Week 4 - RPI Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen (2-1, 0-0) head into Liberty League conference play this Saturday against RPI (1-2, 0-0). What's interesting about this year's game is both teams are coming into it after playing two of the same opponents, Utica and Brockport, but on different weeks. The Engineers lost to both in fairly one-sided fashion, 38-14 to the Pioneers (3-0) and even worse last weekend to Brockport (1-2), 45-10.  

That said the key item to note is the second half of the record column and what it means. Both teams are 0-0 in the LL, and over the next seven games, a championship and playoff berth will be decided on that record alone. Now, I don't have any allusions Hobart is going to win a national championship this season, returning to the NCAA playoffs, potentially earning a home game and first round bye as a 9-1, 7-0 team is definitely something this team can achieve. A ten-win season and potentially a third round / sweet sixteen game would be the cherry on top.

Now I am not normally someone who believes in or advocates for revenge, but when it comes to Hobart Football, I might be willing to make an exception. Last season RPI gave the Statesmen an embarrassing 36-10 loss at homecoming, in a game where it seemed everything went wrong. Hobart holds a narrow, 34-33-1, edge in the all-time series that dates back to 1910. The Statesmen have a 16-19 record in Troy against the Engineers and HC Kevin DeWall '00 is 1-2 on the road there. Hobart did win there in 2024, 27-21, in a game where the Statesmen almost let a big lead slip away.

Scouting RPI

Unfortunately, the Engineers haven't tabulated any stats on their website for 2026, which makes this preview a lot more cumbersome than the previous ones. Bear with me, and I'll do my best to cobble some things together, starting with the below:

Offensively, it appears RPI has used two different QBs so far this season. There are no injury reports in D3FB, but in reading the box scores of their last three games, season starter JR QB Micah Balzarini was injured in the Utica game and SR QB Frankie Garbolino relieved him. Balzarini passed for 221 and 2 TDs in the season opener vs. WPI (2-1), but struggled against Utica, passing for 156 yards, a TD and an INT.

Garbolino started in Week 3 and seemed to fare even worse, passing for only 98 yards, a TD and two INTs. One constant for the RPI has been SR RB Kayden White. He's rushed for 216 yards and three TDs this season, averaging five YPR and about 72 RYPG. 

The Engineers also appear to have a solid receiving group with players like SR TE Grayson Hunter (5 rec., 80 yds.), JR WR Connor Cruz (4 rec., 68 yds.) and JR WR Nate Ehui (7 rec., 178 yds, 3 TDs). 

Defensively, RPI has been led by SR LB PJ Poknis with 38 total tackles and 4.5 TFL.

On special teams, JR PK Nick Esterly handles punting duties (with a career average of 40.9 YPP), and SR PK Kevin Lukash handles FGs, PATs and KOs. Lukash has one FG attempt from 20-yards that he converted in the Brockport game.

Keys to the Game:

1. Start Fast, and Don't Let Up - Last weekend against Utica, Hobart got down early and had to chase the Pioneers for the rest of the game. In 2024 at RPI, the Statesmen did get out to a great start but let the Engineers creep back into the game, barely hanging on at the end. This year, I'd like to see a few strong possessions to build up a nice lead and keep adding to it as the game progresses. It feels like this RPI team is down a bit this year, compared to 2025. Let's take advantage of it.

2. Third Down Defense - Hobart has to do a better job forcing three and outs and just getting the defense off the field better than they did last week. RPI's punter doesn't have a great average, so we can potentially get some good field position opportunities if we can play solid third down defense. 

3. Don't Look Ahead, Just Win - Not to belabor the point, but the Statesmen haven't been a great road team over the past several seasons. This is a game where they need to win and set themselves up for a huge homestand coming up in Weeks 5 and Week 6 against Ithaca (2-1, 0-0) and Union (1-2). That said they can't look past this RPI team who needs this win as badly as they do.

Final Thoughts:

Based on results against the same opponents, everything seems to favor Hobart in this one, but I do worry about the distractions of Week 5 and 6 looming. Hopefully the Statesmen can lock in on this game, get the win, and then prepare themselves for Ithaca. The Hobart defense got a bit exposed last week in the passing game, and RPI's offense has a lot of motion and flanker/split end receiving routes to it. A strong performance on both sides of the ball would do the Statesmen well. 

Thanks as always for reading, and go 'Bart!

Slow Start Sinks Statesmen, 36-29, at Utica

The Hobart College Statesmen acquitted themselves well, but it was the same old story as Hobart (2-1) still can't beat good teams on the road. Undefeated Utica (3-0) was as good as advertised and jumped out to a commanding 23-0 lead at the half. The Statesmen trailed 29-7 with 7:28 to go in the third until they mounted an impressive comeback that just fell short.  

SR QB Tyler Szalkowki went 33-42 for 319 yards passing with two TDs in the game. The Statesmen defense sacked him twice but wasn't able to get any INTs today. SO QB Aidan Conrath had a good day but was sacked four times. He passed for 261 yards and 3 TDs and seemed to really miss having his top target JR WR Johnny Harding, who didn't play due to an injury.

