The #21/22 Hobart College Statesmen can clinch the Liberty League (LL) Championship with a win over their oldest rival, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets, Saturday on Senior Day in Geneva, NY.
Hobart (8-1, 5-1) leads the all-time series 53-48-7. Rochester (1-7, 0-6) is struggling through a difficult season with a limited roster. To their credit, the Yellow Jackets defense has improved since giving up 70 points to Springfield (5-4, 4-2) back in Week 7. They lost a shoot out, 37-34, to WPI (6-3, 3-3) last weekend at home which had to sting (pun intended).
Last season the Statesmen defeated UofR 42-20 in a game that saw JR QB Shane Sweeney set a school record with six passing TDs. Hobart dominated TOP by a 40-20 margin and basically emptied the bench. The biggest difference from last year's game is that #2 JR QB Dan Bronson did not play due to an injury. His FY when he was named the LL ROTY, the Yellow Jackets only lost to Hobart by a score of 28-23.
Scouting the Jackets
The Rochester offense is all about Bronson. He is third in the LL averaging 95.4 YPG rushing so Hobart tacklers will need to play their assignments and do a better job tackling than they did against Sean Richardson from SLU. Bronson can throw well too and has passed for 1,523 yards (124-228) with 12 TDs compared to only three INTs. Bronson's favorite targets are #3 SR WR Kyle Allegrini and #11 SO WR Shawn Silleman.They have combined for 639 yards and five TDs.
If Bronson isn't calling his own number, he will hand it off to #9 SO RB Emanuel Calmar. He's rushed for 233 yards and five TDs.
On defense the Yellow Jackets are led by the trio of #23 JR CB Ricky Sparks (57 tackles and two INTs), #51 SO LB Ricky Simcic (53 tackles) and #33 SR LB David Wolff (50 tackles).
Keys to the Game:
1. Just Win - Rochester is not a very good football team. They are average on offense and give up the most PPG on defense in the LL (43.3). Their kicking game stinks, ranking last in PATs (20-26), FGs (0-4) and KO coverage (29.8 YPR). Bronson keeps them competitive offensively and somehow he's survived playing behind an OL that has given up the most sacks (23) in the LL. The Statesmen can probably find holes in a passing defense that allows 179 YPG and has given up 15 TDs. If Hobart wanted to improve their rushing statistics, the 317.6 YPG allowed by Rochester would be one way to accomplish that. Ultimately the Statesmen will still need to play their "A" game because a team like Rochester is dangerous in that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain with a win.
2. Standing Tall - The Hobart OL did a great job Saturday in Canton and has gotten better with each week. The Yellow Jackets DL is small and has only produced six sacks this season. The Statesmen's ability to keep Sweeney up right will go a long way in Hobart locking in their latest LL title.
3. Thank You Seniors - A group of 15 Hobart SRs will play their final regular season home game Saturday. These young men have a 37-6 career record to date and will have helped the Statesmen earn three LL titles and playoff berths with a win this weekend. These young men include:
#11 CB Todd Collier
#15 OLB Mike Harper
#19 WR Sean Cunningham
#20 FS Matt Cragg (C)
#26 OLB Marcus Jemison (C)
#29 LB Austin Gallegos
#35 RB Bradley Burns
#36 FB Sean Bright
#46 PK Sean Kirshe
#59 DT Jake Russell
#60 OL Justin DiJiulio
#61 DE James Hedger (C)
#63 OL Nick Testani (C)
#71 OL Patrick O'Connell III (C)
#83 WR Jack Pfohl
Congratulations and thanks to these outstanding young men and student athletes.
Prediction:
I predicted a 35-20 victory on ITH last Sunday and I'll stick with that. I could see the Yellow Jackets score less than that but hopefully most of the scores will come later in the game as Hobart puts in the reserves and prepares to see who they'll play in the NCAAs.
I'll have more on Sunday's playoff selection as we'll have on the Chair of the Selection Committee on ITH for the ninth consecutive year (so make sure you tune in!).
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
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