Week 9 - RPI Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen's march to their first Liberty League championship in eight years will head to Troy, NY to take on the RPI Engineers (3-4, 1-2). RPI had a bye week in Week 8 so they will have had extra time to prepare for this big game. 

The Statesmen (7-1, 4-0) have a narrow 33-32-1 all-time series lead over the Engineers, making this Saturday's 3 PM kickoff the 67th game in this rivalry that dates back to 1910. Last season Hobart came back from being down 14-10 at the half and 21-10 in the third quarter, to beat RPI, 31-21.

Scouting the Engineers

While looking at their seasons to date and relative trajectories, one could assume Hobart is a big favorite to win this weekend. A closer look shows that the Statesmen haven't beaten RPI in Troy in their last three visits, and the last win was 10 years ago, during the historic 2014 season. Hobart is 15-19 all-time on the road vs. the Engineers, so they can't take this team lightly. RPI has played a tough schedule, including games against two nationally ranked teams, so they are accustomed to big games.

Leading the Engineers offense is an experienced but mistake prone SR QB in Jake Kazanowsky. He has passed for a LL-leading 1,307 yards but also a LL-worst, eight INTs. At their core, RPI is a run-first offense, and features three RBs - SO RB Kayden White, SR RB Dameon Ming, and SR RB Cristian Buckley - that have over 30+ carries on the season who've average 3.1-5.8 YPR. This triumvirate has gained a total of 532 rushing yards together and scored nine of RPI's 13 rushing TDs.

The Engineers most dangerous offensive weapon however is JR WR Hayden Faraday. Having seen him in person in Week 1, Faraday is able to stretch defenses with his route running and quickness. He has collected 37 passes for 467 yards and two TDs. SR WR Sean Kelly is more of a possession receiver and leads the team with 43 catches for 414 yards and one TD.

Defensively RPI ranks just behind Hobart in rushing defense, allowing only 106.1 rush YPG and only five rushing TDs on the season. SR LB Anthony D'Agostino leads the Engineers with 54 total tackles. On the DL, RPI is led by SR DL Nate Sicard (pictured above) with six TFL and two sacks.

On special teams, the Engineers mostly rely on JR PK Aleksandar Maric, who handles FGs (5-8, long of 31) and KOs (57.8 YPKO average). Punting duties have primarily been handled by JR PK Anderson Burke. He's averaged nearly 38 YPP with a long of 52. In the return game, Kelly and JR DB Cassius Johnson have taken the most reps, with respectable (6.8 YPPR and 28.82 YPKOR) results.

Keys to the Game:

 1. Establish (and stop) the Run: In RPI's four losses this season, they gave up 182, 88, 147, and 171 rushing yards, while being held to 55, 85, 43 and 22. Making the game one dimensional will help Hobart, who has the best pass defense in the LL, force the Engineers to be one dimensional. 

2. Turnovers - See above. Hobart can take the Engineers out of this game early on if they can pressure Kazanowsky and force him into making more mistakes. RPI's OL has allowed the most sacks in the LL this season (19), so the Statesmen's pass rush should do well. To their credit, RPI leads the LL in passing YPG with 213.7, but they've thrown more INTs than passing TDs so far this season.

3. Big Play Faraday - The Statesmen defense will need to keep an eye on WR/SB Hayden Faraday. He goes into motion a lot and has gotten large gains because of his speed. He leads the LL in receiving YPG with 66.7, which isn't a lot, but his 12.62 YPR average shows you that he is basically good for a first down every time he catches the football and with a long of 64 yards, can beat you deep if you're not ready.

Prediction:

Hobart has one of the best defenses in the nation, and that will be on display again at the ECAV Saturday. I think the Statesmen can pitch another shutout potentially, but RPI hasn't been shutout since Week 1 and is averaging 22.57 PPG on offense. I think the Engineers may be able to get a TD at home, but not more than one. I'll take the Statesmen to win, 27-6 (which is basically our average points scored and allowed per game after 8 weeks of play). 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Shutout Union for First Time Since '75, 27-0

Ok, so I almost jinxed it. 

