Week 1 - Alfred Game Preview

After a 650-day hiatus, Hobart College Football is back!

It's been a very, very long wait to see what Team 127 has in store for Statesmen fans, friends and family this upcoming season. The 11-week run to another potential Liberty League title and NCAA playoff berth starts on Friday night.

Speaking of the Liberty League, the LL released their preseason preview today. Here's what they had to say about Hobart:

"Hobart wrapped up the 2019 season in a tie for second place among the conference standings (4-2) and were 9-2 overall. The Statesmen will be seeking their first conference title since earning a share of one in 2016. The Hobart offense this season will be fueled by a pair of 2019 All-Liberty League First Team selections in Rayshawn Boswell and Tim Denham Jr. Boswell, the 2019 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, had a breakout season to start his career at Hobart as a kick returner and running back. He led the nation in kickoff return average (36.9 yards per return) and tied for the Division III lead in kickoff returns for touchdowns (2). In 11 games, he made 15 returns for 554 yards. In addition, he rushed for 315 yards and four touchdowns. Denham is also a dual threat for Hobart as a kick returner and running back. On kickoff returns, he was second on the team, averaging 23.2 yards per return. He also rushed for 298 yards on 62 carries and he accounted for two touchdowns. The Statesmen welcome back 2019 Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year Emmett Forde. Forde and the defense held opponents to 17.4 points per game in 2019, second among league leaders. Forde paced the team with 81 total tackles, 21 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks. Bryan Aguilar (77 tackles; 3 forced fumbles) and Jared Leake (55 tackles; 3 interceptions) are also back to anchor the defense."

What You Need to Know For Friday

The first up is an old, but not really familiar foe, in nearby Alfred University of the Empire 8. The Statesmen will travel to Yunevich Stadium for a 7 PM kickoff. Good news is we know the Saxons will be allowing fans into the stadium. You can read the game day regulations here.  

You can access video of the game but make sure to tune into the "Voice of the Statesmen", Ted Baker, who is back once again to provide the WEOS play-by-play coverage along with his long-time sidekick Coach Terry Muffley. Ted's son Caleb Baker will once again be producing the broadcasts. The Alfred feed is apparently without audio so hopefully the WEOS and AU broadcasts won't have too much of a lag.

It's been 15 seasons since Hobart last faced the Saxons, so none of the players on the field have much context in this long-time rivalry like the coaches and alumni do. The Statesmen hold a slight 39-35-4 (which obviously adds up to 78, but that could be due to a dispute / error dating back to the early years) advantage in the 77 game series which dates back to 1902. Hobart has also had Alfred's number of late, winning 10 straight dating back to 1996. 

Scouting the Saxons

Alfred was one of three NYS teams that were actually able to play in the 20-21 season, splitting a series with Utica College. The only other team in NY that got a game in was the USMMA back in November of 2020, in a Secretaries Cup game win over Coast Guard which we covered on In the D3FB Huddle.

The Empire 8 conference also released a preseason preview today which you can check out here. Here's what they had to say about the Saxons:

"The Saxons will look to make it back to the NCAA Tournament in 2021. In the Saxons’ 121st season, senior defensive lineman and co-captain Tim Dahl will wear No. 32 this year in honor of Trooper Nicholas F. Clark ’11 after Nick Milgate wore that jersey in 2019. Senior offensive lineman Ethan Stewart is back after earning 2019 All-Empire 8 second team accolades. Defensive lineman Rodney Bailey, running back Kevin Bragaglia, offensive lineman Bobby Felder and linebacker Jeremiah Young will be counted on to help lead the Saxons in 2021. Overall, Alfred returns 65 players and 13 starters. A host of newcomers, including Darviae Gray, Max Freeman, Zuke Smith and Sam Wakman will look to crack the lineup right away."

