Week 9 - Union Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will travel to Schenectady this Saturday for what we predicted would be the biggest game of the season back in August. Hobart (6-1, 2-1) will face off against #12 Union (7-0, 3-0) in what's basically a playoff / postseason elimination game for the Statesmen. There is no more New York State LL/E8 Bowl to fall back on and, as far as I know, the Statesmen never rejoined the ECAC (for FB), so a loss this weekend means no postseason for Hobart. 

Union has won 20 straight regular season games dating all the way back to 10/13/18 (a 24-0 defeat to Ithaca). The week before that game also happened to be the Statesmen's last win over the Dutchmen, an exciting 29-28 comeback victory that saw now 5th yr SR FS Cal Sullivan intercept SR QB William Bellamy (shown below) in the 4th quarter which helped Hobart burn out most of the remaining time in the game to hang on for the win.

These are both very different teams now, with HC Jeff Behrman and staff having built the Dutchmen into one of the premier programs in Region 2 / the East. To be honest, this 2021 Union team seems a little less potent than their 11-1,  2019-selves, but regardless, the Liberty League championship and AQ bid to the playoffs still runs through them.

The Statesmen are the first in a trio of tough games if the Dutchmen plan to defend their LL title and return to the NCAA playoffs. Union's opponents to date have gone a combined 16-33. Including Hobart, the Dutchmen's final 3 foes are a combined 19-2.

Scouting the Dutchmen

It all starts with SR QB William Bellamy for Union. I would dare say he's the best QB in the LL, if not Region 2 (to be fair, there are at least a couple of guys in the Centennial that could easily make that same claim however).

Bellamy has passed for 1,321 yards and has the best efficiency rating (164.1) in the LL. He's thrown 16 TDs to only 5 INTs in seven games, averaging just under 190 YPG passing.

He has a wide array of targets to chose from including JR/SR Andre Ross, Jr. (27 rec., 402 yds., 7 TD), likely LL ROTY FY WR Robbie Tolbert (25 rec., 372 yds., 6 TD) and SO/JR WR Finn Duran (15 rec., 203 yds., 2 TD).

Bellamy has been well protected by his OL, as the Dutchmen have only given up 2 sacks all season. This is also because Union usually plays max-protect (meaning having seven guys blocking when Bellamy drops back). 

Also benefitting from the OL play are the Union RB corps. They are led by JR/SR Ike' Irabor (104 rush., 499 yds., 8 TD), who almost single-handedly beat Hobart in the 2019 game with 191 rush yards and 2 TDs. Occasionally spelling Irabor (who did miss some time due to injury earlier this season) are FY RB Jonathan Anderson (77 rush., 379 yds., 6 TD) and backup FY/SO Michael Fiore (39 rush., 239 yds., 3 TD). 

Defensively Union is led by 5th year SR LB Colin Lama with 50 tackles (tied for 5th in the LL). SO/JR DL Jimaar Edwards has been a problem for opposing QBs, with 6 TFL and 2.5 sacks. The Dutchmen defense has racked up an impressive 18 sacks and 52 TFL so far this season. Nine different players have at least 1 INT on the year too.

On special teams the Dutchmen have a dedicated specialist in FY/SO Andrew Lau. He handles KOs (averaging 57.3 YPK)), punting (net average of 37.95 YPP) and FG/PATs (5-7 with a long of 29 and 29-32 on PATs).  

Keys to the Game

1. Contain "The Big 3" - Bellamy, Irabor and Ross, Jr. are the keys to Union's recent offensive success. While they will all certainly make some plays in Saturday, the Statesmen defense just needs to bend and not break when they do. An improved LB corps by Hobart (compared to the 2019 version) should assist with Irabor, so the real pressure will be on the Statesmen DL/OLBs getting to Bellamy and throwing off his timing. I imagine the Dutchmen will look to get Ross, Jr. open on Hobart's less experienced DBs and OLBs (e.g., Bliss, Mahoney and Hansen), which was a strategy that worked well for Ithaca.

