Week 5 - #17 Ithaca Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen enter October and Liberty League conference play with a perfect 4-0 mark. The LL is having a banner year, with four undefeated teams at the top of the standings, three of them ranked in the D3football.com Top 25, with a combined 15-0 record. Even the Saint Lawrence Saints are off to a great start, going 3-1 in September.

One of those undefeated teams is #17 Ithaca College (3-0) who was off in Week 4 after shutting out Alfred (1-3), 34-0, in Week 3. The Bombers are one of just a few teams that (now #21) Hobart has all-time losing record against. The Statesmen needed 11 tries, dating back to 1961, to win their first ever game against their Finger Lakes neighbors (in the 1983 season). Hobart didn't beat the Bombers in the 70s or most of the rest of the 80s or the entire 90s either. It wasn't until the 2000 season that Hobart finally broke through, with the Statesmen winning that contest 19-0 and going on to take four of seven, including the dramatic 22-15 NCAA playoff win over Ithaca in 2014.

Hobart's last win over the Bombers was back in 2016 (also the most recent time the Statesmen went to the NCAA playoffs), a thorough 23-3 beating at Boswell Field. Unfortunately the Statesmen have gone on to lose three straight since Ithaca officially joined the LL. The most recent being the complete 34-0 falling apart by Hobart after the ejection of then JR OLB Emmett Forde in 2019. 

The Statesmen are 0-16 all-time at Ithaca. If they want to win the LL like Union did in 2019, they will have to do it like the Dutchmen, by beating the Bombers on their home field.

Scouting the Bombers

There's actually a lot of statistical similarities, at least defensively, between these two teams. The Bombers are ranked 1st in the LL with a 9.3 PPG allowed mark, while Hobart is narrowly behind them with a 9.5 PPG allowed average. The Statesmen are a slightly better rushing defense, allowing 66.3 YPG rushing and only 1 TD in 4 games, while Ithaca has allowed 73 YPG rushing and only 2 scores over three games.

Against the pass Hobart is the best in the LL only allowing 114.3 YPG and 4 TDs. The Bombers have allowed more yards - 193.3 YPG - but less TDs (2). The Ithaca passing game is currently the top ranked attack in the league with a 285 YPG average. They are rated 3rd and 4th, respectively, in total yards (855) and passing TDs (7). Hobart is the top scoring offense, averaging 44 PPG while the Bombers are third averaging 36.3 PPG.

Ithaca is led by JR QB A.J. Wingfield on offense. He has been very accurate, going 70-95 (73.68%) for 797 yards and 6 TDs. Wingfield has been mistake prone at times, however, throwing 4 INTs. Wingfield's OL has done a good job keeping him safe, allowing only 3 sacks this season. Wingfield leads the LL in passing with 265.7 YPG and is second in efficiency with a 156.6 rating. His 86-yd TD pass in Week 1 against Bridgewater State (2-2) is also a league best.

The Bombers have a good stable of RBs and SO RB Jalen Hines leads Ithaca with 35 carries for 196 yards and 3 TDs. SR RB Donte Garcia has 32 rushes for 108 yards. SO RB Jake Williams appears to be the short yardage back, rushing 16 times for 51 yards and 2 TDs.

Ithaca has two favorite targets in SR Michael Anderson and SR WR Andrew Vito. Anderson averages almost 25 YPR and leads the team with 268 yards and 4 TDs. Vito is more of the possession, move-the-chains guy, with a team high 22 catches. Vito has tallied 252 receiving yards and 2 scores on the year so far.  Vito had 8 catches for 106 yards and 1 TD against Hobart in 2019.

Defensively the Bombers are led by SR DB/SS Michael Roumes with 13 tackles and 2 INT. The Ithaca defense have matched Hobart's 8 defensive INT mark for best in the LL. Running the ball will require the Statesmen to execute well up front, the Bombers have 16 TFL this season and 7 sacks. They really push to get into the backfield and disrupt the offense. 5th YR SR DL Antonio Valle (who ironically happens to be from Orlando, FL), will be an important guy to block, as he leads Ithaca with 2 sacks and 1 FF.