I was asked by a former Hobart parent over text the last time the Statesmen shutout the Dutchmen / Garnet Chargers and I looked it up. You had to go back 49 years, to 1975, when Hobart shutout Union, 21-0. I passed that information along to the broadcast booth with about 3:30 remaining. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have. 

Fortunately for me, FY DB Simon Skyler bailed me out with an INT of Union JR QB Patch Flanagan from the Statesmen nine-yard line with just over two minutes left. Speaking of FY DBs, it's great to see another Hobart player in #36 making big plays out there. Drew Walsh '23 had a nice career in 36 for Hobart, and now that jersey has been passed on to FY DB Ryan Van Tassell who also had an INT (his third of the season) in Saturday's 27-0 win.

With the win Hobart improves to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Liberty League. You can read up on this game from the HWSAthletics.com website here. 

I'll have more on the upcoming RPI game later this week. The Engineers (3-4, 1-2) were idle in Week 8, so they've had an extra week to prepare for this big conference matchup.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 8 - Union Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will have a second homecoming of sorts, in more ways than one, this Saturday against long-time Liberty League rival, Union College. The Union (f/k/a the Dutchmen and now the) "Garnet Chargers" are heading to Geneva with a familiar face at the helm, former Hobart QB coach and OC, Jon Drach. 

Coach Drach's first year has been a rough one, with Union coming into the game (the 107th meeting of the series, which the Dutchmen lead 54-50-2) with a 2-4, 1-1 overall record. Last season, Hobart (6-1, 3-0) was soundly beaten by the Dutch Chargers, 27-10. 

This year has these teams on two different trajectories, but Hobart can't afford to take this game for granted. Nothing would make the Union's season than to take down the Statesmen. 

Scouting the Garnet Chargers

In spite of their struggles in the win-loss column, Union is a balanced team on offense. They average nearly identical rushing and passing YPG numbers - 162.8 and 157.5 - but have scored most of their points via the pass - 11 pass TDs vs. 5 rush TDs.

They are led by JR QB Patch Flanagan (one of the best names in the nation), who I got to see play in person back in Week 1. In that game he struggled with pass efficiency but showed off his speed. He's an extremely quick runner who can move outside of the pocket. Flanagan has gone 83-180 passing for 936 yards and 11 TDs. He's added 397 rushing yards (leading the team) with three rush TDs.

Those numbers have eaten into the production of what made the Dutchmen a playoff team last year, namely the one-two punch of SR RBs Michael Fiore and Jonathan Anderson. These playmakers are averaging less than 60 YPG rushing and only have one rushing TD between the two of them this season.

Flanagan's favorite target has been SR WR Robbie Tolbert who leads Union with 18 catches for 195 yards and four receiving TDs. Not far behind him is JR WR Gil Rivera who's caught 14 passes for 191 yards and one TD.

Defensively the Dutch Chargers are led by SR LB Cole DaSilva with 63 total tackles, including six TFL. The Hobart OL will need to keep SR DL Ethan VanderBrink in check. He leads Union with an impressive 10.5 TFL and 6.5 sack total.

On special teams, the Dutchmen have used several players. SO PK Hayden Hall handles punting duties, averaging a net 39.71 YPP. FY PK Francisco Pileggi has the most FG attempts, going 4-6 on the season with a long of 37 yards. JR PK Ryan Mulderig handles KOs, averaging 55.4 YPKO. In the return game, Union has only fielded one punt, for zero yards, which is odd. SO WR Mike DiNardo has fielded the most KOs (16), averaging 20.31 YPKOR.

Keys to the Game:

1. Win the LOS - last season I remember seeing a Union OL pick up and slam one of Hobart's undersized DL on a 56-yard TD pass play at the end of the third quarter. It was pretty embarrassing and honestly, the Dutchmen dominated the LOS of that game all day. This season, the Statesmen defense is stronger, currently ranked third in the nation in scoring defense. This time the slamming may go the other direction. Offensively Hobart should pound the ball on the ground and look for deep pass plays when they can. The Dutchmen allow 156 YPG rushing and a 4.2 YPR average, giving up 10 rushing TDs over the past six games. I saw Utica's larger OL, not unlike Hobart's, control the LOS in Week 1. The Statesmen need to follow that same script Saturday. 