2. Penalties & Turnovers - Can we really say with a straight face that there's a buttoned up, "Hobart Way" of playing football when it's been so sloppy for 7 games? I understand this team is one of the Statesmen's youngest in quite some time but the lack of discipline and accountability regarding penalties on the field has been one of the hardest things to accept about them as an avid (some may say crazy) Hobart fan/alum. Last Saturday against SLU, Hobart was flagged 10 times for -95 yards. The Statesmen will not win on Saturday if they do their usual ~8 flags for -80 YPG average. Fortunately, Union has struggled a little bit in this area as well, being flagged for about 6x per game and -63 YPP, on average. Hopefully the officials won't decide the outcome of this one, and given the intensity of this rivalry, Hobart will need to keep calm and not be drawn into post-whistle shenanigan's. On a separate, but similar note, turnovers have been an issue for Hobart of late, and they had a huge impact in the 23-7 loss to Union back in 2019. JR/SR QB David Krewson has to be better and can't afford to make errant shuffle passes / fumbles. A steady diet of higher pass percentage quick-outs, slants, skinny posts and/or dig routes to work the middle of the field (where Krewson has really succeeded as a passer) will help feed the Statesmen offense and move the chains. 

3. Pound the Rock - SO/JR RBs Rayshawn Boswell and Tim Denham, Jr. need to keep pounding away at the Union defense, who showed they were susceptible to a power run game in a close one (30-23) against triple-option experts Springfield College (4-3, 3-0 NEWMAC). The Pride ran for 290 yards that day and scored 2 rush TDs, committing zero penalties in the game, but they were ultimately done in by losing the turnover battle with 2 INTs. 

Prediction

In spite of having the defense and running game to make this interesting, I feel like penalties and turnovers will haunt Hobart again in Schenectady. Unfortunately, I feel like Union will pull away late, not unlike Ithaca did 4 weeks ago, and go on to win this one, 31-17.

I would love to be wrong, but in spite of the great work and obstacles overcome by Hobart this year, Union just seems like the healthier and stronger side. I have to say, I kind of blame the LL on this one too, because really this game should have been at Boswell Field this season. That would have definitely impacted things (not to mention my prediction) as well.

There should be a huge crowd (this is Union's Homecoming game) and electric playoff-football atmosphere Saturday.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Survive Another Scare, Rally to Beat SLU, 17-13

The Hobart College Statesmen managed to overcome another sluggish offensive performance to comeback and defeat a plucky Saint Lawrence Saints team yesterday at Boswell Field.

Hobart (6-1, 2-1) needed some late heroics to stave off what could have been a very rare loss to the Saints (3-4, 0-3). The hero ended up being JR/SR Alex LaBella who caught a six-yard TD pass with only 45 seconds remaining in the game. 

You can read the HWS recap for more details here.

What I'd like to focus on is the below, which shows how erratic and generally poor the Statesmen's offensive possessions and calls were Saturday. While the Saints defense is certainly improved and had their moments in the game, the Statesmen are really struggling to pass the ball outside of the middle of the field. JR/SR David Krewson finished the game with 181 total yards and the game winning TD pass, but was otherwise ineffective, going 11-28 (39% completion rate) with 2 INTs.

I want to remain optimistic, but I don't think a game like the above by this offense can give the Statesmen a realistic chance to win in Saturday's game vs. #12 Union (7-0, 3-0). I'll have more on that game tomorrow.

In the meantime, thanks for checking in and go 'Bart!

Week 8 - Saint Lawrence Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will host the Saint Lawrence University Saints in another key Liberty League contest Saturday at Boswell Field. SLU (3-3, 0-2) has had an up and down season so far, losing two straight in LL play, after enjoying a three game winning streak in OOC games.

Last weekend the Saints had a water logged, 17-0 loss to #16 Ithaca (6-0, 3-0) up in Canton, NY. Their usual high octane offense only managed to gain 148 total yards (168 pass, -28 rush) against the Bombers. Ithaca on the other hand was completely weatherproof, gaining 418 yards on 78 plays.

The Statesmen (5-1, 1-1) and Saint Lawrence have had a pretty one-sided series of late, with Hobart winning their last 27 of the last 28 games, including 9 in a row. The Statesmen are 53-36-2 all time against SLU and won the last contest between these two programs back in 2019, by a comfortable 35-3 margin.

Don't forget - you can contribute to the "Tackles & Touchdowns for Happiness House" fundraiser by making a donation / pledge through the Statesmen football team. Reach out to Coach Green for more information.