On special teams, JR PK Enzo Martellucci is an average punter (less than 30 YPP average) and classmate JR PK Nick Bahamonde is one of the best kickers in the LL. He leads the league in KO yardage (nearly a 60 YPK average) and has converted 4-5 FGs with a long of 42 this season. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Run & Protect the Ball - The Statesmen have more than 3x the number of rushing TDs are the Bombers, running it in 19 times already this season. This mark is tied for first in the nation with W&L of the ODAC. Hobart averages over 250 YPG in rushing offense and the best way to break the Butterfield Curse is to move the chains and control the clock. The Statesmen OL has a slight size advantage over the Bombers DL (about 23 lbs. per player on average). It goes without saying winning the LOS will be imperative to set the tone and keep Hobart in control of the game. The Statesmen only gained 59 yards in the 2019 loss, averaging about 2.5 YPR. Ithaca has recovered five fumbles so far, so it's imperative the Statesmen don't let takeaways by the Bombers defense ruin their offensive possessions. The Bombers defense has enjoyed a relatively healthy 34-26 advantage in TOP, meaning they've gotten off the field and haven't had to play a 30 minute-plus game, yet.

2. Overcome Adversity - Let's face it, so far this season the Statesmen haven't really faced a major challenge. Should Ithaca's rushing defense be up to the task, how will the Statesmen handle it? The Bombers are holding opponents to a 20.45% (9-44) 3rd down conversion rate. JR QB David Krewson is ranked in the 5th-7th spots for most QB metrics in the LL. He may need to "level up" and make plays, either with his arm or feet, in these potential 3rd down situations. If the inexperienced WR unit can't be relied on to extend possessions, then perhaps going to TE unit of JR TE Mike Zaccone and FY TE Luke Hescock is the answer? Certainly SO RBs Rayshawn Boswell and Tim Denham, Jr are trusty check downs as well. Hobart doesn't need to connect on long "bombs" against Ithaca (pun intended), just keep moving the chains. Conversely, Ithaca has been successful in taking the top off of opposing defenses, scoring on long pass TDs against BSU (86 yds) and Brockport (71 yds). Hobart's secondary is experienced, but they need to avoid getting beat deep (and you can expect Ithaca will take some shots). I do think SR DB Jared Leake and/or SR FS Cal Sullivan should have at least a couple of chances to pick off Wingfield and flip the field on the Bombers. 

3. Forget the Past / Block Out the Present - You see it all the time. I saw it in the body language of the #7 Hardin-Simmons defense last Saturday night. Once #2 UMHB started their comeback in the 3rd qtr., you could see the whole "here we go again" nature of teams that just don't really believe they can break certain losing streaks. From my purview, HSU gave up rather than believe they could pull off the upset they had put into motion with a dominating 28-7 halftime lead. I will say this, HSU SR QB Kyle Jones never quit, but I can't say the same about some of his teammates. You could see it on the film and Hobart will need to avoid this mindset should calls or other things not go their way on Saturday. The structure of Butterfield doesn't help the visitors either, and back in 2019, many may recall how an Ithaca parent hurled obscenities at the Statesmen players on the bench and the officials didn't call a clear Ithaca fumble recovered by the Statesmen on the Hobart sideline to make matters worse. Needless to say, it'll be a difficult environment, so the Statesmen need to be extra focused and block out the "noise" that is likely inevitable in Ithaca on Saturday.

Prediction: 

Is this finally the game Hobart will get over the hump? 

The relative strength of both teams is hard to gauge given each had nearly identical results against a common opponent in Alfred (Hobart won 35-3, Ithaca won 34-0). The Statesmen's opponents are 4-12 overall and Ithaca's are 5-6, mostly due to BSU edging some average New England teams of late.

With the potential returns of SR OLB Emmett Forde and JR LB Bryan Aguilar, the Statesmen should be at full strength defensively to start the game. The offense will need to grind it out and avoid turning the ball over to avoid digging themselves into an early hole.

I'll be honest, I originally was going to pick Ithaca over the weekend, maybe to light a fire or simply because I've simply been wrong in the past so many times now (e.g., I picked Hobart to win in 2017 and 2018, eventually doing a "non-pick" in 2019. The last time I picked right? 2016). 

While the statistics here point to a slight Hobart advantage, I think it will come down to whether not the Statesmen's RBs can gain yards on first down and Krewson making a handful of drive sustaining key plays and run the offense how it's set up. Defensively we need to force Wingfield into throwing an INT or two and not getting beat on the deep ball, if we can avoid it.