This past March, Alfred ran 140 offensive plays in their two spring games and leaned slightly towards the pass by a narrow 51:49 margin. On film they are really a run-first kind of team, however, with SR RB Kevin Bragaglia (a co-captain who is now #2 after wearing #21 in prior seasons) getting the bulk (43+%) of the carries. The Saxons' offensive stats are a bit misleading I think given the 46 pass attempts against Utica in the first spring game. That was mostly due to the Saxons falling behind early and having to play catch up the entire time. 

They looked much better in the second game against Utica, using a relentless pass rush and clever option run game to keep the Pioneers off balance. You can see some highlights from that game back in March here. 

JR QB Connor Englert led the Saxons offense and appears to be as much of a runner as a passer (which I jokingly refer to as a RpO type of QB). His OL needs some work (which is good news for Hobart fans) as they allowed 8 sacks in 77 drop backs (10.3%) in the two spring games Two Saxons OL are co-captains, including SR OL Robert Felder, Jr. and GR OL Ethan Stewart. 

SO QB Blake Van Woert (now #5 after previously wearing #4) seems to have as good, if not better, arm of the two, so I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the start or at least sees some significant playing time Friday night. 

Regardless of who's QB, you can count on Alfred to look for SR WR Zach Leinenbach. He had nearly 200 receiving yards in 2019 and is another Saxons co-captain on offense. He led Alfred with 2 receiving TDs in the spring. SR WRs Keandre Sanders and Nazir Landes, who both had 100+ yard spring seasons, also make the Saxons WR group a pretty dangerous one. 

Defensively Alfred was led in the spring by SR LB Jason Gauthier. He paced the Saxons defense with 20 tackles and 7 TFL against the Pioneers. He doesn't appear to be back this fall, however, based on the updated Saxons roster. Based on the spring stats, you can assume guys like SO LB Joe Copp (finished 3rd on the team with 16 tackles and 1 INT) will play a bigger role. SR OLB/DB Jeremiah Young is also back (also with a new number as he used to wear #20, see above, and now is #6). Young was second on the team with 17 tackles and is one of several Saxons co-captains.

A guy the Hobart OL will need to keep in check is SR DL Tim Dahl. He'll be easy to spot at 6' 5" and he's yet another Saxon player who switched numbers from the spring (#91) to the fall (#32). Dahl is also a co-captain and one of the E8's "Players to Watch" this fall.

The Saxons defense was noticeably better in the second spring game allowing 281 yards and only 10 points (compared to 288 yards and 30 points in the first contest). To be fair, 2 TDs and a safety came off of Alfred turnovers, so the Saxons D otherwise acquitted themselves well in the first game. 

On special teams SR PK Dustin McCaslin handled FG and KO duties. He was 0-2 on FG tries over 40 yards, but was relatively automatic under 30 yards. His KO's travelled over 50 yards, so the Statesmen can expect some returns, but will need to execute their blocks to get good field position. Interestingly enough, Bragaglia handled punting duties in the spring, averaging over 33 YPP net.

Keys to the Game

1. Double Down on #2 - Statistically (and game film wise), it's pretty obvious that SR RB Kevin Bragaglia is the Saxon's greatest offensive weapon. The more the Hobart defense can bottle him up, or at least do the "bend don't break" routine on his runs and receptions, the better.

2. Be Patient (But Wary) - The Statesmen offense could take a little while to warm up and Alfred's defense is no slouch. It may take the Hobart OL a while to figure out how to keep Dahl & Co at bay and so we can potentially see a punting / field position duel early on. That said I also suspect both squads will throw in a trick play or two to catch the other off guard. 

3. Turnovers - It goes without saying Hobart will need to protect the football and look for opportunities to force Alfred into turning it over. Utica capitalized on a pick six and two other turnovers in their first spring game against the Saxons. If the Statesmen can get a lead and force the inexperienced AU QBs to have to throw more, it could be a big benefit to Hobart.

Prediction

Given all the unknowns going into the 2021 attempting to make score predictions is a bit of a fool's errand. That said I will go with the average score in the all-time series to help guide me. The Statesmen have won on average by a narrow 16-15 margin, and I think given the defensive strengths of these two squads, plus relatively new players at key roles on offense, we're going to see another defensive battle.