Scouting the Saints

SLU enters this contest as the 3rd ranked passing offense in the LL, gaining 202 YPG through the air and is the 4th ranked scoring offense, averaging 22.3 PPG. The Saints have edged Hobart in the scoring defensive rankings, allowing 2 less TDs and only 12 PPG (but I believe these stats are buoyed by games against Norwich, SUNY-Morrisville and Castleton who are a combined 6-13).

SLU is led on offense by JR/SR QB Tyler Grochot. The Canadian team captain has passed for 1,130 yards and 11 TDs, compared to 7 INTs. He has a decent OL and has been sacked 9 times in six games,  but to be fair, Ithaca added a lot to that total, getting to Grochot 4 times last Saturday. 

While the Saints don't come close to matching Hobart's rushing offensive numbers, SLU has a pair of dependable RBs. One is actually listed on the Saints roster as a WR, but SLU's leading rusher is SO/JR RB Peyton Schmitt. He has carried the ball 74 times for 437 rushing yards and 3 TDs. His battery-mate is JR/SR Jamie Battaglia who has rushed 49 times for 231 rushing yards and 3 TDs as well.

The Saints like to spread the ball around on offense and 7 different receivers have recorded at least one TD catch this season. The current favorite target is JR/SR WR Sean McCormack who leads the team with 24 receptions for 320 yards. He's a tall and big bodied WR (6' 2" and 215 lbs.) who's added 2 TD catches as more of a possession, "move the chains", type of player. The deep threat is SR/GR WR Andrew Murphy. He leads the team with 3 TD catches, including an 85-yard long. In some ways, this tandem reminds me of the Anderson & Vito combo we saw at Ithaca. I don't think that'll be the case this Saturday, but more on that in a bit. 

Defensively the Saints are led by Canandaigua Academy grad and SO/JR LB Jacob Driesbach with 40 total tackles. He may be out due to an injury, however, as he did not play against the Bombers. SLU appears to be a pretty aggressive and attacking defensive unit, racking up 9 sacks and 39 TFL this season. JR/SR LB Kyle Frimel leads the team with 7 TFL (he was especially impressive vs. Union the week before), but he was held to just a single assisted tackle in the IC game. 

The Saints have a couple of strong interior DL in SO/JR DL Bryan Placide and SO/JR DL Nathan Rosahac. Both have recorded a team high 2 sacks a piece to go with a combined 30 tackles and 7.5 TFL. FY/SO CB Grady Harrington leads the Saints with 2 INTs and SO/JR OLB Victor Gamberoni has 1 INT to go with a team high 5 PBUs.

On special teams SLU has a trio of kickers. JR/SR WR/PK Tyler Liddy handles punting, averaging 36.42 YPP. JR/SR PK Ian Doin has gone 3-3 on FGs (long of 36) and has handled about 65% of the Saints KOs, averaging 42.7 YPK. FY S/PK James Bocock has a slightly better average, 46.3 YPK, when given the opportunity.

Keys to the Game

1. 3rd Down - The Saints are not a good third down team this season, ranking dead last in the LL with a 21-75 or 28% conversion rate. The Statesmen on the other hand, are 1st in the LL converting at a 50% clip. Keeping Grochot on the sideline via the three-and-out is pretty much the key to beating SLU.

2. Clean It Up - While we can talk about Hobart's inexperience in a few key positions here and there, but at what point do you have to look at coaching staff for the very high penalty count the Statesmen have racked up this season? This comes down to basic fundamentals and the Statesmen are averaging over 8 flags and a league worse nearly -78 YPG due to these mental errors. On the flip side, the Saints are like their namesake, only averaging -37 YPG in penalties, best in the LL. Advantage Coach Puck and company. Needless to say, Hobart needs to nip this in the bud ASAP.

3. Unleash the Beast - SR/GR OLB Emmett Forde has been fantastic since returning from injury, racking up 17 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 sacks and 1 FF, in the past two weeks. His play, along with the rest of the Hobart defense, will be pivotal in keeping this potentially high powered Saints offense in check. The front 7 in particular will need to bring the heat to Grochot to avoid having our secondary get exposed because they were stuck in coverage for far too long like we saw against the Bombers back in Week 5. 