I think (hope?) the Statesmen can escape Butterfield with their first ever victory. It's been long enough and it's time. A ground and pound offensive and defensive effort will finally get it done. I'll take Hobart 31-24. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Roll Giants, 58-14, at Homecoming

The (soon to be Top 25) Hobart College Statesmen ended September a perfect 4-0 with a 58-14 Homecoming blowout of new D3FB program Keystone College (0-4). 

FY TE Luke Hescock caught his 1st career pass and TD to start the scoring and Hobart never looked back. At the half Hobart had a 15-1 advantage in first downs and were outgaining the Giants 302-12 yards (that's not a typo).

It's safe to say pretty much everyone on the team who was healthy got some valuable playing time  Saturday night. The Statesmen gave the ball to roughly 23-24 ball carriers or receivers in the game.

A few of the highlights, other than the Hescock TD, included:

SO RB Rayshawn Boswell touched the football six times, scoring 2 rush and 1 receiving TDs. His counterpart SO RB Tim Denham, Jr. led all rushers with 16 carries for 90 yards, plus a TD. 

JR QB David Krewson had a solid night going 10-15 for 160 passing yards and 2 TDs. He added 8 rushing yards and a TD also. FY QB Johnny Colombi got his first college game experience, passing for 24 yards. 

The Hobart defense allowed a couple of late scores when the subs were in, but were otherwise dominant. They were led by JR DB Jay McCoy with 7 tackles. Nearly 30 Statesmen defenders registered a stop on Saturday.

On ST, FY PK Tobias Wefering kicked a 35-yd FG with just over two minutes remaining. He punted once and otherwise split KO and PAT duties with JR PK Rob DiGregorio.

All in all it was a fun outing for the Statesmen, kind of like a scrimmage or a bye week to be honest. The best part was no one came away injured from the game. #19 Ithaca had a bye week this past weekend which kind of makes this game a little more fair now. 

Regardless, we're onto Ithaca. Time to break the Butterfield curse.

Week 4 - Keystone (and Homecoming!) Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will take on new D3FB program Keystone College (La Plume, PA) this Saturday night under the lights of Boswell Field for Homecoming / Family Weekend. While the Giants (0-3) will be a new opponent for the Statesmen (3-0), there are some familiar faces on the Keystone sideline.

Giants HC Justin Higgins is an "Upstate guy" having attended Ithaca and coached at SUNY-Morrisville, among other D3, FCS and D2 stops along the way. He's built a solid roster of players (mostly from NY, NJ, PA and MD) and a talented coaching staff in a short time frame.

While the early results point to this game not being a super competitive one, the Giants should be taken seriously and this game could be an important final opportunity to evaluate some current and newer Statesmen players going into conference play.

Scouting the Giants

Offensively the Giants have called about 50 more passing than rushing plays to date, likely due to trailing in games. They've been outscored on average by a 30 PPG margin and have only scored 4 offensive TDs.

The Keystone offense has averaged just under 200 YPG and like most new teams, have struggled with penalties, being flagged about six times per game for a -60 YPG average.

JR QB Tom Roach has passed for 290 yards this season, going 29-62 (46.77%) with 3 INTs. SO QB Deswa "Des" Evans, Jr. appears to be the backup and has thrown a handful of passes as well. JR RB Kevin Lewis (pictured above) appears to be the main cog in the Giants offense. He has rushed for 131 yards and all 4 of Keystone's TDs this season. Also getting carries is FY RB Mujaheed Muhammad.

Roach's top targets have been SO WR Jordan Cook (6 rec, 109 yds.), JR WR Javier Tazza (7 rec, 68 yds.) and JR WR Chad Jones (5 rec, 58 yds.). 

Defensively the Giants are led by JR LB Sean Tocci with 26 tackles and 1 TFL. The Keystone defense has given up a lot of yards (just under 450 YPG), but they have managed to nab 3 INTs and recover 3 fumbles.

The special teams unit is led by FY PK Josue Hernandez for kickoffs and PATs (he's 4-4 there). JR TE Zac Cost has attempted the most punts, averaging about 32 net yards. Keystone has yet to attempt a FG. In the return game, FY DB Darien Tabb has handled the majority of the kickoff duties so far this season.

