a one of the "gustiest" performances I've ever seen from a Hobart team.  Although the loss will sting, the Statesmen should be proud of their effort today.

Strang out for Wesley Game

JR QB Nick Strang's concussion will keep him on the sidelines for today's NCAA first round playoff game.  JR QB Kelly Olney will get the start in his absence.  Although SR WR and co-captain Garth Muratori has a strained PCL, he is listed as starting.  The rest of the team's starters appear to be ready to go.

Kickoff is in 50 minutes and the game can be heard on www.weos.org.  Ted Baker is on the call.

More on the game later today.

Wesley NCAA Round 1 Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen (7-1) will travel south to play against the #7 ranked Wesley College Wolverines (9-1) this Saturday for a noon (eastern) kickoff at Scott D. Miller Stadium in Dover, DE.  Wesley is coming off another successful campaign earning an at-large NCAA "Pool B" selection (which means they competed either as an independent or in a conference not eligible for an automatic bid, which in Wesley's case it was the former).  Wesley is a very formidable team and has 15 NCAA postseason wins over the past six years, which is the third most in Division III (I am pretty sure most fans will be able to guess who's number one and two on that list).  Last season Wesley advanced to the national semi finals, falling 27-7 to eventual National Champion University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW). 

The Wolverines are lead on offense by SR QB Shane McSweeney.  The PA-native has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards this season, completing over 64% (132 of 206) of his passes for 18 TDs compared to only four INTs.  McSweeney is also the second leading rusher on the team and has carried for 363 yards and 10 rushing TDs.  Wesley's leading rusher is JR RB Askia Jahad.  Jahad is a big back (6' 220 lbs) who has carried the ball 101 times for 685 yards and nine rushing TDs.

McSweeney has several targets in the passing game including SR TE Sean McAndrew (28 catches for 326 yards and six receiving TDs) and SO WR Jeremiah Howe (23 receptions for 288 yards).  That said, the Wolverines are primarily a rushing team and have gained over 2,000 yards and 31 TDs on the ground this season.

The real strength of Wesley however is their defense which features at least three All-America first team caliber players.  The Wolverine "D" has allowed a paltry 740 rushing yards and only three TDs all season.  SR LB Jeff Morgan leads Wesley with 70 total tackles including 15.5 TFL and five and a half sacks.  SR DE Chris Mayes has tallied 17.5 TFL and five and a half sacks as well.  JR DE Devin Hardy has 11.5 TFL and seven and a half sacks.  Overall the Wolverine defense has thrown opposing teams for -394 rushing yards on TFL (93 in total).  On top of all that, Wesley's defensive players are also ball hawks, having picked off opposing QBs 14 times on the season.  SR CB Dakevis Howard leads the team with four INTs, two which he returned for TDs, on the season. 

Tale of the Tape

Defensively, Hobart actually matches up pretty well with Wesley, statistically speaking:

PPG Allowed - Hobart 14.88 / Wesley 10.8
YPG Allowed - Hobart 259.4 / Wesley 237.5
Rush YPG Allowed - Hobart 109.5 / Wesley 74
Sacks by - Hobart 24 (-161 yards) / Wesley 36 (-240 yards)
Rush TDs allowed - Hobart 5 / Wesley 3
Pass TDs allowed - Hobart 11 / Wesley 7
Red zone - Hobart 8 of 13 (7 TDs) / 10 of 18 (4 TDs)

The numbers show that Wolverines have more offensive firepower than the Statesmen.  Wesley has scored 49 offensive TDs compared to Hobart's 38.  Other areas they have better offensive numbers include:

PPG - Hobart 34.25 / Wesley 41.8
Rush TDs - Hobart 19 / Wesley 31
Pass TDs - Hobart 16 / Wesley 18
Red Zone - Hobart 26-36 (25 TDs) / Wesley 41-46 (35 TDs)

That said Hobart does have a slight per game advantage in:

Rush YPG - Hobart 210.6 / Wesley 207.8
Total YPG - Hobart 403 / Wesley 394.4

The Statesmen have done a better job than Wesley in time of possession (34:14 vs. 30:26), but that stat is a bit misleading given how quickly the Wolverine offense can score.

Special teams is another area of strength for the Wolverines over Hobart.  They have a dependable kicker in JR Dan Tryon who's converted six of 11 FG attempts (one blocked) on the season and has a long of 45 yards.  Wesley averages 35.5 yards per punt (compared to Hobart's 29.91).  One of the Statesmen's strengths is punt coverage however, as Hobart has only allowed 2.44 yard per return on the season.

Keys to the Game:

1. Pass protection/ passing game success - The Statesmen's most experienced unit is their OL and this group will need to fortify itself against one of the most aggressive pass rushes in all of Division III.  The Wolverine sack total (36) speaks for itself.  While the status of fifth year SR C Kelvin Cruz is uncertain as of this writing, SR OL Jarrid Blades is a more than capable and experienced replacement.  The health of JR QB Nick Strang is of greater concern given his removal from the Rochester game last Saturday due to a concussion.  It's highly unlikely Hobart will have much success running against this defensive front so I expect a lot of short pass plays or check downs to the RBs and FBs given the injuries sustained at WR.  SR co-captain Garth Muratori will likely be blanketed by Wesley's top cover corner and JR WR Junior Woodard has been banged up since the WPI game.  Also, SO WR Yosh Karbonwiczak is out with a torn PCL.  This means other (younger) receivers such as FY's WR Elvin Souffrant and/or Troy Robinson will need to step up to make plays for the Statesmen.  Given the pass rush capabilities of Wesley, I suspect Hobart will keep their TE's in to block but it should be noted that JR Brent Matazinsky and FY Mike Berkowitz have scored one TD a piece in close range.  While I criticized OC Kevin DeWall's reliance on the pass in the loss to RPI, I do think the Statesmen will need to pass for at least 200 yards to stay with the Wolverines.  Good news for Hobart fans is that the OL has only allowed eight sacks (for -36 yards, basically one per game) on the year and Strang (when healthy) is fairly mobile, rushing for 289 yards on the season on 71 carries with four TDs.

2. Field position - Aside from having to step up in a receiving role, Souffrant will also fill in on the punting duties Saturday.  He did a very good job against Rochester averaging just over 31 yards per punt, fielding several low snaps and pinning the Yellow Jackets behind their 20 yard line on a couple of occasions.  Wesley's opponents have punted 62 times in 10 games, so it's likely we'll see six punts by the Statesmen in this one.  It's imperative the FY from Randolph, MA has a good day so Hobart avoids giving the Wolverines a short field.  It should also be noted that the Statesmen haven't attempted a fake punt all season.  I am not advocating it necessarily as it could back fire against a team like Wesley, but given the circumstances....why not go for it?

3.  Time of possession - This goes hand and hand with third and fourth down conversions.  Hobart went two for 16 against Rochester last Saturday, lowering their overall third down conversion percentage to below 50% for the first time all season.  The Wolverine defense is as stingy as they come and have allowed opponents to convert only 32% of the time on third down (48-148).  Wesley is even better on fourth down, allowing only 22% (4-18).  Assuming Coach Cragg doesn't have the luxury to attempt FGs given JR PK Stephen Bruening's struggles, the offense should expect to fight for every inch and view every possession as four down territory.

4. Hang tough on defense (especially in the second half) - Hobart's defense will have their biggest test of their season and if the offense struggles early on the Statesmen will need SR leaders such as co-captain Drake Woodard and ILB Reggie Robinson to step up under fire.  FY DE Tyre Coleman can make a case for an All-America bid given he is second in DIII with 12.5 sacks (not to mention an impressive 17.5 TFL) and the Statesmen will need a few more in this game to have a fighting chance.  The Wesley OL has allowed 14 sacks, so it's not like they are impregnable.  I expect we'll see SO OLB Devin Worthington pressuring McSweeny on blitzes so the secondary will have to step up in coverage.

5.  Keep it close (early) - Wesley has outscored their opposition 216 to 40 in the first half.  In the Kean game, the Wolverines jumped to an early 6-0 lead but the Cougars fought back to take a 17-14 halftime advantage due to an early Wesley turnover.  To stay in this one, Hobart will need to improve upon their red zone offense and take care of the ball.  After scoring on 19 of 22 (86.36%) red zone attempts in their first five games, the Statesmen have gone seven for 14 (50%) in their final three.

Prediction:

I struggled with this one on Sunday's ITH and I still do.  It's a "head / heart" thing, if that makes any sense?  In my head I think Wesley will wear down the Statesmen given their overall size and speed advantages.  The Wolverines just have a lot more athletes than Hobart and should be able to benefit on the Statesmen's injuries to key players and the struggles in the kicking game.  While I can see a 28-14 Wesley win as being a sort of "moral victory" for Hobart, it would be a shame for a Statesmen squad with this much talent to end up 7-2.  That said if Kean (9-1 and the NJAC Champ) can beat these guys 31-28, I don't see why Hobart can't either?!?  In fact the Cougars fell short in almost every offensive and defensive category to the Wolverines but persevered due to committing one less turnover and other intangibles.  One achilles heel I did notice is that Wesley is a highly penalized team, averaging 87.4 yards in penalties per game (!).  With first downs at a premium, I'll happily take them anyway the Wolverines are willing to serve them up.

