Week 3 - Shenandoah Game Preview

It appears as though Saturday night's game in Winchester, VA is going to be played as Hurricane Florence won't reach up to that part of the state. There hasn't been an official confirmation yet, but it is expected later today that Shenandoah and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) will make a decision (will provide an update on this ASAP).

Assuming the game is allowed to happen as expected, it will be a rematch of last season's 56-30 win by the Statesmen in Geneva. Hobart and the Hornets combined for 44 points in the first half, with the visitors coming back to take a 23-21 lead into the break. The Statesmen would score on back-to-back possessions in the third and fourth quarters to put the game away. The Hobart run game ended up being the story of the night, as they out-gained Shenandoah 368 rushing yards to 69.

Scouting the Hornets

Shenandoah (2-0) is off to a good start, highlighted by preseason All-American SR QB Hayden Bauserman. Bauserman has already passed for 626 yards and nine TDs which is almost three times the Hornets' rushing output. Bauserman's favorite targets are SR RB Jalen Hudson (who's probably more of a slot back when you look at his stats of 160 receiving yards, 2 TDs vs. nine runs for 30 yards), SO WR Jake Wallace (121 yards, 1 TD) and JR WR Casey Stewart (133 yards, 4 TDs). SO TE Austin Ward is basically a blocker, as he has yet to register a catch so far this season.

Up front for Shenandoah is a somewhat smaller, albeit experienced OL that includes the following players (according to last week's BX, there are no injury reports online for D3FB):

JR LT Brad Hoffman (6', 235)
SR LG Andrew Coffman (6'4", 285)
SR C Caleb Hutson (5'11", 225)
SR RG Jonathan Grammo (6'3", 300)
JR RT Michael Davidson (5'10", 220)

Overall this offense averages over 500 YPG and 53 PPG which is pretty impressive. To be fair, Shenandoah's opponents so far have a combined W/L record of 1-3.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hornets are led by JR LB Tyler Williams with 15 tackles, two TFL and an INT. If there's a weakness to be exploited Saturday night is the fact that Shenandoah is susceptible to the pass. They've allowed almost 360 YPG passing and 27 PPG to opposing offenses.

On special teams the Hornets are led by FY PK Patrick Ritchie. He's converted one FG on the season and is 14-14 PATs. SO WR Brant Butler is Shenandoah's punter, averaging 39 YPP and has done a nice job pinning the opposition. Four of his six kicks have either ended up inside the 20 or have had to be fair caught.

The return game has the combination of Hudson (who has one PR for a TD so far already) and FY RB Rashadeen Byrd, Jr. The FY RB has one return for 56 yards, so Hobart will have to make sure their coverage squad is ready.

Keys to the Game:

1. Test the Shenandoah Secondary - JR QB Ryan Hofmann had a career day last weekend against SUNY-Morrisville and could put up similar stats against what looks like a relatively weak pass defense. The Hornets have only registered two sacks this season, so the Statesmen OL should be able to provide sufficient time on pass protection to allow JR WRs Jake Catalioto and Ray Conley to get open.

2. Get the Run Game Going - So far this season Hobart is averaging just under 60 rushing YPG. That stat has to improve in order for the Statesmen to balance out the offense.

3. "Beat Up" Bauserman - The Hornets offense is predicated on the 6'3" 220 lbs gunslinger. The Shenandoah OL has allowed only one sack so far on the season, so it's up to the Statesmen DL to change that Saturday night.

4. Protect the Football - Shenandoah's defense has been a takeaway machine with six INTs. Hobart may want to avoid SO DB Daquan Pridget, who's second on the team in tackles with 12 to go with three INTs. JR FS Nate Hill has good eyes and feet - he had a 100-yard pick six in Shenandoah's Week 1 win at Methodist (1-1).

Prediction
After a confidence building win last Saturday, Hobart (1-1) has good momentum going into this game. If last season's any indication, there's potential for a shootout, but I like the Statesmen defense to once again hold on late in the game.

I'll take Hobart to come away with a 42-28 win on Saturday night. While the Hornets do have a decent video feed, it's shot from pretty high up so don't expect a lot of close ups in this one. Please tweet us pictures @D3FBHuddle if you're at the game.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!