I do think the Statesmen have an edge in talent and should win the game. but it could be ugly. I'll take Hobart to eke out another narrow win over the Saxons by a score of 16-10 (expect some FGs in this one, folks).

We have a ton of coverage coming up this week on ITH so please tune into our Facebook channel. I'll obviously be paying close attention to this game as well as many others over the weekend.

We've made it to Week 1! Go 'Bart!

2021 Hobart College Football Preseason Preview

12 years ago today I posted my first online Hobart College Football preseason preview. Kind of amazes me all these years later I'm still at it. Thankfully after too long of a break, Statesmen football is back!

This fall will be unlike any in recent memory. The Hobart College Statesmen Football team will have not played a regular season game in 650 days when they travel to battle Alfred University on September 3, 2021 to kickoff the 127th season in Statesmen history. The last time Hobart had this long of a forced hiatus dates all the way back to the 1943-45 seasons which were cancelled during World War II, literally a lifetime ago.

Going into this fall, the players we remember as FY & SO are now old enough to be JR & SR players, even though the roster should say otherwise. This Hobart team will look unlike any we’ve seen in decades with north of 50 FY players given the NCAA COVID-19 edibility rule accommodations with effectively two FY classes (’24 & ’25).

These Statesmen have waited for a long time, working hard but off the radar, given state and other institutional precautions and requirements. Unfortunately, this fall COVID will remain an issue across the nation and I surmise testing and related protocols won’t change much. We will have to hope that the season happens without interruptions, but there are no guarantees.  

Needless to say, this preseason preview will have a lot of unknowns going into Week 1. While the Hobart coaching staff (which has changed a lot due to cutbacks, but has announced several new hires of late) has had two years to train and evaluate players, we won’t really know how the season will unfold until this team actually gets some live action and experience. While some of the players we will cover in this preview have past statistics and accolades to go by, the two-year hiatus may make some, if not all of them, irrelevant. 

Team 127 has been two years in the making and will feature a great deal of Statesmen we had gotten to know over the successful 9-2 and New York State Bowl Championship campaign of 2019. All three facets of the game – offense, defense and special teams – will feature players we’ve seen in action, but the competition for starting roles and who will rise up to fill them, is still TBD.

(OFFENSE)

Offensively a strong core of the OL, RB and TE groups are back. 

Rebuilding the depth and strength of the OL has been a mission of HC Kevin DeWall ’00 and he’s succeeding in this effort. The OL will be led by SR OL Ludner Mercy, a two-year starter, who saw his 2019 campaign cut short by injury. Team and classmates such as JR OLs Kieran Paskewitz, Cade Frucci, Anthony Segiutti, and Dalton Kindt all bring back valuable playing experience. Waiting in the wings are up and comers such as SO OL Ben Frank who showed good development in spring practices and will look to compete for time in the fall. While there is a lot of younger OL talent, they will require more time and evaluation to fill out the two deep / rotational line up. 

There will be a literal 1-2 punch with the return of SO RB Rayshawn Boswell (#1) and SO RB Tim Denham, Jr. (#2) plus several other candidates to carry the ball. Boswell earned several preseason awards after leading the nation in KR yards in 2019. JR RB Drew Walsh (who has my favorite number) will look to expand on his 2019 role. This is a relatively deep position group, if it can stay healthy throughout the season, but the less experienced RBs will need time to learn the offense.

The Statesmen TE group is led by JR TE and Co-Captain Mike Zaccone. SO TE Cade Cecere adds some depth and strong blocking ability as a converted OL. Time will tell if this unit remains more of a blocking one, but Zaccone showed he can be an end zone target, hauling in a TD against Brockport in 2019.

There were some notable losses to graduation at WR, but this is still a deep and talented group. JR WRs Shahkyle Matthews and James Miele are key returners, but there will also be a number of new faces looking to make a name for themselves from this unit. 