Either way it should be a great (defensive) ball game.  Hopefully Hobart will be healthy enough on offense and play well on special teams to spell the Statesmen defense sufficiently.  In the event Hobart pulled off the upset and Cal Lutheran defeats Linfield Saturday, a "dream scenario" of being able to see the Statesmen play in Los Angeles could unfold for me.  No need for any Christmas presents for this fan if that happened!!

Go 'Bart!

Hobart defies NCAA, claims they won't play Wesley

The 2011 Liberty League co-Champion Hobart Statesmen (7-1) filed a petition with the NCAA today that stated they refused to play the Wesley Wolverines (9-1) on grounds that "according to D3football.com we received the worst draw of the entire tournament."

St. John Fisher fans applauded this move, confirming the Cardinals received a better seeding than the Statesmen (who happened to win their head-to-head match up by five TDs on 9/24/11, but who's counting?) and felt it was just desserts for those "ducking pumpkins".

In an interview with "In The HuddLLe" on Sunday night, NCAA Chairperson Joy Solomen was interpreted to have said that "we thought it was ironic Hobart turned down a game with Wesley back in February so we decided to send the Statesmen to Dover to prove a point that it was Hobart's fault Widener cancelled on them in January".  Another NCAA spokesperson indicated on the condition of anonymity that "the irony clause is specifically cited in section 12, sub-section 11, part 22.3 of the NCAA handbook, i.e., if you don't play a team in the regular season you WILL have to play them in the first round of the playoffs"

At the time (in February of this year) Hobart Athletics Director Mike Hanna indicated that the Statesmen were merely looking for an "eastern region opponent".  Although Wesley is based in Delaware (as are many Fortune 500 corporate and legal entities), they are technically a "South Region" team and a program that struggles to schedule opponents on an annual basis due to their lack of conference.  While indignant  Wolverine fans chided Hobart for being put under NCAA sanctions and only playing eight regular season games, they were equally relieved (as was nearby Penn State) that the NCAA's jurisdiction apparently doesn't apply to criminal activity when it comes to championship caliber football programs (http://www.whetstone.wesley.edu/2010/12/02/four-football-players-arrested-for-dorm-burglaries/).

A normally expletive free Coach Cragg commented that although he would play any team, any where, he was surprised at the seeding, especially in lieu of the SJF-JHU match up and basically stated "I don't know what the #$%^ the Committee was thinking."

In all seriousness, I'll have a preview of the game later this week.

Go 'Bart!

Coach Cragg on In The HuddLLe 11/13 show reported Strang concussion in Rochester game

My co-host Frank Rossi and I had the pleasure of congratulating Hobart Head Coach Mike Cragg on winning the LL and getting back to the NCAA playoffs.  During the conversation we learned that JR QB Nick Strang was not benched but rather received a concussion after a late hit on his last interception.

Hopefully Nick will be good to go this Saturday at Wesley as Hobart will need to fire on all cylinders against the tough Wolverine defense.

More on that later this week.  You can access the Coach Cragg interview on iTunes or directly from the archive at www.inthehuddlle.com.

Hobart to play Wesley in the first round of the NCAA's

The Hobart Statesmen (7-1) will travel to face the#7 ranked Wesley Wolverines (9-1) in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.  This selection is really from right field as the Statesmen appear to have been placed in the UMHB bracket which is typically a "southern" field.

The only positive I can take away from this draw is that if Hobart and Cal Lutheran were to win, Hobart would have to travel to Los Angeles - only 25 minutes from my home - to play a second round game.

That said Wesley has gone to the national semifinals multiple seasons in a row and so a victory for Hobart is a tall order.

NCAA prediction time

Here's my best guess at tomorrow's NCAA bracket ("east region" only):

1. Mount Union - OAC Champ
2. Delaware Valley - MAC Champ
3. Kean (given H2H win over Wesley) - NJAC Champ
4. Salisbury - E8 champ
5. WNEC - NEFC Champ (not as strong a conference as the LL but 10 wins is more than 7)
6. Hobart - LL Champ
7. Norwich - ECFC Champ
8. Sacrificial lamb (say Albion)

So it's off to New Jersey for Statesmen fans on Saturday in Round 1.  That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Hobart rides their defense to a 24-10 win at Rochester, going to the NCAAs

The Hobart Statesmen traveled westward to face off against their oldest rival, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets, at Fauver Stadium with a lot on the line for both teams.  The game featured the two best defenses in the league and the Jackets' defense would strike first, causing a Steven Webb fumble on only the second play from scrimmage.  Rochester would convert a fourth and 1 from the Hobart four yard line and complete the drive when SR QB Braezen Subick handed off to SR RB Clarence Onyiriuka for a three yard touchdown.  The Alex Antonucci point after was good and the hosts enjoyed an early 7-0 lead.

Hobart would respond and drive to the Rochester 15 yard line but rather than attempt a field goal went for it fourth and seven.  The Nick Strang pass was deflected but Rochester couldn't capitalize as the Statesmen defense held the Jackets to a three and out.  Hobart would go for it on fourth down on their ensuing drive and was able to convert on a Webb four yard rush.  Webb would cap the drive with a one yard burst and the Stephen Bruening point after was good and it was tied up 7-7 with 13:21 to play in the first half.

Rochester forced a Hobart punt but SO WR Yosh Karbowniczak booted the ball to Yellow Jacket 8 yd line.  The Statesmen D held again and Strang would find FY WR Elvin Souffrant (who had a heck of a game punting seven times, three inside the 20, in relief of Karbowniczak) on a 33 yard TD strike, his first collegiate TD, to push the Hobart lead to 14-7 with 7:24 to play in the second quarter.

SR CB and Co-Captain Drake Woodard would intercept SO QB Dean Kennedy to give the Statesmen a potential red zone opportunity with 3:43 to play in the half, but Strang would be picked off himself thwarting the Statesmen's chance to take a two touchdown lead.

The Yellow Jackets would drive down the field and catch a break on a fourth and four when the officials caught Hobart with 12 men on the field.  Alex Antonucci's 42 yard attempt was blocked but yet another Statesmen penalty gave Antonucci a second chance from 37 yards.  The kick was good and Rochester pulled within 4 which would hold as a 14-10 Hobart lead at the half.

The start of the second half saw both teams exchange turnovers but the Statesmen would ultimately catch a break when running back Byron Saggese fumbled out of the end zone to give Hobart a safety and a 16-10 lead.

JR QB Kelly Olney would spell a struggling Strang [who I discovered on an 11/13 interview with Coach Cragg he was pulled due to a concussion] but neither offense could get much traction in the second half.  In the final stanza the defenses continued to dominate the game and the teams traded field position but once again it would be the Hobart defense that made the play of the game.  SO CB Kevin Hearon picked off Subick and returned it 36 yards for a TD that all but sealed the victory for Hobart.  After successfully killing the clock to hold off the Jackets, the Statesmen claimed their seventh LL title (shared with Union) and a NCAA Pool A bid after closing out a hard fought 24-10 win.

Hobart was lead by SR LB Reggie Robinson with a game high 12 and a half total tackles and one forced fumble.  Woodard added six tackles to his two INTs and Coleman had a game high three sacks.

Offensively Hobart was lead by Strang with 155 passing yards, one TD and two INTs.

Rochester was lead by Subick with 116 passing yards and two INTs.  Onyiriuka lead all rushers with 64 yards and one TD.  Defensively the Jackets were lead by Zach Cicero with eight total tackles.

Both teams traded four turnovers in a mostly poorly played second half.  Hobart managed over 200 yards of offense in the first, but gained just over 60 in the second.

With the win Hobart improved to 7-1, 5-1 in the LL.  Rochester drops to 4-5, 3-3.  The Statesmen's first round NCAA opponent will be announced tomorrow night at 6 PM ET on NCAA.com.

Join us on www.inthehuddlle.com tomorrow when we speak to Coach Cragg and the NCAA tournament chair.  We're on the air at 7:30 PM ET.

Hobart ranked 7th in the latest (and final pre-selection) NCAA rankings

Hobart dropped from second to seventh in the NCAA's eastern regional playoff rankings.  The list as it stands now is:

1 Delaware Valley 9-0 (can clinch the MAC title with a win vs. #5 Widener Saturday)
2 Salisbury 8-1 (already clinched the Empire 8 title)
3 Montclair State 8-1 (can clinch the NJAC title with a win over #4 Kean Saturday)
4 Kean 8-1 (see above)
5 Widener 8-1 (see above)
6 Western New England 9-1 (can clinch NEFC title with a win over Framingham State Saturday)
7 Hobart 6-1 (can clinch LL title with a win over Rochester Saturday)
8 Endicott 9-1 (has to hope for a Pool C bid)
9 St. John Fisher 7-2 ( has to win final game and hope for a Pool C bid)
10 SUNY-Maritime 7-2 (has to hope for an ECAC bid)

Norwich of the ECFC has clinched an automatic bid but is not ranked.  Mount Union is ranked #1 in the north region but it's highly doubtful a 10-0 Del Val team would merit a #1 seed so I expect to see the #2 (in the country) Raiders to be at the top of this bracket come Sunday for yet another season.

Hobart files for ECAC North Bracket

Now while I hope Hobart takes care of business Saturday at Rochester, in the event they fall short (they won't but, you know, just in the "worse case scenario"), the Statesmen would be eligible to play in one of the three (or four) ECAC "North Bowl Games" on the weekend of November 19th.

