Last night Frank Rossi and I published our preseason "In the HuddLLe" preseason special. It featured players from all eight Liberty League teams, including Hobart SR OLB and Co-Captain Marcus Jemison (who comes on at the 66 minute mark), among off and preseason news, game previews and predictions.
I also spoke with Noontime Sports Blog's Matt Noonan about the New England D3FB scene, including a preview of the Endicott vs. Framingham State game. I trust HC Kevin DeWall will have his team ready and could pull off the upset against the defending MASCAC Champs.
A link to both podcasts are below:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ith/2016/08/30/in-the-huddlle--liberty-league-football-talk-show
https://noontimesports.com
I'll have my Brockport game preview up tomorrow. Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Friday, August 26, 2016
2016 Preview
The Hobart College Statesmen saw their four year streak of Liberty League Conference Championships and NCAA appearances snapped after a somewhat disappointing 7-3 campaign in 2015.
Injuries and a couple of tough breaks caught up with the Statesmen, but they did finish their season on a three game win streak, beating their opponents by a 113-52 margin, including knocking off the eventual LL champions, #25 Saint Lawrence. It should also be noted that Hobart was a missed two point conversion away from winning their fifth straight LL championship.
That momentum, a strong recruiting class and other positive developments for Hobart bode well for this year.
Here's an initial look at the:
Hobart Offense
JR QB and Co-Captain Shane Sweeney overcame injuries last year to lead the LL in passing YPG (221) and efficiency (148.3). He set a Hobart record for six TDs against Rochester in the 2015 season finale. Returning to action is SO QB Adam Wallerstein, who came out of Lakeland (NJ) with a lot of potential (and a cannon of an arm). He'll push Sweeney for playing time and would be a very capable back up otherwise.
The QBs continued success at Hobart will be highly dependent on the OL which seemed to take a step backward, statistically speaking anyway, last season. The Statesmen OL finished sixth in the LL with only 115.2 rushing YPG and 13 rushing TDs. In the passing game they allowed 20 sacks (or two per game on average and a total of -143 yards) which was fifth in the LL, well off prior seasons' protection stats. While this is a point of emphasis going into preseason camp, there's a lot to be optimistic about this fall's OL unit.
SR OL and Co-Captain Nick Testani, one of the anchors of Statesmen "Big Dogs," is effectively the leader of the OL as C. Testani was the only Statesmen offensive player to earn 1st Team All-LL honors, which he'll look to repeat this season (and hopefully have some teammates join him).
Classmate SR OL Justin DiJiulio can play C as well, but he held down RT late in 2015 and may remain in the that spot or move inside to guard for 2016. SR OL and Co-Captain Patrick O'Connell III will likely move inside to LG this year which will help Hobart open gaps on the interior. O'Connell earned 2nd Team All-LL honors for his efforts at LT last season.
Competition for LT and RG will be interesting to watch in camp. I could see Coach Drach moving DiJiulio inside or promote rising JR OL Alex Helm, JR OL Stephen Van Hoesen and/or SO OL Jack Koch into the starting line up depending on the preseason. SO OL John Deveney is also a potential starter at LT given his size, skill and performance in spring ball. Another new player to keep an eye on is Erie Community College transfer JR OL Sean Plunkett. Sean has followed the footsteps of his father Patrick ('81) and Uncle Daniel ('85) in playing football at Hobart. Either way, you can expect to see a solid rotation up front which is good news for the offense.
Hobart will need SO RB Tynard Barfield to step into the feature I-back role with the graduation of Conner Hartigan '16. Barfield showed his explosive quickness several times in 2015. He rushed for 181 yards and four TDs while adding 88 receiving yards and a TD. SR RB Bradley Burns will likely split time with Barfield while steamrolling would be tacklers. Burns rushed for 217 yards and three TDs last season, one which was named by GEICO as the College Football Play of the Year!
There will be a competition to fill the starting FB role held last season by Christopher Holoman '16. Look for Coach Drach to open things up by having more three receiver sets and the FB or HB come in on certain offensive plays or series. Right now the leading candidates for that job include JR FB Dylan Quay and SR FB Sean Bright (a personal favorite given he has my old number, 36).
What Statesmen fans should be really excited about is that Hobart brings back one of the strongest WR corps in the East Region, if not the nation, with players like JR WR Brandon Shed, SR WR Sean Cunningham, and SR WR Jack Pfohl. Shed tied for the most receiving TDs (8) in the LL and led the Statesmen with 700 yards. Pfohl contributed 507 receiving yards and three TDs. Cunningham, a star on the Hobart NEC Championship lacrosse team, had 204 receiving yards and a TD. Cunningham also added 159 yards as a PR and even scored a special teams TD for the Statesmen in 2015. There are also several incoming FY players that are very fast, dynamic and could compete for playing time as they learn the offense.
