2023 Season Retrospective

The 127th season of Hobart College Football has come and gone. No surprise here, but the coaching staff is already on the road and aggressively recruiting the next class of Statesmen. In some ways the 2023 season played out as expected - Hobart was picked to finish third in the Liberty League and that's exactly what they did. While many Statesmen fans and families hoped for something bigger and better, an 8-3 season is a very good one. The ECAC Bowl game result was disappointing, but at least Hobart qualified and was able to host one last game for the senior class.

The past fall had a lot of memorable moments and I'll chronicle a few below.

Looking Back

Hobart opened the season with three consecutive wins by an impressive 101-29 margin. The Ithaca game saw the Statesmen have a chance to knock off the Bombers, but a couple of mistakes led to 10 Ithaca points that ended up being the difference. 

Hobart would go on to win five of its next six games, giving themselves a strong resume which the ECAC rewarded with hosting the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl. We know the rest. For their efforts, the Statesmen would earn 14 spots on the All-Conference team.

Starting with the offense, JR QB Johnny Columbi had a good first year as the starter. He finished the season going 136-246 passing for 1,737 yards with 11 passing TDs compared to nine INTs. He added 75 rushes for 351 yards and 4 TDs on the ground, good for third best on the team. Once the stat sheets are refreshed in the off-season, it should show that Columbi had the 13th most passing yards and completion percentage (55.7%) in a season for a Statesmen QB. 

SR RBs Tim Denham, Jr and Rayshawn Boswell closed out their impressive careers with 516 and 643 rushing yards this season, scoring six and 12 rushing TDs, respectively. Boswell added 296 receiving yards and Denham, Jr. had 72 to go with one receiving TD. 

For their careers, Boswell appeared in 42 games, gaining 2,320 rushing and 925 receiving yards. He scored 37 rushing and four receiving TDs. He is the all-time leader in KOR yards and scores with 1,339 return yards and three TDs. 

Denham, Jr. appeared in 40 games, gaining 2,692 yards and scoring 40 rushing TDs. He added 50 receptions for 320 yards and four TDs. He also gained 613 return yards and scored two TDs. 

You can do the math, but that's over 8,200 yards of total offense and 90 TDs between these two amazing student athletes. 

JR WR Rane Daramola would once again lead the Hobart receiving corps this season, with 405 receiving yards and four TDs. I think it's safe to say the biggest play of the season was probably his TD catch, just before halftime in Week 10, against RPI. SO WR Ahmad Crowell developed into a strong receiver this season, catching 19 passes for 319 yards and three TDs. 

The defense was led once again by JR LB Anthony Romano with 80 tackles, seven TFL (tied with two other Statesmen defenders for best on the team), three sacks and one INT. SR DE Connor Gunn led the team with five sacks, seven TFL and eight QBHs. In the secondary, SR DB Joe McCoy led the team with three INTs. SO OLB Mike McGhee led the team with four FRs, scoring two TDs on the season.

On special teams, JR PK Tobias Wefering had a fantastic year, averaging nearly 41 yards per punt, 58.4 yards per KO and making 11-14 FG attempts with a long of 42 yards. He was perfect in every game this season on PATs except for Keystone, when he went 4-6, for an outstanding 39-41 run. 

Looking Ahead

The Statesmen are at a bit of an inflection point, now a full five seasons into the DeWall era. In many cases, the results have been very good with an overall 38-15 mark. The saying "your record is what you are" does have some merit here, as the Statesmen have basically averaged a 7.5-3 record over this time period. That's a lot of wins, but no conference titles and NCAA playoff appearances to go with two consecutive bowl losses have been a bit of a disappointment. 

There have been some big wins, however, namely the 2019 New York State and 2021 ECAC Bowl victories over Cortland and Westminster, respectively. The Statesmen have gone unbeaten against LL foes Saint Lawrence, Rochester, Buffalo State and have a winning mark (3-2) over RPI during that same time period. The Statesmen are also 16-4 in out-of-conference games and have only lost two OOC games since 2019. 

Unfortunately, Hobart has struggled to be a good road team, going 14-12 away from the "Boz" and is 0-5 vs. Ithaca and 2-3 vs. Union (both wins against the Dutchmen were in Geneva, DeWall and Hobart is 0-3 in Schenectady). 

The positives in 2024 will be both of those troublesome teams will have to come back to Geneva. Hobart should also benefit from a strong rising senior and junior class. Still, there is work to be done and I hope HWS will try and lend a stronger hand also. 

The COVID year was really tough for DeWall and the Statesmen. Their best senior class since the 2014 season (coming off the 9-2 NYS Bowl win and 2019 season) was mostly lost and the college forced the team to say goodbye to a couple of key coaches (who were also excellent recruiters). HWS tried but wasn't in the same position as some of their other competitors to take advantage of the extra year of NCAA eligibility like Ithaca, RPI and Union were able to leverage. There was and has been a noticeable roster disparity between Hobart and these other teams, but that should move back to normal with 2024 being the final year of extra eligibility. 

I would argue that the Statesmen need to have more full-time staff to help Coach DeWall continue to grow and build the program in the ever increasingly competitive and difficult market that is private, D3 college athletics. I saw the disparity in coaching resources the Statesmen have compared to other top D3 programs firsthand when I travelled to Berry College (GA) earlier this season to see the Vikings host Trinity University (TX). Given the football team accounts for nearly 12.5% of the male student population (based on 22 data I could find) at HWS, I really think the administration needs to step in an assist more than they may have already, but this is just my opinion. There very well could be things already underway that I am not aware of as I have very limited contact with the college anymore given my home base. 

The best way we as alums, fans and families can help is obviously through continued financial support via the SAA and other fund-raising initiatives. In the meantime, we can look forward to the 2024 schedule release and the next incoming class of Statesmen recruits. 

I appreciate everyone following the blog this season. Hard to believe it's been 14-15 seasons, almost 900 posts and 415K+ views.

Until next time, wishing you all a very happy and healthy holiday season. Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Turnovers Sink Statesmen for Second Consecutive ECAC Bowl Loss

The Hobart College Statesmen committed three turnovers in a surprising 10-6 loss to Utica in the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl yesterday in Geneva. It was Hobart's first home defeat to a team not named Ithaca in over five seasons and second ECAC bowl loss in two years. 

You can read the HWSAthletics.com recap here. 

The Statesmen (8-3, 4-2) got away from their strengths, which has been establishing and stopping the run. A relatively modest Utica (9-2, 4-2) rushing attack coming into this game managed to outgain Hobart by a 183-101-yard margin. The Statesmen attempted more passes (27) than rushing attempts (25) and threw two interceptions. 

The first half saw Hobart take 17 plays and nearly eight minutes to get to the Pioneers six-yard line. The Statesmen had to settle for a short JR PK Tobias Wefering FG and took an early 3-0 lead. Utica would follow suit, driving 14 plays in almost seven minutes to counter with their own FG to tie it, 3-3.

Hobart would fumble and throw an INT on their next two possessions, but a bad Pioneers punt would give the Statesmen a 6-3 halftime lead as a short field with 95 seconds was enough time to get Wefering's second FG, a 40-yarder, of the day.

The second half saw more of the same as both teams struggled to move the ball and punted twice in the third quarter. Utica ultimately won the field position battle however and forced a Hobart drive to stall at the Statesmen 15-yard line. While Wefering got off a nice 47-yard punt, the Pioneers would drive 62 yards for the go-ahead score, capping a 7-play drive with a one-yard SR QB/FB Sam Florio TD rush. 

Although Hobart would try to come back, the Statesmen threw a second INT on the ensuing drive. While the defense bent, they stuffed Utica at the Statesmen one-yard line. The offense had another chance, albeit pinned inside the shadow of their own goal line. 

Hobart could only manage to get to the 11 when they were forced to punt and Utica was able to hold on to the ball and burn out the clock, winning the game and the celebrating on the Statesmen's home field. Pioneer GR LB Anthony Fasano was named the bowl game's Most Outstanding Player, tallying seven tackles, 2 TFL and 1 FF. 

Utica QB Brett Fuller went 17-24 for 135 yards in an efficient game. Hobart only sacked him once. In his final game as a Statesmen, SR RB Rayshawn Boswell passed for 65 yards, rushed for 31 and caught seven passes for 74 yards. 

While I wasn't able to watch the game in its entirety, I have to say I'm a little surprised Boswell attempted four passes (one which was intercepted) in the game. Needless to say, this one will sting over the off-season and doesn't help Hobart on the recruiting front to lose in this fashion as a home favorite. Three other LL teams got wins on Saturday and two advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs.

I'll have a season recap after the Thanksgiving holiday. Wishing the best to all of you and your families this holiday week.

ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl / Utica Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will host their first ECAC Bowl game at the "Boz" in 20 years, with a big Liberty League vs. Empire 8 matchup against the Utica University Pioneers. The "Moose will be loose" in Geneva for the first time in a decade, as the last time Hobart played Utica was back in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Hobart won both games, 45-26 at Utica and 34-21 at home. 

Both teams enter the contest with identical 8-2, 4-2 marks and neither has a loss to an OOC opponent. I predicted this matchup last week and felt it made sense as both teams finished in third place in their respective conferences. 