2. Home Sweet Home - The Statesmen have won six in a row at home vs. Union. Hobart is 0-4 in their last four tries in Schenectady, so there is something to home field advantage in this series.  A win Saturday would make the Statesmen's home record this season 4-0.

3. Stay Levelheaded - This game is always a chippy one, so Hobart needs to play hard, but smart, and not get drawn into personal foul or other penalties. The Statesmen are averaging almost -50 YPG in penalties, but so is Union. Needless to say, Hobart can't give the Dutchmen extended drives or points due to bone-headed penalties.

Prediction:

The Statesmen haven't allowed a TD since the second quarter of Week 5 against Ithaca. While I do think the Union offense is strong enough to put up some points here, I do believe that this year, Hobart is the much stronger overall team. I'll think the Statesmen will run the ball on offense and force Flanagan into some tough situations that'll lead to turnovers on defense. I'll take Hobart to win it, 31-10.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart! 

Statesmen Win Fifth Straight, Smothering the Saints, 39-3

The Hobart College Statesmen won their fifth straight game, and 13th in a row, against Liberty League conference foes, Saint Lawrence, 39-3. It was another dominating performance by the Statesmen defense who have not allowed a TD since the second quarter of Week 5, against Ithaca. 

Hobart (6-1, 3-0) welcomed back starting SR QB Johnny Columbi from injury and he had a big game, going 14-22 passing (63.6%) for 226 yards and two passing TDs. JR WR Ahmad Crowell and FY WR Johnny Harding caught the TD passes. 

SR PK Tobias Wefering added 14 points, going 2-3 on PATs and a perfect 4-4 on FGs (a new Hobart record for FGM in a single game), including a long of 41 yards. SO RB EJ Taylor rushed 17 times for 79 yards and a TD. 

The Hobart defense stifled the Saints (2-4, 1-2), holding Saint Lawrence to only 33 rushing yards on 24 attempts (1.4 YPR average). The Statesmen also picked off Saints QBs twice with SR DB Chris Ntumba and FY DB Corey Rock with one INT each. 

Leading the Hobart defense was SR OLB Jamien Bliss with seven tackles, including a TFL and a sack. FY LB Ian Harder ended the scoring, scooping up a fumble in the Saints red zone with 6:30 remaining in the game. 

Up next for the Statesmen is a return home to the Boz to take on LL rival, Union College. I'll have more on that game early next week.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 7 - Saint Lawrence Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will look to extend their current winning streak to five games with a win Saturday up at Saint Lawrence University. The Saints (2-3, 1-1) are coming off a tough, 34-10, road loss at RPI from Week 6.

Hobart (5-1, 2-0) has dominated this series of late, winning the last 12 in a row and 30 out of the last 31 matchups, dating back to the 1992 season. Due to this long run, the Statesmen lead the all-time series, over Saint Lawrence, 56-26-2, making Saturday the 85th game in this series that dates all the way back to 1901.

Scouting the Saints

Saint Lawrence is passing team, having thrown the ball 56.7% of their offensive play calls. They average over 200 YPG passing, compared to only 42.8 YPG rushing. Defensively the Saints struggle to stop the run, allowing opponents to 173.2 YPG rushing and 11 of the 17 TDs they've surrendered this year have been on the ground. 

Leading the Saint Lawrence offense is SR QB Daniel Lawther. Hobart fans may remember him when he had to come into the 2021 game at the Boz after Tyler Grochot was basically knocked out by OLB Emmett Forde '22. This season Lawther has gone 75-116 passing for 719 yards and four TDs with three INTs.

His main target has been SR TE Oskar Baldwin (pictured above). Baldwin has hauled in 26 catches for 338 yards and four TDs. SR RB Will Lederman is often deployed like Rayshawn Boswell '23 was, in the wildcat, for goal-to-go situations. While he's only rushed 66 times for 233 yards (under 47 YPG), he's managed to score all five of the Saints rushing TDs this season. 