QB is probably the biggest question mark going into the season but there are a few familiar faces, plus some new ones, that should give Statesmen fans a good deal of confidence and hope. JR QB David Krewson is the signal caller with the most gameday experience returning for the Statesmen. His numbers regressed as a SO from his FY season, but a lot of physical and mental maturity occurs over a two-year time period. JR QB Kiernan Hamilton reportedly had a strong spring and SO QB Joseph Pelletier got a few snaps back in 2019 and has the size and arm strength of a “prototypical QB.”

Looking back on 2019, the two losses suffered by Hobart had a couple of things in common: Hobart couldn’t run the football (45 attempts for 95 net yards or 2.1 YPR; 1 rush TD) and they lost the turnover battle (-2). When the offense was clicking, they were pretty impressive, averaging 33.77 PPG in their nine wins.

(DEFENSE)

While the offensive side may disagree, I believe the Statesmen defense will be the strength of this team, at least in the initial weeks of the season. Hobart returns a number of key players here led by SR OLB, Co-Captain and 2021 1st Team Preseason All-American Emmett Forde. Joining him as a Co-Captain is SR DB Jared Leake, one of the best cover CBs in the conference, if not region. 

Also returning in the secondary is SR FS Cal Sullivan as well as JR DB Jay McCoy (who’ll be joined by younger brother FY DB Joe McCoy on the same unit). I expect SO DBs Blake Hansen (really more of a rover/SS type), Abdoulaye Diallo and FY DB James Mahoney to potentially step up and make some plays this fall also. Overall, the Statesmen secondary has had two strong recruiting classes and should have a solid competition and upside as they get more experience.

Also coming back are SR DLs Isaiah Boone (NG) and Shane White (DE). White will have the task of working into the starting lineup at DE where the Statesmen are a bit inexperienced. JR DL Kyle Spano is a likely starter at one DE position. SO DL Naj Johnson and Connor Gunn will also be in the mix and add good depth to this important unit. Hobart has size and talent in this group, but will need some younger players to step up and earn time in the rotation at this position.

A large but young group of LBs returns including JR LB Brian Aguilar, who finished 3rd on the team in total tackles (77) in 2019. Also returning are C.J. Calero (listed as a SR but has a few years of eligibility left given past injury / medical red-shirt) and SO ILB Vito Visconti who played in 9 games in 2019 and should have a bigger role in 2021. Also, back after an injury shortened his 2019 campaign is JR LB Dante Kimbraugh. Other players like FY LBs Jaimen Bliss and Peterson Monexant could be part of some younger faces that earn time as they learn the defense.

(SPECIAL TEAMS)

JR PK Rob DiGregorio is one of the potential replacements for the kicking duties given the graduation of Kyle Hackett ’20. FY PK Tobias Wefering will also compete for time, having a strong preseason that included a successful FG try in the Brockport scrimmage last Sunday. 

The Statesmen KOR game should remain deadly with SO RB Rayshawn Boswell returning kicks, but I imagine several younger Statesmen will get opportunities to make contributions as well in the punt and KO teams. 

(SCHEDULE)

The month of September won’t be easy, especially with three Empire 8 teams on the schedule and two of those three games on the road. Keystone College is new on the schedule in Week 4, and will be part of HWS’s Homecoming and Parent Weekend festivities.

October will be the pivotal month that will decide if this season will be the Statesmen’s next chance to get back to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2016. At least the Statesmen get a bye in Week 6 and won’t travel until Week 9, but this is definitely the “meat” of the schedule.

It’s a tough stretch that starts against the Bombers in Ithaca (where we all know Hobart has never won), home games against RPI (who has over 45 senior/5th year players coming back and always plays the Statesmen tough) an improved Saint Lawrence Saints team, with a Halloween weekend / Homecoming game date at Union. 