Without Harding, SR RB EJ Taylor ended up being one of Hobart's top receivers, catching five passes for 99 yards including a late 69-yard TD reception that brought the Statesmen within one score late in the fourth quarter. He rushed for 101 yards and scored a rushing TD also. SR TE Tim McKeever also stepped it up, catching five passes for 85 yards and two receiving TDs, the first and second of his Statesmen career.

Defensively Hobart gave up 397 yards and couldn't stop the Pioneers on third down. Utica converted eight of 12 conversions on the day. SR DB Zeshan Dixon once again led the Statesmen with 10 tackles, including a sack and TFL for -15 yards.

Hobart will need to refocus as Liberty League conference play opens next weekend. The Statesmen will be looking for revenge in what was an embarrassing homecoming loss to RPI last season. This year the Engineers (1-2) seem to be less formidable, losing badly today to Brockport (2-1), 45-10.

At the end of the day, getting through this opening OOC schedule 2-1 is a huge positive in my opinion. Hobart has as good a chance as any LL team to win the league title this season. It starts with a needed road victory at the ECAV next weekend.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 3 - Utica Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will hit the road for their first road trip of the 2026 season to take on the Utica University Pioneers. Both teams enter this contest at a perfect 2-0, so someone's undefeated streak will come to an end Saturday.

Last weekend the Pioneers (2-0) lit up RPI (1-1) to the tune of 402 passing yards in a 38-14 win. SR QB Tyler Szalkowski found SR WR Tyshawn Taylor eight times for 244 yards and TD. This earned Taylor the Empire 8 Player of the Week award.  

Last season Hobart (2-0) surprised a favored Utica squad at the Boz with a great defensive performance, sacking Szalkowski four times and picking him off once, in a narrow, 20-17, victory for the Statesmen. This will be the fifth installment in this series that dates back to 2012. Hobart is 3-1 all-time against Utica, with wins in 2012 (45-26), 2013 (34-21) and last season. The Pioneers lone win in the series is when they beat the Statesmen 10-6 in the 2023 ECAC Chapman Bowl. 

Scouting Utica

The Pioneers have outscored their opponents so far this season by what amounts to 20 PPG. D3football.com contributor Logan Hansen's "Ratings" predict this game to be a 30-17 Utica win based on metrics like these. The Pioneers are a pass first offense, averaging 325 YPG and basically 10 yards per pass, which is why 29 of their 42 first downs come via the air (compared to seven via the run) this season.

SR RB Eze Frazier gets about 18 carries a game to keep teams honest and has scored two rushing TDs on the season. The receiving corps has three players with double digit catches and over 100 yards in receiving already this season. The trio of Taylor (13-366-2), SR WR/KR Gabriel Zawolo (16-149-2) and big GR TE Logan Frederick (10-112-0) are all threats Hobart will need to find a way to neutralize. Overall, this is an experienced offensive team the Statesmen will need to dig in to slow down.

Defensively, Utica is led by JR LB Isaiah Thomas with 25 total tackles and 2.5 TFL this season. SR DL Jordyn Davis is their primary pass rushing threat, tallying two sacks and TFLs to go with five tackles this season.

On special teams, the Pioneers have SR PK Nico Duarte who handles PATs, FGs, KOs and punts. He averages 44 YPP, 55.3 YPKO and has gone a perfect 7-7 on FGs this season, with a long of 41 yards back in Week 1. As mentioned above, Zawolo handles KOR and PR responsibilities, averaging 12.5 and 16.25, respectively for each.

Keys to the Game

1. Sack and Sideline Szalkowski - Now let's be clear, I'm not advocating Hobart injure the Utica QB1. What I'd like to see is a repeat performance from last year, a tough pass rush and sacking Szalkowski at least four times in the game. While SR DB Zeshan Dixon's INTs and pick six took all the Week 2 headlines, when you read the box score of the Brockport game, a big reason the Statesmen won was controlling the clock and limiting the Golden Eagles' explosive offense's possessions. Hobart hung onto the ball for almost 38 minutes in that game, and so by "sideline Szalkowski", I am saying do the same thing here - control the clock and leave the Pioneers high scoring offense on the sideline watching the Statesmen offense hand the ball off to SR RB E.J. Taylor and eat up time of possession. 

2. Third Down - Another key stat from the win over the Golden Eagles was Hobart's holding Brockport to two of 10 on third down. The Pioneers have an experienced team, so they will have the chemistry and plays to move the chains, so the Statesmen need to hunker down and force punts and/or turnovers whenever they can.

3. Take the Points - Both teams have strong PKs and so I wouldn't be surprised to see this game come down to a FG (or a missed one). I saw a handful of teams go for it on 4th and short near the goal line when they easily could have collected three points and it cost them in their close games. While I do appreciate aggressive play calling here and there, Hobart's road record isn't great (21-18 in the Coach DeWall era), so if we have a chance to improve our side of the scoreboard, I'd take them.