The current teams that have filed for a selection are as follows:

Team / Record

*Endicott 9-1 (could be considered for a NCAA Pool C bid but unlikely given SOS and other factors)
*Hobart 6-1 (goes to NCAA on LL Pool A bid if they beat Rochester Satuday)
Worcester State 8-2
Bridgewater State 7-2
Cortland State 7-2
St. John Fisher 7-2
Salve Regina 7-3
Alfred 6-3
Springfield 6-3
Mass-Maritime 5-4
Mount Ida 5-4
Utica 5-4
Curry 5-5
RPI 4-4

Of course I hope to be writing about the Hobart win at Rochester come Saturday and awaiting the seeding selection for the Statesmen in the NCAA tournament Sunday night (my guess is they get seeded fifth and travel to NJ play the winner of this weekend's Kean - Montclair game in the first round), but wanted you to know there is still post-season potential regardless of the NCAA.

Counting down to Saturday.  Go 'Bart!

Centennial Cup / Rochester Game Preview (aka LL title game, take 2)

The Hobart Statesmen (6-1, 4-1) will look to salvage clinching a share of the Liberty League championship and the accompanying NCAA tournament bid this Saturday when they face their oldest rival, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets (4-4, 3-2). This game will be the 104th meeting of the two squads, and Hobart will look to regain the Centennial Cup which Rochester took home after defeating the Statesmen 36-35 in 2OT last season in Geneva. The all-time series is deadlocked at 48-48-7 and dates all the back to the 1892 season. For the Yellow Jackets this game will be on Senior Day and a win would give Rochester their first winning season since 2007.

The Yellow Jackets have had an up and down, injury-riddled season, but have won three of their last four games, including nearly defeating Alfred (6-3) on the last play of the game after being down 21-0 in the first half. The status of SR QB Braezen Subick (ranked third in the LL in passing efficiency and having thrown for 1298 yards, 10 TDs compared to seven INT) and SR RB Clarence Onyiriuka (fourth in the conference averaging 80.2 rush YPG and six rushing TDs) is still uncertain, but Rochester has found some strong contributors in their absence. SO QB Dean Kennedy has stepped in and played well against Alfred and Saint Lawrence (2-6, 1-4) passing for 371 yards and rushing for 102 yards with two passing TDs and three INTs. SR RB Chris Lebano and SR FB Joe Cicero have tallied 191 yards and two TDs in relief of Onyiriuka. Rochester’s top receiving threats are SO WR Garrett Kesel (330 yards and one TD), JR WR Thomas Hayes (482 yards and three TDs) and SR TE Thomas Norman (327 yards and two TDs but likely unavailable due to injury).

Defensively the Yellow Jackets are lead by SO OLB Tony Ortega who leads the LL in tackles per game (11.6 per game average). SO OLB Zach Cicero is fifth with 8.2 tackles per game. SR DE Chris Bickford has six sacks. Overall Rochester is the third ranked scoring defense (25.2 PPG allowed) and second in the LL against the run (118.8 YPG allowed).

On special teams the Jackets have one of the best kickers in the conference with JR Alex Antonucci going a perfect seven for seven (long of 42 yards) on FGs.

Keys to the game:

1. Better balance – Although Hobart will likely run into some challenges rushing the ball against the Yellow Jacket defense, I really felt like Coach DeWall’s over reliance on the pass (15 passes vs. five runs in the fourth quarter) cost the Statesmen the RPI game. Rochester has a strong outside rush, so look for Hobart to test the interior with dives and/or bubble screens to open up their offense. Last season both teams had nearly identical total yardage (328 for UofR compared to 322 for Hobart) and it was 2:1 passing to running which this game has the potential to be as well.

2. Third down and red zone conversions – Hobart led the LL in third down conversions, red zone offense and defense for most of the season (and still do save for red zone offense after Saturday) but only converted six of 13 third downs, went three of six in the red zone on offense and allowed TDs on all three of RPI’s red zone chances on Saturday. Rochester is the second ranked red zone offense, converting 85.7% of their chances (24 of 28) scoring 17 TDs and seven FGs. They also happen to be the second rated red zone defense, allowing 20 scores on 26 tries, including 15 TDs and stopping four of the nine FG attempts tried (which obviously was another huge factor in Hobart not being able to beat RPI).

3. Special teams / fourth down – The kicking game (two “blocked” kicks, neither of which had an upward trajectory) really cost the Statesmen last Saturday and so it may be incumbent on the offense to complete drives or go for it on fourth down. Hobart is seven for 15 (42.7%) on the season, including going one of three vs. RPI last Saturday.

Prediction:

Last Saturday’s result notwithstanding this team has better overall talent than many, if not all, of Hobart’s NCAA playoff teams from the last decade. That said I expect the team to rebound and clinch the NCAA bid (and guessing a fifth seed in the bracket, more on that later), but in a higher scoring affair in spite of the defensive strengths of both teams, Saturday in Rochester 33-30.

Hobart blows 21 point lead, come up short on Senior Day to RPI, 29-28

The #24 Hobart Statesmen hosted the RPI Engineers on Senior Day at Boswell Field. Early on it looked like the Statesmen would be on their way to their first Liberty League championship since 2008 when JR RB Bobby Dougherty gave Hobart an early lead. He found the end zone from one yard out, capping a 13 play, 79 yard drive with 6:09 to play in the first quarter.

The Statesmen extended their lead to 21-0 behind two touchdown passes from JR QB Nick Strang to JR TE Brent Matazinsky for 19 yards and SR WR Garth Muratori from six yards. The Muratori touchdown was the 17th in his career - tying him for fifth all time for receiving touchdowns at Hobart.

Although the Statesmen were up 21 points, JR QB Mike Hermann and the RPI Engineers managed to connect on a 46 yard touchdown pass to WR Steven Burpoe to pull within 14 with 6:59 to play in the half after the Andrew Franks point after was good.

Hobart would strike back as well after SO RB Steven Webb broke a 25 yard run for a touchdown to post the Statesmen to a 28-7 advantage. Hermann would waste little time, finding Mike Blais open for a 62 yard touchdown and driving RPI to connect on a 21 yard field goal to bring the Engineers within 11 points as RPI would trail 28-17 at the half.

The second half would prove to be all RPI as the Statesmen racked up first downs and yardage but were otherwise shut out on offense. Hermann would be the catalyst behind a one yard pass to Matt Wood and rush to score from 10 yards out in the fourth quarter to push the Engineers to a 29-28 advantage.

Although Hobart would threaten to take the lead, the RPI defense stood firm, blocking a short Stephen Bruening field goal and forcing the Statesmen to turn it over on downs before taking the victory formation and clinching a hard fought 29-28 upset victory.

Hermann lead the Engineers with 306 of RPI's 342 yards including three passing and one rushing touchdowns. Hermann's favorite target was Burpoe who hauled in five receptions for 71 yards and a score. Defensively the Engineers were lead by Ted Abriel with 10 total tackles.

Hobart outgained RPI by 131 yards and had twice as many first downs (30 to their 15) as the Engineers, but came up short when it mattered most. The Statesmen were lead by Strang with 271 yards passing and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Reggie Robinson had a game high 11 total tackles and two tackles for a loss.

With the win RPI improves to .500 with a 4-4 overall record and 3-2 in the league. Hobart drops to 6-1, 4-1 in the league and will need to defeat Rochester next weekend on the road to clinch the league championship and accompanying NCAA automatic bid.

#24 Hobart sees 21 point lead disappear against RPI to lose first game, 29-28

Hobart (6-1, 4-1) dropped their first game of the season to RPI (4-4, 3-2).  Hard to figure this one out.  Perhaps RPI caught the Statesmen looking ahead?  The good news is Hobart can still win the Liberty League with a victory at Rochester next Saturday (or pending the outcome of today's Union-MMA game).

Can Hobart go 8-0 (and does it really matter)?

You won’t get an answer from Coach Cragg or the rest of coaching staff on this one. Their focus is, and should be, on beating the RPI Engineers this Saturday. However, after an impressive 6-0 run and only two games left, this is a question on the minds of many Statesmen alumni, fans and others who follow Division III football.

Since I was a little curious, I did some research. What I found out was that Hobart Football has only been 8-0 once in their 118 year history. You have to go all the way back to 1954 to find the only team that accomplished this feat, winning eight straight games and finishing a perfect 8-0. Overall there have been only five undefeated Hobart teams – 1891 (the inaugural and very short 2-0 season), 1896 (9-0-3), 1915 (5-0-1) and 1957 (6-0) being the others – all-time, so the 2011 squad has a rare opportunity to join a very exclusive fraternity if they finish 8-0.

Although eight wins in a row hasn't happened in 57 years, the last time the Statesmen won seven in a row wasn’t that long ago. It was 2006 in fact when a seven game Hobart win streak was broken by rival Union College, 31-14. You have to go back just two years earlier to the last time Hobart won seven in a row to go undefeated in the Liberty League (LL) en route to a 9-2 overall finish, tying the program record for wins in a season (the team also had 9 overall wins in 2005 and 2008), advancing to the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

Given the current NCAA football tournament format, not to mention a handful of programs that have dominated Division III football (and should move up to DII or FCS) for the past 10-15 years, it’s likely that this run will eventually come to an end at some point (perhaps in a place called Alliance, but I digress).

Regardless of the historic implications cited above, the Statesmen actually don’t even need to go undefeated to win the league and go to the NCAA playoffs (i.e., a 7-1 record would effectively clinch the NCAA automatic bid based on LL tiebreaker rules). That said, it begs the question should ending the year 8-0 even be a priority for Hobart? Why not rest some starters, get healthy, etc before finding out who the first round NCAA opponent will be?

