Week 10 - Buffalo State Preview

First off, thanks to all the readers over the years. I don't know why or if it really matters, but for some reason getting over 350K views of this blog seems like a milestone of sorts. Thanks for the support!

This post will be pretty short based on the fact that Buffalo State (0-8, 0-4) is simply a bad team. They've been outscored 363-70 this season. They lost last weekend to Brockport, 54-2, and they haven't scored more than 14 points since Week 1. The Bengals unfortunately haven't had a winning season since 2017 and are likely going to end up 0-10 (like they did in 2021) again.

Last Saturday, Hobart (5-3, 2-2) showed a lot of resolve, much like in the 2018 win over Union, where they had to comeback, score late, and have the defense hold on. Next Saturday, I expect a similar result as last year's 45-21 win by the Statesmen, but maybe by an even bigger margin. 

The one positive of this matchup is we should see a lot of younger, less experienced players get a chance to show what they can do after the first quarter. 

That said, I'll take Hobart to win this game, 49-7.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Daramola Goes Deep, Hobart Clips Dutchmen, 23-21

The Hobart College Statesmen gave the home crowd and the 2012 Team of Distinction a lot of cheer about (along with a few groans here and there) at Boswell Field today, thanks to a thrilling 23-21 comeback win over longtime league rival, Union. 

The Statesmen (5-3, 2-2) opened the scoring with a 32-yard SO PK Tobias Wefering FG. This kick was set up by a Dutchmen fumble that was recovered by JR DB James Mahoney. Union (6-2, 3-1) would get their first of three passing TDs, when JR QB Donovan Pacatte found FY WR Nick Dunnaman on a long 53-yard TD strike to make it 7-3 Union with 4:02 left in the 1st quarter.

Hobart would bounce back, scoring 14 unanswered points thanks to a JR RB Tim Denham, Jr. 4-yard TD reception and a JR RB Rayshawn Boswell (who looked the most like his 2021 self we've seen all season) 19-yard rushing TD to take a 17-7 lead with 7:15 to go before the half.

Hobart's lead was short lived however, as the Dutchmen would respond by scoring 14 unanswered points themselves. It started when Dunnaman got behind the Hobart secondary again, this time for 40 yards, and JR WR Avery Turton would haul in a 29-yard pass to give Union a 21-17 lead at the half. 

The Statesmen dodged a minor bullet when the Dutchmen's JR PK Andrew Lau missed a short FG (he also had a strange fake punt pass attempt during the game and it seemed like only Lau knew that was the play call, but I digress), but the offense struggled with penalties once again (Hobart was flagged 10 times for -84 yards). Neither team would find the end zone in the third quarter. 

Late in the game, 5th YR SR QB David Krewson came up big when his team needed him, finding SO WR Rane Daramola for a 58-yard TD bomb with 2:10 remaining in the game. The PAT was blocked, so Hobart fans had to hold their collective breath for the final 130 seconds. The Statesmen defense showed up however, sacking Pacatte and otherwise shutting out the Dutchmen in the second half and final minutes to preserve the win.

Daramola had a career day, catching 4 passes for 129 yards and the game-winning TD. Denham ground out 97 rushing yards, but maybe more importantly, the Statesmen defense held Union's 5th YR SR RB Ike Irabor to only 61 rushing yards. Although Dunnaman had his way with the Hobart secondary (7 catches for 145 yards and 2 TDs), 5th YR SR WR Andre Ross, Jr. was equally held in check, only making 3 catches for 57 yards.

Defensively Hobart was led once again by SO LB Anthony Romano with nine total tackles, including a TFL. 

This win breathed new life into the Hobart season and sets them up well for a strong finish. I'm planning to be there for the Rochester game in Week 11 given my oldest having applied to HWS and attending the Fall Open House scheduled for that Saturday, so I'll see you there. 

More on this game and others in the next episode of In the D3FB Huddle coming up early next week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 9 - Union Game Preview

I hope everyone who was able to attend the Bicentennial Gala and weekend had a blast. From the photos and videos that I saw, it looked like a great party. 

Time to refocus. 