Adding to the headaches opposing DCs will have is Hobart's athletic TE corps. JR TE Zach Withers came on strong in 2015 and was rewarded with a 2nd Team All-LL award for his efforts. Withers hauled in 10 passes for 137 yards and four TDs. New to the position will be SO TE Matt Woods who converted from QB. He's a big target at 6'6"and should fill out from his current 217 lbs frame.
Overall the offensive unit looks poised to have a very big year if the team stays healthy.
Now let's switch sides and take a look at the:
Hobart Defense
The Statesmen return most of their defensive corps from 2015. Hobart dominated most of the LL defensive stats behind the strong play of this unit. The Statesmen were first in total (245.8 YPG), rushing (116.3) and passing (129.5) defense. They were a close second in scoring defense, allowing 17.7 PPG.
The biggest shoes to fill will be at ILB as both Trayvon Toney and Jacob Stanley '16 have graduated. Still, Hobart has several strong young LBs that will look to play bigger roles in 2016. JR LB Almamy Conde showed a good deal of promise as a second year player and reportedly had a strong spring.
SR OLB and Co-Captain Marcus Jemison is back after an award winning JR campaign and he was once again named a preseason All-American. Opposite Jemison will likely be SR OLB Michael Harper. Other players like JR LB Will Hoffer and SO LB Kai Brandford will also compete for time.
The good news for the LB corps is that the majority of the DL returns intact. Tucker Gumkowski's '16 production at DT will need to be replaced, but key players like SR DT Jake Russell, SR DE and Co-Captain James Hedger are all back. Adding to the depth of this unit includes SO DE A.J. McFarlane, SO DE Albert Smith, SO DT Sean Moore and JR DT Zackary Robak.
Also back is the entire defensive secondary (which finished 2015 ranked 2nd in the entire nation in pass defense), led by SR FS and Co-Captain Matt Cragg. SR CB Todd Collier and JR CB Tommy D'Antonio return as does JR DB Gabriel Smith and JR DB Daryl Scales. Offensive teams will be hard pressed to complete many passes against this veteran unit and hopefully last season's interception total (8) will be higher in 2016.
Last, but not least, we have:
Special Teams
SR PK Sean Kirshe returns for his final year and he'll compete once again with JR PK Will McCool for kickoff, PAT and FG duties. Kirshe went five for seven with a long of 37 yards in FGs last season, while adding 26 extra points (out of 30 attempts).
JR PK Rio Schmidt stepped in to take over punting duties in 2015 and finished 3rd in the LL with a 35.9 net punting average.
I have to add the kicking unit is probably the most geographically diverse one in quite some time. Kirshe was originally from FL, now resides in KY and Schmidt is from TX. McCool is sort of the "Average Joe" in this group since he's "only" from PA.
Prognosis:
Overall this Statesmen squad will be a favorite to recapture the LL title (they were picked first in the LL Coach's Poll yesterday) and accompanying NCAA berth. The Saint Lawrence Saints return the majority of their key players so another collision course between these rivals has been set and will happen in early November.
Otherwise, Hobart has a challenging OOC schedule, including a long road trip to the Boston area to test the team in September. The Saturday night home opener against Ithaca will also a great way to open the "Boz" on Homecoming and Family Weekend.
What's also interesting is that 2016 will have a different feel given a new season opener / opponent in Brockport (the Statesmen and the Golden Eagles' last game was in 1982) and LL rival games have flip flopped from prior seasons, e.g., the Union and RPI games which have typically been in late October for several years will now happen at the end of September and early October like they were in the mid-00's.
Needless to say expectations will be high in Geneva and elsewhere regarding this squad. Here's hoping the Hobart College Football team has a great (and healthy) 2016 run!
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Injuries and a couple of tough breaks caught up with the Statesmen, but they did finish their season on a three game win streak, beating their opponents by a 113-52 margin, including knocking off the eventual LL champions, #25 Saint Lawrence. It should also be noted that Hobart was a missed two point conversion away from winning their fifth straight LL championship.
That momentum, a strong recruiting class and other positive developments for Hobart bode well for this year.