4. Embrace the Suck - Normally this refers to the grind of the season, and since it's Week 8, that's appropriate. Neither team is going into this one 100% healthy and that is pretty much the case for every team out there. I will add, in a different context, that Hobart needs to embrace the suck that is their offensive identity. This is a rushing offense, and the Statesmen have some history being a dual-RB, ground and pound team. Back in 2012 the combo of Steve Webb and Bobby Dougherty averaged a combined 32 carries per game. Now, they were balanced out by QB Nick Strang who was a 2.000+ yard passer that season, but Hobart did run the ball 70% of the time. While the 2021 team runs it more out of necessity (68% of the time) than the 2012 version, they can and should continue to embrace that identity to carry them over the next couple of weeks. 

Prediction:

Weather or not (pun intended), I like Hobart to grind away at the Saints on offense and pound them on defense to extend their home winning streak to 10-0. It should / will also be the 10th win in a row over SLU, who are certainly talented, but not quite at the Statesmen's level. The biggest issue for Hobart, to be honest, is to avoid the possibility of falling into a "trap game" because the team is overlooking the Saints in anticipation of next weekend's huge game vs. Union.

One game at a time, guys. Do your thing, and I think I will say that Saturday will be a 28-10 win for the Statesmen, as a result.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Win in a Wet and Wild One, 10-9, Over RPI

The Hobart College Statesmen won one of the strangest games in the almost 30 years I've followed D3FB today, 10-9, over Liberty League rival RPI. 

You can read the HWS recap of the game here. 

The Statesmen (5-1. 1-1) didn't help themselves with turnovers (2) and penalties (8 for -67 yards), but they were good enough, especially on defense, to hold RPI (6-1, 2-1) to 145 total yards on 51 plays. The Hobart offense rushed for over 200 yards going into the 4th quarter, but then only managed 4 total yards on 14 plays in the final stanza.

If not for the 5 sacks, 2 INTs, 2 FRs and a PAT block by the Statesmen defense, Hobart probably would have lost the game. SO LB Bryan Aguilar was the hero intercepting RPI SR QB George Marinopoulos for the final time with under a minute to go. The embattled Engineers QB struggled all game, being held to only 2 passing yards in the 1st half and finishing with an 11-20 for 57 yard day. 

When five 5th year SRs are better than 20+ (Photo Credit: Jason White)

JR QB David Krewson was more accurate, going 7-8 passing, but he only netted 25 yards. This is probably the lowest passing yardage output by a Hobart starting QB since Scott Pinker '97 netted only 9 yards in a 2-0 win over Rochester back on 10/9/93 (yeah, I am that old and I remember that game and the weather that day was really, really bad - way worse than today's tbh). Hobart ran the ball 68 times due to the rain and today's game wasn't that different (56), but the second half....I'll elaborate more on that in a bit.

Ultimately it was the wildcat formation calls that gained the most yardage for the Statesmen, including SO RB Rayshawn Boswell's 49 yard TD run with 1:20 to go in the first quarter. Boswell finished the day with 18 carries for 149 yards on what's becoming an All-American season. SO RB Tim Denham, Jr. nearly eclipsed the 100-yard mark as well, adding 26 rushes for 94 yards.

The good news is at the end of the day, Hobart won and kept it's LL title and NCAA playoff hopes alive. The bad news is our offense is really, really one dimensional. While I doubt the coaching staff will be able to make significant changes based on current personnel, it's clear something's got to give if this team is going to take the next step. The offensive execution is still not there and it was never more apparent in the fourth quarter of today's game when passing the ball could (and should) have been an option but just wasn't.

Another week of practice awaits to help the team get better. SLU lost to Ithaca today, 17-0, in another rain drenched outing. The Saints won't be pushovers, but realistically, Hobart has two weeks to figure things out. 

The regular season hinges (as I predicted back in the preseason) on Week 9 at Union.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Week 7 - RPI Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen return to Boswell Field for another big Liberty League showdown against conference rival, RPI (6-0, 2-0). First off, thank goodness this is a home game otherwise Statesmen fans and families wouldn't be able to attend. Frank and I have spoken about this issue a lot on our ITH podcast, so I won't go back over old news.

Second, RPI comes into this matchup off a (scoreboard deceiving) 24-16 win over Buffalo State (0-5, 0-2). The Engineers have always been a tough out for the Statesmen (4-1, 0-1), but they haven't won a game at the "Boz" since a narrow, 2 point conversion play incompletion gave RPI a 21-20 win back in 2015. Although both Hobart and RPI are RVs in the D3football.com Top 25, the Engineers did make it into the AFCA Coaches Poll at #25. 