It's Union week and the season has come down to this weekend. 

Much like 2018, a tough initial 5-4 year for the DeWall regime, this season has been an up and down one for Statesmen fans, friends and families. A win over LL rival Union (6-1, 3-0), which hasn't happened since that 2018 season, would go a long way in raising the spirits of the Hobart Football faithful. It would also be a nice way to avenge a 27-20 OT loss in Schenectady last season, which I literally had a front row, sideline view. 

The Statesmen are 49-53-2 all time vs. the Dutchmen, making this the 105th game in this series, Hobart's second longest active one, if memory serves. The Statesmen (4-3, 1-2) need to win this game to avoid a fourth loss and keep the possibility of another ECAC bid, and a chance to host the bowl game (pending seedings), more likely than not.

Scouting the Dutchmen

Union comes into this game with the second ranked scoring offense (39.86 PPG) and third ranked defense (12.14 PPG) in the league. While they have a lot of new faces from last year's squad at key positions, especially on defense, there are a couple of players back who have been "Statesmen killers" in their careers.

5YR SR RB Ike Irabor has had some of the best games of his career against the Hobart defense. Over those three games he's rushed 92 times for 398 yards and 5 TDs. He has also had 3 receptions for 30 yards and 1 TD (back in the 2018 game).

Classmate 5YR SR WR Andre Ross. Jr. was pretty much shut down in the 2019 game, but he scorched the Statesmen for long TDs in the '18 and '21 seasons. He has 15 catches for 350 receiving yards and 2 TDs in his career against Hobart.

New starting QB Donovan Pacette has vaulted to the top of the LL passing charts, currently ranked as the #1 QB in conference, leading the league in passing completions (70.4%), passing YPG (183.8), and efficiency (189.1). He is second in passing TDs (9), total pass yards (1,103) and (lowest) INTs with only 3. He was knocked out of the Utica game in Week 4 but seems back and healthy since.

This season Union has gone to more of a two RB look, with Irabor (78 carries for 573 yards and 9 TDs) and JR RB Michael Fiori who actually leads the team in carries with 95. He's gained 471 yards on the ground and scored 7 TDs this season.

Ross, Jr. has the most receiving TDs (5), but actually trails FY WR Nicolas Dunneman in receiving yards (387 to 508) and the FY has caught 32 passes compared to Ross, Jr.'s 17.

Defensively the Dutchmen are led by big (6' 3" 225 lbs.) SR LB Spencer Goldstein who has 53 total tackles on the season, which is tied for fourth place in the LL going into Week 9. Goldstein has added 5 TFL to go with 2.5 sacks and a team high 3 INTs on the season.

The Union defense has intercepted opposing QBs 7 times this season and the Dutchmen have recovered one fumble. If my math is correct, Union is only +2 in TOM, which bodes well for this weekend.

On special teams, the Dutchmen have a very strong kicker in JR PK Andrew Lau. He handled all duties, including KOs (57.1 YPKO average with 5 TBs), punting (averaging nearly 40 YPP) and FGs (going 5-6 with a long of 35 yards).

Keys to the Game:

1. Pick Your Poison (Carefully): Coach Behrman has done a great job building back the Union program to a team that can beat you in multiple ways. You stuff the run, the Dutchmen go over the top with Ross, Jr. You drop back in coverage; Union will run at your defense 30-35+ times a game. There's really no good formula here, in my opinion, other than quit with the 2-3 DL alignments, line up and play gap defense with some disguised coverages to try and confuse Pacette into making bad reads. The Statesmen need someone at DE/DL to create pressure from the outside and hold up the Dutchmen OL so that LBs like SO LB Anthoy Romano can make tackles at the point of attack, which given this Union offense, will be right up the middle. Otherwise, it could be a long day.