I can't speak for the Coaches or the team but I hope they shoot for 8-0. The company it would place this team in, not to mention making good on the end of the 2010 season, (when Hobart lost to RPI on a last second FG and to Rochester in 2OT when a two point conversion pass fell incomplete) and going into the playoffs on an eight game win streak (and receiving potentially as high as a number two or three seed in their bracket) should be motivation enough to accomplish the same in my opinion.

Can they do it? Time will tell. The final march to perfection (and history) starts this Saturday, November 5.

More on the RPI game later this week.  Go 'Bart!

#24 Hobart ranked #2 in the NCAA initial regional rankings

The #24 Hobart Statesmen could be the #2 seed in the D3 football tournament in a "East (until a #1 seed is named) Bracket".  Of course this just an initial ranking and could change pending how teams fare in the next two weeks.

Check back tomorrow for a discussion regarding Hobart's potential of going undefeated for only the second time in program history...

That's it for now.  Go 'Bart!

RPI / Senior Day Game Preview / LL Championship

The #24 ranked Hobart Statesmen (6-0, 4-0) will look to clinch the 2011 Liberty League Championship this Saturday at Senior Day in Geneva against the RPI Engineers (3-4, 2-2). The following seniors will play their final (regular season) home game at Boswell Field:

#1 CB Drake Woodard (team co-captain)
#11 LB Reggie Robinson
#15 QB Will Connery
#20 TE Greg Clifford (team co-captain)
#32 CB Jeff Hummel
#42 LB Bobby Marraffa
#51 DE Kevin Ryan
#54 OL Kyle Sandy
#59 OLB Gerard Tully
#62 OL Jarrid Blades
#64 OL Kelvin Cruz
#65 OL Brendan Hatlee
#74 OL Anthony Coletta
#75 DE Dane Wilcoxen
#80 WR Garth Muratori (team co-captain)
#87 TE Matt Marsh
#92 DL Gianni Contro

Last season RPI edged Hobart on a 34 yard field goal to claim a 24-21 victory in Troy, NY. The Engineers hold a one game advantage (27-26-1) in the all time series which dates all the way back to 1910.

RPI is lead by their JR QB Mike Hermann who leads the LL in total offense, averaging 290.1 YPG, and scoring (10.6 PPG average). Hermann is a big (6’ 6” 240 lb) guy who has passed for 1525 yards and 11 TDs compared to eight INTs. Overall the JR QB is averaging 217.9 YPG which ranks second in the LL. The South Carolina native is also a threat to run and has accounted for 506 rushing yards (good for fifth in the LL with a 72.3 YPG average) and has scored the most rushing TDs (12) of any player in the conference.

Hermann’s top targets are JR WR Austin Caswell (37 receptions for 521 yards and five TDs), JR WR Steven Burpoe (20 catches for 248 yards) and JR WR Nick Weber (23 receptions for 286 yards and one TD). Complimenting Hermann in the rushing game is SR RB T.J. Strunk who has rushed 68 times for 310 yards and two TDs.

On defense the Engineers are undersized up front, but have four of the top 20 tacklers in the league with JR LB Matthew Day (56 total tackles), SO LB Zac Borrelli (45), SR DB Zach Scruggs (51) and SR OLB Ray Pasco (43). Still, this unit ranks sixth in scoring and total defense, giving up 30 points per game on average and 397.7 YPG, respectively. RPI also has the league’s worst red zone defense, having allowed 23 of 27 tries, including 20 TDs and three FGs.

Keys to the Game:

1. Contain Hermann – Last season Hermann passed for 181 yards and one TD against the Statesmen defense but really won the game on the final possession, driving RPI to the Hobart 16 yard line to set up the game winning FG in the final minute. To say the Engineer offense revolves around the JR QB is an understatement and the Statesmen defense will need to assign a spy on him at all times given his ability to run. I expect Coach Yoder to bring a lot of pressure to disrupt Hermann’s rhythm. I imagine both FY DE Tyre Coleman – who won his fourth LL Rookie of the Week award (and pretty much seems to have the Rookie of the Year locked up) and SO OLB Devin Worthington (last year's LL ROY) will be rushing and adding to their QB sack totals in this game.

2. Go airborne – RPI has the sixth rated pass defense, giving up 219.4 YPG. They were torched last weekend by Union to the tune of 335 yards and five TDs. Although JR QB Nick Strang endured his worst career passing game last week in the snow against WPI, I look for him to rebound at home and attack the RPI secondary with relish. One milestone that should occur on Saturday is SR WR Garth Muratori moving up in the all-time receptions (needs two more catches to move past #9 Luke Gutelius ’98), receiving yards (needs 14 more yards to pass #6 Nico Karagosian ’97) and TDs (needs one more TD to tie #5 Nate Waye ‘95 with 17).

3. Special teams – Although Hobart has enjoyed the luxury of winning their games by over 20 points, it would serve them well to improve their kicking game as the playoffs approach. The Statesmen rank sixth in the conference in punting (29.2 YPP net), FGs (one of two made) and PATs (.844). One way to slow down Hermann is to pin him and the RPI offense deep onto their side of the field. While the Hobart defense is formidable enough to force its fair share of three and outs, if the offense sputters like they did last week against WPI in the second half, this unit needs to be called out and asked to step up.

Prediction:

I think Hobart’s OL has a clear advantage (not to mention it's virtually an all SR group playing their final home game at the Boz - well, hopefully not given the playoff possibilities) over the RPI DL and will exploit it early and often in this game. Strang should bounce back from a bad game last week but worse case, we may see more carries given to the running and full backs like we did against WPI

That said I’ll take Hobart to win on Senior Day by a score of 35-14.  Kickoff is at noon (ET).  Go 'Bart!

Hobart now at #24 in the D3football.com National Poll

Hobart moved up one spot, to #24, on this weekend's D3football.com poll.

Hobart (6-0, 4-0) has the opportunity to clinch their first LL championship and NCAA playoff bid since 2008 with a win this weekend against conference rival RPI (3-4, 2-2).

More on this game and the prospects on an unbeaten season, tomorrow.  Tonight tune into www.InTheHuddLLe.com to hear from Hobart's unsung heroes, the linemen, at 7:30 PM ET.

#25 Hobart overcomes sloppy, turnover riddled game to outlast WPI, 27-13

The #25 ranked Hobart Statesmen traveled east down Interstate 90 to face off against the WPI Engineers at Alumni Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.  The Statesmen made an opening statement on the first play of the game when SO OLB Devin Worthington caused WPI SO QB Johnny Antonopolous to fumble, giving JR QB Nick Strang and the Hobart offense the ball at the WPI 14 yard line.  Four plays later, SO RB Steven Webb punched in a short TD run to post the Statesmen to an early 7-0 lead after the JR PK Stephen Bruening point after was good.

WPI's miscues would continue on the ensuing possession, as a bad punt snap set up Hobart on the WPI 18.   After a short Strang to JR WR Junior Woodard completion, the Statesmen offensive line opened a huge hole on second down allowing FY FB Dominque Ellis to rumble 17 yards untouched into the end zone for his first collegiate TD.  The Bruening point after was good, and Hobart enjoyed a 14-0 lead in less than five minutes into the game.

The Engineer's luck would change however, as the WPI defense would hold the Statesmen to a three and out, then see Engineer CB William Alves block a SO P Yosh Karbonwiczak punt on fourth down.  WPI would drive into the Hobart red zone, capping the possession with a five yard SR RB Ernie Mello rushing TD.  After the SR PK Cody Beckel kick was good, the Engineers cut the Hobart lead to 14-7 with 6:27 to play in the first.

The Statesmen offense would get back on track on their next drive, taking advantage of a 33 yard Webb run to set up SR WR Garth Muratori's sixth TD catch of the season from 20 yards out.  The point after hit the upright, giving Hobart a 20-7 advantage with 4:32 in the first.

The teams would exchange four turnovers on ensuing possessions; the last leading to a Worthington 43 yard fumble recovery return to the WPI 12 yard line.  JR RB Bobby Dougherty would score on the next play, giving Hobart a 27-7 lead after the Bruening kick was good.

WPI could continue to fight back however, with converted SR RB Manny Chambra picking off a Strang pass that hung up in the wind on what otherwise would be a touchdown to Woodard.  The Engineers also took advantage of defensive coverage break down which would lead to an Antonopolous to Trevor Dunne 29 yard TD with 5:24 to play in the second quarter.  The Engineer point after failed giving Hobart a 27-13 advantage.  That score would hold until the halftime as Chambra picked off Strang a second time, thwarting another Hobart scoring drive with about a minute to play in the first half.

The second half saw more struggles by the offenses as the pending snow storm and snow fall picked up considerably.  After trading punts and/or failed fourth down conversions, Coach Robertson took a page from the Cragg playbook, converting a successful fake punt near the end of the third quarter.  Dunne rushed for 34 yards on the fake, ending up at the Hobart 30 yard line.  The Statesmen dodged a bullet however, forcing the fifth WPI fumble of the game and recovering it on their own 9 yard line.

By the fourth quarter the snow was coming down hard and the defenses continued to dominate the game.  Ultimately the Statesmen benefited from poor clock management by WPI, and Hobart ran out the time remaining in the game to hang on to a 27-13 win.