Scouting the Engineers

RPI has the largest class of SR and 5th year players in the LL, with close to 50 SAs on their roster. This added experience has enabled them to edge teams in close games. The Engineers started off their season winning games by 1 and 4 points, respectively. 

RPI is led on offense by SR QB George Marinopoulos. The game this weekend in Geneva is a bit of a "full circle" moment for him as his first collegiate action came against Hobart in 2017, his FY. In 2021, Marinopoulos has passed for 1,455 yards with 18 TDs and only 3 INTs. Both the yardage and TD marks lead the LL at the moment. He's thrown for over 7,000 yards in his 35-game playing career, averaging over 200 YPG passing. An interesting note regarding the RPI offense is that Marinopoulos has 1 rushing TD also, which is tied for the team lead (more on that in a minute).

The Engineers offense is interesting in that they've called virtually an equal number of pass and run plays (196-194), but RPI's offense moves the ball primarily through the air. The Engineers average over 250 passing YPG compared to 103.5 rushing YPG. Scoring is also primarily all via the pass, as RPI has 20 compared to 2 rushing TDs.

SR RB Dylan Burnett is the the Engineers primary RB/SB. He has the one other rushing TD on the year and has carried the ball a team high 49 times for 168 yards. He's added 4 catches for 61 yards as well.

Marinopoulos's favorite target is SR WR Peter Lombardi and he leads the team with 41 receptions for 424 yards and 6 TDs. RPI likes to spread the ball around so it's no surprise that 8 other receivers have scored at least 1 TD for the Engineers this season. 

While the offense has been successful, the strength of this team has been it's defense. They have held teams to 14.17 PPG (and this number is inaccurate in my opinion due to defensive scores from Week 1 and late garbage time TDs in recent weeks) and their 260.5 YPG allowed is second in the LL to Hobart (213.6 YPG). 

SR LB Joe Deptula leads the Engineers defense and is ranked 3rd in the LL with 46 total tackles. He also has a a team and LL high 6 TFL. SR DB Perry Francis leads RPI with 3 INT. JR DB Carlos Davis has picked off opposing QBs twice. 

On special teams, SR PK Conor MacDougall handles the FGs, hitting 3 from inside 29 yards. His one miss was an over 30 yard attempt. He also averages 49.2 YPK on KOs and has gone 21-22 on PATs (one being an actual game winner vs. Montclair in Week 1). The punter is SR PK Zac Montrief (a GR player) who's averaging over 39 YPP and has impressively dropped the ball inside the opposition's 20 yard line 10 times this season while also forcing 7 fair catches.

Keys to the Game:

1. Win the LOS - The Statesmen OL struggled against an attacking Ithaca defense two weekends ago and I expect a similar challenge from RPI. While the Engineers don't have a ton of sacks this season (it's between 5-7*) they do have a respectable number of TFL (24). This pressure has led opposing QBs to make some bad throws and decisions, leading to 8 INT. On the flip side, the RPI OL could be potentially exploited by the Hobart DL/OLBs. The Engineers have allowed a surprisingly high 19-20 sacks (*there are discrepancies between the RPI and LL data) and 39 TFL in 6 games this season. Unfortunately the Statesmen are dead last in the LL for getting sacks with only 5 so far this season. I think this is partially due to the 3-man front the Statesmen run today (I've been very vocal I prefer 4 DL, but that seems like a defense of the "old days" at this point) and probably because of SR OLB Emmett Forde's absence from the lineup due to his shoulder injury. Marinopoulos is a poised QB and game manager, so I don't expect him to make many mistakes, but with enough pressure, he could have flashbacks to his 2 INT and 2 sack game he experienced in Geneva in 2019, a dominating, 41-27 Hobart win.

2. Win on 3rd Down - The RPI offense has gone for it 16 times on 4th down this season, successfully converting 10 of those attempts. Part of the reason for having to do that is they rank 2nd to last in the LL in 3rd down conversions, going 25-77 (32.5%). It's imperative that the Statesmen defense forces the Engineers into these difficult 3rd down plays, which is a clear weakness for RPI. While the Engineers do have a great punter which will help them in flipping the field, Hobart needs to force the RPI offense off the field in these key situations.

