The Good & The Bad of Week 4

The Hobart College Statesmen had a both a good and bad weekend down in Kings Point, NY yesterday. I intended to recap the game but held off because of a bad cold plus wanting to see how a few things panned out today.

The good news is that Hobart overcame a sluggish start to take a 30-15 win over the Mariners (1-2) with several key players out. JR OLB Marcus Jemison and SO QB Shane Sweeney did not play, but the Statesmen did enough against an improved Merchant Marine squad to overcome 118 yards in penalties (likely because it was the Mariners homecoming - the Merchant Marine by comparison only was flagged for 22), a lost pick six TD by SR LB and Co-Capt Jacob Stanley (one of the aforementioned penalties) and a SO QB Tom Sydeski 0 for 6 start to the game.

Sydeski finally found his form in the second quarter finding JR WR Jack Pfohl and SO TE Zach Withers (the latter being his first career TD) on consecutive possessions to post a 14-0 lead. A special teams break down gave the Mariners the ball at their 41 and they were able to drive 59 yards to score with 39 seconds remaining in the first half to cut the lead to 14-7. Sydeski would find SO WR Brandon Shed on a nice 40 yard pass play to potentially set up a FG attempt, but of course, he was flagged for offensive pass interference.

The Statesmen would come out and notch their third TD of the game after Stanley blocked a Mariner punt and JR DB Todd Collier recovered the ball and ran it back to the end zone. A JR PK Sean Kirsche 31 yard FG would follow and Hobart was in good shape, up 23-7. Although the Merchant Marine scored with about 7 minutes left in the game, SR RB and Co-Captain Connor Hartigan would score his first TD of the season to put the game away on the following possession.

Although he only completed five passes out of 19, Sydeski made them count and Hobart did enough to improve to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Liberty League. The win (along with a few upsets in the Top 25) was enough to get the Statesmen back in the Top 25 poll.

A link to the poll can be found here.

Unfortunately the bad news is that Stanley suffered what's apparently a season-ending injury during the game, further thinning the already beat up Hobart LB corps (if not starting 22). The Statesmen OL's struggles continued as they gave up five TFL and a sack against an undersized Mariner defense. Hobart also had it's third week in a row of rushing under 100 yards (which was pretty rare leading into this season - see prior post on the preview), carrying the ball 40 times for only 85 yards.

The road only gets more difficult for the Statesmen as WPI (3-1, 0-1) comes into town next Saturday. The Engineers are definitely improved from the 4-6 squad from last season, playing solid defense and an able offense.

I'll preview that game - which we also covered in tonight's ITH - which you can listen to here (goes live at 7:30 PM ET tonight). We cover off on the Statesmen's game vs. the Merchant Marine (thanks as always to Ted Baker from WEOS for the game highlights) and discuss whether or not Hobart deserved to go back into the Top 25 (apparently I was persuasive ;).

Anyway, will have a preview of the Homecoming / WPI game later this week. Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 4 - US Merchant Marine Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will travel to Kings Point, NY on Long Island this weekend for their 2015 Liberty League opener against the United States Merchant Marine Academy Mariners. The Mariners (1-1) are coming off the emotional high of a 14-3 Secretaries Cup victory over their rivals Coast Guard (1-2) and a low of a lopsided 24-14 loss to the SUNY-Maritime Privateers (2-1) where they were out gained 313 to 175 total yards.

The Statesmen (2-1) have never lost to the Mariners since the Merchant Marine joined the LL as an affiliate for football in 2004. Hobart leads the all-time series 11-4 and won last year's contest at Boswell Field in convincing fashion, 42-7.

The once maligned Mariner defense seems to have improved after finishing dead last in almost every key defensive category in 2014. Their LB corps has improved and they boast two of the better DBs in the LL in #6 SR DB Skyler Stone (two INTs so far) and #20 JR DB Patrick Keyes (2nd team All-Conference selection last year).

Scouting the Merchant Marine

The key to the Mariners' triple option rushing attack is #11 SR QB Matthew McDaniels. McDaniels gained 190 yards and one TD so far this season and is ranked ninth in the LL with a 114.5 YPG average. Complimenting him is #14 SO FB Luke Tiefenthaler who's rushed for 222 yards and one TD.