This season the common opponents between the two squads were Rochester, Alfred and Morrisville. Utica played Rochester in Week 1 and came away with a hard-fought, 20-17 victory. Hobart's game against the Yellow Jackets was just last weekend, a 27-23 nailbiter, so it shows these teams are pretty close in some respects. The Statesmen beat Alfred 31-9 in Week 1 while the Pioneers shut them out 28-0 in Week 8. Hobart defeated Morrisville in Week 2, 27-10, while Utica defeated the Mustangs, 24-6, in Week 7.

Another ironic similarity is both teams are much better at home than on the road. This season Hobart went 6-0 in Geneva and Utica was 5-0 on their home field. The Statesmen went 2-2 on the road and the Pioneers were 3-2. In both cases, their most difficult conference games were on the road, so that factored into those records in a big way. 

Although Utica finished the season with a barely better SOS, I am guessing Hobart got selected to host given how much more competitive the Statesmen were in their LL conference losses (10-and-17-points) compared to the Pioneers E8 conference losses (53-and-35-points). The Statesmen are 2-1 all-time in ECAC Bowl games while Utica is 1-3. Their lone win was a thrilling 44-42 pick six, walk off against Ithaca back in the 2018 Scotty Whitelaw Bowl. 

Scouting the Pioneers

This season the Utica offense has averaged 24.4 PPG and defensively has allowed an average of 18.6 PPG.  Leading the Pioneers offense is SO QB Brett Fuller. He's gone 169-259 (65.25%) for 1,642 yards with 10 passing TDs compared to eight INTs. More of a pocket passer, Fuller only runs if he absolutely has to escape the pass rush. He has one rushing TD and only averages about four rushes a game. 

The run game is led by a trio of backs. SR SB Matt Brantley leads the team with 551 rushing yards and has scored two TDs. JR RB James Salles is a smaller, shifty guy who's added 315 yards and two scores. SR QB Sam Florio has only attempted three passes this season but leads the team with eight rushing TDs. This basically points to him being a goal-line specialist, which makes sense given his size (6'1" 230 lbs.), he's more of a FB than QB. 

Utica is a very opportunistic team in the passing game, as 10 different receivers have caught at least one TD pass. Seven of them have over 100 receiving yards this season. Leading the team is SR WR Peyton Ausfeld with 40 catches for 405 yards and two TDs. SO WR Antonio Cianfarani and GR WR Travis Decker (a big target at 6' 3" and 190 lbs.) are tied for the team lead with three TD receptions each. 

Leading the Utica defense is the outstanding GR LB Anthony Fasano. He is having a career best year with 74 total tackles, including 16.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks and two FF/FRs. The Hobart OL will need to account for the whereabouts of SR LB Doug Simmons who leads the Pioneers with eight sacks to go with 43 tackles, 12 TFL and an INT. GR DL John Straughn has added 56 tackles to go with 14 TFL and seven sacks. 

The Pioneers have two specialists, big JR PK Freddie Callo who's averaged over 38 yards as a punter. GR PK Cory Lichtman handles FGs and KOs. He has gone 9-17 on FGs with a long of 42 yards and averaged almost 60 YPKO. GR WR Joey Nare has averaged just over 8 yards on PRs while a number of Utica players have moonlighted on the KOR team. Ausfeld has returned eight KOs for an average of 26 yards and a season long return of 49. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Start Hot but Stay Cool - The Statesmen were a bit sluggish, whether due to injuries or something else, last weekend at Rochester. While they were the beneficiary of some great plays and lucky breaks, to have a 14-13 lead at the half, only 68-yards of offense was a red flag. Given the proximity of the two schools and lots of overlap between the player's hometowns, etc. this will have a feel of a rivalry game, especially with a trophy on the line for the postgame. I won't be surprised if it's chippy early on with a lot of trash talking. The Statesmen will need to keep their composure and just do what's gotten them to this point on the season. Let their play do the talking. 

2. Home Sweet Home - Under HC Kevin DeWall '00 Hobart has been a decent road team, winning 14 of 26 games, a lot of which were in pretty hostile territories, including Cortland for the 2019 NY State Bowl and the Bushnell Bowl at Westminster in 2021. What's really impressive however is the Statesmen's 24-2 home record over that same time period. I know out in Minnesota SJU calls it "Johnnie Magic" for their home field advantage. Hobart should lean into their "Statesmen Success" or whatever better nickname you can come up with for this Saturday's game. 

3. Execute and Win - I expect a strong running attack with a few JR QB Johnny Columbi scrambles to keep the defense honest. The Pioneers give up almost 170 YPG passing and have allowed at least one pass TD a game this season. I would love to see a few deep shots to JR WR Rane Daramola to test the back half of the Utica secondary, but know our bread and butter is winning the LOS and running the football. You can expect some man-to-man and 1:1 matchups between the Hobart WRs and Utica DBs as the Pioneers will stack the box with guys like Fasano and others looking to bottle up the run and force Hobart into third and longs. 

Prediction:

This one should be a close game, but a winnable one for Hobart. We beat Rochester by 4, they won by 3. They beat Alfred by 28, we won by 22. We beat Morrisville by 17, they won by 18. Logan Hansen's "ratings" site has the Statesmen as 77% favorites to win this bowl game by a 26-14 margin. 

I think this game could be closer, especially given how Hobart looked last weekend. I'll still take the home team to finish the season 7-0 on the Boz and win the Clayton Chapman Bowl trophy, by a 27-21 margin. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Selected to Host ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl Against Utica

The Hobart College Statesmen were selected to host the Clayton Chapman Bowl against nearby Utica University. Each team finished 8-2 overall and 4-2 for in third place in their respective conferences. 

This will be the first time Hobart hosts an ECAC Bowl game since the 2003 season, which was a 34-18 win over Norwich University. 

I'll have more on this matchup later in the week. You can check out our In the D3FB Huddle page for the live selection show replay.

Statesmen Overcome Sluggish Start to Sting Rochester, 27-23

The Hobart College Statesmen wrapped up their 2023 regular season with a dramatic, comeback 27-23 win at Rochester this Saturday afternoon. The win all but ensures Hobart will be selected to another ECAC Bowl bid. I'll announce that with Frank Rossi on Monday's "In the D3FB Huddle" show at 12 pm ET. 

The Statesmen (8-2, 4-2) took advantage of a couple of Yellow Jacket (5-5, 2-4) first half miscues - a fumble that was scooped up by SO LB Mike McGhee for a TD and a second fumble by the Rochester punter that gave Hobart a 1st and goal from the Yellow Jackets five-yard line. SR RB Rayshawn Boswell would run it in for his only score of the game. These mistakes were the main reason the Statesmen had a 14-13 halftime lead. 

The Statesmen offense couldn't get much going in the first half, being held to only 68 total yards on 22 plays. They'd have to overcome the disqualification (for the second half) of JR OLB and Co-Captain Jamien Bliss for targeting, a very ill-advised play on his part also. 

The second half saw Hobart use a rare and successful on-side kick that resulted in a FG, but Rochester would fight back, eventually taking a 20-17 lead halfway thru the third quarter. The Statesmen would trail from that point on.

The game was very much in doubt until JR QB Johnny Columbi connected with JR WR Rane Daramola for a 75-yard TD with 2:20 remaining. 

A fourth down stop and running out the clock would give Hobart the 27-23 win. Hobart was outgained 323 to 258 yards on the day, but a big reason for that was Rochester had 28 more offensive plays.

End of the day, the Statesmen got the win and will await word on who they will play next Saturday. More on that game soon.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 11 - Rochester and Centennial Cup Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen look to end their 2023 regular season on a three-game win streak and all but ensure themselves of another postseason bowl bid. Standing in their way is Hobart's oldest rival, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets. The "Jackets", coached by Hobart alumni Chad Martinovich '94, are a resurgent program, enjoying their best season (5-4, 2-3) since 2015.

The Statesmen (7-2, 3-2) have won 11 in a row against the UofR, dating back to 2011. Hobart leads the all-time series by a 59-48-2 record, so this will be the 110th edition of this match up. The Statesmen won last season's game (I remember it well, because I was there), 27-7. Both Tim Denham, Jr. and Rayshawn Boswell had two TDs each - two rushing scores for Boswell, a rushing and receiving TD for Denham, Jr. 

Scouting the Yellow Jackets

Rochester is the fifth ranked Liberty League scoring offense (23.9 PPG) and defense (23 PPG allowed). They are also the fifth ranked total offense (348.1 YPG) and sixth ranked total defense (362.4 YPG allowed). They are the fifth ranked rushing offense (143.6 YPG) and sixth ranked rushing defense (178.8 YPG allowed). 

It looks like the Yellow Jackets strength this season has been in the passing game. They are ranked third in the LL averaging 204.6 YPG passing, notching 14 receiving TDs which is second best in the league. While they are ranked sixth in passing defense, their stats are actually pretty good, allowing 183.7 YPG and only 11 passing TDs over nine games. 

Rochester is led on offense by JR QB Ryan Rose. The GA native has gone 175-291, for 1,834 yards and 14 TDs. Rose is the top-rated passer (as far as YPG goes) in the LL, but he has been turnover prone, throwing 11 INTs. 

Leading the Yellow Jackets rushing attack is SR RB Daniel Papantonis, but he appears to have been sidelined with a season-ending injury after the Ithaca game. Classmate SR RB Will Varney has had to pick up the slack, and he's had a good season to date with 424 rushing yards and 3 TDs.