Hobart was lead by their OL which paved the way for 249 rushing yards for the trio of Webb (88 yards on 14 carries), Dougherty (83 yards on 18 carries) and Ellis (60 yards on eight carries) for three TDs.  Strang endured his worst game in his career only managing 52 yards, going six of 16 passing with a TD and three INTs.  Worthington and FY DE Tyre Coleman lead the defensive rush with nine and seven tackles a piece, including a total of eight tackles for a loss and three sacks.

WPI was lead by Ernie Mello with 119 rushing yards on 25 carries and one TD.  Antonopolous threw for 118 yards and one TD.  Tom Thackery and Yussein Hatim lead the Engineers with 10 and nine tackles a piece.  Manny Chambra contributed on both sides of the ball, catching six passes for 43 yards, while adding two tackles and two INTs.  SR DB John Perron also added an INT and two tackles.

With the win Hobart improves to 6-0, 4-0 in the league and will have the opportunity to clinch the LL  championship, next weekend at home vs. RPI (3-4, 2-2) or in the season finale vs. Rochester (3-4, 2-2).

With the loss WPI falls to 2-6, 1-4 and will be idle next weekend, before hosting Saint Lawrence in the season finale on November 12th.

WPI Game Preview

The #25 ranked Hobart Statesmen (5-0, 3-0) will embark on their longest road trip of the season, traveling down I-90 320+ miles to Worcester, MA to take on the WPI Engineers (2-5, 1-3) Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

The Engineers are lead by SR RB Ernie Mello who is ranked 2nd the Liberty League in rushing with a 103.4 YPG average.  Mello is also tied for first in the LL in rushing TDs with 10.  SO QB Johnny Antonopoulos (who actually got his first career start last season against the Statesmen) is sixth in the LL averaging 113.4 passing YPG.  The SO QB has thrown for eight passing TDs compared to six INTs.  Antonopoulos' favorite target is SR WR Nick Bean who has 30 receptions for 400 yards and four TDs.  Overall the WPI offense averages over 300 YPG.

On defense the Engineers are lead by SR DL Peter Gill with 46 total tackles including seven tackles for loss and five sacks.  SR DB John Perron leads the team with four INTs to go along with seven passes defended and three break ups.  That said the WPI "D" has struggled against the run, allowing 181 YPG on average to their opponents.

Special teams is an area of strength for the Engineers as they lead the LL in kickoff returns behind SR RB Manny Chambra.  SR PK Cody Beckel is also a solid contributor, converting 20 of 22 PAT's and three of five FGs (one was blocked).  He also averages over 50 yards per kickoff.

Keys to the game:
1.  Avoid the "trap game" - RPI (3-3, 2-1) is the only other LL team in control of its destiny and the Statesmen could be looking for some payback after dropping a heart-breaking 24-21 decision to the Engineers of Troy, NY last season.  If RPI beats Union this weekend, November 5th  game at Boswell Field vs. the RPI Engineers would basically be for the conference championship.  While Hobart has never lost to the WPI Engineers in their seven game series, the Statesmen need to stay focused and not get too overconfident and overlook a scrappy WPI club.

2. Mellow Mello - The WPI SR RB is the key to the Engineer offense and slowing him down should be the focus in securing a Hobart victory.  The Statesmen rush defense should be up to the task, having completely shut down the Mariner's #1 rushing attack last weekend at Homecoming.  WPI is last in LL in sacks allowed so I expect another big game for FY DE Tyre Coleman and the Hobart defensive ends and outside linebackers.

3.  Play to win - Seems self explanatory but WPI really has nothing to lose after a tough season that hasn't gone their way.  They are on a three game skid having lost games by a TD or less in each instance so this game is effectively their season's "Super Bowl".  I expect Coach Robertson to bring a lot of defensive pressure.  That said this should open up the Hobart passing game with SR WR Garth Muratori and JR WR Junior Woodard likely in man coverage.  Then again, Hobart did score four rushing TDs against WPI last season, so perhaps we'll see more of SO RB Steven Webb, JR RB Bobby Dougherty and company?

Prediction:
I like Hobart to move to 6-0, 4-0 and one game away from clinching the LL championship beating WPI in convincing, say 42-17, fashion.

Hobart overwhelms Merchant Marine 42-14 for Homecoming

The United States Merchant Marine Academy travelled to Geneva, NY looking for their first win over the #25 ranked Hobart Statesmen since joining the Liberty League in 2004.  The Statesmen held home court at the "Boz" for their Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities as well the SR OL Jarrid Blades inspired Touchdowns & Tackles for Happiness House fund raiser.

The Statesmen took their first two drives into Mariner territory but the Merchant Marine defense caused Hobart to turn over the ball on downs and benefited from a 25 yard JR PK Stephen Bruening field goal attempt which hooked wide left (there was no word on why SO PK Reyes Guevara did not play but he appears to be off the Hobart roster)?

Hobart's tough luck would change after the Mariner's third possession ended on when the Mariner's Richard Grennan mishandled a punt snap and SR CB and co-captain Drake Woodard recovered it in the end zone for six.  The Bruening point after would be good posting the Statesmen to a 7-0 lead with 52 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The second frame saw the Hobart offense finally hit it's stride, scoring 21 points behind  JR RB Bobby Doughtery and JR QB Nick Strang three yard TD runs, and on JR WR Junior Woodard's 36 yard  catch and run for a TD which pushed the Statesmen's lead to 28-0 with 4:12 to play in the first half.

Hobart added a SR WR Garth Muratori eight yard receiving touchdown, the senior co-captain having earned his 100th career reception earlier in the game, to push the lead to 35-0 after Bruening's point after with 18 seconds to play in the first half.  Garth only needs a couple of catches to pass my buddy Luke Gutelius '98 for ninth place on the all time receptions list.

The Statesmen outgained the Mariners 301 to 45 yards in the first half and added a sixth TD in the game when backup JR QB Kelly Olney found FY TE Mike Berkowitz for a three yard reception with 14:09 to play in the fourth quarter.  The game well in hand, the Statesmen reserves allowed two late Mariner TDs - a 20 yard Alex Coviello run and a 37 yard Chase Dunn reception.

Hobart was lead by Strang who passed for 226 yards and two passing TDs as well as 30 yards rushing and one rushing TD.  Muratori was Strang's favorite target, catching four balls for 57 yards and a TD.

On defense the Statesmen were lead by SR LB Reggie Robinson with 14 tackles, including one sack and two and a half tackles for a loss.

Merchant Marine was lead by JR QB Alex Coviello who threw for 120 yards and one touchdown as well as 105 yards rushing and a score.  SR LB Kevin Stapf lead the Mariner defense with 12 tackles.

With the win Hobart improves to 5-0, 3-0 in the Liberty League and will travel to Worcester, Mass next weekend to take on the WPI Engineers.

The Mariners drop to 2-6, 1-3 in the league, and after a bye week will travel to Schenectady to play Union College Saturday, November 5th.

Homecoming Preview

The #25 ranked and undefeated Hobart Statesmen (4-0, 2-0) will host the United States Merchant Marine Mariners (2-5, 1-2) this Saturday for Homecoming at Boswell Field.  The Mariners are a triple option team, meaning they run the ball on virtually every snap.  This has enabled the Merchant Marine to rack up over 230 rushing yards per game, but they have struggled against strong defensive fronts.  For example last Saturday the Rochester Yellow Jackets (2-3, 1-2) held the Mariners to under 130 yards rushing in a lopsided 45-16 win.

The Merchant Marine is lead by their JR QB Alex Coviello.  A threat to pass and run, the Cape Coral, FL native ranks seventh in the LL in rushing yards per game and four TDs.  Coviello rarely passes, but has completed 15 attempts for 234 yards and four passing TDs.  Coviello's favorite target is JR WR Chase Dunn, who has six TD catches.

Another running threat for the Mariners is JR RB John-Leon Gosselin who ranks third in the LL with 104.7 rushing yards per game (which is also ninth in the LL in total offense).  A load to bring down, Gosselin has accounted for two rushing TDs as well.

On defense the Merchant Marine is lead by SR LB Kevin Stapf who ranks first in the LL with 74 total tackles and second with 10.6 tackles per game.  Still, a reason for all of the Mariner's work on defense is that they have been relatively porous against the run (191.4 yards per game allowed and 12 TDs) and the pass (205 yards per game allowed and 19 TDs). 

That said I imagine Hobart won't have too much difficulty winning Homecoming this weekend.  The Statesmen have won seven in a row over the Merchant Marine, dating back to 2004 when they joined the Liberty League.  The real key to the game here is containing Coviello and Gosselin while exposing the Mariner's weak defense.  The Merchant Marine has allowed over 30 points per game on the season and I expect Hobart to eclipse this mark early in the game.

I'll predict a 49-9 Statesmen win this Saturday, pushing them to 5-0 for the first time since 2006.

2011 Mid Season Review

The Hobart Statesmen (4-0, 2-0) are off to their best start since the 2008 season. Although Division III football pollsters have largely ignored them, at mid season the Statesmen are ranked 29th in the country in total offense, 16th in total defense and 11th in sacks per game.