3. Cut Out the Penalties - This is a matchup of polar opposites. RPI is the least penalized team in the LL (36 YPG) and Hobart is the most (79.4 YPG). That is probably where you can really see the difference in experience between the two squads. While the Statesmen due enjoy a VERY strong home field advantage - winning 8 in a row at home (last home loss was a 10-3 game to Ithaca at the end of the 2018 regular season) - the local officiating crews haven't cut the Statesmen many breaks (quite the opposite, usually). Hobart can't afford to shoot themselves in the foot like they did in Ithaca (9 flags for -70 yards) and expect to get a win on Saturday.

4. Be Creative - The Statesmen will need to be creative in trying to find ways to move the ball. RPI has one of the best passing defenses in the LL and have only allowed 2 pass TDs all season. They are strong against the run, allowing 112.5 rush YPG and only 6 TDs (basically just one per game they've played). Something will have to give here for Hobart to get a win. I do think the Statesmen can make some calls to keep the Engineers defense off guard, but once again it'll come down to JR QB David Krewson taking some calculated shots down field on high percentage completion plays. With the Hobart TEs likely needing to stay home and block, the Hobart WRs (and/or RBs, which are likely better options given matchups vs. LBs) will need to step up against the most experienced defensive secondary they'll face all season. 

Prediction:

I think this will be a low-scoring, defensive struggle for most of the game. It would be great if SO RB Rayshawn Boswell could have a big KOR or running play that opens things up for Hobart and it wouldn't surprise me if we see a few FG attempts from both teams Saturday.

In the end I think the Statesmen can prevail if they button up and play to their strengths. If this game was in Troy, I may have had to have picked RPI this week, but the Boz is a different story. I'll take Hobart in 24-21 nail-biter. Should be a great game either way.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Into the Bye Week - The Playoffs Start in Week 7

Hobart has had a bit of a playout draught of late after going to the NCAA post-season 12 times in 16 seasons (2000-2016) over the past two decades. Many thought after the (9-2) very successful 2019 season that 2020 would be the year that absence would finally end.

Obviously COVID happened and the 2020 season was cancelled. The Statesmen lost a fair number of talented seniors in the Class of 2020 to graduation and successful job placements (definitely no shame in that, quite the opposite, actually). While a handful of key players did come back, especially on defense, we knew going into the 2021 season this would be a more inexperienced Hobart squad.

That inexperience benefitted in what, in retrospect, was not a challenging September OOC schedule. Hobart rolled up four easy wins by a combined 176-38 margin, leading the nation with 19 rushing TDs with a lethal two-headed rushing attack. 

Unfortunately the downside to this easy start could have been a false sense of security that we saw #17 Ithaca (4-0, 1-0) attack with success in Week 4. The Statesmen (4-1, 0-1) offense struggled at the beginning and the end of the game and the defense gave up 28 points to an efficient and determined Bombers squad.

Hobart didn't help themselves however, committing 9 penalties for -70 yards, 1 INT (which led to a short field and later a TD for Ithaca) and a 2-4 (.500) red zone scoring mark. JR QB David Krewson was under constant pressure, hitting just over 50% of his passes (he was 15-29 or 51.35%) and getting sacked twice. The OL struggled early, but eventually got things going just before halftime. I'll admit, after SO RB Rayshawn Boswell broke off that 70-yd TD run to give Hobart a 21-14 lead in the 3rd quarter, I thought the Butterfield curse was finally over. 

Honestly if you told me last Friday that Hobart would rush for 191 yards, and ultimately out-gain Ithaca by a 414-346 margin, I would have assumed the Statesmen would have won. However, if you break the rushing statistics down and cut out the Boswell TD, as well as SO RB Tim Denham, Jr's longest rush of 19 yards and Krewson's 12-yard long, you get the real picture. The Statesmen only averaged about 2.36 YPR on 38 other run calls, which is similar to the mark they had in the 2019 loss. Basically Hobart hit on a couple of long runs, but their vaunted rush game was otherwise shut down by the Ithaca defense, forcing the Statesmen to have to win it via the pass as my Week 5 game preview kind of predicted.