The receiving corps are led by SR WR Trey Johnson (67 catches for 670 yards and 4 TDs) and SO WR Aidan Papantonis (Dan's little brother who's caught 55 passes for 619 yards and 5 TDs). A potential matchup to keep an eye on is SO TE Jackson Kane against the Hobart LBs, especially near the goal line. He's hauled in 16 catches for 183 yards and 3 TDs. 

Defensively, Rochester is led by JR LB Happy Chane who has 76 total tackles, which is good for third best in the LL. SO DB Judah Thomas leads the LL with six INTs. SR LB Joe DeBonis leads the defense with six TFL, 2.5 sacks and 6 QB hits, so the Statesmen OL will need to account for him on Saturday. 

Rochester's return game isn't much to write home about, they rank sixth in both KOR and PRs, averaging only 18.8 and 5.9 YPR in each category. The Yellow Jackers are last with 36.1 YPKO (net) but have been perfect on PATs (25-25) and 8-12 on FGs this season. 

Handling punting duties is JR PK Alex Wing and JR PK Jordan Laudani is the Jackets KO and FGs/PAT specialist. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Stick to the Script: Last weekend's RPI game was the Hobart we've been hoping to see all season - a ferocious defense with a pounding rushing attack that leverages JR QB Johnny Columbi's athleticism. We saw moments of it in the Ithaca and Union games, but the Statesmen weren't able to pull it together for a full four quarters. They did that in Week 10 and should feel very confident if they play like they did last weekend in Rochester, the Statesmen will finish 8-2 overall.  

2. Force / Limit Turnovers: As stated above, Rose is a strong QB, but he has been and can be picked off pretty regularly this season. The Statesmen need to take advantage of this stat while also being very careful not to turnover the ball on offense. 

3. Finish Strong (for the Seniors): I mentioned it in the last preview, but Hobart has 17 SRs who are playing in their final regular season game. There was a nice article in the Finger Lakes Times about the win against RPI where HC Kevin DeWall '00 mentioned how much he "loves our seniors" and how he is "really proud of the fact that these guys, when they came in day one, they’ve been great men of character on and off the field, great students, obviously great players that are talented and they’re all uniquely different. That’s the toughest part, I’m going to be upset in a good way where you don’t want to say goodbye to these guys but we’re going to just try and keep these guys for as long as possible with keeping this season going. When the time is right afterwards, we’re going to look them in the eye and thank them for all they’ve done on and off the field as student athletes, as citizens on this campus and just represented the football family in a great way.”

These guys are:

#1 Rayshawn Boswell

#1 Abdoulaye Diallo

# 2 Tim Denham, Jr.

#5 Peyton Cayea

#7 Chris Bartosic 

#7 Joe McCoy

#16 Jordon Walker

#27 James Mahoney

#36 Drew Walsh

#39 Matt Brown

#52 Ruben Navarro

#62 Matt Siegel

#72 Patrick Healy

#79 Seamus Dean

#90 Joel Kraft

#93 Caleb Pulver

#94 Connor Gunn

Prediction: I have a feeling that this year's game against the Yellow Jackets will be somewhat similar to last season's. I like Hobart to pound the ball and create issues for the Rochester offense, coming away with a turnover or two. I'll take the Statesmen to close out the 2023 regular season with a 38-10 win.

Thanks as always for reading, congratulations to all the SR Statesmen student athletes and their families and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Sack RPI on Senior Day, 31-21

Home sweet home.

The Hobart College Football team won a big game over Liberty League rivals, RPI this Saturday at the Boz. The Statesmen (7-2, 3-2) defense racked up 7.5 TFL, six sacks, an INT and FR, holding RPI (7-2, 3-2) to only 230 total yards and 18 rushing yards.

The Statesmen offense would mount a comeback from down 14-0 in the second quarter and 21-10 early in the third, to win the game, 31-21. JR QB Johnny Columbi had a career game, rushing for two TDs and passing for 162 yards, connecting with nine different receivers. Columbi had a critical passing TD to JR WR Rane Daramola as time ran out in the first half - a gutsy call by HC Kevin DeWall '00. 

The defense was led by JR OLB and Co-Captain Jamien Bliss with seven tackles. SO DB Alex Smith notched his first career INT. Although RPI was without their starting QB, the Engineers had some success early on in the first half with a two-QB system, which finished the day 16-20 for 212 yards and two pass TDs.

The win improves Hobart's home record under Coach DeWall to 24-2 and puts the Statesmen in great position to earn an 8-2 regular season mark and earn a bid for a postseason bowl game. 

Hobart will close out the regular season at Rochester. I'll have more on the Senior Class and a Preview of the Centennial Cup game early next week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 10 - RPI Game Preview

The Hobart College Football team has a huge game this weekend on Senior Day at the "Boz." According to the roster, there are 18 Statesmen who will suit up for their final home regular season game. A win Saturday would go a long way in helping Hobart have a shot to host an ECAC Bowl game on November 18th, but we'll have to wait and see on that.

The RPI Engineers are looking to keep their NCAA at-large playoff berth hopes alive and get their first win in Geneva since 2015. Hobart (6-2, 2-2) has won three in a row vs. RPI (7-1, 3-1) at home, including 2021's memorable 10-9 game. The Engineers used a couple of turnovers, forcing Hobart to punt into the wind in the 4th quarter, to rally and beat the Statesmen last year, 16-13. 

Needless to say, the margin between victory and defeat is always very close when these two teams meet. Even the all-time series is dead even - 32-32-1 - so this 66th meeting will give one team a razor thin edge, once again. 

Scouting the Engineers

It's hard to argue that in spite of the administrative nightmare RPI had to endure with former President Jackson during COVID, there are few teams in the Northeast / Region 1 & 2 that have taken better advantage of the NCAA extra year of eligibility than RPI. They once again have a large roster (about 120 players) that is deep and very experienced. Interestingly enough, there are a fair number of SO and JR starters on this squad.

The Engineers have outscored their opponents by an average of 39.75-13.25 PPG this season. Based on the LL stat sheet, RPI has the number one scoring offense, fourth ranked scoring defense (Hobart is third allowing 13 PPG), second ranked total offense (426 YPG), third ranked total defense (281.5 YPG, just behind Hobart's 277.8 YPG allowed), fourth ranked rushing offense (189.8, once again just behind the Statesmen, but with three more TDs scored), and second ranked rushing defense (96.9 YPG and only three rush TDs allowed all season).

The biggest gap between the two squads is in the passing game. RPI is top rated LL passing offense, averaging 236.3 YPG passing with 15 pass TDs. Hobart is dead last at 163.3 YPG and 9 scores. Conversely, the Statesmen pass defense is ranked third with 159.3 YPG and only 5 pass TDs allowed. RPI is ranked sixth, allowing 184.6 YPG and 10 pass TDs. 

The Engineers are led on offense by JR QB Jake Kazanowsky. He's gone 131-197 for 1,757 passing yards with 15 TDs compared to 6 INTs. RPI features a dual back rushing attack, much like Hobart. FY RB Kayden White leads the team with 463 rush yards to go with 5 TDs. JR RB Christian Buckley leads RPI with 8 rushing scores and is second on the team with 416 rush yards. Kazanowski's top target is SO WR Hayden Faraday (ranked 2nd in the LL in YPG receiving) who has 42 catches for 555 yards and 5 receiving TDs.

Defensively the Engineers are led by JR LB Anthony D'Agostino with 60 total tackles (sixth most in the LL). He's added 6 TFL, 2 INT and 1 FR. JR DL Nate Sicard anchors the DL with 31 tackles to go with a team high 2 sacks and 12 QB hits. He's tied with D'Agostino with 6 TFL. 

I will note that RPI runs a 4-3. Just going to leave it at that.

The Engineers specialists are SO PK Anderson Burke and GR PK Jared Elstein. Burke handles punting duties while Elstein does KOs and FGs, going 6-9 with a long of 39 yards. RPI is also the top ranked KOR and PR team in the LL, averaging 26.9 and 15.6 YPG, respectively.

Keys to the Game:

1. Play to Your Strengths, Mitigate the Weaknesses: If you look at the Ithaca game BX, you can see that the Bombers leaned on their running game (45 carries for 219 yards) and defense (2 INTs, 1 blocked FG) to beat the Engineers. Hobart needs to follow the same script. If the Statesmen can gain 4-5 YPR and just be efficient enough with a limited number of passes they'll have a chance. Ithaca only had 120 passing yards, but completed 15-21 (71.4%) with 2 passing TDs and only one INT. I'm not sure that JR QB Jimmy Columbi can be that efficient given his recent struggles, but he can absolutely stretch the field with his legs if given strong blocking. The RPI DL is relentless but the Statesmen OL has only allowed 7 sacks all season. On the flip side, Hobart's defense will need to pressure Kazanowsky (Ithaca sacked him four times) and force him into mistakes. The Statesmen pass defense is a strength, but Hobart's DL (which will once again have a significant size disadvantage) will need to play better than they did at Union. 

2. Win on Third Down: RPI leads the LL in 3rd down conversions with an impressive 52.5%-win rate (52-99), which ranks them 10th in the nation. Hobart has allowed 38.3% of third down conversions, ranking them fourth in the LL. The Statesmen will need to find ways to force the high-powered Engineers offense into three and outs and set up the Hobart offense with decent field position. 