Defensively Saint Lawrence is led by a pair of strong linebackers in SO LB Savino Moreli and JR LB Ryan Suroff. They have tallied a total of 38 and 36 tackles, respectively. Suroff leads the team with 7 TFL and Moreli is second with 4.5 TFL. 

JR PK Clayton Fogler has been a perfect 5-5 on FGs this season with a long of 38, which was the OT game winner over Union in Week 5. He is also a nearly perfect, 9-10 on PATs. Fogler also handles KOs, where he averages 54.3 YPKO. Punting duties were mostly handled by JR WR Jack O'Brien, but it appears like FY PK Sam Arbaugh took over during the RPI game and has averaged 35 YPP net average with two dropped inside the opponents 20-yard line.

The Saints return game has been relatively modest, averaging only four yards on punts and approximately 16 yards on KORs.

Keys to the Game:

1. RTB (Run the Ball):  There's no denying this matchup plays to Hobart's strengths. The Statesmen average 145 YPG rushing and should be able to surpass that amount against the Saint Lawrence defense. 

2. Turnovers: The Saints have struggled to protect the football, currently having a -7 TOM. I would expect the Hobart defense to force at least one or two more turnovers Saturday, helping the Statesmen offense build a (hopefully) insurmountable lead.

3. Bring it On Home: This will be the last long road trip of the 2024, at least in the regular season. The Statesmen would like to return to the Boz on a five-game win streak when they host long-time conference rivals (and struggling) Union College (1-4, 0-1) in Week 8.

Prediction:

I think a heavy run game, some defensive plays and a solid performance all-around will help Hobart to a 35-7-win Saturday. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Take Sole Possession of First Place in 31-3 Win Over Buff State

It was great football Saturday for the Hobart College Statesmen who improved to 5-1 overall and took sole possession of first place in the Liberty League conference standings (2-0). The Statesmen have also won four in a row for the first time since the end of 2022 regular season. 

With four games left to play, Hobart controls it's post-season and NCAA playoff destiny. The Statesmen still have to grind through the meat of their conference regular season, but they are playing well and dominating the competition, especially on defense.

JR OLB Mike McGhee got a 67-yard pick six to start yesterday's game against Buffalo State (2-3, 0-1) on a positive note. SO QB Tru Styles was solid in his first start, racking up 189 total yards, including three passing TDs. SO EJ Taylor had another strong day rushing the football, carrying 17 times for 95 yards. 

FY WR and likely LLROTY candidate Johnny Harding had a big game also, catching seven passes for 83 yards and two TDs. The defense was led by SR LB Anthony Romano with nine total tackles and 1.5 TFL. This was the second game this season that the Statesmen defense has not allowed a TD. 

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

Up next for Hobart is a trip up north to play Saint Lawrence. The Saints (2-3, 1-1) lost to RPI (3-3, 1-1) yesterday, 34-10. I was able to catch most of that game since it started at noon. I'll have more on the Saints game early next week.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 6 - Buffalo State Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will hit the road this weekend for the first of two trips away from the friendly confines of the Boz. This week Hobart (4-1, 1-0) will look to improve their Liberty League record to 2-0 with a win over the Buffalo State Bengals. Buff State (2-2. 0-0) has already matched last season's win total going into their LL schedule.

The Statesmen are 7-3 all-time against the Bengals dating back to the 1984 season. Hobart has won the last five contests (the first taking place in 1993, a game I attended in person), including the last four in a row where Buff State has been an affiliate member of the LL. 

Last season Hobart dispatched the Bengals by a score of 45-21 (the same score they won by in 2021, ironically). Needless to say, while I get Buff State has improved, I still expect a Statesmen win by at least a few scores.

Scouting the Bengals

Some of the Buff State stats were negatively affected by them taking on and losing by 55 points to Mercyhurst, an FCS D1 level program, last weekend. Still, here are some of the highlights from their team so far this season.