Keys to the Game:

1. Air Traffic Control - The Statesmen running game is proving to be a nationally formidable one, averaging over 250 rushing YPG, but with better defenses like #19 Ithaca looming, Hobart needs to get better at and on passing plays. JR QB David Krewson has had his moments, and his WRs have had some drops, but he needs to "level up." He can do so by improving his completion percentage (which for his career sits at exactly 50% or 81-162, 1,052 yards, 7 TD and 5 INTs) and his overall field vision (e.g., not staring down his would be receivers). The latter would be a useful technique to work on in this game, as the SJF secondary took advantage of the lack of it last Saturday. I would also like to see SO QB Joseph Pelletier getting some extra playing time (i.e., basically taking over in the 2nd half) in this one as well. Hobart has yet to connect on a pass longer than 18-yds. this season. Maybe under the lights is a good chance to execute on a couple of "deep shots" in between perfecting more high percentage throws?

2. Put Away the Laundry - It's really tough to nitpick an undefeated (and nearly Top 25 ranked) team that's winning games by 5+ TDs, but if I could fix one thing on the stat sheet, it's the penalties. Whether it's actually been their fault, or just the refs who worked their games, Hobart has been flagged 25 times for -247 yards (or -82.33 YPG) so far this season. That's got to improve in order to make another LL championship and playoff run. 

3. Have Fun - A big home crowd under the lights at the Boz hasn't happened in a couple of years. Hopefully the whole team can enjoy the festive Homecoming atmosphere and many FY and other  players will get their first playing time, runs, catches, tackles and maybe even some TDs. Speaking of the latter, a belated congratulatory "shout out" to FY RB Andres Duran on his first career TD in the closing minutes of the SJF game!

Prediction:

While I think a shutout is possible, I do think with the bench emptied, Keystone will get a late score. I think the Statesmen should have a big night and run up a 56-7 win for the Homecoming crowd.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Run Over Cardinals, 42-21

In an occasionally sloppy, flag-riddled game, the Hobart College Statemen played spoiler to the Saint John Fisher Cardinals Alumni weekend, racking up 287 rushing yards in a 42-21 win Saturday. The Statesmen running game was elite, but Hobart was flagged (a somewhat inordinate) 12 times for -129 yards on the day.

The updated stats/BX was just posted and can be viewed here.

SO RB Rayshawn Boswell had a big day scoring 3 rushing TDs. SO RB Tim Denham, Jr. added 116 rushing yards, 1 rush TD as well as a 90-yard KOR TD to open the 2nd half.

Statistically the game really wasn't even close, Hobart had advantages in 1st downs (23-11) and 3rd down conversions (10-14 vs. 4-15). Fisher only gained 28 rush yards on 25 carries.

JR QB David Krewson struggled, however, going 14-22 for 104 yards and 2 INTs. Fortunately, the Statesmen didn't need him to carry the day, as the defense really stepped up, once again. Time will tell if Krewson has the tools to help Hobart get wins against the undefeated teams in their conference (#13 Union, RPI and #20 Ithaca). 

Leading the way on the defense was SO LB Bryan Aguilar with 10 tackles. SR FS Cal Sullivan also had a big game with 2 INTs. 

Up next for the Statesmen is Homecoming weekend against new D3FB and ECFC program, Keystone College (0-3). More on this one soon. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Week 3 - Saint John Fisher Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will make the short trip down I-90W to face off against a familiar foe, the Saint John Fisher College Cardinals. Both Hobart and SJFC are off to 2-0 starts, which is ironic and/or coincidental in that this will be the 20th game between the two programs (2 and 0, get it? Ok, bad "dad joke" there, moving on...). 

The Statesmen lead the all time series 12-7 and won the most recent matchup, 31-3, back in 2017. While that was a good win, it was only the 2nd after SJFC had Hobart's number winning 5 straight between 2002-2010. The Statesmen had their biggest win in the series (56-20) in 2011, but lost to the Cardinals, 27-6, in the 2nd round of the NCAA playoffs back in 2013.

Last weekend, SJFC had their way with what appears to be a down Framingham State Rams (0-2) squad, winning 38-7. After a scoreless 1st quarter the Cardinals offense woke up (so did the defense which added a scoop and score to make it 14-0) and the rout was on.

Scouting the Cardinals

SJFC presents Hobart's first real challenge as far as a strong offense goes. While they haven't played world beaters in Weeks 1 & 2, the Cardinals have managed to average nearly 30 PPG and 275.5 YPG.