3. Home Sweet Home: The Statesmen are undefeated (5-0) this season and are 23-2 under HC Kevin DeWall '00 at home (both losses were to Ithaca, in 2018 and 2022). RPI will no doubt go into this matchup as a clear favorite, but Hobart's home field advantage (and 92%-win rate) is a real thing. 

Prediction:

Back in 2021 RPI came into this game undefeated and ranked in the Top 25. The stakes are similar in this game and so I'm hoping the result is also. The Statesmen don't get to play the role of "spoiler" often, but they have the opportunity to do so Saturday. Like Union, the Engineers are the better team "on paper", but the X factors of Senior Day and Boswell Field even the odds in my opinion. 

The weather looks clear so RPI will be able to test the Statesmen passing defense. Hobart will need to play aggressively on defense, run it 40+ times and hang onto the ball on offense. I'll take the Statesmen to narrowly edge RPI, probably on a FG, by a 17-14 final.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Shut Out Saints, 35-0

The Hobart College Statesmen football team sent the Homecoming crowd home happy with a dominant, 35-0 win over visiting Saint Lawrence today at the "Boz". The Saints (2-5, 0-4) have lost 12 straight and 30 of the last 31 games to the Statesmen (6-2, 2-2). 

It what could have been a classic trap game, Hobart SR RB Tim Denham, Jr. had a big return to action scoring three rushing TDs. He and FY RB E.J. Taylor had 73 rushing yards each as the Statesmen outgained the Saints 421-148 total yards.

FY DL DonJuan McGee scored his first collegiate TD on a 24-yard pick six, tip drill play. He added three tackles, 1 TFL and a sack on the day. SR RB Rayshawn Boswell added the fifth and final TD of the game. SO DB Mekhi Rodgers got his second INT of the season, the third of his Hobart career, as well.

It was a very dominant win for Hobart who will face long-time league rival, RPI (7-1, 3-1) next Saturday in Geneva. The Statesmen and Engineers are dead even in the series, 32-32-1. The 66th installment won't be for the LL Championship, given Ithaca's (7-1, 5-0) lopsided 62-0 win today, but will definitely impact postseason bids and/or seeding, bragging rights aside. With only four at-large NCAA bids available, in theory RPI is playing to stay on that "bubble," so it would be sweet for the Statesmen to burst it.

More on that one early this next week. In the meantime, it feels good to get another win. On to the next one. 

Go 'Bart!

Week 9 - Saint Lawrence Game Preview

After a tough Week 8, the Hobart College Statesmen return home for the next two weeks looking to finish the season a perfect 6-0 on the "Boz" for the 2023 season. While the goal of a NCAA playoff bid will have to wait until next year, another strong finish, besting last season's 7-4 mark, an ECAC Bowl bid and win still remain achievable goals.

The Statesmen (5-2, 1-2) will welcome long-time conference foe, the Saint Lawrence University Saints to Geneva Saturday for a 1 PM kickoff. While SLU has surpassed HWS in many other respects (e.g., USNWR report rankings, fundraising, endowment growth, etc.) over the past three decades, the Statesmen have completely dominated their series over the Saints unlike any other in the Liberty League. Hobart is going for their 12th consecutive win and their 30th win in 31 games against SLU. The last time the Saints managed to beat Hobart was back in the troubled 2010 season, 24-21.

The Statesmen are 55-36-2 all-time vs. SLU, dating back to the 1901 season, making this the 94th time Hobart and the Saints have played one another.

This season, SLU (2-5, 0-3) is on a three-game losing streak and coming off a 37-7 loss to RPI (6-1, 2-1), who Hobart will face in Week 10. It appears as though, either via injury or otherwise, the Saints have made (or had to make) a change at the QB position and is generally struggling to put up points this season.

Scouting the Saints

SLU is ranked at or near the bottom of most LL statistical categories including scoring offense (13.9 PPG), scoring defense (26.9 PPG), total offense (272.9 YPG), rushing offense (94.7 YPG), and rushing defense (183.4 YPG).

They have fared well in the passing game, however, averaging 178.1 YPG (which is better than Hobart's 162.1 YPG). The Saints' passing defense is rated second best in the LL, allowing only 146 YPG, but they've have allowed a league worst 12 passing TDs over 7 games. 

SLU is currently led on offense by JR QB Will Lederman (pictured above). After only attempting six passes in the first three weeks of the season, he has thrown for 614 yards and 5 TDs while adding 235 yards and 4 TDs on the ground. While he led the Saints in offense for the RPI game, he was pulled in the fourth quarter for FY QB Mark Rodeo. With the game out of reach at 37-7 this was probably more of a coaching decision to give Rodeo some reps vs. an admonishment of Lederman, in my opinion.

The Saints main two receivers seem to be JR WR Cole Salyards (29 catches for 414 yards and 4 TDs) and SO WR Shea Goodwin (29 catches for 321 yards and 1 TD). SLU runs their offense out of the shotgun and likes to spread the field, but the OL has allowed 15 sacks (basically two per game) which hasn't helped.

Defensively, SLU is led by JR S Jordan O'Neil with 42 total tackles. JR DL Thomas Our appears to be their best man up front, with 29 tackles and a team high 3.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks. JR CB Nicholas Giardina leads the Saints with 3 INTs.

Special teams wise, the Saints aren't very special. While they are tied for the lead in LL with a perfect 13-13 mark on PATs, they are 0-1 on FGs and last in punting average with a 24.8-yard net. Their KO average of 36.3 yards is next to last in the LL also.

Keys to the Game:

1. Back to the Basics: Hobart can lean on the run game against a Saints defense allows almost 200 YPG while working on getting JR QB Johnny Columbi back on the plus side of a 50% completion percentage. There were a few moments in the Union game where he found receivers like SO TE Lukas Rudy and JR TE Kevin Christ for nice gains in the open field. SO WR Ahmad Crowell continues to be a solid deep threat, but I'd like to see more targets to JR WR Rane Daramola who has only two catches over the past two weeks. He played a big role last season but is also likely drawing the opposition's best coverage player (and/or getting double teamed on most pass plays) this year.

2. Turnovers / Field Position: The Saints are -4 in TOM this season. While Lederman wasn't picked off in the RPI game, he has thrown 3 INTs in three prior games. SLU has also given up the ball five times on the ground over seven games. The Hobart defense can score and/or set up the offense with great field position by aggressively going after the ball. Forcing the Saints to three and outs will help also. SLU's punt unit isn't very strong, and the Statesmen should look to exploit that weakness. 

3. Don't Look Behind or Ahead: The Statesmen need to put last weekend in the proverbial rear-view mirror. It was a disappointing loss, but the Saints are marching in, and Hobart has a conference winning and home field winning streak to protect. While RPI looms large in Week 10, the Statesmen need to take care of business this Saturday before turning their focus on the Engineers. 

Prediction:

I like Hobart to bounce back with a 35-14 win on Saturday.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Union Holds Serve, Winning 4th Straight Against Hobart at Home, 27-10

The Hobart College Statesmen dropped to 5-2, 1-2 on the season after a disappointing, 24-10 loss on the road vs. LL rival, Union College. The loss means the Statesmen are effectively eliminated from the NCAA playoffs for the sixth season in a row but are still alive for an ECAC postseason bowl berth. 

Having watched the entire game, all I can say is the Dutchmen / Garnet Chargers (7-1, 3-1) were simply the better team. The Statesmen offense just couldn't put together anything in the second half and the defense got worn down by the big DGC OL that controlled the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game.

There were some good moments, such as JR PK Tobias Wefering's career best 42-yard FG (and several booming punts), SO WR Ahmad Crowell had 4 catches for 92 yards (plus picked up two Hobart 1st downs on clear DPI calls) and a few good defensive plays, but that was about it. New Union HC Jon Poppe used a high tempo, no huddle offense to mitigate the Hobart defensive substitutions. 

In the end Union outgained the Statesmen 480-263 total yards. Based on an unbiased observation; the DGC just had more talent on both sides of the ball. They were the older, deeper and more experienced team and it showed. Hobart had its moments but was too inconsistent to really compete today. 

JR QB Johnny Columbi had a rough day, going 11-28 passing (39.3%) for 162 yards and an INT. He added 33 rushing yards, second only to SR RB Rayshawn Boswell who averaged only 2.4 YPR off of 17 carries for only 41 yards and 1 TD. That TD tied Mark Logan '99 for sixth all time (34) as he continues to move up the record book. JR LB Vincent Giordano led the defense with eight solo and 10 total tackles.

The Statesmen will return to the "Boz" for the next two weeks against Saint Lawrence and RPI who played today with RPI leading 30-7 near the end of the third quarter at the time of this posting. 

That's it from today. Will have a preview of the SLU game early next week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart. 

Week 8 - Union Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will travel down I-90 to take on the newly minted Union College "Garnet Chargers" (still think of them as the Dutchmen, but I digress) this Saturday at noon (or 1 PM, both sites have different kickoff times at the moment). This will be the 106th meeting between these two rivals, and it's been a pretty competitive one of late, as five of the last six games have been decided by a TD or less.

The Dutchmen / GCs lead the all-time series by a narrow 50-53-2 margin. The series dates back to 1896, and while not as old as the DGC's rivalry with RPI, the Hobart-Union one is right up there in long-time D3FB rivalries. The main reason the Statesmen trail in the series was a rough 16 game losing streak between the 1982-1997 season (the last one I was at and remember being really disappointed in that loss after Hobart led at the half).