If both the Statesmen and Dutchmen get to this Week 9 game undefeated, it will be one of the biggest regular season games in the nation that weekend, if not season. I would expect both teams to be ranked in the Top 25 if that scenario comes to pass, but I’m getting way ahead of myself here. 

November could be a short or long month depending how October goes. While the updated HWSAthletics.com website leaves a bit to be desired, I do like seeing the NCAA playoff dates on there as TBD.

Regardless, Senior Day will be in Week 10 against Buffalo State at “the Boz” and then the regular season wraps up for the annual Centennial Cup game in Rochester.

(FINAL THOUGHTS)

This Hobart team will have a chance to compete for another LL title and a NCAA berth, but has several tough challenges to overcome to get there. A combination of factors ranging from being and staying healthy, developing a QB and run-game, while continuing to play great defense and limiting penalties are pretty obvious requirements. 

It’s been 650 days. I’m ready for some Hobart football. I bet you are too. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Scrimmage #22 Brockport, Forde Named Preseason All-American

The Hobart College Statesmen and the Brockport Golden Eagles scrimmaged yesterday at the "Boz" to prepare both squads for this fall season. It was the first scrimmage for the Eagles since 2014 and they come into this season with some high expectations (not unlike Hobart).

The last these teams met Hobart enjoyed a 33-7 win in the 2019 season opener

The Golden Eagles were voted as one of the top teams in Region 2 (f/k/a the East), getting ranked at the 22nd spot in the new D3football.com Top 25 preseason poll. As of now, before a single play has actually occurred, pollsters think these teams are the best in Region 2, including:

#8 Salisbury (defending NJAC champs, went 2-0 in the spring)
#13 Muhlenburg (defending CC champs, went to Final Four in 2019)

#15 Union (defending LL champs, lost to Salisbury in the 2019 quarterfinals)

#22 Brockport (defending E8 champs)

RVs: Ithaca (effectively ranked tied for 27th), Susquehanna (2019 CC runner up) and Montclair State (went 2-1 in the spring winning the NJAC "North Division" title)

While the scrimmage was not structured as a game it did incorporate certain aspects of one. The Hobart defense showed well, especially on the DL. The offense was led effectively by JR QB David Krewson who appears to be the likely starter for the season opener against Alfred in 11 days. 

The WR group looked good in 1v1 drills with JR WR Alex LaBella having a really strong outing. There were a handful of key players/starters (on both sides of the ball) who were held out from participating, and it was noticeable in some areas, e.g., the OL. 

Both PKs converted FGs and appear to have a strong competition going. 

While there are certainly some things to work on, it was a good initial look at Team 127.

More Awards for Forde

Speaking of D3football.com, they released their Preseason All-American team today. On it was SR OLB Emmett Forde as one of three LBs named to the First Team. He was the only Statesmen recognized. Some LL foes such as JR RB Ike Irabor and JR OL Tim Driscoll (Union) also earned First Team honors. You can see the rest of the teams / honorees at this link here.

While he rested during the Brockport scrimmage, expect to see Forde ready to go for Alfred

Season 14

Tomorrow Frank and I will release our 2021 preseason preview show along with a Top 25 of our own. We may have overrated Brockport based on some of the feedback from fans who watched the scrimmage (or maybe Hobart's underrated?), but regardless, we're excited to bring you more coverage of the 2021 fall D3FB season soon.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Who Will "Catch On" for Hobart?

The 2021 preseason is underway and while D3Football.com remains a no-show (to be fair, I do expect them to drop a preseason Top 25 any day now*), the rest of the (non-NESCAC) D3FB world is working hard towards kicking off the season in the next 15-17 days. Hobart travels to Alfred for a 7:00 PM kickoff in 16 days. 

As an aside, I would really love to see our friend and the voice of the Statesmen, Ted Baker, do a Hobart Football weekly podcast this fall like he did for the spring lacrosse season. 