2. Krewson 2.021: I think in the past four seasons that I've followed his career, 5YR SR David Krewson's best game was against Union last year. He accounted for 287 total yards, hitting passes for 41 and 52 yards, respectively, and breaking off a run of 10 yards. He was the main reason Hobart had a chance to win that game, and almost did, just coming up a few inches short in OT. This season Union is not as deep or talented at DL/LB as they were last season. The Statesmen coaches should let Krewson leverage his natural abilities and size to run it here and there, hopefully opening up the passing game for a longer strike downfield. While most of Union's defense are newer starters, their secondary is probably the most experienced group. My guess is the Dutchmen will likely put 7-8 defenders "in the box", as they run a modified version of the 3-5-3 stack, basically daring Hobart to beat them with the passing game.

3. Home Sweet Home: A quirky / bad decision by the LL with respect scheduling due to the "COVID year" in 2020 forced Hobart to lose a home game in this series, so the last two games against the Dutchmen have been on the road. Prior to that, the Statesmen had beaten Union five straight at the "Boz". In fact, you'd have to go back to the 2008 season for the last time the Dutchmen have won a game at Hobart. In spite of the Week 5 setback against Ithaca, the Statesmen are still 13-1 at home since the start of the 2019 season. Four of the last five Hobart vs. Union games have been decided by a TD or less, and I expect the same situation in this year's game.

4. Penalties: I hate to beat a "dead horse" but given the rivalry and emotions which run high in this game, keeping composure will be huge. Union has struggled with penalties this year as much, if not more so than Hobart, which is interesting. The Statesmen need to avoid the unnecessary personal fouls and other drive killers which have plagued them all season. You have to expect the referees working this game know both teams tend to be flagged a lot, so whichever can stay the most "buttoned up" will greatly help their cause getting a key LL win Saturday. 

Prediction:

This one is tough. On paper, and based on play to date, Union should be the favorite. That said Hobart is the team with "nothing to lose" while the Dutchmen still have a fighting chance at making the NCAA playoffs, so the pressure is on them.

Union is one of three teams in the running for the LL title and on the Region 2 Pool C "bubble", along with Utica and Morrisville State as Region 2 teams with only one overall loss (Salisbury is also 6-1 overall but a likely lock to win the NJAC's AQ). Union has the lowest SoS of the three (164th SOS), however, so with five conferences and only seven spots on the list, I don't expect to see Union on there this week. 

Either way, I'm sure both teams view this as a "must win" situation. For Hobart it's a double down to salvage a tough 2022 campaign and submarine the Dutchmen's NCAA playoff hopes. The Statesmen have played a much tougher schedule (73rd SOS) than Union, so I think that gives them the experience to overcome adversity and have a chance to knock off the Dutchmen Saturday.

I'll say Hobart prevails by a 27-24 margin, in comeback fashion, kind of like the 2018 game. 

Here's hoping.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Celebrate Bicentennial Birthday with 31-10 Win Over Saints

It wasn't pretty at times, but the Hobart College Statesmen won their 11th-straight game over Liberty League rival, Saint Lawrence by a 31-10 margin today. The Statesmen (4-3, 1-2) got back on the right side of .500 by grinding out 182 rushing yards on a windy day up in Canton, NY.

Both JR RBs Rayshawn Boswell and Tim Denham, Jr. had two rushing TDs apiece. SR QB David Krewson went 14-26 for 147 passing yards. He was sacked only once in the game.

Defensively Hobart held SLU (2-5, 0-3) to only 62 rushing yards. SO LB Anthony Romano led the defense with six tackles and 2 TFL.

On special teams, SO PK Tobias Wefering connected on a 35-yard FG and added 4 PATs. FY PK Vicente Lyon averaged 51 YPP on a windy day up in the North Country.

While the Statesmen were sloppy at times, getting flagged an incredible 8 times for -100 yards, Hobart dominated the clock (38-22 TOP advantage) and the game.

Coming up next is Union (6-1, 3-0), who defeated Rochester, 27-7, earlier today. More on that one early next week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Week 8 - Saint Lawrence Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will need to regroup as they embark on their longest road trip of the 2022 season (about 177 miles) to take on the Saint Lawrence University Saints. The Saints (2-4, 0-2) have also struggled this season, with their only two wins coming against teams from VT. They made things interesting, holding Ithaca (6-0, 3-0) to only nine points in the first half of last weekend's game, before falling, 40-0. SLU has been outscored a combined 84-7 in their two LL games this season. 