While their mascot is a jungle cat, the Bengals have utilized a veritable stable of RBs this season. Buff State has had four different ball carriers with at least 17-20+ rushing attempts and three RBs with over 100 yards rushing this season. Leading the way is SR RB Ale Wilson (I'm pretty sure that's pronounced like Ah-lay) with a team high 42 carries for 243 yards. Pictured above is SR RB Cody Phillips who has 35 carries for 86 yards and one rush TD. Phillips has also caught two passes for 27 yards and one TD. 

The Bengals are a run first team (121 rushing attempts vs. 45 passing) and have had two different QBs play so far this season. SO QB Amir Cameron had five passing TDs vs. Hilbert in Week 3 but has thrown 2 INTs since. JR QB Noah Kimble has passed for 221 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs.

SR WR Tariq Nelson has been their favorite target, catching 14 passes for 156 yards and 2 TDs. Big SR TE Julian Maloney (6' 4", 240 lbs.) has a TD reception and could create matchup problems near the goal line and running game.

JR LB Sincere Green leads the defensive side of the ball with a team high 37 tackles, 9.5 TFL and three sacks.

SR PK Nick Sciandra handles the kicking duties. He averages almost 39 net yards as a punter, 51.4 yards on KOs, and has gone 1-2 on FGs, but to his credit, the one he made was from 53 yards.

SR WR Darion Jones has been their primary return man, averaging 12.67 yards on PRs and 19.27 yards on KORs.

Keys to the Game:

1. Play With Style(s): Given the uncertainty surrounding the injury suffered by SR QB Johnny Columbi in the Ithaca game, I am assuming SO QB Tru Styles will get the start on Saturday. This is kind of the perfect situation to get him more reps and work with the offense. 

2. Stay Consistent: While the Hobart passing attack still needs work, the running game, defense and special teams have been great. Hopefully this game will allow those units to continue fine tuning their already solid status, while allowing the passing game a chance to work some of its kinks out. The Bengals have been allowing over 300 yards of total offense and at least three TDs per game.

3. Win and Move On: While the Statesmen can't overlook Buff State, they are definitely the stronger team. This is just one of those "business trips" where Hobart can fine tune things and look to give second and third string players valuable game experience. 

Prediction:

Given how well the Hobart defense is playing, this could be a shutout. I still think this Bengals team is a little better than last season. but will struggle to score until later in the game. I'll take the Statesmen to win 42-7 with a good mix of passing, rushing and maybe even a defensive TD in this one.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Special Teams, Defense Saves the Day for Statesmen, 16-7, Over Ithaca

Finally!!!

A large homecoming crowd of 2,378 fans, friends and alums saw Hobart get their sixth ever win against the Ithaca Bombers, breaking a six-game losing streak that dated back to 2016. The Statesmen (4-1, 1-0) had a tough start, with their first offensive possession from the shadow of their own goal line. JR PK Vicente Lyon would flip the field with an 86-yard punt. Hobart had the good luck for a change, and it never left them.

The defense would ultimately carry the day, holding the Bombers (1-3, 0-1) to 6-15 on third down and 0-4 on fourth down. The Hobart offense struggled in the passing game, and SR QB Johnny Columbi was injured near the end of the first half forcing backup SO QB Tru Styles into action. 

Styles had a big 49-yard pass to JR WR Ahmad Crowell and kept the Statesmen offense moving, but you have to credit Ithaca. The Bombers defense held Hobart to 1-10 on third down, so Lyon ended up being the MVP of the day, averaging 65 YPP. 

SO RB E.J. Taylor rushed 18 times for 99 yards (5.5 YPR) and scored Hobart's only TD of the game. SR PK Tobias Wefering went 3-3 on FGs and 1-1 on PATs to provide 10 points in the Statesmen's big win. 

With Rochester (5-0, 1-0) defeating RPI (2-3, 0-1) today, the Statesmen are tied for first place in the Liberty League standings with the Yellow Jackets, pending the Union-Saint Lawrence game. Next week Hobart will hit the road to take on Buffalo State (2-2, 0-0).

It will be interesting to see if Styles will need to start that game pending the outcome of Columbi's injury. 

That's all for now. It feels great to have that big win, arguably the biggest regular season victory in HC Kevin DeWall's career.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!