After a September of bad bounces and calls, maybe what the Hobart College Statesmen need is some old-fashioned home cooking? Hobart (1-3, 0-1) returns to the Boz desperately needing a win after a difficult slate of games and adversity.
Coming to town is long-time league rival, the RPI Engineers (3-1, 1-0), who are coming off a big 31-3 thrashing of previously unbeaten Rochester (3-1, 0-1). You can read about that game here.
Hobart and RPI's rivalry dates back to 1910. The Statesmen and Engineers games have traditionally been close ones, and Hobart only has a narrow 34-32-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Statesmen have won four of the last five contests however and have not lost to the Engineers at home since the 2015 season, when they failed to convert a 2-point play at the end of regulation to lose, 21-20.
Last season Hobart jumped out to a 24-6 halftime lead but then saw RPI rally back to make it a 27-21 ballgame late in the fourth quarter. Fortunately, the Statesmen were able to run out the clock and get away with a hard-fought win.
Scouting the Engineers
RPI is a spread offensive team that employs slotbacks and other receivers. The Engineers have called it down the middle with respect to plays, running the ball 115 times for 531 yards, and have scored most of their TDs on the ground (eight). They've gained more first downs (31-21) via the air and have passed for 813 yards off of 106 attempts with five passing TDs compared to only three INTs.
RPI is led by SR QB Anthony DeMatteo who's gone 54-97 for 753 yards. JR RB Kayden White leads the ground game with 61 rushes for 292 yards and the eight aforementioned TDs. White is also a threat in the passing game, having caught nine passes for 107 yards and two TDs. He is one of four RPI receivers with over 100 yards on the season.
Defensively RPI is led by JR and SR DBs Matt Krauza and Miles Lafferty with 30 tackles each. RPI likes to "stack the box" to take up space on the LOS and allow their LBs and DBs to run in for the tackle. The Engineers secondary has three INTs on the season so far and the defense has racked up nine sacks and 24 TFL.
RPI always has a strong special team's unit and has three experienced kickers this season who handle FGs (SR PK Aleksandar Maric), KOs (SR PK Hayden Gray), and punting (SR Anderson Burke), respectively.
Keys to the Game:
1. QB Consistency: One of Hobart's biggest issues has been the QB play four games into the season. While each has shown flashes, there has not been the level of consistency needed to win ball games. RPI has a proven leader in DeMatteo, once again another very experienced QB the Statesmen defense will need to solve for, but Hobart is still looking for theirs.
2. Run the Ball: I didn't think the Ithaca defense would have much success stopping the run last Saturday, but to their credit, they held Hobart to 79 yards and a paltry 2.9 YPR average. RPI's rush defense is strong also, holding teams to just under 95 YPG and they've yet to allow a rushing score on the season. With the QB troubles we've seen to date, the Statesmen will need to win the LOS and establish a strong running game to have a chance in this one.
3. Home Sweet Home: I don't know what it is, but Hobart just wins at home (91% of the time). The Statesmen's record at the Boz under HC Kevin DeWall '00 is 30-3. They need some of that Boz magic to make it 31-3 and get a key LL win under their collective belts Saturday.
Final Thoughts:
It's hard to gauge this game given RPI was steamrolled by a team Hobart beat (Utica) and beat a team the Statesmen lost to (Brockport), albeit barely. Either way, I expect a lower scoring game like last Saturday that could come down to field position and special teams plays. Points will be at a premium, but hopefully the larger Homecoming crowd will give Hobart the home field advantage they need to get back on track.
Looking forward to tuning into this one. Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!
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