Last year, Hobart trailed the Saints, 13-10, with under 3 minutes to go. The Statesmen needed a SR WR Alex LaBella 6-yard TD reception to save the day with 45 seconds remaining. The Statesmen won that game, 17-13, and have won 10 in a row against SLU, dating back to 2010. Hobart is 54-36-2 all time vs. SLU, making this game the 93rd edition of this series.

Scouting the Saints

SLU is either near or at the bottom of most LL offensive categories, including PPG (14.33), YPG (258.3) and TDs scored (10). One bright spot for the Saints has been SR RB Peyton Schmitt. A big, physical runner (6' 220 lbs.), Schmitt leads the Saints with 390 rushing yards to go with 3 TDs.

SO QB Daniel Lawther, who came into the game to replace the Saints injured starter in last season's game against the Statesmen, is back and has passed for 847 yards this season, with four passing TDs, compared to 5 INTs. His favorite target has been SR WR TJ Cornacchia, who leads the Saints with 22 catches for 248 yards and 3 TDs.

Defensively you can tell SLU has struggled given three of their top four tacklers are DBs. The Saints have allowed 25.5 PPG and 354.4 YPG to go with 20 TDs. 

On special teams, FY PK Tyler Fogler handles KOs and FG duties, averaging 55 YPKO and going 3-4 on FG attempts. His only miss was in the 40-49-yard range, otherwise he's been pretty automatic. SR WR Tyler Liddy has been the punter, averaging over 35 YPP, with 7 FCs.

Keys to the Game:

1. Fundamentals - The Hobart offense, which was supposed to be the strength of the team this season, due to injuries and other issues, just hasn't really pulled together a complete game since the Week 4 blowout of Keystone (who finally won their first game in program history last weekend). The Saints allow over 5 yards rushing and nearly 8 yards passing per play on defense. The Statesmen need to button up their OL play (e.g., no more personal foul penalties would be great. Why this still happens with no accountability - from an outside perspective anyway - has been one of the most frustrating things about this program dating back to 2019). To be fair, the RBs need to hit the holes the OL are opening up. Last weekend I saw a lot of plays where the Hobart RBs bounced outside when they should have gone "north". In the passing game, I think the Statesmen need to utilize play action, as the Saints will be preparing for the run. I'd like to see SR QB David Krewson stay in the pocket, look off DBs and let plays develop. Pressure last weekend didn't allow that and rushed several throws. Fortunately, SLU has only four sacks over six games, so Krewson should have time. 

2. Field Position - While the weather this weekend actually looks pretty nice, the wind and real grass of Leckonby Field (one of the very few remaining of its kind) could impact the game like we saw last Saturday. FY PK Vicente Lyon and SO PK Tobias Wefering each had excellent games against RPI, rebounding well from the IC game in Week 5. While I don't think Hobart will need to settle for FGs in this one, punting and field position could very easily play a role in the outcome of this one. 

3. Focus on 1-0: Unfortunately, the Statesmen need to win this game to at least ensure another winning season (Hobart hasn't finished below .500 since 1995). While Rochester (2-4, 1-2) seems improved, wins against them and Buffalo State (0-6, 0-3) seem likely. The difference between 5-5 and 7-3 starts Saturday. 

Prediction:

I think this game will start off lower scoring, but Hobart will take some shots and pull away late. I'll take the Statesmen to win it, 35-17. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Comeback Comes Up Short, Losing16-13 Late to RPI

The Hobart Statesmen ran 18 plays for 11 yards, including -1 passing yards with zero first downs in the first half against the RPI Engineers. However, two SR QB David Krewson passing TDs in the second half lifted a struggling offense to a 13-2 lead with just under 13 minutes left in the game, giving Hobart hope they could leave Troy with a hard fought win. Unfortunately the wind, penalties, bad punts, and play calling gave the game away to an Engineers' comeback, 16-13 (which is the exact score I predicted but just the wrong team won).  