Here's an initial look at the:
Hobart Offense
JR QB and Co-Captain Shane Sweeney overcame injuries last year to lead the LL in passing YPG (221) and efficiency (148.3). He set a Hobart record for six TDs against Rochester in the 2015 season finale. Returning to action is SO QB Adam Wallerstein, who came out of Lakeland (NJ) with a lot of potential (and a cannon of an arm). He'll push Sweeney for playing time and would be a very capable back up otherwise.
The QBs continued success at Hobart will be highly dependent on the OL which seemed to take a step backward, statistically speaking anyway, last season. The Statesmen OL finished sixth in the LL with only 115.2 rushing YPG and 13 rushing TDs. In the passing game they allowed 20 sacks (or two per game on average and a total of -143 yards) which was fifth in the LL, well off prior seasons' protection stats. While this is a point of emphasis going into preseason camp, there's a lot to be optimistic about this fall's OL unit.
SR OL and Co-Captain Nick Testani, one of the anchors of Statesmen "Big Dogs," is effectively the leader of the OL as C. Testani was the only Statesmen offensive player to earn 1st Team All-LL honors, which he'll look to repeat this season (and hopefully have some teammates join him).
Classmate SR OL Justin DiJiulio can play C as well, but he held down RT late in 2015 and may remain in the that spot or move inside to guard for 2016. SR OL and Co-Captain Patrick O'Connell III will likely move inside to LG this year which will help Hobart open gaps on the interior. O'Connell earned 2nd Team All-LL honors for his efforts at LT last season.
Competition for LT and RG will be interesting to watch in camp. I could see Coach Drach moving DiJiulio inside or promote rising JR OL Alex Helm, JR OL Stephen Van Hoesen and/or SO OL Jack Koch into the starting line up depending on the preseason. SO OL John Deveney is also a potential starter at LT given his size, skill and performance in spring ball. Another new player to keep an eye on is Erie Community College transfer JR OL Sean Plunkett. Sean has followed the footsteps of his father Patrick ('81) and Uncle Daniel ('85) in playing football at Hobart. Either way, you can expect to see a solid rotation up front which is good news for the offense.
Hobart will need SO RB Tynard Barfield to step into the feature I-back role with the graduation of Conner Hartigan '16. Barfield showed his explosive quickness several times in 2015. He rushed for 181 yards and four TDs while adding 88 receiving yards and a TD. SR RB Bradley Burns will likely split time with Barfield while steamrolling would be tacklers. Burns rushed for 217 yards and three TDs last season, one which was named by GEICO as the College Football Play of the Year!
There will be a competition to fill the starting FB role held last season by Christopher Holoman '16. Look for Coach Drach to open things up by having more three receiver sets and the FB or HB come in on certain offensive plays or series. Right now the leading candidates for that job include JR FB Dylan Quay and SR FB Sean Bright (a personal favorite given he has my old number, 36).
What Statesmen fans should be really excited about is that Hobart brings back one of the strongest WR corps in the East Region, if not the nation, with players like JR WR Brandon Shed, SR WR Sean Cunningham, and SR WR Jack Pfohl. Shed tied for the most receiving TDs (8) in the LL and led the Statesmen with 700 yards. Pfohl contributed 507 receiving yards and three TDs. Cunningham, a star on the Hobart NEC Championship lacrosse team, had 204 receiving yards and a TD. Cunningham also added 159 yards as a PR and even scored a special teams TD for the Statesmen in 2015. There are also several incoming FY players that are very fast, dynamic and could compete for playing time as they learn the offense.
Adding to the headaches opposing DCs will have is Hobart's athletic TE corps. JR TE Zach Withers came on strong in 2015 and was rewarded with a 2nd Team All-LL award for his efforts. Withers hauled in 10 passes for 137 yards and four TDs. New to the position will be SO TE Matt Woods who converted from QB. He's a big target at 6'6"and should fill out from his current 217 lbs frame.
Overall the offensive unit looks poised to have a very big year if the team stays healthy.
Now let's switch sides and take a look at the:
Hobart Defense
The Statesmen return most of their defensive corps from 2015. Hobart dominated most of the LL defensive stats behind the strong play of this unit. The Statesmen were first in total (245.8 YPG), rushing (116.3) and passing (129.5) defense. They were a close second in scoring defense, allowing 17.7 PPG.
The biggest shoes to fill will be at ILB as both Trayvon Toney and Jacob Stanley '16 have graduated. Still, Hobart has several strong young LBs that will look to play bigger roles in 2016. JR LB Almamy Conde showed a good deal of promise as a second year player and reportedly had a strong spring.