Leading the defense is #49 JR LB Josh Woodburn with 22 total tackles and three sacks.

The special teams unit has a strong return man in #7 SO RB Robert Moore with a LL high 30 YPR average. #98 SO PK Eric Swayze averages a solid 35.9 average net in the kicking game on punts.

Keys to the Game

1. Resurgence - If I told you in the preseason that the Hobart-USMMA game would be between the two worst total and scoring offenses in the LL you'd probably think I was crazy. As it stands Hobart comes into this one as the seventh rated scoring (21 PPG) and last ranked total offense (254.3 YPG) in the LL. The Mariners aren't much better averaging 271 YPG and a LL low 14 PPG. That said it's on the Hobart OL to regain control of the LOS and dominate what is an undersized Mariner DL. To their credit, the Merchant Marine is the third rated total defense only allowing 237.5 YPG and is second in scoring "D" only allowing 13.5 PPG.

2. DTR - Both teams in this game should be "DTR" (or "Down to Run") given each team's respective strengths. The Mariners have a very strong secondary and their pass defense has been stingy only 117 YPG. The Merchant Marine's third ranked (251.5 YPG) rushing offense will crash into Hobart's top ranked (58 YPG) rushing and total (186 YPG) defense Saturday.

3. Third down conversions - The Statesmen can really control this game if they can exploit a Mariner weakness which is their league low 27.3% third down conversion percentage. Hobart is first in the LL holding opponents to a 15.9% conversion rate.

4. Turnovers - The Statesmen committed six turnovers against Ithaca (2-0). Enough said.

Prediction:

I like the Statesmen to get back on track versus a tough, but beatable Mariner squad. It'll be a lower scoring affair unless the Hobart "D" collects some turnovers of their own. Regardless, I'll take Hobart to win, 28-7.

Thanks to all the long-time, new and other readers of the blog. We cracked 100k in views today which is pretty cool.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Hobart Drops Out of D3football.com Top 25, ATN & ITH podcast discussions

The Hobart College Statesmen have fallen from the 16th ranked team on D3football.com to "Receiving Votes" in the Week 3 Top 25 poll. Two weeks of offensive struggles and other teams leapfrogging the Statesmen led to this change. Hobart has been ranked in the D3football.com polls for several years now and is likely to return should they go on and win the Liberty League and make another playoff push.

The Statesmen are one of only about eight (of the 247) D3 programs that has been to playoffs every year for the past four seasons (even defending National Champions University of Wisconsin-Whitewater can't make that claim).

This topic (and the related Ithaca-Hobart game) was covered by D3football.com on the "Around the Nation" podcast (which came directly as a clip from our 9/20 ITH show).

A link to both podcasts are listed below:

http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/2015/09/21/around-the-nation-big-games-and-close-calls/

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ith/2015/09/20/in-the-huddlle--liberty-league-football-talk-show

Later this week I'll preview / expand upon the Liberty League opener for Hobart (2-1) against the United States Merchant Marine Academy (1-1).

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen's Regular Season Win Streak Snapped By Six Turnovers in 24-6 Loss to #24 Ithaca

Hobart College's heralded 32 game regular season win streak came to an end today against #24 Ithaca College in what was a much anticipated match up between two Top 25 programs.

Although the Statesmen defense played a great game holding the Bombers (2-0) offense to 204 yards (97 of which came on two pass plays), the Statesmen couldn't stop shooting themselves in the foot in what was just an unfortunate offensive performance. I'll give the Ithaca defense some credit - they did a great job in coverage against the Hobart receivers and the defensive line won the line of scrimmage. The pressure and blitzes the Statesmen OL simply failed to pick up were a big reason for the three INTs thrown by SO QB Tom Sydeski and SR QB Parker Thelander. SO QB Shane Sweeney missed today's game because of a shoulder injury suffered against Endicott.

Another sign that the OL is struggling is that for the second week in a row Hobart was held to under 100 yards rushing. That's a troubling trend given (thanks to SID Ken DeBolt) the Statesmen have only rushed for less than 100 yards on eight occasions previously dating back the last eight seasons:

2008
47 at RPI
55 vs ROC
2009
94 vs CMU
2011
80 at WES
2014
91 at WPI
91 at WES
2015
57 vs END
93 at IC

Adding to the concern is that Saint Lawrence (2-1) absolutely dominated Endicott (0-3) today by a score of 34-9 which SLU led 20-0 at the half and 34-3 at the start of the 4th quarter.