The Statesmen (3-3, 0-2) ran 54 plays for 201 total yards, nearly setting a new program low for total yardage (156 is the "record", I think) in today's game. The conversative play calling at the end really seemed to do them in however, as both sides of the ball just couldn't make a game saving play when it counted. Overall Hobart was 2-13 on third down today, which played a big part in the loss. 

As bad as the first half was, the Statesmen defense held and didn't allow any points. RPI had a 2-0 lead at the half mostly due to JR RB Rayshawn Boswell not looking at the ball when it was snapped and ended up getting batted out of the end zone for a safety. The defense forced two turnovers (1 FR and 1 INT) and SO LB Anthony Romano had a game high 15 tackles. Unfortunately, the defense also let up 13 points on RPI's two final drives.

The win keeps RPI (5-2, 3-0) in the LL and playoff hunt, but the loss is effectively a season ender for Hobart. I suppose there's still an outside chance we can get an ECAC bowl bid with a 7-3 or 6-4 record, but that isn't what we expected for this team in the preseason, especially with what came back from last year's 9-2 team.

Saint Lawrence is currently making things interesting against Ithaca. The Statesmen will travel up to the north country next country to take on the Saints next Saturday in what amounts to a meaningless game, other than extending Hobart's 10-game winning streak over SLU. 

I'll have more on that game around Monday.

Damn these kinds of losses suck. Onto the next.  

Week 7 - RPI Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will come off the bye weekend to go on the first of two Liberty League (LL) road trips. 

Up first are the RPI Engineers. The Engineers (4-2, 2-0) are the defending LL champions, and are still in the hunt for the conference crown, tied for first place with Ithaca (5-0, 2-0). Hobart (3-2, 0-1) was the one regular season loss RPI suffered in 2021, a 10-9 defensive battle in Geneva.

The Statesmen have been a bit of a "torn in the side" of the Engineers of late, having defeated their LL rivals twice in a row and three out of the last four contests. This conference rivalry is a close one, and the recent victories by Hobart have given them a narrow 32-31-1 edge in the all-time series. Based on that, this will be the 65 time the two teams have met, dating back to 1910.

This year the Statesmen will go to the "ECAV" and face the (statistically) best defense in the LL. You can bet the Engineers want to get some payback from last season's loss to Hobart. This game promises to be a hard-hitting, low scoring affair again.

Scouting the Engineers

The similarities between these two teams this season are interesting. 

Offensively, the Statesmen have averaged about a TD more (27.6 PPG to 21.8 PPG) and just about six YPG (325-319.7) more than the Engineers. RPI has been shut out once, in a strange 3-0 loss to Saint John Fisher (2-4. 0-2) and was held without points by Carnegie Mellon (5-0, 3-0) until under two minutes to go in that game.

The last two games the offense has been moving the ball and putting up a lot of points, albeit against inferior teams - a 42-14 blowout over winless Buffalo State (0-5, 0-2) last weekend and a 31-3 win over Rochester (1-4, 0-2) back in Week 5. The Engineers have run the ball a little better than Hobart (176-143.6 YPG) and have basically the exact same yards per rush (4.3-4.4) and rushing TDs (10) stats. The offenses have the exact same number of passing TDs (7), but the Statesmen have a better completion percentage (54.7 to 49.7%), but RPI has attempted 42 more passes so far this season. RPI has called about 70 more running plays also (likely due to having an extra game on Hobart). 

Where RPI seems to have an advantage is on the defensive side of the ball. They had a couple of preseason All-Americans there, and most, if not all the starters are 4th and 5th year players. The Engineers have the best scoring defense (6.2 PPG allowed), total defense (177.2 YPG), rushing defense (54.6 YPG), passing defense (123 YPG), and defensive efficiency (76.3) in the LL. They also lead the league with 12 INTs (basically averaging two per game) with a pick six and nearly 240 INT return yards. They are second in the LL in sacks with 14. Hobart is third with nine sacks.