Last season Hobart (5-1, 1-1) got a hard fought 23-21 win after a 58-yard (then SO WR) Rane Daramola TD gave the Statesmen the lead with 2:10 left in the game. The defense would hold, and Hobart would average a hard 27-20 loss in OT to Union from 2021 (another game I was at in person).

Union (6-1, 2-1) comes into this contest with a close (17-9) loss to Ithaca, just like Hobart. Statistically both teams are very similar as you will see below. All rankings are based on the LL stat sheet:

• UC is second in scoring, averaging 38.4 PPG; HOB is third with 34.8 PPG
• UC is first in PPG allowed with 6.9; HOB is second with 12.8 PPG 
• UC is ranked first in total O & D with 465.9 YPG gained and 166.4 YPG allowed; HOB is third with 366.8 YPG gained and 266.5 YPG allowed (on a tougher schedule I would add)
• UC has the #1 rushing O with 26 TDs and averaging 267.6 YPG on the ground; HOB is the second ranked rushing O with 16 TDs and averaging 204.7 YPG
• UC has the #1 rushing D allowing only 1 TD and 51.6 YPG on the ground; HOB is ranked third, allowing 5 TD and 110.6 YPG on the ground
• UC has the third best passing O & best passing D; averaging 198.3 YPG with 8 TDs and allowing only 114.9 YPG passing and 4 scores; HOB is ranked sixth in passing O & third in passing D, gaining 162.2 YPG and scoring 5 TDs while allowing 156 YPG but only 3 passing TDs
• HOB has the edge in total INTs and sacks, but UC has allowed one less sack than HOB
• On special teams, HOB has a slight edge in KOs, punting, PATs and FGs over UC
• Yardage differential on KO and PRs is fairly similar, and basically negligible  

Scouting the Garnet Chargers (f/k/a Dutchmen):

Defensive front 7 are very good and have been playing excellent all year. SR LB Cole DaSilva is an excellent downhill player and leads Union in tackles (34, with 5 TFL). SR LB Spencer Goldstein is also very good backer and very athletic for his size. He has 23 tackles on the season and leads the team in INTs with 3. SR LB Tom Cavallo is a strong leader and has also played well even without all the tackling stats Silva and Goldstein have. 

The DGC have three DL who have been wreaking havoc all year with SR DL Jimaar Edwards being the best of that unit. He blows up lots of plays and will likely draw double-teams from the Hobart OL. The other two, SR DL Ethan Vanderbrink and DL Jack Flanagan, are experienced and skilled. The group overall has amassed 12.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks so far this season. Union does a good job "running to the ball", so the overall tackles for the team have been spread out across the defense pretty evenly. One potential weak spot is that deep coverage has been a bit of an issue the last two games but overall has been pretty good all year. SR DB Nathan Sullivan, younger brother of former Hobart FS, Cal Sullivan '22, has had a great year. He's notched 22 tackles, 2.5 TFL and 2 INTs on the season. 

Offensively, the Union OL has been great even though they’ve had some injuries and needed to plug some backups in. The backs have been impressive all year (until the Ithaca game). SR RB Michael Fiore is a finesse guy with great vision and JR RB Anderson is a downhill, tough runner. Fiore and Anderson are currently ranked fourth and fifth in the conference, averaging 90.9 and 85.1 YPG, respectively. Fiore leads the LL with 12 rushing TDs, while Anderson has five. 

The receiving corps is very deep and capable (although they did struggle in the bad weather at Ithaca). SO WR Landers Green is a good vertical threat (16.9 YPC average), and JR WR Robbie Tolbert is a solid possession guy. JR QB Donovan Pacatte has a ton of arm talent, his size (6' 4" and 225 lbs.) and arm strength put him in the upper echelon of D3 QBs. Hobart may want to hope for rain this weekend (the forecast says there's an 80% chance so bring your orange and purple ponchos), as Pacatte did struggle against Rochester (5-2, 2-1) when he was under pressure, and had difficulty in the rain against Ithaca.

Union's ST unit has been good overall. JR PK Max Gluck has had a good season to date, and twice has been the LL's STPOTW. Gluck has gone 6-10 on FGs with a long of 40 yards. SR PK Andrew Lau handles the punting duties, averaging 37.8 YPP. SO PK Ryan Mulderig handles KOs and has averaged 53.4 YPKO. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Turnovers and conversions: With wet and rainy conditions, ball control will be at a premium. Two turnovers in the Ithaca game cost Union (same deal for the Statesmen when they played the Bombers). Whichever team wins the turnover battle in this one should have a significant upper hand. As good as the Hobart defense has been creating turnovers, the Statesmen lost the TO battle against Ithaca also and that was the difference in the game. 

Union leads the LL with 26+ first downs per game and has the best 3rd down conversion defense in the league, only allowing 18.4% of opponent third down conversions, compared to Hobart's 40.2% rate. The Statesmen defense will need to force the DGC to more three and outs to have a better chance at winning this game. On the flip side, the Hobart offense will need to look for ways to move the chains and keep Pacatte, Fiore and the rest of the Union offense on the sideline. Last weekend Union was held to under 300 yards of offense for the first time this season. The Statesmen will need to try and recreate that same result (with some help from the rain) Saturday.

2. Pressure Pacatte: In spite of his size, Pacatte is like every QB in that he struggles under pressure. Hobart's DL and LB corps will need to be creative in how they attack Union's strong OL to rattle the JR QB. Ithaca rushed him into an INT last weekend, and I'm hoping the Statesmen can follow that same game plan. 

3. Maximize the Little, Minimize the Big Plays: Emotions run high in these high-profile LL rivalry games. Ithaca actually had a TD called back due to taunting and Hobart will likely be provoked by their opponents from time to time. The "crowd on the hill" back in 2021 heckled me (and I was wearing a Tampa Bucs jacket) relentlessly, along with the entire Statesmen sideline. Hobart just needs to focus on the fundamentals and not get too high or low with what happens over the course of the game. Usually in these types of games, the cooler heads prevail. 

Prediction:

These games are always the toughest for me to predict. The past six games are even at 3-3 for each squad, so your guess is as good as mine. I think either team can win Saturday, it'll just come down to which one executes the best.

Union has an edge in experience and at the OL/DL and skill positions, but with Hobart coming off what's effectively a bit of a bye week; the Statesmen should be more rested and less banged up than the Dutchmen/GCs. 

Union has won the last three in a row (due to a COVID/LL scheduling glitch) at home vs. Hobart. The Statesmen need this win to keep their NCAA postseason hopes alive, and whichever team wins this game will bolster their Pool C (and ECAC Bowl bid and hosting) chances. 

I get the sense this will be a run-heavy, field position battle. JR PK Tobias Wefering will have a big impact based on his punting and FG kicking skills. It wouldn't surprise me if this one comes down to who has the ball in the final minutes. 

On paper Union should be the favorite, but I have a feeling they will be a bit "hungover" from the Ithaca game. Hobart should win if they play mistake free football, by a close 13-10 margin.

Hope I'm right. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Ground Hawks, 49-3

The Hobart College Statesmen improved to 5-1 overall with a lopsided, 49-3, win over visiting Hilbert College (0-6) yesterday at the "Boz". A lot of Hobart players got to make contributions in the win, starting off with FY LB David Charles II recovering a fumble in the end zone off a blocked Hawks punt.

SR RB Rayshawn Boswell would score on back-to-back rushing TDs in the first quarter and the Statesmen never looked back. JR QB Johnny Columbi would connect on 3 passing TDs and finish the game with 137 passing yards. 

FY RB E.J. Taylor would score via the run and the pass, catching an 8-yd Columbi throw in the second quarter. FY WR Luke Stephens scored his first career TD and SO WR Ahmad Crowell collected his third TD of the season in Saturday's game.

Although the defense didn't pitch a shutout, Hobart held the Hawks to 178 total yards, 3-16 on third and 0-2 on fourth downs on the day.

You can read more about it from the official HWSAthletics.com recap here. 

Up next is the biggest game of the season, as the Statesmen take on Union (6-1. 2-1) in a key LL matchup with postseason implications. The Dutchmen / Garnet Chargers came up short, 17-9, yesterday against Ithaca. The Bombers (5-1, 3-0) lost their starting GR QB A.J. Wingfield for the season due to a broken leg, but they only need to beat Buff State (1-5, 0-3) and Saint Lawrence (2-4, 0-2) to clinch the LL title and Pool A NCAA bid.

The winner of the Hobart-Union game will have an outside shot at one of the four available at-large NCAA bids, assuming the winner of this game finishes 9-1. 

More on that soon. 

Finally, a very special thanks to Ted Baker for taking the time to meet with the McGlynn '00 kids (pictured above). They've been watching and listening to him call Hobart Football games their entire lives and were thrilled to have the moment captured above last Saturday during their visit from Atlanta. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 7 - Hilbert Game Preview

It's Hilbert vs. Hobart week, which just by the sound, has an interesting / funny ring to it.

Realistically, this game is a glorified scrimmage to help the Statesmen (4-1, 1-1) tune up for a huge Week 8 showdown on the road vs. Union (6-0, 2-0). 

The Hilbert Hawks are an independent / provisional D3FB program that's just getting started, and not surprisingly, are experiencing the usual growing pains that come along with it. Speaking of the Dutchmen/Chargers, Union is at Ithaca (4-1, 2-0) this weekend, so I am sure there will be some scoreboard watching going on during the game Saturday. 