Hobart is ranked first in the following categories in the Liberty League (LL):

Offense:
Scoring – 38.2 PPG
Total yards – 433.2 YPG and 20 Touchdowns (TDs)
Red zone (88.2%)
3rd down conversions (56.5%)
Time of Possession (34:49 - good for 8th nationally)
Sacks against (3 for -16 yards)

Defense:
Scoring – 13.2 PPG
Turnover margin +6 (which is a huge improvement from last year)
Rush – 109.8 (1 TD allowed)
Pass – 136.4 PPG (6 TDs allowed)
Total - 246.2 YPG (7 TDs total allowed)
Pass efficiency (98.7 rating)
Opponent first downs (57)
Red zone (42.9% and only 3 TDs)
Opponent 3rd down conversions (31.5%)

Special teams, statistically speaking, could use some work as SO PK Reyes Guevara has missed 4 PATs (18-22) so far on the season. In Guevara’s defense however he is second in the league amongst kickers (and the entire Statesmen team, just behind SR WR and Co-Captain Garth Muratori’s 24 on four TD receptions) with 21 points. Kickoff and punt return yardage is also fairly low, netting Hobart only 17.1 and four and a half yards on average, respectively. The punting game has also been down but that statistic is a bit misleading given Hobart has only punted five times all season and one of those was a shank that netted little, if not zero, yards in the Saint Lawrence game. A positive note for the Statesmen punting game is that opponents have zero success (and yards) in returning punts against the Hobart punt unit.

Individually the Statesmen boast the number five, eight and tenth best rushers in the LL with SO RB Steven Webb averaging 66.2 YPG and having scored two TDs; JR QB Nick Strang averaging 50.5 YPG and JR RB Bobby Dougherty 48.5 YPG. Both Strang and Dougherty have 3 rushing TDs a piece.

Strang is the fourth rated passer in the LL based on YPG (194.8) and has nine passing TDs (compared to three interceptions) to his credit. Strang is the second rated quarterback in the league based on passing efficiency (143 rating). His primary targets, Muratori (88.8 YPG and four TDs) and JR WR Junior Woodard (70 YPG and two TDs) are second and fourth in the LL standings for reception yards per game.

On the defensive side of the ball, Hobart’s SR CB and Co-Captain Drake Woodard is tied for first in the LL for interceptions (three, which is tied for first in the nation in INT per game) and first overall in return yardage (66). SR LB Reggie Robinson ranks 21st in the LL with 23 total (an average of 5.8 tackles per game). FY DE Tyre Coleman is first in sacks with 6.5 (and second in the nation in sacks per game) and SO OLB Devin Worthington is tied for second with four sacks on the season. Coleman, who’s been named LL Rookie of the Week Award three weeks consecutively, also leads the league in tackles for a loss with seven and a half for -55 yards.

Overall the Statesmen have proven to be a solid team, both explosive offensively and stout on the defensive end.  That said Hobart has at times been their own worst enemy.  Penalties and turnovers are down from 2010, but the Statesmen have gotten bogged down at times.  Fortunately their mistakes have yet to come back to haunt them but it will remain to be seen how many times they can successfully bail themselves out of sticky situations.

Hobart takes the field again on Saturday, October 22 during Homecoming Weekend.  The Statesmen will line up against the Mariners of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (2-4, 1-1 at the moment, but they do play Rochester this Saturday).  Kickoff is at 1 PM ET.  I’ll have a preview of the Mariner-Statesmen match-up early next week.

Until then, thanks for reading and go ‘Bart!

Hobart sacks Union 41-24 to take sole possession of 1st place in the LL

The undefeated Hobart Statesmen traveled Schenectady to face long-time rival and league unbeaten Union Fighting Dutchmen with first place in the Liberty League on the line.

The Dutchmen's offense took the field after winning the coin toss and capped an impressive 10 play, 73 yard opening drive with a 10 yard Drew Connolly to Justin Gallo touchdown giving Union an early 7-0 lead.

The Statesmen's offense was shut down, going three and out on their first two possessions. The Hobart defense hung tough however keeping the Dutchmen at bay.

SO RB Steven Webb would get the Statesmen on the board taking the hand off, and after running into a wall of tacklers, burst through the line for a 70 yard TD dash to tie it at 7-all.

The Union offense responded with their own big play as Connor Gallo made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 61 yard TD bomb reminiscent of his older brother's long TD catches from the 2009 Hobart-Union game.  The 3 play, 71 yard drive took only 1:19 off the clock and pushed the Dutchmen's lead to 14-7.

In the second quarter the teams traded possessions until a short Sasha Papich punt set up the Statesmen at the Union 43 yard line. After a few short gains, Hobart benefited from a pass interference call on the Dutchmen's secondary.  Two plays later JR RB Bobby Doughtery ran in his third rushing TD from 9 yards out, tying the game at 14 all.

Union caught a big break however when JR WR Junior Woodard lost the ball in the sun and ultimately fumbled a Union punt setting up the Dutchmen on the Hobart 22 yard line.  The Statesmen defense came up big sacking Connolly on consecutive possessions until a draw play by Darnel Thomas pulled the Dutchmen to the Hobart 22.  Adam Henry connected on a season long 39 yard field goal which pushed Union's lead to 17-14 with 1:58 to play in the first half.

Hobart would strike back quickly however on an 83 yard pass from Strang to Woodard giving the Statesmen their first lead of the game, a 21-17 advantage, which would stand until the ensuing kickoff.  FY S James Smith recovered a Union fumble at the 15 yard line and pushed Hobart's lead to 27-17 after the Guevara point after hit the goal post.

Union held Hobart to a three and out to start the second half and took over from their own 39 yard line. The Dutchmen run game asserted itself driving to the Statesmen 26 yard line until SR CB Drake Woodard picked off Connolly and ripped off a 45 yard return.  Eight plays later, Strang would find FY WR Troy Robinson on a 15 yard pass to push the Hobart lead to 34-17.

Union fought back scoring on another Connolly to (Justin) Gallo quick strike for 34 yards and the Dutchmen appeared to regain some momentum after Colin Beerworth intercepted Strang on Hobart's ensuing possession giving the Dutchmen offense the ball at the Hobart 49 yard line only down 34-24.

Although Union drove to the Statesmen 21, the Hobart defense came up big again with their backs against the wall sacking Connolly and driving Union out of field goal range.  The Statesmen took over and with 6:43 to play and worked to run out the clock.

Strang ended up following his offense line to pay dirt, scoring on a 5 yard touchdown to cap an 11 play, 72 yard drive with 1:19 to close out the scoring and the game giving Hobart a 41-24 win.

Although Hobart had some key players come up big in this game, the star was SO OLB Devin Worthington who lead the defense with 10 tackles and 3.5 sacks - the most by a Statesmen defender since 2006.  Hobart improves to 4-0, 2-0 in the LL and is idle next weekend.  More on this game an look at the Statesmen halfway through the regular season later this week.

Union College Preview - Battle of the (League) Unbeatens

The Hobart Statesmen (3-0, 1-0) look to capture first place in the Liberty League (LL) standings this Saturday in Schenectady, NY against long time rival, Union College (2-3, 2-0). Union struggled opening the 2011 with three straight losses the season losing their first three games surrendering fourth quarter leads against Salve Regina (2-3) and Utica College (2-2) and after committing five turnovers against Empire 8 rival Ithaca College (3-1).

That said the Fighting Dutchmen have been undefeated in conference play, holding off a determined Rochester squad (1-3, 0-1), 41-34, and overcoming an 11 point deficit to triumph over WPI (1-3, 1-1), 34-31, on a last second 22 yard Adam Henry field goal.

Hobart defeated Union 41-35 in a thrilling 2OT game last season which saw then SO QB Nick Strang account for six touchdowns, tying the school record for (five) passing TDs and running in the game winner. In spite of last year's win, Statesmen have historically not been able to solve for Union and have not posted back-to-back wins against their long-time rivals since the 2003-4 seasons. All time, the Dutchmen hold a 42-50-2 edge over Hobart (not including a 30-20 victory by the Statesmen in 2007 due to NCAA sanctions).

Union's strength is on offense where there they are lead the LL with the #1 ranked passing attack.  The Dutchmen's passing game has accounted for 267.4 YPG and 11 passing TDs.  SR QB Andrew Connolly leads the LL in passing efficiency (81 completions on 136 attempts with only five interceptions in five games for a 161 rating).

Connolly's key target is SR WR Justin Gallo who ranks #1 in receiving yards per catch (21.7), per game (156) and receiving TDs (9) in the LL. Gallo also ranks #2 in the LL for all purpose yards and #3 in scoring. For those of you wondering, this is the same Gallo who racked up 246 receiving yards on eight receptions for three (long) TDs against an otherwise helpless Statesmen secondary in 2009.

On defense the Dutchmen are lead by JR LB Noah Joseph with 9.8 tackles per game - good for fifth in the entire LL.  That said Union has struggled a great deal against the pass, ranking last in the LL allowing 232.8 YPG and eight TDs to date.

Keys to the game:

1.  Ground Gallo - Union's #1 passing receiving threat hasn't won back-to-back LL Offensive Player of the Week awards this season for nothing.  He is an explosive receiver that has racked up 409 yards and six TDs in his career against the Statesmen defense(!).

2.  Confound Connolly - The Dutchmen's offense centers around the SR QB from Foxboro, Mass who was undefeated against Hobart until last year's shoot out.  Although he lacks the ground attack from graduated Chris Coney, Connolly has more than enough confidence based on prior outings to feel like he can light up the Statesmen "D".

3.  Finish - After attending the 2009 Hobart-Union game in person I can say from first hand experience that the best team isn't always the winner in these match ups. That day I witnessed a Statesmen team absolutely dominate the line of scrimmage only to see a fumble on the goal line, then the three consecutive Connolly to Gallo TD passes, keeping Hobart from a 28-0 halftime lead.  Last season it was the Statesmen who threw Union a curve ball starting Strang for an injured Doug Vella, which the Dutchmen eventually solved for in the second half, picking off the rookie QB four times.  That said, the Union defense finally folded late - which we've seen at least twice so far this season - to Strang in 2 OT.