SR OLB and Co-Captain Marcus Jemison is back after an award winning JR campaign and he was once again named a preseason All-American. Opposite Jemison will likely be SR OLB Michael Harper. Other players like JR LB Will Hoffer and SO LB Kai Brandford will also compete for time.
The good news for the LB corps is that the majority of the DL returns intact. Tucker Gumkowski's '16 production at DT will need to be replaced, but key players like SR DT Jake Russell, SR DE and Co-Captain James Hedger are all back. Adding to the depth of this unit includes SO DE A.J. McFarlane, SO DE Albert Smith, SO DT Sean Moore and JR DT Zackary Robak.
Also back is the entire defensive secondary (which finished 2015 ranked 2nd in the entire nation in pass defense), led by SR FS and Co-Captain Matt Cragg. SR CB Todd Collier and JR CB Tommy D'Antonio return as does JR DB Gabriel Smith and JR DB Daryl Scales. Offensive teams will be hard pressed to complete many passes against this veteran unit and hopefully last season's interception total (8) will be higher in 2016.
Last, but not least, we have:
Special Teams
SR PK Sean Kirshe returns for his final year and he'll compete once again with JR PK Will McCool for kickoff, PAT and FG duties. Kirshe went five for seven with a long of 37 yards in FGs last season, while adding 26 extra points (out of 30 attempts).
JR PK Rio Schmidt stepped in to take over punting duties in 2015 and finished 3rd in the LL with a 35.9 net punting average.
I have to add the kicking unit is probably the most geographically diverse one in quite some time. Kirshe was originally from FL, now resides in KY and Schmidt is from TX. McCool is sort of the "Average Joe" in this group since he's "only" from PA.
Prognosis:
Overall this Statesmen squad will be a favorite to recapture the LL title (they were picked first in the LL Coach's Poll yesterday) and accompanying NCAA berth. The Saint Lawrence Saints return the majority of their key players so another collision course between these rivals has been set and will happen in early November.
Otherwise, Hobart has a challenging OOC schedule, including a long road trip to the Boston area to test the team in September. The Saturday night home opener against Ithaca will also a great way to open the "Boz" on Homecoming and Family Weekend.
What's also interesting is that 2016 will have a different feel given a new season opener / opponent in Brockport (the Statesmen and the Golden Eagles' last game was in 1982) and LL rival games have flip flopped from prior seasons, e.g., the Union and RPI games which have typically been in late October for several years will now happen at the end of September and early October like they were in the mid-00's.
Needless to say expectations will be high in Geneva and elsewhere regarding this squad. Here's hoping the Hobart College Football team has a great (and healthy) 2016 run!
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Monday, August 22, 2016
Preseason Camp is Underway!
The Hobart College Statesmen arrived into training camp and preparing for the 2016 season. OL Coach Green "leaked" these new but throwback helmets that the team will sport for this season over the last weekend. I had the pleasure of speaking with Coach Cragg and the LL coaches as part of D3football.com's preseason "Kickoff" college football annual preview which is coming out tomorrow, August 23rd.
I'll have a more in depth preview of the Statesmen in the next few days, and make sure to keep an eye out or subscribe to the "In the HuddLLe" podcast which goes live on Wednesday, August 31.
In the meantime, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Monday, August 1, 2016
Jemison Earns D3football.com Preseason All-American Honors
Today D3football.com announced their 2016 Preseason All-American team. The list of players recognized can be found here.
SR Co-Captain and OLB Marcus Jemison earned a 2nd Team nod. Saint Lawrence University's SR DL Chyron Brown-Wallace was the only other player from the Liberty League who earned a Preseason All-American award as 1st team DL.
Other mentions of note included SR RB Dan Andrews of Brockport (Hobart's Week 1 opponent) earning a 1st team award and Saint John Fisher SR CB Alex Mortillaro also earning a 1st team recognition.
In other news, I've recently been asked by D3football.com to write the preseason preview for the LL this year, so if you haven't looked into getting the Kickoff 2016 subscription I hope you will.
As always, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
SR Co-Captain and OLB Marcus Jemison earned a 2nd Team nod. Saint Lawrence University's SR DL Chyron Brown-Wallace was the only other player from the Liberty League who earned a Preseason All-American award as 1st team DL.
Other mentions of note included SR RB Dan Andrews of Brockport (Hobart's Week 1 opponent) earning a 1st team award and Saint John Fisher SR CB Alex Mortillaro also earning a 1st team recognition.
In other news, I've recently been asked by D3football.com to write the preseason preview for the LL this year, so if you haven't looked into getting the Kickoff 2016 subscription I hope you will.
As always, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
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