In spite of the loss (and the likely drop out of the Top 16, if not 25), there were a few bright spots for the Statesmen. SO TE Chris Cyr had two catches for 28 yards and SR WR Cooper Merrill had two big catches for first downs to go with one other reception to lead the team with 29 yards. FY RB Tynard Barfield took a SR RB Conner Hartigan wildcat hand off in for Hobart's lone TD.

The Statesmen will look to regroup next week against the Merchant Marine (1-2) in Kings Point. Tune in tomorrow night's ITH for more discussion about this and the other 7 league teams that played this weekend, among other games.

Week 3 - Ithaca Game Preview

Looks like I picked a good one for my 400th post on this blog. Hard to believe there's been that many, not to mention it looks like we'll crack 100k views any day now!

The #16 Hobart Statesmen will face off against #24 Ithaca College in what's a 2014 NCAA First Round Playoff rematch, Saturday at Butterfield Stadium. The Bombers (1-0) have had an extra week's rest and preparation for this game and will be looking to avenge last season's 22-15 playoff loss to the Statesmen.

Hobart fans will probably never forget coming back from being down 15-7 and seeing QB Patrick Conlan '15 lead two late drives to tie and, with only 13 seconds left, win the game. Although both Conlan and (former IC QB) Tom Dempsey have graduated, this year's game will definitely be defined by QB play.

#12 JR QB Wolfgang Shafer is the son of Syracuse University HC Scott Shafer. Slender but strong, Shafer has a strong arm and was very accurate against Union (0-2) a couple weeks ago. The JR QB went 25 for 33 against the (suspect) Dutchmen defense, racking up 265 passing yards and two TDs. Ithaca did try to run the ball (34 carries) but mostly gained their first downs via the air (18 of 24). #33 SO RB Tristan Brown and #24 SO RB Dan Porter got the bulk of the carries (eight and 13, respectively) for a combined 64 yards. Up front the Bombers are led by #71 SR OL and Co-Captain Scott Anderson. Union did have some success with their pass rush, sacking Shafer twice in Week 1.

#2 JR WR Josh Oliver was Shafer's favorite target, catching eight passes for 80 yards. Oliver is a dual threat in that he threw a TD pass against Union for 32 yards. Other receiving weapons for the Bombers are #88 JR TE Kyle Hastings and #11 JR WR Brian Balsamo. Both had five catches and a TD each in Week 1. Hastings is a match up challenge for Hobart given his size (6'4" and 237 lbs).

Defensively Ithaca is led by #94 SR DL and Co-Captain Logan Murphy. #9 SR DB and Co-Captain Malik Morris led the Bombers pass defense with a game high 11 tackles and an interception against Union.

The special teams unit is led by German born #34 SR PK Max Rottenecker (aka "Das Boot"). Rottenecker was one of two on FG's against the Dutchmen, connecting on a 39 yarder and five PATs. A 31 yard attempt was wide right in the Union game.

Keys to the Game:

1. Stop Shafer - Union made Shafer look like an All American so the pressure will be on the Hobart secondary to make plays like they did last Saturday in the win over Endicott. JR CB Todd Collier earned the LL Defensive Player of the Week Award for his two (almost three) INT performance last Saturday.

2. Pass Protect / Move the Chains - The Hobart OL struggled picking up blitzes against Endicott, allowing two sacks, forcing SO QB Shane Sweeney's first career INT and only converting five of 14 third down conversions (and were 0 for two on fourth down). Ithaca dominated time of possession (35 to 25 minutes, effectively) against Union so Hobart will need to keep their offense on the field and convert on key plays (like this play that earned the D3football.com Play of the Week thanks to an awesome effort by JR RB Brad Burns).

3. Special Teams - save for the awesome JR WR Sean Cunningham PR TD play, the Statesmen kicking and special teams game was off last Saturday. The bad punt snap can't happen again because with an offense like Ithaca's it's a guaranteed six point play. Coverage on returns needs to improve and the angle kicks need to avoid ending up out of bounds and giving the Bombers extra yards. "Das Boot" is a solid kicker but not automatic. The Statesmen will need to try and hold Ithaca to FGs and/or win the battle of field position.