Prediction:

When I predicted Hobart to go 6-2 at the beginning of the season my guess was Hobart would lose at least one league game.  They have not run the table in the LL since 2004, but after their dominating start to the season, perhaps this is the year they do it again?

While I predicted Hobart to win a hard fought 28-24 contest last Sunday night on "In the HuddLLe", I wouldn't be surprised to see this game go either way.  Hobart's defense has been very strong to date, only allowing 9.7 PPG, 1 passing TD and only 100 YPG through the air; which points to a tough day for Union.

If the Statesmen defense continues at their current pace, Union won't stand a chance. That said Hobart's offense took a step backwards in the SLU game given the weather and generally playing poorly (three first half turnovers) overall.  The weather this weekend in Schenectady looks pretty good, but you never know in these match ups.

I am hoping for Hobart to continue to 4-0 but wouldn't necessarily be surprised if Union pulled off the upset much like they did under very similar (1-3 coming into Geneva vs. 4-0 and ranked Hobart) circumstances to 2008.

Game time is 1 PM ET and you can tune into WEOS for Ted Baker's, or my ITH co-host Frank Rossi's,  call on www.weos.org or www.ustream.tv respectively.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Hobart Defense Shut Outs out Saint Lawrence, 23-0

The Hobart Statesmen looked to atone for last season's league opening loss to eventual champion Saint Lawrence University on a damp and grey day in Geneva.

It was an auspicious start for Hobart as they turned over the ball three times in the first half, first on an interception by JR QB Nick Strang, then two series later on a fumble on a punt return by JR WR Junior Woodard.  Woodard would cough the ball up again after making a catch later in the second quarter.

The Statesmen remained resilient however lead behind a very strong pass rush of FY DE Tyre Coleman who started his first collegiate game after earning the league Rookie of the Week honors the week prior against Saint John Fisher.

The game remained a defensive struggle until late in the first half.  After forcing the Saints to punt deep on their side of the field, Hobart took over from the Saint Lawrence 41 yard line.  Strang would lead the team downfield finally connecting with SO WR Yosh Karbonwicz for a two yard touchdown with only 19 seconds remaining before the half.  The Reyes Guevara extra point was good, and Hobart took a hard fought 7-0 lead into halftime.

The second half was more defensive dominance for the Statesmen as Hobart caused a Saint Lawrence fumble on the Saints' 19 yard line.  The Saint Lawrence defense would stand firm however and SO PK Reyes Guevara kicked a 36 yard FG to push the score to 10-0 with 8:49 left to play in the third quarter.

Strang would put the game out of reach midway throught the fourth quarter, capping a 17 play, 81 yard drive calling his own number on a three yard touchdown run.

SO OLB Austin DiMarco would put the defense's signature on the win with a 38 yard interception for a touchdown return to close out the game on Saint Lawrence's ensuing possession.

Although the Guevara kick bounced off the upright, Hobart would close out the day with a convincing 23-0 shutout of the defending Liberty League Champs.

The Statesmen were lead in what was an otherwise "off day" by Strang who passed for only 139 yards and rushed for 43.  Leading the Hobart rushing attack was SO RB Steven Webb with 54 yards on 15 carries.

SR RB Marcus Washington lead the Saints with 81 yards on 20 carries, but the Hobart defense's five sacks of SO QB Nik Busharis caused -36 yards, leaving Saint Lawrence with only 59 total on the day.

Busharis struggled mightily against the Statesmen's pass rush and coverage, going three for 21 for only 25 passing yards and two interceptions.

That said the star of the day was the Statemen defensive line and Coleman who collected two and a half sacks, a fumble recovery to go along with five total tackles.  SO OLB Devin Worthington and SR LB Reggie Robinson lead all Statesmen defenders with six tackles a piece.  Saint Lawrence's defense was lead by linebackers Ramon Mignott and Andrew Cox with 11 tackles a piece.

With the win Hobart improves to 3-0, 1-0 in the Liberty League and will travel to Schenectady to face 2-3, 2-0 Union College in a battle of league unbeatens.  Saint Lawrence drops to 2-3, 1-1 and has a bye week.

Hobart's OL Named "Team of the Week" by D3football.com

The Hobart "hogs" are paving the way to a great start for the Statesmen.  Check the link below for more information:

http://www.hwsathletics.com/news/2011/9/27/HFB_0927111748.aspx

Saint Lawrence Game Preview (League Opener and Payback Game #1)

Last Sunday night on “In The HuddLLe” Hobart Head Coach Mike Cragg reminded us that the Statesmen have lost their last two Liberty League openers to that season's eventual conference champions (you check out the archive at http://www.inthehuddlle.com/). Last season it was a 24-21 decision to the Saint Lawrence University Saints (2-2, 1-0) that upended Hobart in Canton, NY. The win was Saint Lawrence’s first victory over the Statesmen since 1991 and propelled the Saints to an eventual 5-1 league record and their first ever (“modern”) NCAA tournament berth.

This year the Saint Lawrence game will also serve as Hobart’s (2-0, 0-0) home opener, being one of only three games this season to be played at Boswell Field. The Statesmen are riding high after winning their first two contests by an 89-29 margin.

That said Hobart will be looking for some payback but will have to contend with one somewhat unfamiliar face to earn a victory on Saturday.

The new face of the Saints is their quarterback of the future, SO Nik Busharis. The Mansfield, MA native enjoyed his second three passing touchdown performance against the United States Merchant Marine Academy (1-3, 0-1) in route to helping the Saints retain the Hoffman Cup for the third consecutive season. Busharis has completed over 60% (good for 2nd in the LL in pass efficiency, just behind Hobart’s Nick Strang) of his passes for 633 yards and 10 touchdowns, the latter which leads the league. His favorite target is SR WR and Co-Captain Ethan Sutton who’s hauled in 26 catches for 331 yards and seven TDs.

In spite of these impressive numbers in the passing game, Saint Lawrence’s game changer on offense is really SR RB and Co-Captain Marcus Washington. The Pahokee, FL native leads the league with 583 yards rushing (145.8 yards per game average) on 108 carries (an impressive 5.4 YPR average).

Defensively the Saints are lead by SR LB and Co-Captain Trevor Saunders with 41 total tackles, including three and a half tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Overall Saint Lawrence has performed better against the pass (137.2 YPG) than the run (211.5 YPG) but struggled against the prolific Utica and Alfred passing games, allowing 262 yards and three TDs and 175 yards passing and two touchdowns, respectively.

Keys to the game:

1. (Re)Establish Home Field Advantage – After an impressive scoreless and win streak on the grass and mud of the old “Boz”, Hobart went 3-2 on the new field turf surface in 2010. So far the Statesmen have been effective starting off games quickly, having outscored their opposition 49-7 in the first half and should look to do the same to the Saints on Saturday.

2. The Buck Stops with Washington – Alfred was very effective in limiting RB Marcus Washington to 70 yards on 18 carries, jumping out to a big lead and forcing the Saints into passing / playing from behind.

3. Pressure Busharis – Busharis is not very mobile and lost 40 yards rushing on six sacks against Alfred as well. Overall the SO QB has been sacked nine times. Hobart’s FY DE Tyre Coleman collected the first two sacks of the year for the Statesmen defense and should look to collect a few more Saturday.

Prediction:

I like Hobart to exact some revenge for last year’s loss by a comfortable 38-21 margin (with two of the Saints’ scores coming late in the fourth quarter when the game is pretty much in hand).

Kickoff is slated for 12 PM ET and will be broadcast on WHWS (http://www.whws.com/) radio.

Go ‘Bart!

Hobart beats Fisher, 56-20

The Hobart Statesmen travelled to Pittsford, NY to face the Saint John Fisher Cardinals of the Empire 8 conference Saturday for a 1 pm kickoff. The Statesmen were looking to return the favor of playing spoiler to the Cardinals' homecoming game after falling to Fisher 34-14 last season under the lights at Boswell Field for Hobart's homecoming game.

The Statesmen defense made a statement early forcing a punt on the Cardinals' opening possesion. On the ensuing play, junior quarterback Nick Strang lead the Statesmen offense on a 12 play, 76 yard march which was capped when junior running back Bobby Doughtery found the end zone from three yards out to give Hobart a lead they would never relinquish.

The Statesmen would score on their next two possessions, both featuring Strang finding senior wide receiver and co-captain Garth Muratori and junior wide out Junior Woodard for 54 and 12 yard strikes, respectively.

Saint John Fisher would try and get back into the game, with junior quarterback Ryan Kramer finding senior wide receiver Ryan Schmidt for a 35 yard touchdown pass to pull the score to 21-7 with 6:44 remaining in the first half.

 

The Statesmen offensive onslaught would continue as three more Strang touchdown passes would push the Hobart lead to 42-7 before a 65 yard Schimdt run made it 42-14 with one minute, 17 seconds play late in the third quarter.

 

The final would end up 56-20 Hobart with the Statesmen outgaining the Cardinals 492 to 263 yards. Six different Hobart players would score, lead by Strang who went 20 for 29 yards for 266 passing for 5 touchdowns, while leading all Statesmen rushers with 64 yards on five carries. Garth Muratori enjoyed a career day with eight cathes for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

 

On defense the Statesmen were lead by senior linebacker Reggie Robinson with six tackles and one forced fumble. 