I don't view this as a loss on the offense though, because in spite of herculean efforts by SR OLB Emmett Forde and SO LB Bryan Aguilar who came back from injury to have a 10 tackle (7 solo) and 2 TFL and 8 tackle games, respectively, the once ball-hawking defense didn't get the job done in the clutch. 

The previously INT-prone Wingfield sliced up the Hobart secondary with a nearly perfect 17-21 (81%) completions for 221 yards and 1 TD day. He would catch the Statesmen in coverage assignments and make a run for it to score to give Ithaca their first lead of the game, 7-0, early in the 2nd quarter.

Ironically the Hobart offense hit on more, long pass plays in the game, and the Statesmen defense successfully held the Bombers offense to only 2 third down conversions on 9 tries. Unfortunately, Ithaca just hit on the big plays at more opportune times than the Statesmen did.

So where do we go from here?

The Statesmen will basically have to run the table between Weeks 7-11 to get back into the postseason. While another NYS bowl game could be eventually be available as a "consolation prize" of sorts, that's not the goal. Unfortunately the rest of the way is a much more difficult journey than the first half of the season.

As of today, the win-loss records of Hobart's next three LL opponents are a combined 13-1, and the Statesmen will definitely be underdogs in two of those three games. The last two weeks (10 & 11) are similar to Weeks 1-4, as Buffalo State and Rochester are a combined 1-7. That said, Rochester is much improved team over past years, even if their only win to date is a 28-27 close call over Alfred State (who's 1-3, 0-0 in the ECFC).

These records won't change much due to Week 6, as RPI hosts Buff State (basically making the Engineers 6-0, 2-0 and the Bengals 0-5, 0-2) and Ithaca is at Rochester (basically making the Bombers 5-0, 2-0 and the Jackets 1-4, 0-2, barring a crazy upset). The game to watch will be Union (5-0, 1-0) hosting Saint Lawrence (3-1, 0-0). The Dutchmen have been living dangerously of late and the Saints could play spoiler with an extra week of preparation. The Statesmen need to remain steady, focused and hope for at least a little chaos goes on elsewhere.

Meanwhile, back in Geneva, the Statesmen will need to work on doing a better job at the LOS on the OL and developing a better pass game on offense. Defensively, the younger DBs and LBs will need to work on pass coverage, especially with a such an experienced and talented set of QBs like George Marinopoulos (RPI), Tyler Grochot (SLU) and Will Bellamy (Union) coming up. These three have passed for 3,000 yards and 41 TDs in 14 games combined. 

The season is far from over. The playoffs are just starting about 5 weeks early.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Comeback Falls Short, #17 Ithaca Keeps Butterfield Curse Alive, winning 28-21

With the upcoming bye week we unfortunately will have a lot of time to mull this loss over. JR QB David Krewson had his moments, but poor protection from his OL which lost the LOS for most of the game forced him into some tough situations.

The Statesmen rallied down 14-0 to score 21 unanswered points, but ultimately the defense couldn't stop the Ithaca WR combo of Michael Anderson and Andrew Vito. The young Hobart secondary was exposed on a few long pass plays and SO QB AJ Wingfield was simply the better player at QB Saturday.

SO RBs Rayshawn Boswell and Tim Denham, Jr. scored the three Hobart TDs but it was the overthrow to a wide open Boswell that ultimately ended the game for the Statesmen for all intents and purposes. 

Sure, Hobart had a couple of other chances, but the game ended in typical Butterfield fashion with a strange fumble / broken play that ended up not getting to the sideline as time expired.

While ending up 4-1, 0-1 at the halfway point of the regular season isn't a death sentence, it's certainly disappointing. The Statesmen will have an upward battle to go from here, but as Frank and I have said on "In the D3FB Huddle" the best candidate for a Region 1 or 2 Pool C playoff bid is probably to the runner up of the Liberty League. It's also possible the LL title could end up being decided via tiebreakers due to multiple teams going 9-1. Still five more games to go, but the RPI one is the most important for now.

We will see if that pans out, in the meantime, the Statesmen will likely be pulled from the Top 25 and replaced by RPI (5-0, 1-0). #12 Union (5-0, 1-0) definitely looks beatable after struggling a bit with Buffalo State (0-4, 0-1) today.

Biggest game of the season is always the next one. The Engineers get Buff State in Week 6, so at least the Statesmen will have an extra week to prep for this important LL showdown.

More on this game in a bit. Go 'Bart.