Prediction

If you've followed this blog, you know I've almost never picked against Hobart, at least certainly not in the last four seasons. Exactly four years ago I did in this post which ended up with the Statesmen lighting up a favored Empire 8 team by 36. That was my intention again when I picked Ithaca 17-13 on In The HuddLLe last Sunday night. While I think my co-host Frank Rossi's pick of Hobart winning 24-20 is probably more accurate, I'm sure it'll be a close game either way.

It's a big test for both clubs and will garner a lot of local and national attention. The loser's season isn't over because of the automatic qualifier / conference opportunity, but it will sting from a bragging rights perspective.

The Statesmen are riding a 32 game regular season winning streak. Ithaca is probably the one team that could break it if Hobart plays like they did against Endicott.

I'll be tuning in to WEOS at 12:40 PM and can't wait to see how this one turns out.

Hobart Defense and Special Teams Carry Sloppy Statesmen Over Gulls, 28-17

The 15th ranked Hobart College Statesmen didn't look anything like a Top 15 program Saturday in a wet and sloppy (six penalties for 66 yards) game against former OC and now Endicott College HC Kevin DeWall '00.

Hobart (2-0) was out-gained 259 to 204 yards by the Gulls (0-2) on a day when the OL and running game (only 52 rush yards, but somewhat misleading given bad punt snap and subsequent loss on that play) really struggled to pick up blitzes and create good running lanes.

In fact it was SR DE Zach Thornton and the Statesmen defense who got Hobart on the board first, recovering an Endicott fumble in the end zone for a TD with only 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Endicott would respond capping a 13 play, 58 yard drive with a Kyle Regan 27 yard FG to pull within 7-3. The best Hobart offensive series would follow, when JR RB Brad Burns turned in a "Sportscenter" caliber 36 yard TD run where he leaped over a would be defender on the way to the end zone.

A bad punt snap would give the Gulls a short field and they'd cash in on the opportunity thanks to a 16 yard TD pass from QB Sam Oulette to WR Jake Pellitier to make it 14-9 with 3:49 to go in the first half.

At halftime Hobart great Tyre Coleman '15 was recognized and presented the Cliff Harris Award for being the best small college defensive player in the nation for 2014.

The second half saw the Statesmen get off to a good start, marching 48 yards in eight plays capping the drive on a SO QB Shane Sweeney to SO WR Brandon Shed 16 yard TD pass and catch.

JR WR Sean Cunningham would effectively put the game away after taking an Endicott punt 59 yards to the house. Although the Gulls would score once again, the Hobart defense would clamp down and Hobart would hang on for a 28-17 win (which is ironically almost the exact same score as last season's 28-18 decision in Beverly, MA).

The Good: the Statesmen defense caused four turnovers, including three INTs, two of which were snagged by JR CB Todd Collier. He could have had three if he hauled in a one-hander which would also have been #SCTop10 worthy. The Hobart D also held the Gulls to only two of 16 third down conversations which is excellent.

The Bad: Hobart only rushed for 52 yards on a day that the OL just looked out of sync. Maybe it's because we've been spoiled with the Garvey's, Smith's, Marpet's and the like but this OL had about as bad a game as I've seen in years.

The Ugly: where's the team passion? Last year guys would mob their scoring teammate. This year's squad came out for this game flat and seemed uninspired for most of the game. Hopefully this is just the case of the classic "trap game" and the fact the Statesmen were playing a staff that knows their team and scheme inside out. Several of the penalties by Hobart were unnecessary also and will need to be cleaned up by next week.

This film which be a tough pill to swallow but only because Hobart holds itself to such high standards. At the end of the day, they played good enough to win and if a few things happened differently, it probably would have been a rout.

Ithaca (1-0) was probably watching intently and they have to be confident after seeing Hobart struggle. That said Week 3 is a new chapter in the 2015 season. I expect Coach Cragg will have the team ready.

Remembering Andy #NeverForget911

Each year on this date it's good to reflect and remember the events of 9/11/01.  They were tragic, terrible and changed our society, if not world, forever.