SO QB Hunter Walsh is a dual threat, able to throw and run it in for the Cardinals. He had an impressive debut in 2019, passing for 2,713 yards and 17 TDs while adding another 5 rushing TDs. He ended that season ranked third in the Empire 8 in passing yards.

This season Walsh is off to another good start, going 28-45 (62%) passing with 332 yards and 3 TDs, adding 1 TD via the run. His OL has done a good job protecting him also, only allowing 2 sacks so far, and Walsh has yet to throw an INT. 

In the running game, the Cardinals have leaned on JR RB Dahmir Pross. He leads SJFC with 27 carries for 123 (net) yards or a 4.6 YPR average, to go with 2 TDs. He will occasionally spelled by SO RB Alex Schudt who has rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries with 1 TD. Based on these stats, it wouldn't surprise me if the slightly bigger Schudt is used for short-yardage situations. 

Walsh likes to spread the ball around but his favorite target has been 5th year SR WR TySean Sizer. He leads the Cardinals with 6 catches for 101 yards and 1 TD. Sizer was a transfer from Patriot League / FCS Colgate University and had a strong 2019 campaign with 32 catches for 678 yards and 5 TDs. 

Pross technically leads the team with 7 receptions, so he's clearly an option in the passing game as well. Another 5th year SR WR Johnatan Letta has also scored on a receiving TD as has SO WR Richie Quinn, who's a big target at 6' 1" 210 lbs. 

Defensively, SJFC is led by the dynamic duo of SO LB Kyle Vachon and FY LB Joe Miscia with 14 tackles and 1 TFL, respectively. Vachon also has a sack so he's likely a threat to blitz on certain downs. Speaking of blitzers, JR DB Anthony Manna leads the Cardinals with 2 TFL and is tied for the team lead with Vachon in sacks with 1. He recovered a fumble for a "scoop and score" TD last weekend against FSU. Manna has 1 INT on the year, but the real ball hawk of the Cardinals secondary is SO DB Jason Rodriguez. He finished tied for 3rd in the nation in 2019 with 7 INTs and has already snagged 2 picks in the first two games of the season. 

On special teams SJFC has a "do-it-all" specialist in 5th year SR PK Joe Dotterweich. He handles punting, kickoff and PAT/FG duties. So far the Cardinals have only needed him to kick one FG, a 30-yarder, against Framingham State, and it was good. He's yet to miss a PAT, going 8-8 on those.

Keys to the Game:

1. Next Man Up - The good news about outscoring your opponents 76-3 so far has been a lot of Statesmen players are having more opportunities to get valuable playing time and experience. I am expecting SR OLB Emmett Forde (shoulder) to sit this one out so Hobart will need some of the younger LB talent on their squad to step up. So far so good as players like FY LB Peterson Moxenant and Anthony Romano have tallied 1 INT each to go with 4 and 6 tackles, respectively. LB play will be important given Walsh's mobility as well as Pross' ability to run routes and/or be an outlet receiver.

2. Catch the Damn Ball - Hobart needs a WR (or 2-3) to step up and make some plays on offense. JR QB David Krewson delivers a good ball, but has seen drops make his stat line: 21-42 passing for 308 yards and 2 TD - look average. JR WR Alex LaBella had what could be looked back on as a breakout game with 5 catches for 75 yards and 1 TD vs. Morrisville State. SO WR Chris Bartosic is tied with LaBella with 6 catches for the team lead.

3. Quiet the Home Crowd - This matchup is listed as SJFC's "Alumni Weekend" (f/k/a Homecoming) game. Thus, the Statesmen can expect and large and hostile home crowd to start. If and when Hobart can get some early defensive stops and add a few points on the scoreboard, hopefully that'll settle things down. Hobart can definitely expect to get Fisher's best shot and while SJFC has dropped off a little in recent years (the Cardinals haven't had a better than 5-win regular season since 2016), the Statesmen only have a 5-4 record in Pittsford. The Statesmen have yet to allow more than 91 passing YPG and Fisher averages nearly 200 YPG. Something's got to give...

Useful Game Day Info:

Here's a handy Visitor's Guide provided by SJFC Athletics. It appears as though based on current campus updates, visitors will be welcome in the stadium but will be expected to abide by "adherence to current face covering requirements." You can read more here. 

Prediction:

I think the excitement and hype of the big game atmosphere, plus the subtraction of a couple of top Hobart players due to injuries, will keep this one low-scoring to start. It's a 2 PM kickoff too which means extra tailgating time which has both good and bad consequences sometimes.

