Not to "toot my own horn" but it looks like my run the ball key to the game in the SLU game preview was spot on.
Hobart SR RB Brian Haeffner ran for a season high 146 yards and 2 TDs as the Statesmen improved to 6-2, 2-2 overall on the season. HWSAthletics.com beat me to the punch this weekend, and their recap can be seen here. The other star of the game was the Hobart defense who tallied 3 INTs to go with holding the Saints (3-5, 1-3) to only 3 points, including 1-5 in the red zone, 6-15 on 3rd and 0-2 on 4th downs.
JR PK Kyle Hackett elevated himself into first place in the all-time points scored category (as a PK) with his 181st point off a PAT. He finished the day 5-5 on PATs and 183 career points (and counting).
Based on the carnage of this past weekend, you can expect to see the Statesmen appear in the first NCAA East Region Rankings, due out on Wednesday, 11/6 around 3 PM. I expect Hobart to end up 7th based on the Week 1 win over Brockport, who upset #18 Cortland 32-26 in OT Saturday. #8 Ithaca (7-1, 4-1) is due to drop out of the Top 10 (and 15) after losing to #25 Union (8-0, 5-0). The Dutchmen won the LL title for the first time since 2006.
In my opinion, the SLU win pretty much guarantees the Statesmen will end up 8-2, 4-2 and put themselves in position to earn a bid to the New York State postseason bowl game, assuming it is played. With all due respect to Buff State and UofR, I don't think Hobart will have an issue getting past two teams who are a combined 1-15.
Assuming Ithaca wins Cortaca, it's possible Cortland could end up as Hobart's opponent, otherwise Alfred (5-3, 2-2) could be the Statesmen's draw. At the end of the day it'll depend on how much the respective leagues push the game - which in my estimation could be hosted by Hobart (LL is supposed to host odd years but could end up at an E8 host because of last year’s situation) and whether or not the schools themselves are up for playing it. More on that in the coming weeks.
Keep an eye on In the D3FB Huddle this week for more info as the 2019 regular season comes to a close.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
On the the New York State Bowl..."This collaborative effort between the Empire 8 and Liberty League athletic conferences is yet another way for us to support the development of our scholar athletes" ...Empire 8 President Drugivich. Hobart missed this statement last year when they opted out and the game wasn't played. The game appears to be heading in the same direction this year...down nowhere street. If the Liberty League and Empire 8 along with their teams are not serious about this game then they should just cancel it so everyone(most importantly the players) stop talking about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Mantis, but it does seem like the schools and conferences have a renewed sense of determination to make the game happen this year. We will see...
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