That day Hobart College lost three alumni, Scott Rohner '01, Michael Simon '83 and my former teammate Andrew Glokin '93, who's wearing #37 in the Hobart Football team photo below.

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

#NeverForget

                           

Week 2 - Endicott Game Preview

The #15th ranked Hobart College Statesmen return to Boswell Field this weekend for their 2015 home opener against the Endicott College Gulls of the NEFC. Last season Hobart had a slow start before pulling away in the second half to beat the Gulls by a score of 28-18.

Last season it was former OC Kevin DeWall '00 calling the plays for the Statesmen, but as we all know now he's taken over as HC of the Gulls' relatively new football program. The Gulls (0-1) looked like a young and inexperienced squad last Saturday, dropping their home and season opener 42-6 against Framingham State (1-0) of the MASCAC. To be fair the Rams were a 10 win program last season and barely missed earning a spot in the NCAA playoffs.

The Rams racked up 473 yards against the Gulls defense, earning 32 first downs compared to Endicott's 12. Framingham QB Matt Silva had a big day, going 29 of 35 and passing for 261 yards and five TDs. He added a rushing score as well.

Scouting the Gulls

With uniforms looking like a cross between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL, the Gulls appear to be more of a passing than rushing team. #12 JR QB Joe Picard is a tall, athletic player with a decent arm. He completed 16 of 25 pass attempts against the Rams for 148 yards and a TD. He was sacked twice by Framingham's defense and intercepted twice in his first collegiate start.

#3 JR WR Jake Pelletier was Picard's favorite target, catching five passes for 52 yards, including one 30 yard reception. #88 JR WR Chris Lipscomb is a big (6' 2" 200 lbs) target who can catch (three receptions for 25 yards, including an 11 yard TD) and run (two carries for 21 yards).

#23 FY RB Johari Johnson and #5 SR FB Spencer Walsh had the bulk of the Gulls' carries Saturday, but neither could get much yardage against a tough Rams defense. Overall Endicott only gained 60 yards on 21 attempts (2.9 YPC).

Defensively #27 SR CB Lawrence Gonzalez and #53 FY LB William Rivera led the Gulls with nine tackles each.

Keys to the Game

1. Home Field - Boswell Field has been "home sweet home" for the Statesmen for many years, but in recent seasons especially. Hobart (1-0) hasn't lost a regular season at the "Boz" since the end of 2011.

2. Keep Building - The Dickinson game showed that this Hobart squad has a lot of potential and good chemistry. SO QB Shane Sweeney had a strong debut and should continue to build off of that in Saturday's game against Endicott. Third down conversions were a bit of an issue (only converting six of 18 attempts) last Saturday (albeit Hobart did convert four of five fourth downs) so I'd like to see a few more of those this weekend.

3. The Defense (Never Rests) - SR LB and Co-Captain Jacob Stanley earned the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Week Award for his seven tackle, two and a half TFL and two sack performance last Saturday in Carlisle. A link to the award announcement can be found here. I expect a similar outing by Stanley and the Hobart defense, who held Dickinson (0-1) to a mere yard on offense at the half. While HC Mike Cragg will be a gentleman and not run up the score, you can expect the Statesmen to stay stingy on the defensive side of the ball. JR OLB Marcus Jemison may or may not play this Saturday. If not ready to go, look for SO OLB Roddy Tierney, FY LB Kai Bradford and/or SO LB Will Hoffer to gain some valuable game experience in his absence or relief.

4. Work On (Not So) Special Teams - There really wasn't anything to complain about as a Hobart fan last weekend in what was a very dominating performance by the Statesmen. On ITH (and this blog) I nit-picked a little about the special teams play given some blocked kicks, a missed FG and some spotty coverage/penalties on punts and kickoffs. Hobart should use this game as way to refine the kicking and coverage play as field position will be crucial in Week 3's battle against Ithaca (1-0).

Prediction

Endicott is a few seasons away from being a threat given the youth and recent changes to their program. Coach DeWall will get them there, but this team will have some growing pains in 2015. We previewed this game (and all eight LL match ups coming up this Saturday in Week 2) on ITH last Sunday night, and if you missed it, you can catch the show here.

I'll predict a 35-7 Hobart win this Saturday at the Boz in a game which should allow several young Statesmen the opportunity to gain experience and allow the starters to build on Week 1's solid outing.