Hilbert is 0-12 so far in their short history (0-5 this season) and are losing games by an average of 45.5 points. I don't expect the Hawks to provide Hobart much of a challenge, so I won't be doing a full preview this week. Hopefully this game will give a lot of the younger Statesmen on the roster some valuable playing time.

Given results to team's I believe are in Hobart's same "area code", I like the Statesmen to win comfortably, 63-0. The fact both Union and Endicott shutout this team, albeit earlier in the season, should be the measuring stick here, in my opinion.

Hoping we get to see some new faces on the "Boz" Saturday such as FY QB Tru Styles, among others. Wishing the team, a good and safe week of practice. 

Week 8 looms ahead.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Statesmen Use 2nd Quarter Surge to Beat Bengals, 45-21

The Hobart College Statesmen (4-1, 1-1) continued their winning ways at Boswell Field, defeating the Buffalo State Bengals, 45-21, yesterday in Geneva. The Statesmen scored 38 unanswered points after the Bengals (1-4, 0-2) tied up the game, 7-7, quieting the home crowd with a 15-play, 77-yard drive that featured no passing plays and took up over 9 minutes. 

After that, it was all Hobart. 

JR QB Johnny Columbi scored on a rushing TD to open the game and passed for two more TDs - a 51-yarder to SO WR Ahmad Crowell and a 43-yarder to JR WR Rane Daramola. 

SO OLB Mike McGhee joined in on the fun, scooping up a BSC fumble and taking it to the house for a 31-yard TD. 

SR RB Rayshawn Boswell and FY RB E.J. Taylor each added a rushing TD and JR PK Tobias Wefering notched a 26-yard FG in the game. He went 5-5 on PATs also. 

You can read the HWSAthletics.com recap of the game here. 

Unfortunately, the Ithaca Bombers (4-1, 2-0) knocked off RPI (4-1, 0-1) in OT, making a chance for a three-way tie for the LL championship less likely. Add in the fact Union (6-0, 2-0) needed to hang on against a resurgent but still rebuilding Rochester (4-2, 1-1), and it looks like the Bombers will repeat at LL champs. 

In that case, Hobart can still hope for a potential ECAC bowl bid (as a host, especially if they can finish the season at 9-1). Unfortunately with only 4 Pool C (at-large) NCAA playoff bids this year, and a not so strong SOS, the chances for Hobart being picked for the NCAAs are almost impossible at this point, but you never know. 

There's still a lot that could happen between now and the end of Week 11, so we will have to wait and see what transpires. At the end of the day, all that matters is Hilbert is up next. The Statesmen just have to keep on winning. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 6 - Buffalo State Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will return home to host their first of four LL games in the next five weeks at the "Boz". Up next are the Buffalo State Bengals (1-3, 0-1) who are a team that is continuing their rebuild effort with a new HC (Lazarus Morgan, Utica '08) and making strides. Buff State broke a 26-game losing streak back in Week 3 with a 41-7 win over Dean.

Last weekend the Bengals nearly upset the Rochester Yellow Jackets (4-1, 1-0), 29-22, and should be a tougher challenge for Hobart (3-1, 0-1) this season. Last year the Statesmen had little trouble with the Bengals, winning 63-7. It was the third straight win for Statesmen since Buff State joined the LL as an affiliate member back in 2019. Hobart is 6-3 all time vs. the Bengals, dating back to the 1984 season.

Scouting the Bengals:

Buffalo State may have a losing record, but they have been more competitive this season. They are averaging 23 PPG on offense and allowing 28.75 PPG on defense. While the latter ranks last in the LL, the Bengals only average about 6 PPG less than Hobart offensively. 

Buffalo State has also seen a few of their players get both national and conference recognition for their individual efforts over the past couple of weeks. SR RB Ale Wilson was named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week for his 22 rush, 199 yards and 3 TDs performance against Dean in Week 3. In Week 5, FY DB Basiaka Butcher earned LL ROTW honors for seven tackles and a pick-six (his second of the season) in the Bengals' Homecoming game against the University of Rochester on last Saturday. Butcher is tied for second in the LL with 2 INTs.

SO QB Noah Kimble leads the Bengals offense and has passed for 521 yards and 3 TDs this season. He has a trio of targets - each has over double digit catches for 100+ receiving yards - in SR WR Tariq Nelson, SR WR Nicholas Bruce and JR WR Darion Jones.

Defensively, Buff State is led by JR LB Kenneth Mosley with 38 total tackles, which ranks him third overall in the LL and second as far as his tackles per game average (9.5) goes. Right behind him is Hobart JR LB Anthony Romano (37 total, 9.3 TPG) which deserves a quick side bar:

[As I previously stated, I was not able to follow the Ithaca game from last weekend, so my account was based purely on the box score. I was not aware Romano, our best defensive, if not overall, player had either volunteered to fill in at LS or was asked to do so by the coaches. I commend the former, but either way I would strongly question risking him playing on ST and am surprised the Statesmen don't have a backup OL or other player that could fill this role because Romano is far too valuable in my opinion to be LS. That said my comments were not a personal attack. The fact they were perceived as such was disappointing, but I stand by the statement that mistake was a costly one. Those happen in games sometimes, and I expect the players understand that and will work with the coaches to fix them in the future. Not one single player or coach was responsible for the loss at Ithaca. It's a collective effort and at this level, I would hope people would interpret and understand this type of commentary in kind. My intention was not to offend, but to be honest. When you factor in how few HS players can and do play at this level, I consider all of these Statesmen to be elite athletes and hold them to a high standard, just like the coaches do. Everyone knows you have to play error free football to beat a Top 25 ranked team, especially on the road. If you have any other comments or would like to discuss in more detail, please let me know and I'd be happy to have a conversation with you about it. I'm easy to reach. Ok, now back to the preview].

JR PK Nick Sciandra handles all the kicking duties for Bengals. He averages 56.66 YPKO, 33.59 YPP and has gone 4-6 on FGs with a long of 40 yards. His two misses were actually blocks, which I don't blame Sciandra for - he has to rely on the LS, holder and blockers to give him time to make the kicks. 

Jones (see above) handles the majority of the KO duties, averaging 20 YPKOR. Both Jones and SR DB Ethan Biscaro have handled punt returns. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Back to Basics: As I said in the Ithaca write up, the next two weeks are a great opportunity for Hobart to improve and fine tune themselves for the big matchups they have in Weeks 8 and 10. Obviously, they can't overlook Buff State, but the Statesmen simply have more talent than the Bengals. This is a great opportunity to continue working towards a balanced offensive attack and D/ST fundamentals.

2. Turnovers: The Statesmen could use more work in this department. While they are +3 in TOM after four games, Hobart can afford to be crisper in their execution. The Bengals are -4 in TOM, and this is an aspect of the game the Statesmen can take advantage of Saturday. I honestly think a defensive TD is a good possibility this weekend. 

3. Go 1-0: Hobart fans should be rooting for RPI this weekend as that's the first step in getting the LL championship back into its annual free for all status. The Statesmen still control their destiny, even more so with a RPI win. While I don't view Buff State as a serious threat, Hobart needs to take this game seriously and execute as we know they can to put this one away early. Winning week in and out for the rest of the season is the key to getting to the postseason. Every week from here on out is a single NCAA elimination game for the Statesmen. 

Prediction:

I like Hobart to improve to 3-0 at home this season via a 42-14 win.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Turnovers, Run Defense Leads to Hobart's Latest Loss at Ithaca, 24-14

The Hobart College Statesmen dropped their first game of the season, 24-14, in the Liberty League opener at #16 Ithaca. The Bombers used Hobart's (3-1, 0-1) mistakes to their advantage, along with a powerful running attack to wear the Statesmen down. You can read the official HWSAthletics.com recap here. 

Hobart had its chances, and even looked good early as SR RB Tim Denham, Jr. scored his first to two TDs and the Statesmen enjoyed an early 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The Statesmen defense did what I hoped (see the prior Week 5 preview) and kept Bombers SR QB A.J. Wingfield in relative check. While Wingfield did tie the game, 7-7, with an 8-yard TD pass, he had a relatively quiet day overall, going 13-21 for 137 yards. Hobart picked him off once, namely SO DB Mekhi Rodgers who had his first of the season, it was Wingfield's first INT of the season also. 

Unfortunately, the Statesmen gave up 7 more points in the final 90 seconds of the first half, a bad punt snap that was covered up for a Bombers TD. I understand Hobart has a new LS this season, but not sure how you overshoot a 6' 6" kicker. There's no excuse for mistakes like that on the road in a big game.

The second half continued the defensive struggle and Ithaca had to settle for a FG late in the third to make it 17-7. Hobart would respond and make things interesting, after JR QB Johnny Columbi connected with Denham, Jr. for a 4-yard TD pass with 9:31 remaining in the game. This capped a 12-play, 85-yard drive that took nearly six minutes to complete.

Unfortunately, the ensuing drive the Bombers SR RB Jalen Leonard-Osborne broke a 79-yard run for TD to make it 24-14. Neither team could find the end zone after that, and Ithaca improved to 18-0 all-time against Hobart at Butterfield Stadium.

As most people know, I was covering another game on Saturday, so I was not able to follow this game as closely as usual. If you look at the box score the stat that stands out to me is this:

39 rushes for 218 yds (5.6 YPR average) for Ithaca

If you take out the 79-yarder, that's 38 rushes for 139 yards (3.65 YPR average). The latter is more acceptable, but still shows the Bombers had faith in their OL to control the LOS and take advantage of Hobart's smaller DL. 