I expect a steady dose of running plays (the Statesmen have averaged 46 running plays for 233.5 YPG and 4 TDs to open the season) to burn some clock and quiet down the SJFC Homecoming crowd.

The Statesmen will need to protect the football and not give Fisher any easy points. In the end, I think Hobart's power running game will wear the Cardinals down. I'll take Hobart to win 31-14.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Statesmen Break Mustangs, 41-0

The Hobart College Statesmen defense continued to impress and still hasn't allowed a TD yet this season. Hobart (2-0) had some struggles on offense in the 1st half, but came alive in the 2nd, in a rout over Morrisville. 

The Mustangs (0-2) and the Statesmen battled through a scoreless 1st quarter and it wasn't until the early 2nd quarter JR PK Rob DiGregorio hit his first of two FG's to break the stalemate.

The Statesmen had a 10-0 lead at the half, but SR QB David Krewson was 4-16 passing which raised some eyebrows with a few of my fellow Statesmen alums and fans. To be fair Krewson did have about 5 or 6 passes (or more) that were simply dropped by his receivers. His final line was 11-29 for 153 yards.

SO RB Rayshawn Bowell scored on a 5-yard rush and 34-yard passing plays. SO RB Tim Denham, Jr added a rush TD. Overall Hobart outgained Morrsiville 408-112 yards. 

JR WR Alex LaBella scored his first receiving (from SO QB Joseph Pelletier, also a career first) and FY RB Frank Riggio scored his first career TDs late in the 4th quarter (the BX on the Hobart website is incorrect).

Other than the offensive struggles, the fact that SR OLB Emmett Forde left the game and was seen with a sling on his shoulder in the second half was the main bad news from today's matchup. Hopefully his removal from the lineup was more of a precautionary measure.

Up next for Hobart will be a date with Saint John Fisher (2-0). The Cardinals beat Buffalo State 21-14 in Week 1 and won easily, 38-7, over Framingham State (0-2) today.

Never Forget - 20th Anniversary

On this 20th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, I wanted to recognize former Hobart College football player and alumnus Andy Glokin '93 as well as fellow grads Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simon '83, P '11 who lost their lives that unfortunate day.

HWS did a nice piece on their website commemorating and remembering this tragic event.

I'd also like to recognize the Toyen family, who lost their daughter and sister Amy in the attacks. She was the younger sister of my Avon High School classmate, Heather.

Never Forget.

Week 2 - Morrisville State Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will (finally) get to have their home opener at "the Boz" this Saturday against the SUNY-Morrisville Mustangs. Hobart (1-0) looked strong in a dominating 35-3 win over Alfred (0-1). Morrisville State, on the other hand, took a 48-14 beating at the hands of Union (1-0). The Statesmen's performance caught a few voters' eyes and they are now in the "Receiving Votes" category of the Week 1 D3football.com Top 25 poll. 

The Mustangs (0-1) had 13 offensive series in Week 1 and the results weren't good: 8 punts, 1 turnover on downs, 1 INT, and the end of the game. Obviously two of the drives resulted in scores - FY QB Alek Britten had two TD passes - a 41-yard one to JR WR Jarrell Cheney and a 9-yard pass to FY WR Joel Chururgi. Otherwise Union's high powered offense pretty much had it's way - racking up 484 total yards - while the Dutchmen defense made the Mustangs really one dimensional, holding Morrisville State to only 68 net rush yards.

Defensively, the Mustangs didn't fare much better, as Union scored on 6 of their 12 offensive possessions. The Dutchmen only punted three times in the game and pretty much were unstoppable in the passing game (gaining 327 yards through the air) while adding 157 yards on the ground. 

Scouting the Mustangs

Britten had a pretty good first career game as the Mustangs QB, going 19-34 (56%) for 230 yards and 2 TDs. He added 4 carries, but ended up with negative yardage due to the Dutchmen defense.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Union game was how many different ball carriers the Mustangs used, handing off to 9 different players. FY RB Frankie McFadden got the most work with 6 carries, but he only gained 5 yards. Morrisville's "leading rusher" was another rookie, FY RB Alex McBurnie, who ended up with 3 carries for 20 yards.