Keys to the Game:

1. Buckle Down on Burnett: While there is a minor statistical disagreement between RPI and the LL's rushing stats, 5th year SR RB Dylan Burnett is second in the league with 108-111 YPG rushing. He's tied for third place with six rushing TDs and is a key component to the Engineers offense. Given RPI's lack of experience (and success) at QB, Hobart should stack the box and do their best to contain Burnett putting the onus of the offense on whichever first year starter gets the call Saturday. Neither QB that the Engineers have started have great stats, and both have struggled with turnovers. If the Statesmen can keep Burnett in check, they'll have a great chance in this game. Still, the secondary has to be ready. Although RPI doesn't have a lot of receiving threats (top SR WR Peter Lombardi was injured in the WPI game and has yet to return), they have four WRs/slot backs who have made catches of 40 yards, or better.

2. The Trenches: The matchup to watch in this game will be between the Hobart OL vs. the RPI DL. The Statesmen can ill-afford any bad snaps or missed blocking assignments as the Engineers defense will look to collapse the pocket and force SR QB David Krewson into bad situations. The trio pictured above (5th year SR DL Josh Cohen, SO DL Nate Picard and 5th year SR DL Amaechi Konkwo) have combined for 11.5 TFL and six sacks. This RPI secondary and LB corps (the latter has two of the top tacklers - SR LB Connor Noyes and 5th year SR LB Joe Deptula - in the LL) has averaged 2 INTs a game and Hobart must avoid turning the ball over as often as they did against Ithaca. Running the ball will be difficult against such a strong front, but I feel like the Statesmen need to stick to their strengths and keep it on the ground for a decent part of this game. While the weather dictated it last season, Hobart had 56 rushes for 222 yards, and I would think a similar "ground and pound" approach can work again this year.

3. Special Teams: I have a feeling given the defensive strength of both teams; scoring will be at a premium in this game, just like it was last year. SO PK Tobias Wefering and RPI's FY PK Aleksandar Maric have struggled some (each have a 50% FG kicking percentage) but will likely have at least a handful of FG tries in this game. How they fare will definitely have a big impact on the outcome. Field position via kickoffs and punts will be important also, so hopefully Hobart will bounce back after some struggles in Week 5.

Prediction:

The odd thing about this matchup is that with the common opponent of SJF (who Hobart blanked, 17-0 in Week 3 who then blanked RPI, 3-0, in Week 4), you'd initially think Hobart would win this one going away. It would be great if that's the case, but I'm not so sure it will be Saturday. 

I'll be curious to hear what HC Kevin DeWall '00 has to say about RPI in this week's podcast with Ted, so I plan to tune in Thursday for that. I'm pretty sure this game will be discussed on Frank and my In the D3FB Huddle twitter / Facebook live show on Friday at 9 AM ET also.

That said I think it'll be a lot closer game, and the Statesmen will need to play mistake free football to come out of Troy with a win. I still like Hobart in this one given the QB situation at RPI, but not by much.

I'll take the Statesmen in a nail-baiter, 16-13.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

'22 Midseason Review

The Hobart College Statesmen go into the bye this weekend after a somewhat disappointing (3-2, 0-1) start to the 2022 season. The Statesmen have had some good and bad moments so far this season and the goal of this post will be look back on them and see what, if anything, we've learned about the team this far and what we can expect in the final 5 weeks.

While a chance to share a piece of the Liberty League title isn't completely off the table, the overall depth and strength of #12 Ithaca (4-0, 1-0) makes me think the LL will be just a single bid NCAA playoff conference. In my opinion, Hobart's best-case scenario is finishing 8-2, 5-1 and getting another ECAC Bowl game bid against a team from the PAC, just like last year.

That said the rest of October will determine if that's the case and the Statesmen have a challenging schedule after this weekend with back-to-back road trips to RPI (3-2, 1-0) and Saint Lawrence (2-2. 0-0). The Statesmen close out the month at home in a big game against Union (4-1, 1-0).

The Good

The Hobart defense - This young and inexperienced unit has been the star of the season so far. A group of young and dynamic LBs have held the Statesmen's opposition to under 14 PPG. Keep in mind that the Statesmen D only allowed one offensive TD in the first 4 weeks of the season and realistically, only allowed three offensive TDs against the Bombers.