The Statesmen played a relatively clean game otherwise, only being flagged three times for -20 yards, which is one of the best performances in that category for a long, long time. Unfortunately you can't spot a nationally ranked and conference foe "free" points like that. Without that error it's 7-7 at the half and there's more pressure on the Bombers coming out for the second half.

Regardless of this game, I believe Ithaca will lose this Saturday on the road to RPI (4-0, 0-0). That will keep the Statesmen's LL title hopes alive. More good news is with two games against teams with a combined 1-7 mark, Hobart has time to improve and tune up before having to face Union (5-0, 1-0) in Week 8. 

I'll have more on the upcoming game this weekend in another day or so.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Week 5 - Ithaca (Conference Opener) Game Preview

Now the season really starts. 

Although Hobart has accumulated a solid 3-0 record over the past four weeks, the Statesmen and the (now #17 ranked) Ithaca College Bombers (2-1) go into this anticipated Liberty League conference opener an equal 0-0. 

The Bombers once again get the week off to rest up and be extra prepared for this matchup, but so it goes with the conference schedule. Last season Hobart saw two turnovers get quickly cashed in for TDs and they never had a chance to get into the game, falling behind 28-0, then losing 31-7.

The Bombers have owned this series 5-30 overall, dating back to 1961 (a one-off game) and 1972 (when Hobart and Ithaca started playing each other on a regular basis for a couple of decades). The Statesmen didn't win a game against Ithaca until the 2000 season, then matched the Bombers with a 4-4 record between then and 2017.

Since that 2017 season Ithaca is on a five-game winning streak against Hobart, including a 17-0 mark at home against their FLX neighbors from the north. While these historical statistics do stir up some consternation, the good news is there have been two teams so far this year that have developed and delivered sound game plans to deal with these Bombers.

Hobart and Ithaca's only like opponent is Alfred (2-2), who the Bombers defeated 22-0 in Week 3 and Hobart dispatched, 31-9, in Week 1. If you do the math, it's ironic that the margin of victory is exactly the same (22 points). 

Scouting the Bombers

Looking at the stats, this year's version of the Bombers isn't as explosive (pun intended) offensively as in prior years. They are very balanced, however, gaining 30 first downs via the run and 26 via the pass (and only 6 via penalty, so their three opponents so far have been much more disciplined than Hobart in that area). Their YPG in each category is nearly identical also - 156 YPG rushing with 4 TDs and 170 YPG passing with 4 TDs. Ithaca is averaging 19.67 PPG compared to 14.67 PPG on defense, which is kind of surprising also.

The Bombers are a very experienced squad, and assuming nothing changes from the Week 3 game notes, 10 of their 11 starters are seniors on offense, 9 on defense. The other 3 starters are JRs and the upperclassman depth on each side of the ball is impressive. What's ironic about this however is that Hobart's younger and smaller roster has achieved better total offense and defensive rankings (albeit against a much easier schedule) in the LL standings prior to league play. The only place Ithaca has an edge was in passing offense and defense, but by a narrow average yardage margin.

SR QB A.J. Wingfield was named a preseason All-American by D3Football.com but has struggled by his standards, going 48-85 (56.47%) for 510 yards passing. A dual threat QB, Wingfield has added 89 rushing yards and two scores also. His top target has been SR WR Sam Kline who he's connected with for 16 receptions for 244 yards and 2 TDs. 

Ithaca runs a two back offense similar to Hobart's, with SR RB Jake Williams leading the team with 29 carries for 163 yards and 1 TD. Not far behind him is classmate SR RB Jalen Leonard-Osbourne with 27 carries for 106 yards and 1 TD. "JLO", as I'll call him, is also a receiving threat. He has caught 11 passes out of the backfield for 129 yards, the second best on the team. 

The Bombers D has allowed 2 rushing and 4 passing TDs so far over three games and has collected 2 INTs, both belonging to GR LB Ben Stola who also leads the team with 26 total tackles. Ithaca has only 3 sacks on the season, basically one per game. 

On special teams, JR PK Derek Balden has gone 2-2 on FG attempts with a long of 25. He also handles KOs, averaging 61.2 YPKO with four touchbacks. JR LB Darren Bruner handles the punting duties, averaging 39.58 YPP. Wingfield has one punt (a likely "quick kick," on 4th down) to his name for 31 yards.

Oddly enough Ithaca has -11 yards on four punt returns this season but has seen GR WR Anthony D'Addetta and JR WR Tyrell Penalba average about 20 yards on KO returns.

 Keys to the Game:

1. Tales from the Tape: So far this season, both Johns Hopkins and Endicott have provided very good game tape on what works against these Bombers. In the Week 1 game against Hopkins, Ithaca only completed 11-30 passes, went 4-14 on 3rd down and 0-4 on fourth down. The lesson here is you need to pressure Wingfield into difficult down to go situations, not let his receivers get comfortable and force them to lean on the run game. Hopkins stretched the field on offense, averaging over 9 yards per pass and mixed in the run to the tune of 39 carries which not surprisingly gave them about a 34-26 TOP advantage. While I am not confident JR QB Johnny Columbi is ready to go "full vertical" in this game, his WRs showed promise (after they had a few drops in the 1st quarter vs. Keystone) they can win a 1:1 matchup and get open downfield. Ithaca's SR FS is 6' 3", but the rest of the secondary are 6' or shorter. The Statesmen have a clear height advantage here with SR WR Peyton Cayea (6' 5") and SO WR Ahmad Crowell (6' 4"). The OL and the running game can help with the clock (and keeping Wingfield on the sideline), as Ithaca did allow over 4 per rush against both JHU and Endicott. Play action to set up shorter and mid-range gains should work also against the aggressive front seven of Ithaca. 

2. Keep it Clean: The Bombers beat Hobart in 2021 in large part to a targeting penalty that ejected SR OLB and All-American Emmett Forde. The Statesmen have struggled with penalties for the past two seasons, and I can guarantee at home the Bombers fans will be heckling the Hobart players on the sidelines (the stands are really too close to the opposing team's bench in my opinion) and the Ithaca players will do what they can to intimidate and rattle the guys on the field. The Statesmen MUST keep their composure and not fall into this trap. 

3. Tis the Season: So far this year we've seen three national losing streaks end and there have been major upsets in the Top 25 for at least the last two weeks. Ithaca will certainly be a strong favorite based on their recent and historical track record vs. Hobart, but if other teams can do it, why not the Statesmen?

Prediction:

This is the tough part. While I have faith in Columbi, while he did it and then some against Keystone, I am not sure if he can pull off a Bay Harvey 19-28, 257 yards and 3 TD type of performance like the one that beat Ithaca in Week 1. That would be asking a LOT from a guy in only his fourth career start. I think a balanced attack where Hobart controls the ball, and the clock, is their best shot at beating the Bombers for the first time at Butterfield. I'm just not convinced this is the year. 

The "Hansen's Rating's" model on Twitter/X has this game as a 25-16 win for the Bombers, with a 70.6% confidence rating. Ithaca hasn't scored more that 22 points so far this season, but with the extra week, the likely mistakes by a younger, less experienced Hobart squad and just the general "Butterfield Curse", I think Ithaca will likely be able to hang on to win a close game, 24-21. 

I am hedging here because I haven't correctly picked a Hobart win since 2016 in this series. It's been close though with three of those games being 7-, 7- and 3-point differentials. Hopefully this time will be the charm. 

Enjoy the game Saturday and go 'Bart!

Sluggish Start Turns Super Under the Saturday Night Lights for Statesmen, 43-10

The Hobart College Statesmen looked a little sluggish coming off their Week 3 bye, allowing an opening 12 play, 78-yard TD drive to the visiting Keystone College Giants in last night's game at Boswell Field. It was the first time this season Hobart had trailed in a game and the home crowd remained uneasy, after the Statesmen's response was only a 41-yard JR PK Tobias Wefering FG.

The Giants would extend their lead to 10-3 early in the second quarter, but after that it was all Hobart. The Statesmen ran off 40 unanswered points; scoring 6 TDs before the start of the 4th quarter. 

JR QB Johnny Columbi notched his first, second and third passing TDs of the season - finding SR WR Peyton Cayea, SO WR Ahmad Crowell and JR WR Rane Daramola for 21-, 12- and 19-yard scores. Columbi punctuated the game win with a 48-yard rushing TD to boot. Give that QB a game ball for that excellent effort. 

Wefering's 41-yarder was a career best and maybe like getting a hole in one in golf, his excitement got the better of him for a bit, as he missed a couple of PATs right after, but ultimately finished the night going 4-6 to tally 7 points.

Getting in on the fun was FY RB E.J. Taylor who helped Hobart (3-0) tie the game in the second quarter thanks to his first collegiate rushing TD and SR RB Rayshawn Boswell scored his 30th rushing TD, the 34th of his great Statesmen career, in the third. 

JR OLB and Co-Captain Jamien Bliss led the Statesmen defense with 12 total tackles, including half a sack and 1.5 TFL. Overall, the Hobart defense held the Giants (2-2) to 266 total yards (78 of those coming on the first drive). You can read more about the game in the HWSAthletics.com official recap here.