Check out Ali Marpet '15 in this press conference as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get ready for their NFL season and home opener this Sunday

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Deep Six Devils, 29-7

The 16th ranked Hobart College Statesmen had a dominant defensive performance and the successful debut of several new offensive players in a resounding 29-7 win over Dickinson College Saturday in Carlisle, PA.

Hobart saw SR FB Chris Holoman, SO QB Shane Sweeney and FY RB Ty Barfield scoring rushing TDs but the Dickinson stats weren't very reliable while Sweeney found JR WR Jack Pfohl on a 63 yard strike for a passing score. SO PK Will McCool closed out the scoring with a 32 yard FG.

Defensively the Statesmen pitched a shutout until the final seconds of the game with SR LB and Co-Captain Jacob Stanley and SO CB Tommy D'Antonio leading the defense with seven tackles each.

Sweeney was as advertised, completing 21 of 30 passes for 248 yards. SR RB Conner Hartigan led all rushers with 73 yards on 15 carries.

Really the only thing that wasn't perfect for the Statesmen was the special teams unit. A missed FG, two blocked PATs and some poor kick coverage will need to be corrected by Coach Cragg and the coaching staff.

That said the conclusion of what was a longstanding series between Hobart (1-0) and Dickinson (0-1) came with the Statesmen on top today and overall (14-10-1). It'll be interesting to see which team Hobart can plug into the season opener next year at the "Boz."

In what was other a good day for the Statesmen, SO CB Gabriel Smith unfortunately broke his leg early in the game and is likely out for the season. This is heartbreaking for Smith who worked hard to comeback after missing the 2014 season. Our thoughts are with him for a speedy recovery.

JR OLB Marcus Jemison also left the game early on and hopefully for precautionary measures. He did walk off the field under his own power.

A few other quick reactions / thoughts from Game 1:

• This defense had a great game today, but Dickinson's offense isn't that tough. Ithaca's new JR QB Wolfgang Shafer (son of Syracuse HC Scott Shafer) had a big passing day (25 of 33 for 265 yards and 2 TDs in a 38-23 win at Union). That matchup in Week 3 will be a big litmus test for this unit
• SO WR Brandon Shed and JR WR Jack Pfohl seemed poised for big years
• Sweeney often only held onto the ball with his throwing hand on runs / slides. He will need to be careful as opposing defensive coordinators may instruct their teams to look for that and try and force turnovers
• FY RB Ty Barfield could be "Webb 2.0"
• SR LB Trayvon Toney is an All-American caliber player. Not sure why publications didn't have him on the radar but he will be as the season progresses
• The OL had a solid game against a decent defensive front. Tougher tests (Ithaca) await, but this was an encouraging start
• Expect Hobart to crack the Top 15 with #12 Widener losing 24-10 to Rowan. #19 Saint John Fisher was blown out 48-0 by #23 Thomas Moore which will likely move up
• Oh, and Saint Lawrence's OL needs a lot of work (gave up six sacks and only gained 26 rushing yards) and their defense was scorched by Morrisville State (1-0) for 433 yards in a 28-20 loss to the Mustangs on Friday night

That's all I have for this week. I'll discuss this game on Sunday night on ITH and a preview of the Week 2 Endicott (0-1 after a 42-6 loss to Framingham State) match up will be up around Wednesday.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 1 - Dickinson Game Preview

The 16th ranked Hobart College Statesmen will open their 122nd season of collegiate football when they line up against the Dickinson College Red Devils, Saturday in Carlisle, PA. Kickoff is slated for noon eastern and the game will be broadcast by WEOS 89.5 FM, featuring Ted Baker (pregame show to begin around 11:40 AM). Hobart has faced Dickinson in the season opener dating back to 1992.

In case you missed it, check out SR DL Tucker Gumkowski's interview on ITH Preseason Kickoff Special. Tucker joins around the 90 minute mark but there's definitely Hobart talk spread throughout the show.

Once a competitive rivalry, the Statesmen have defeated the Red Devils in the season opener every year dating back to 2010. Last season Hobart won 33-21 in a game that wasn’t nearly as competitive as that final score indicates.