 

With the win Hobart improves to 2-0 and will host Saint Lawrence in the Statesmen's home opener on Saturday, October 1st.

Hobart (proves me wrong and) crushes Saint John Fisher 56-20 to go 2-0

Too many good things to say at this point.  Will provide more analysis later today and plan to get Head Coach Mike Cragg on In the HuddLLe (www.inthehuddlle.com) tomorrow night @ 7:30 PM ET to discuss this HUGE win over the Cardinals.  Fisher entered the game ranked #4 on scoring defense in all of DIII.  Guess not ;)
Hobart gave the Liberty League their first and only win over the Empire 8 conference this season.  It is Hobart's 11th win in the all-time series over the Cardinals, but their first since 2001!

The Statesmen will have their home opener next Saturday at the "Boz" looking to avenge last year's 24-21 loss to eventual League Champion Saint Lawrence (2-2, 1-0).

Saint John Fisher Game Preview

After two weekends of no football games, the Hobart Statesmen (1-0) will travel to Pittsford, NY to take on the Saint John Fisher College Cardinals (2-0) this Saturday for a 1 PM kick-off. Last season the Cardinals sidetracked Hobart’s first ever night and most recent Homecoming game by a convincing 34-14 margin. The Fisher defense caused three Hobart turnovers and otherwise shut down the Statesmen on third down (Hobart would go 0 for 10). The only bright spot for the Statesmen that night was a historic 100 yard receiving and rushing game for then-FY RB Steven Webb.

Although the Cardinals’ offense and special teams turned several heads last Saturday scoring 52 points on the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets (1-1), the real story in my opinion is what Fisher continues to do on defense.

Fisher has only allowed 10 points in the past two games – both scores coming in the first quarter - and has otherwise pitched shut outs from the second quarter on. The Cardinals defensive line and linebackers have limited their opponents to a paltry 64.5 rushing yards on average. The defensive line’s effectiveness against the rush is also evident in that of the 24 first downs allowed by the Cardinals so far this season, only six came on running plays.

That said Fisher are also strong against the pass, only allowing an average of 141 passing yards, including four interceptions. Leading the Cardinal defense is Head Coach Paul Vosburgh’s son and SR DB Dave Vosburgh with 16 total tackles, including one and a half tackles for a loss (TFL) and a half a sack. Other key players include FR LB Nicholas LoBrutto (four TFL, one sack) and SR LB Brenden Moore who both have 15 total tackles a piece.

Although the Cardinals lost their all-time passing leader Tim Bailey to graduation, they appear to have reloaded having out gained their opponents 716 to 411 yards. The Fisher offense is opportunistic and has scored eight times in nine trips to the red zone.

The Cardinals are lead on the ground by SR RB FuQuan Borum who’s carried 35 times for 139 yards and one rushing touchdown. Borum had a career game against Hobart in 2010, rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Taking the reins from Bailey in the passing game is JR QB Ryan Kramer who has passed for 361 yards including five touchdowns to two interceptions.

Kramer’s top targets are, somewhat ironically, a pair of Ryan’s – SR WR’s Schmidt (20 catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns) and Francis (13 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns).

Keys to the Game:

1. Move the chains / third down conversions – It’s fairly obvious that this was one of, if not the, key contributor to the Statesmen’s 2010 loss to Fisher (no solution to Borum and the Fisher OL was probably equally problematic but I digress). While Hobart has a strong mix of offensive weapons, it will need all of them to move the ball against this defense.

2. Shut down the “Triple Ryan” offense - Hobart’s defense will need to bring pressure to force Kramer out of his comfort zone and the Statesmen defensive backs will have their hands full with the speed of Francis and Schmidt. That said Kramer doesn’t need to throw for that many yards to be effective. For example, although Rochester was fairly effective in keeping Borum in check (76 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown) and Kramer only threw 15 completions for 143 yards; four of those passes were for touchdowns.

3. Avoid turnovers and falling behind early – Having seen last year’s game in person I can say first hand that Hobart didn’t do itself any favors in the first half. The Statesmen committed a blocked punt, interception and fumble put them in an insurmountable 24-0 hole early in the second quarter. Although Steven Webb would score on an exciting 61 yard catch and run later in the game, it was too little too late for the Statesmen. Fisher hasn’t allowed any points other than the first quarter, so it would appear as though getting to a good start and posting scores early is as critical as anything for Hobart in this game (which also happens to be the Cardinals’ Homecoming game).

Prediction

On Sunday night’s “In the HuddLLe” broadcast I belabored a bit before I threw out a 30-20 Fisher prediction. While I hope Hobart’s improved offense will be able to keep up with Fisher, I have concerns based on how dominating the Cardinals defense played against Buff State (who scored 82 points in Week 2, albeit against a weak WNEC team) and Rochester. That said the Statesmen defense may end up having to shoulder the load in this one. If they can contain Borum and Kramer and keep the Fisher offense off the field, the Statesmen may have a chance to play Homecoming spoiler like the Cardinals did at Boswell Field last year.

Either way this should be Hobart’s toughest test of the season and will provide a measuring stick for a Statesmen team that has postseason hopes; not to mention providing the Liberty League with its first win of 2011 against an Empire 8 team (who are 5-0 so far vs. the LL).

Go ‘Bart (prove me wrong)!

Remembering Andy

It was ten years ago today my former Hobart teammate Andy Golkin '93 was killed in the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

In memory of Andy I hope everyone will consider a donation of any size to the Andrew Golkin Memorial Scholarship Fund:

http://www.seo-usa.org/andrewgolkinfund/index.html

God bless.

In The HuddLLe Sept 4 Episode 2

You can download the replay of last Sunday's ITH to hear an interview with JR QB Nick Strang.  We discussed the Dickinson game among other matters.

Log onto http://www.inthehuddlle.com/ to check it out!

Hobart Runs Over Dickinson, 33-9

Recap

The Hobart Statesmen traveled to Carlisle, PA looking for their first road win over the Dickinson College Red Devils since 2005.

It was a dubious opening for the highly touted Statesmen offense as JR QB Nick Strang fumbled the initial snap from center. However, the Statesmen defense held on 4th and goal from their 1-yard line, and the offense quickly composed themselves driving 99 yards to strike first with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Strang to SR WR Garth Muratori, to give the Statesmen an early 7-0 lead.

Dickinson would respond by driving inside the Statesmen's 20, but once again Hobart's defense stopped the Red Devils on 4th down.

Muratori remained Strang's favorite target on the ensuing drive but it was JR RB Bobby Doughtery who capped off an 85-yard drive with a 28 yard burst to post the Statesmen to a 14-0 lead with 1:04 to play in the first quarter.

Dickinson turned the ball over twice more in the half, including a fumble recovery by SR DE Tim Murray and an interception (INT) by SO CB Connor Garrett in the second quarter. The Red Devil defense was successful turning away Hobart once but the Statesmen struck for a third touchdown on an 11-yard scramble by Strang. The Reyes Guevara point after was good, and the Statesmen were up 21-0 with 11:12 to play in the half.

Two more Hobart takeaways befuddled the Dickinson offense, including a goal line fumble by the Red Devils keeping the shutout in tact, at least temporarily.
The Dickinson defense came up big through the remainder of the period, keeping the Statesmen offense at bay, including another fourth down stop at the 8 to end the first half

The second half saw another Dickinson interception, this one by SO SS Devin Worthington, allowing the Statesmen to drive the ball 67 yards with SO RB Steven Webb running in a touchdown from two yards out to give Hobart a 27-0 edge.

By this point, the game was a lock for Hobart, and the final score was 33-9 Statesmen.

Hobart ran for over 300 yards on the day, racking up 500 yards of total offense. On defense Hobart capitalized on 5 Red Devil turnovers on 6 consecutive possessions.  Strang finished the day going 13 of 25 passing for 187 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.  Muratori collected seven catches for 123 yards and 1 TD.  The SR Co-Captain was recognized by the League as this week's Offensive POTY award.  Dougherty lead all Hobart rushers with 87 yards on nine carries.

The Statesmen defense was lead by SO CB Kevin Hearon and SR LB Reggie Robinson with eight tackles a piece.

The 1-0 Statesmen will return to action on September 24th as they visit the stalwart St. John Fisher Cardinals in Pittsford, NY at 1 PM ET. 

Analysis

The final stats have changed in the past couple of days, but by looking at the rushing totals and listening to the WEOS broadcast it seems pretty clear that the stars of this game were the Hobart OL.  They dominated the line of scrimmage, gave Strang plenty of time in the pocket and otherwise created gaping holes in the Dickinson defense.

My only critique of the Statesmen's play was they were once again a little sloppy in their execution, racking up 79 yards on 8 penalties.  While special teams was generally good - SO P/WR Yosh Karbowniczak garnered the league's Special Teams POTY award - Hobart did miss two PAT's (the Statesmen did not miss a single PAT in 2010), the latter which was returned for Dickinson's final two points of the contest.
That said Dickinson successfully moved the ball into Statesmen territory on several occasions but shot themselves in the foot with turnovers.  While the Hobart defense had an amazing game - five takeaways and holding three times on fourth down - Dickinson converted over half of their third down possessions and did not allow a sack.

Still, the Statesmen were clearly the superior team won easily.  They will have a greater challenge on 9/24 but I expect Coach Cragg to have the team ready.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!