This week I had a fellow Hobart alum and former Statesmen FB player ask me about this year's team and he pointed out some interesting statistics. Regarding the Statesmen WR corps, JR WR Shahkyle "Matthew's is the only WR who has a college reception. Only 3 others have played at this level [JR WR Gavin Buda, JR WR James Miele & JR WR Alex LaBella). We need the FR and SOs to have some players there."

Conversely, Hobart has an embarrassment of riches at RB, having two "[technically] SO RBs who gave us 1,680 yards on 173 cumulative touches [86 for SO RB Rayshawn Boswell and 87 for SO RB Tim Denham, Jr.] and 16 TDs in 11 games as FY players." Of the "28 career receptions returning" these two RBs "accounted for 24", certainly making the WR group fairly green by most standards.

JR WR Shahklye Matthews was a featured student in HWS.edu's "TWIP"

This WR group, along with the QB position battle, will be one of the most eagerly anticipated as we approach game week. Matthews has proven his ability to be a playmaker, but is he ready to be a top target in the Hobart offense? I know the coaches have confidence in his ability and so we will have to wait and see what type of game plan and how the WRs are used in just over two weeks. 

Interestingly enough, my friend also shared with me that the website "versussportssimulator.com" seems to like Hobart in this matchup. Based on their algorithm the Statesmen are favored by a little more than a TD with over a 73% chance of winning.

I don't know if I'd say the odds are that good against an Alfred team that had the benefit of two spring games, but I do like the Statesmen's chances. I'll have more on that game, a team and season preview soon. Our "In the D3FB Huddle" podcast will also be back for a 14th season. Frank and I plan to start production here in FL and NY in the next week.

Until then, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Updated 2021 Roster is Up (and Other News)!

It's officially here!

After 625 days, preseason camp will get underway Monday afternoon and into the rest of the week as Team 127 prepares for the fall 2021 season. In preparation the Hobart College Statesmen roster was updated this morning to include the incoming Class of 2025.

The (Class of 2025) FY class still stands at 27 Statesmen as reported previously, but 3 new names are there to offset 3 who apparently decided to go elsewhere for college (which happens every single year). If my math is correct, there should be 97 players checking in for preseason camp.

The newcomers mentioned above include FY WR Peyton Cayea (a transfer from Bryant), FY DE Jimmie Clanton from nearby McQuaid Jesuit HS (Rochester), FY DB Jack Hanau (who also played lacrosse under Hobart FB & LAX HOFer Bobby Wynne '94) from the Salisbury School (CT). Another newcomer appears to be FY DL Isaiah Williams. Not sure if he's a transfer or a late add? More to come on him once more information is available. 

Although the HWS Athletics communications staff updated* the roster incorrectly at first (most teams in the nation are listing by NCAA eligibility, NOT class year this season) it's fairly easy to see that this will be one of the youngest rosters in Hobart College has fielded in some time. I'll have a more in-depth breakdown of the team, including each position area, in the next couple of weeks.

That said, the Statesmen, not unlike many other programs across the country, will have at least two classes of SAs with literally zero college football preseason camp and regular season experience. Position battles (and staying healthy) will be more important this preseason than maybe ever before.

Looking forward to providing more updates as they come along - which reminds me - last night via Twitter, Coach Seth Williams announced he'd be joining the Statesmen coaching staff:

Coach Williams previously worked with Coach DeWall '00 back at Endicott as well as for Coach Chad Martinovich '94 at Rochester. Williams has also coached at Utica and his alma mater, Saint John Fisher. 

Also joining the staff to coach the OL is David Delgado. You can read more about him and Coach Williams in this press release.

Please join me in welcoming Coach Williams and Delgado and their respective families to Geneva!

Finally, the social media site called "The CFB (College Football) Network" has named SR CB Jared Leake to one of their many Top 20 players in DIII lists. 

While I honestly don't know what kind of D3FB background these guys have, I give them credit to getting the word out since D3football.com has effectively been in hibernation for quite some time now (and PrestoSports.com which provides their backend web support is having some major issues). 

Regardless, I recognize a good number of the names in this Top 20 and it's one Jared definitely should be included.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!