There are a few questions facing the Statesmen as they enter into this contest at several key positions and it will be interesting to see how the depth chart shakes out. Eye witness reports said the Hobart offense had a bit of a slow start in last week’s scrimmage against Buffalo State so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare in a live game situation.

The Details in (of?) the Devils 

HC Darwin Breaux enters his 23rd season at the helm and must have hopes for an improved season from last year’s 3-7 effort given the return of 17 starters (eight offensive, eight defensive players and one specialist).

The Red Devils’ first order of business is to replace four year starter QB Cole Ahnell ’15. #12 SO QB Ricky Klingerman and #7 JR QB Eddie Kozlowski are leading candidates and I wouldn’t be surprised if Coach Breaux utilizes both during Saturday’s game. While inexperienced, these QBs are athletic and are also taller / bigger than their predecessor. The OL returns three starters and an additional three players who had significant playing time in 2014.

#5 SR RB and Co-Captain Cedric Madden is the key player on offense for Dickinson. He led the team in rushing last season, gaining 1160 yards on 202 carries with six rush TDs. Madden added 303 yards and two TDs also as a receiver. Spelling Madden with be #2 SR RB Shawn Wilson who led Dickinson in rushing two years ago, but a knee injury and subsequent surgery prematurely ended his JR campaign. Blocking for Madden and Wilson are #32 JR FB Chris Soulas and #43 SR FB/TE Anthony Survilla.

#24 SR WR Anders Overhaug (417 receiving yards and four TDs) is the leading target back for the Red Devils in the passing game. #80 SO TE Darrion Bunce (6’4” and 230 lbs) is more of a blocker, but he did catch two TDs against a tough Muhlenberg (9-2 and NCAA playoff at large / Pool C selection) defense last November.

Dickinson suffered a key loss with the graduation of DE Walker Moriarty ‘15, but #58 JR DL Kevin Sherry (47 tackles, six and a half TFL and five sacks) posted similar numbers. He and #98 JR DL Will Hornsby (6’1” 270 lbs) are the strength of the defense, which is deep at DL but thin at LB. Back on defense includes #37 SR DB/OLB Jake Myers, the team's leading tackler last year (70 tackles), #9 SR DB and Co-Captain Teddy Airoldi (69) and #50 SR LB and Co-Captain Pat Schlecker (57).

On special teams, #99 SR PK Austin High is back at punter, averaging 37.7 net YPP in 2014. He was the primary kicker last year but the kicking job looks to be going to incoming recruit #85 FY PK Stephen Walker.

Keys to the Game: 

1. Establish / Stop the Run – Football is a complicated game on one hand but at its core, it’s fairly simple. Win the line of scrimmage (LOS) and you’ll win the game. The Hobart OL will face a tough Dickinson unit that is looking to improve upon its 192.8 rushing YPG allowed from 2014. The Statesmen ran for 263 yards on the Red Devils last season and managed to hold Madden to only 63 yards (which included one 31 yard run late in the game) on 13 carries. If they can repeat that performance, or come close, Hobart will be in good shape.

2. Manage Great Expectations – If Vegas had lines on D3FB games (maybe my future career if this banking thing doesn’t work out), the Statesmen would probably be two TD favorites in this one. That said Hobart needs to go out expect Dickinson will bring their best shot, especially at home. The Red Devils have nothing to lose and Hobart shouldn’t get overly confident or upset if things go well or poorly early on in the game.

3. Minimize Turnovers / Maximize Takeaways – Turnovers are also a fairly obvious aspect of games, but it’s one area the Statesmen could improve upon from 2014 when you look at last year’s stat sheets. Hobart’s usual ball hawk defense didn’t create as many turnovers on defense last season (recovered seven fumbles and had 11 interceptions over 13 games) which led to Hobart having a -7 turnover ratio (to be fair that was exacerbated by six interceptions thrown during the NCAA playoffs). If you compare the Statesmen’s TOM to that of Saint Lawrence’s +22 and RPI’s +9 marks, there’s clearly room for improvement.

Prediction: 

The last five years the score of this game has been fairly predictable, so I’ll predict a 27-10 Hobart win with Dickinson getting some points here and there. My only caveat is if the Statesmen’s offense doesn’t get off to a good start this could be a lower scoring affair. We’ll find out soon enough.

Thanks for reading and go ‘Bart!