We all know what's coming up next, the Liberty League conference opener against the #21 Ithaca Bombers (2-1). There have already been three major losing streaks snapped this season, along with several high-profile upsets in Week 3 and this past weekend. Hobart will hope they can be the fourth and latest upset special, as they are 0-17 all-time down at Butterfield Stadium. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Before I go, I'd like to send a special "Happy Anniversary" to my good friend and "In the D3FB Huddle" co-host, Frank Rossi, on today being our show's 15th anniversary. More on this game and the 87 others from this weekend coming up on our next episode.

Week 4 - Keystone (Saturday Night Lights) Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen come off the bye week to one last out of conference test before the Liberty League opener in Week 5.

This weekend has the added bonus of being a rare regular season night game at the "Boz" against the Keystone College Giants, who moved conferences - from the ECFC to the Landmark - over the off-season. 

Keystone (1-2) has played Hobart (2-0) the past couple of seasons now. The Statesmen have had little difficulty with the Giants, winning by an average 61-10 margin. That said, Keystone is steadily improving. While they have lost two in a row (a 31-21 loss to Hartwick in Week 2 and a 35-20 loss to Saint John Fisher last weekend), they have dropped their defensive PPG allowed from 41 to 24 from 2022 to 2023. 

Scouting the Giants

Last weekend FY QB Demiko Suggs actually had a statistically great game, going 15-21 for 192 yards and 1 TD. He was only sacked once by the SJF defense. So far, he's completed 61.9% of his passes (26-42) for 341 passing yards with 3 TDs and an INT on the season.

JR RB Mujaheed Muhammad is off to a good start as well, rushing for 241 yards on 55 carries. He's scored 3 rushing TDs, but interestingly has not caught a single pass out of the backfield so far this season. 

Suggs has spread the ball around to 10 different receivers. His favorite targets seem to be SR WR Jorden Cook (5 receptions for 99 yards and 1 TD) and SR WR Michael Bond (7 receptions for 94 yards and 2 TDs). Cook did not play against SJF, so he may be injured and/or out for the season. In Cook's absence, JR WR Jayson Nami led the Giants with 4 catches for 58 yards but was only one of the 8 receivers who caught at least one pass last weekend. 

That said Keystone is a run first offense, having attempted nearly twice as many rushes (115) as passes (63). Scoring wise, however, the Giants offense has scored the same number of passing and rushing TDs (5 each). They are +3 in turnover margin (TOM), so they are pretty good at protecting the ball. They don't struggle with penalties as badly as Hobart, averaging -61.67 YPG in penalties.

Defensively Keystone is led by SR SS CJ Riccobono with 21 tackles. SR DL Elijah Washington has good size (290 lbs.) and leads the team with 2 TFL and 1 FF/FR. 

The special team's unit is led by SO PK Jeremiah Ortiz and SR LB/P Zac Cost. Ortiz has averaged 41.4 YPKO and Cost has netted about 39 YPP. In the return game, previously mentioned Bond and Nami have handled punt and KO returns, respectively. Bond has averaged just under 7 yards on PRs and Nami averages an impressive 19.5 YPKOR.

Keys to the Game:

1. Stick with What Works: Keystone is giving up 238 YPG rushing and has allowed 7 of their 11 TDs on defense to the running game. Hobart should stick to its strength, which has been averaging 261.5 YPG rushing. 

2. Test the Waters: JR QB Johnny Columbi needs to start connecting with his receiving corps more, especially a week before the big Ithaca game. The Giants only have two sacks on the season, and so the OL shouldn't have much difficulty with this pass rush. I think it's important for Hobart to use this game as an opportunity to balance the offense a little more and build chemistry between Columbi and his receivers before LL play.

3. That Said, Don't Look Ahead: The Statesmen will need to stay in the moment, especially with the added bonus of this game being under the lights at the "Boz". There should be a nice crowd to support the team, especially with a good forecast for the weekend (clear and cool). While Hobart has had it's way with the Giants the last two seasons, Keystone is getting better and can make some plays if the Statesmen aren't focused. Speaking of focus, it would be great to see less than 100 yards of penalties for a week. It's time. 

Prediction:

I think Hobart will lean on its strengths and have an opportunity to give a lot of players an opportunity to get into the game. I do think it'll be more competitive than the past two years, but the Statesmen should win comfortably, 42-14.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart! 

Looking Back at the (Early) Bye Week

The Hobart College Statesmen are off to a 2-0 start and go into Week 3's bye as a team that's putting together their identity. Built around an attack-minded defense and power running game, Hobart has soundly defeated their first two opponents and are a heavy favorite going into Week 4's matchup against Keystone (1-1, with a Week 3 game vs. Saint John Fisher on Saturday).

Given Ithaca's (1-1) recent struggles, and the general lack of data points being just two weeks (1/5 or 20%) into the season, I'd say any number of contenders, including Hobart, can win the Liberty League championship. 

To start, let's look at the DEFENSE:

While certainly undersized up front on the DL, the strength of this team starts with their speed, quickness, power and most importantly, the ability to allow the Statesmen's very talented LB corps to get free and make plays. 

JR LBs Peterson Monexant and Anthony Romano have combined for 30 tackles, 3 TFL, 2.5 sacks and 2 FFs already on the year. Emerging stars such as SO LB Mike McGhee have made a big impact also, recovering a FF and an INT in the win over Morrisville. Co-Captain and JR OLB Jamien Bliss is tied for the team lead with 2 INTs after that game to go with nine tackles. 

The secondary is off to a great start also as SR DB Abdoulaye Diallo leads the team with 3 PBUs and had a 44-yard "scoop and score" for a TD back in Week 1. SR DB Joe McCoy has tallied 2 INTs and overall, the Statesmen have tallied an impressive nine PBUs. 

If we dive into the numbers, we see that Hobart is second in the LL only allowing 9.5 PPG. The only reason they aren't first is because Union (2-0) has pitched two shut outs against two programs that have been historically down and one that's just getting started. 

The Statesmen's rush defense is allowing only 62.5 YPG and is tied for second place in the LL with Rochester (1-1) for allowing only one rushing TD. Hobart's pass defense has been a little "bend but don't break", is the most opportunistic in the LL so far. While they've given up the second most amount of yardage (367 total yards or a 183.5 YPG average), Hobart has only allowed one passing TD and leads the league, and is tied for fourth in the nation, with 6 INTs. The Statesmen also leads the LL with six sacks and have held opponents to a 34.6 third down conversion percentage.  

The numbers tell the story that the Hobart defense is for real and an excellent unit. The Statesmen are ranked in the Top 20 scoring defenses in the nation and are getting stronger each week. They just need to clean up the penalty issues we've already discussed, and when they do, this could shape up to be another special year for Hobart on the defensive side of the ball. 

Now let's pivot to the OFFENSE:

No surprise here as SR RB Rayshawn Boswell is off to a great start, ranking 13th in the nation with 243 rushing yards on 35 carries. He's scored four rush TDs (which is tied with four others for 2nd in the nation) and is tied for the team lead in receptions with four catches for 19 yards. 

The Hobart OL is off to a great start, helping the Statesmen average 261.5 YPG on the ground (second best in the LL). They've only allowed one sack over two games and have opened up substantial running lanes for SR RB Tim Denham, Jr. also. He's carried the ball 34 times for 140 yards and two rushing TDs. A pleasant surprise has been the productivity of FY RB E.J. Taylor who's made the most of his opportunities, rushing for 56 yards on 14 carries (4.0 YPR).

JR QB Johnny Columbi now has two career starts under his belt and is clearly being eased into the system by the Hobart coaching staff. While his individual statistics are at the bottom of the LL as far as yards (186), YPG (93), TDs (0), INTs (2), longest pass plays (28 yards), and efficiency rating (85.5), he's just getting started and has plenty of time to grow into the role. He does have a positive completion percentage of 20-37 (54.1%) which is fifth in the LL and only a few points behind the fourth and third placed passers in the completion category. 

To his credit, Columbi distributes the ball well. He's completed at least one pass to eight different Statesmen receivers already. At least six of these passes have gone for over 12 yards also. I think it'll be just a matter of time and more reps until he's finding JR WR Rane Daramola, who's tied for the team lead in catches with four and a team high 37 receiving yards, for longer and more significant pass plays. 

Overall, he's lead Hobart's offense to two wins (the most important stat there is), 29 PPG and 354.5 YPG which are both fourth in the LL in their respective categories.

Let's wrap it up with SPECIAL TEAMS:

JR PK Tobias Wefering has done a great job handling KOs, punts, FGs and PATs for Hobart to open the season. He's averaged 61.3 YPKO, 38.25 YPP, gone 3-4 on FGs (with a long of 36 yards) and 7-7 on PATs.

SR RB Rayshawn Boswell has returned four punts for 18 yards, with a long of 9. The KO return team has featured FY RB E.J. Taylor (2 KOR for 58 yards), FY RB Caleb Nicolas (1 KOR for six yards) and JR RB Andres Duran (1 KOR for four yards) so far this season. 

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Statesmen will get a rare Saturday night home game against Keystone next weekend. After that, the conference season starts. Hobart has yet to win a game at Ithaca, but they'll will look to break that streak in Week 5. 

I'll plan to do another review like this about Week 6 which is effectively the season's halfway point. Only 20% in, there are several positive trends starting but certainly areas for improvement. Overall, I'm optimistic Hobart will continue to improve and evolve as the season progresses.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!