Linebacker U - SO LBs Peterson Monexant and Anthony Romano have been fantastic and lead the team with 36 (great number) total tackles a piece to go with 11 TFL, 4 sacks and 1 INT, combined. FY LB Mike McGhee is the leading candidate for the team's ROTY award winner based on his fantastic play. He has 25 total tackles, 3 TFL and 1 sack so far this season. 

Next Man Up - Several Statesmen players have made bigger contributions this season given injuries to starting players. I've noted guys like SO RB Andres Duran (2 rush TDs), SR LB Drew Walsh (3 tkl, 1 TFL vs. IC), SO WR Rane Daramola (leads team with 198 receiving yards and 2 TDs) and FY OL Ashton Mejias (now starting at LG) have stepped up and really made a difference this season.

Needs Work

The Hobart Offense - The supposed strength of the team with 9 starters returning has struggled with turnovers (3 INT, 2 fumbles returned for TDs), suspensions (2), injuries (several) and penalties so far this season. The absence of a healthy JR RB Rayshawn Boswell is a big reason for the team's offensive woes, but to be fair, this unit has scored almost 28 PPG and gained 325 YPG which is very respectable. That said the offense needs to figure out ways to extend drives, having gone 27-59 (45.76%) on third down so far this season.

The Kicking Game - With a FY and SO handling the kicking duties, you'd expect some growing pains. The Statesmen have gone 4-8 on FGs and in the IC game, Hobart averaged under 24 YPP, which was a big reason for at least one of the Bombers TD drives, given the short field.

"The Hobart Way" - The fact two important players got suspended in Week 2, all the penalties (36 for -304, over 60 YPG) and mental mistakes seen in the 2 losses this season and that alums/former players reported the team did not seem upset at all after the Ithaca game makes me think this group needs an attitude adjustment during the bye week. I know the coaches are likely all over this, but the players need to take accountability of it for themselves and drive what the "Hobart Way" really is supposed to stand for from the inside out. I have faith they can turn it around, but after these past five weeks it's clear that this team could and should be more buttoned up and focused, even with a larger number of younger and inexperienced players on the field. 

Up Next

Early next week I'll have a preview of the Week 7 matchup vs. RPI. I have to imagine the Engineers are looking at this game as a chance to get back at Hobart for being the one regular season loss on their record in 2021. The goal next week is to go 1-0 and will be for the following 5 weeks. It's not impossible, but I do think Hobart will be an underdog in at least one or more of the final 5 games. 

While there has been a couple of disappointments, there's still a lot of Hobart Football to look forward to this season. Enjoy the bye weekend. We'll get back on track next week.

Thanks as always for reading (less than 2K views away from 350K!) and go 'Bart!

Bombers Blow Up Hobart's Homecoming, 31-7

It was no good, just the bad and ugly Saturday at Boswell Field as the #13 Ithaca College Bombers dominated Hobart at Homecoming and Family Weekend, 31-7.

Ithaca (4-0, 1-0) turned two Statesmen turnovers into 14 points in the second quarter and never looked back. Hobart (3-2, 0-1) hurt themselves with a bad snap that turned into a scoop and score, among other gaffes. The Bombers outgained the Statesmen 329-210 total yards.

Bombers SR QB A.J. Wingfield had a modest 10-16, 143 yards passing day and scored on a one-yard TD run in the second half. Wingfield got picked off on a long pass play that turned into the tip drill by 5th year SR DB Jay McCoy. Unfortunately, neither Hobart QB was really effective in the game either, and JR RB Tim Denham, Jr. saved the Statesmen from being shutout with a late rushing score. He had a game high 54 rush yards. JR RB Rayshawn Boswell led all receivers with 73 yards on six catches. SO LB Peterson Monexant led all tacklers with 11, 2 TFL and a sack. 

Hobart is on a bye next weekend and will have back-to-back road trips to RPI and Saint Lawrence in Weeks 7 and 8. With no game to cover, I'll plan to do a recap of the first half of the season. This was a deflating loss, but the season is far from over. There's a lot more football to go.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!