The 131st season of Hobart College Football will come down to how the Statesmen play on the road. This opening game will be the first of six road contests for Hobart who are looking to defend their Liberty League Championship and return to the playoffs in 2025.
This season will open under the lights of Yunevich Stadium at Alfred University. The Statesmen will face the Saxons for the 83rd time in an Upstate rivalry that dates back to the 1902 season. Hobart leads the all-time series by a 43-35-4 margin, winning the last 14 in a row. Last season, a long lightning and weather delay made the Hobart home opener a very drawn out, and occasionally, dramatic one. Alfred led the game 7-3 until an eight-yard rushing TD by QB Johnny Columbi '25 gave the Statesmen their first lead of the game with only 1:52 remaining. Hobart would hold on and win, 10-7.
Alfred would go on to finish the 2024 season with a 7-4 overall record. This year, not unlike Hobart, the Saxons are looking to replace some key players due to graduation, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Scouting the Saxons
SR QB Chris Kelly took a big step forward in 2024, throwing for 2,071 yards and 18 TDs. He added 194 rushing yards and 1 rush TD. An established starter, you can expect Kelly to lead the Saxons offense in 2025, barring a preseason injury.
The Statesmen secondary will see almost a totally new WR corps however, as only SO WR Carmine Hoag is returning. SR Thomas Welch caught 18 passes for 196 yards and a TD in 2024, but he's listed as DB (and one of Alfred's captains) for the 2025 season. Hoag finished second on the team with three receiving TDs.
The Saxons will also be auditioning a new starting RB. While undersized, JR RB Steven Bidwell looks like the most experienced returnee. He carried the ball only eight times last season, but he netted two short yardage TDs. There are six other RBs on the roster, including three FY, so your guess is as good as mine on who gets the call here. One element to note about Alfred's offense is last year they liked to use a TE/H-back in goal to go situations. Something to keep an eye out for if they encroach the end zone.
Leading the way for Kelly and the specialists will be a huge OL, which is a staple of many E8 teams. The OL group is led by the giant SR OL Carter Fronk. Standing 6' 5" and 370 lbs., Fronk will be a mismatch for the Hobart DL. The Statesmen will likely have to rely on their speed to get around him and the other OL starters. While the starting lineup here is TBD, the Saxons boast 10 OL players who weigh in at or over 300 lbs.
Defensively, Alfred lost a stud with the graduation of LB Joe Copp '25. JR LB Landon Spencer is undersized but sturdy. He racked up 49 tackles for the Saxons in 2024. SR DL Quadir Holmes led Alfred with 3.5 sacks to go with 4.5 TFL and 22 total tackles up front.
The Saxons have six P/K listed on their 2025 roster. JR PK Dominic Bronco went 7-8 on FGs last season. JR PK Owen Bishop handled KO's, averaging 54 YPKO. Bishop also went 2-3 on FG attempts in 2024. SO PK Colin McGovern averaged just over 40 net yards in punting. We will see if the other three FY PKs crack the lineup, otherwise, it seems like Alfred has an experienced Special Teams unit.
Having only returned six punts all last season, I imagine the Saxons will find a sure handed speedster for this job. Same for KOs as both players who handled the majority of them last season have either graduated or left the program.
Keys to the Game:
1. Close In On Kelly - The new look Statesmen defense will be put to the test early by the Alfred offense, especially by Kelly who's one of the better QBs Hobart will face this season. Given the Saxons OL's size, I imagine they will test Hobart with the run early and look to open up mismatches in the passing game. It'll be imperative for the Statesmen DL and LBs to get steady pressure on Kelly early on in this one.
2. Stick with the Program - While we will see a lot of new faces on the field in this first game, after six seasons, we know what Hobart Football under Coach DeWall '00 looks like - an aggressive, attacking defense, with an opportunistic RPO style offense and will be run first, while looking to make a big pass play down the field later in the game. Couple that with a strong special teams' unit, and the Statesmen should be fundamentally strong across the board. I expect a low scoring first half as both squads get up to game speed. Hopefully after some halftime adjustments, Hobart can open things up.
3. And Stick with the Script - You have to go back to 2018 for the last time the Statesmen lost a season opener. That was Coach DeWall's first game as Hobart's HC (I was in attendance) against a Brockport team that ultimately made it to the National Semifinals / Final Four. Hobart is 4-0 vs. Alfred in season opening games dating back to 2021, so it stands the Statesmen are road favorites here. That said I expect a tough game from both teams and turnovers/mistakes may ultimately decide the outcome.
Prediction:
While I think we'll see more scoring that we did last season, and I like the idea of Hobart working out some kinks offensively early, but with a strong running game, they will be able to pull away and win this one 35-14.
Looking forward to tuning in next Friday night to listen / see how this one goes. Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!
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