You saw above who caught the TD passes and not unlike the RB corps, 9 different receivers caught at least one pass last Saturday. Cheney led the way with 5 catches for 72 yards and 1 TD for Morrisville.

Defensively the Mustangs were led by JR LB Joe Miller and JR LB Ernesto Mitchell (ironically these two guys wear #1 and #2 by coincidence) with 11 tackles each. JR LB Philemon Benjamin (who happens to wear #4) had 2 TFL to go with 6 stops. 

Keys to the Game

1. Stick With What Works - The Statesmen tallied 5 rushing TDs last Friday and really should have had 6 if not for a fumbled snap from the goal line. The run-pass differential in Week 1 was about 78% run, and while it appears the Mustangs are a team that Hobart can exploit through the passing game, I would expect the Statesmen will continue to do what worked so well last Friday night. The inexperienced Statesmen WR corps got their feet wet with 10 catches, and while I expect this number to go up in Week 2, I wouldn't be surprised to see Hobart grind out most series on the ground, especially in the first half, to set up some play-action passing later.

2. Attack On Defense - Morrisville State appears to be a young and inexperienced team on paper. The Statesmen's defense is the opposite. While Britten and the Mustangs' offense wasn't very turnover prone against Union, the Statesmen could really make the FY QB have a long day with pressure off the edge and up the middle. While the Mustangs OL is big, their backs aren't and so our LBs should have a size mismatch that could play well into the Statesmen's favor. 

3. Fine Tune the Rougher Edges

If Hobart can jump out to a good lead like Union did, it should be a good opportunity for the 2nd and 3rd team guys to get some valuable experience rotating in. It is important for the Statesmen not to underestimate the Mustangs just because of the Week 1 result, however. Back in 2019 Hobart didn't have a TD lead until 11:56 remaining in the game. While I believe this year's matchup has the potential to be lopsided, Hobart can't afford to get complacent.

Prediction:

I like Hobart to grind out another strong performance, running the ball a fair amount but getting their WR corps a little more work, especially since it's possible JR WR Shahkyle Matthews' injury on Friday could keep him out of the lineup, unfortunately (more on that soon), but time will tell on how fast he'll be back on the field. 

I'll take the Statesmen to run away (pun intended) with a 42-10 win. To be fair, I also think we'll see at least one, if not more, receiving TDs on Saturday. 

Here's a great week of practice and I hope all the fans and families have a great fall Saturday in Geneva in just a few days.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Steamroll Saxons, 35-3

The Hobart College Statesmen opened their 127th season with a dominating 35-3 win on Friday night at Alfred University. The Statesmen (1-0) rushing attack tallied 5 TDs and the defense picked off the Saxons (0-1) 4 times on the night. 

SR OLB, co-captain and preseason All-American Emmett Forde set the tone with a TFL and an INT on the 1st and 3rd plays of the game. From there the Hobart OL and RBs took over, rushing for 237 yards on the night (net).

SO RBs Tim Denham, Jr. and Rayshawn Boswell had big nights with Denham rushing for a game high 15 carries, 115 yards and 2 TDs. Boswell had one less carry and added 74 rush yards and 2 TDs.

That said my favorite of the game was when SR RB Drew Walsh scored the 5th and final TD of the night. As a guy who wore #36 in 1992, I can tell you no other Hobart player has scored wearing this number since before my days in Geneva. I know my friend and Norwich, NY native Matt Smith '94 was equally proud of Drew.

The only real bad news from tonight's game was JR WR Shahkyle Matthews having to leave the game with an apparent knee injury. Hobart also missed a short FG, but the game was well in hand.

While the Statesmen didn't pass the ball a lot, JR QB David Krewson was an efficient 10-13 for 149 yards tonight. He did have one bad exchange with SR OL Lunder Mercy that led to a fumble but the turnover ultimately didn't hurt Hobart. 

Players such as JR WR James Miele and Alex LaBella notched their first career receptions as did SO WR Chris Bartosic. He actually led the young WR corps with 3 catches, including a nifty one-handed catch in the game. 

The Statesmen's Week 2 opponent, Morrisville State, will play tomorrow against #15/19 Union College at 1 PM ET. You can check out the game via this link.

This was about as good an opener as we could have hoped for, notwithstanding the Matthews injury, which hopefully isn't a major one.

I will have more on Mo' State early next week. Enjoy the win Statesmen fans. We waited a LONG time (650 days) for it!

Go 'Bart!