Final Thoughts

Utica HC Blaise Faggiano won his 100th game last weekend and is effectively the "Dean" of Upstate NY D3FB coaches. Coach DeWall '00 has a little more than half that number (55 wins) but has the overall experience to lead the Statesmen to a tough road victory this weekend. The Pioneers will pack the house and be looking for payback from last year, so Hobart needs to play smart, fundamentally sound football and not make critical mistakes or allow explosive plays.

I like our chances, but don't be overconfident, pretty much "everyone" who covers D3FB views the Statesmen as an underdog in this one. I hope the team embraces that mentality and uses it to their advantage. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Pick Off Eagles, 27-14

The Hobart College Statesmen defense picked off Brockport SR QB Ben Gocella five times, including three INTs by SR DB and Co-Captain Zeshan Dixon. who punctuated today's win with a 67-yard pick six with 1:45 remaining. 

It was a back-and-forth game early on and Brockport (1-1) took a 7-3 lead before Hobart scored 17 unanswered points on the way to a 20-7 halftime lead. Although the Golden Eagles threatened to make it a game in the fourth quarter, big plays by the Hobart defense got them the win.

Offensively the Statesmen (2-0) were led once again by SR RB EJ Taylor who scored his 36th career TD on a 1-yard run near the end of the first quarter. It was challenged by Brockport, but the call stood. He extended and broke the plane of the end zone. This was just one of the 112 yards he racked up on 28 carries. SO QB Aidan Conrath was solid, going 15-27 for 142 yards passing with a TD to JR WR Johnny Harding (his 20th career TD reception). 

SR WR Marcus Peterson led the team with 65 yards receiving, including one big haul of 45 yards at a fairly key point in the game. On special teams, FY PK Owen McNulty converted FGs of 42 and 26 yards. GR PK Vicente Lyon pinned Brockport inside their 20-yard line three times, averaging over 42 YPP. 

Other than Dixon, who had a team high 10 solo and 13 total tackles, the Hobart defense was led by SO DB Latrell Bonaparte with five solo and six total tackles. SO DB Isa Abdus-Salaam and SO LB Nate Bush tallied the other two INTs. 

The Statesmen will go on their first road trip to take on the also undefeated Utica Pioneers (2-0). The Pioneers just earned their long-time HC Blaise Faggiano his 100th victory in a 38-14 romp over RPI (1-1). More on that big game early next week. 

For now, it feels great to be 2-0. Way to go 'Bart!

Never Forget

The workday and other responsibilities prevented me from getting this up earlier, but there was no way I wasn't going to acknowledge this important 25th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11/01. This day had a direct impact on three Hobart Statesmen, including my former football teammate, Andy Glokin '93. 

Statesman alum and former Director of Alumni Relations John Norvell '66 wrote a nice piece remembering Andy, Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simon '83, P'11 that I recommend everyone take a few minutes to read. 

The younger sister of a high school classmate of mine named Amy Toyen, was also lost on this tragic day. The bottom half of the photo below is a memorial that sits outside our hometown library in Avon, CT. 

Frank and I played a memorial address from former WPI HC Ed Zaloom on today's In the D3FB Huddle Week 2 preview show just as we have in prior years. We also added a more light-hearted video from Hobart, which you can see in the introduction of the show.

Although life moves on, and there will be football and other games played tonight, I hope we all take a moment to remember the lives lost and to make sure we honor days like today in order to Never Forget.

Week 2 - Brockport Game Preview

The Hobart College football team heads into Week 2 looking to extract some revenge after they gave up a 90-yard drive in the fourth quarter to see a 10-7 lead turn into a 14-10 loss to Brockport last season. 

Hobart and the Golden Eagles have only faced each other 13 times in the past, with the first game dating as far back as 1949. A long break followed with seven games played between the neighboring programs between 1974-1982. The series resumed with some very memorable games between 2016-2019 (ok, I was at the 2018 one, and that was one I'd like to forget). The Statesmen are 5-8 all time against Brockport, one of a handful of current programs they have a losing record against. 

The Golden Eagles (1-0) easily rolled over hapless Buffalo State (0-1) last Thursday night, so technically, they have an extra day of preparation / rest over the Statesmen (1-0) in this one. While the statistics against BSU are so lopsided it doesn't tell us much, we can extrapolate a few things.

Scouting Brockport

The Golden Eagles are a rushing team first and foremost, with OC Steve Potter having a successful history of calling the offense at Brockport. They averaged 6.7 YPR last week (calling 49 rushes out of 63 total plays) and will look to establish the run at the LOS with their big offense line. 

That said, SR QB Ben Gocella may be the best QB the Statesmen will face this season. He was a perfect 10-10 for 124 yards and 2 passing TDs in this season's debut. His favorite target is SR WR Nolan Slywka (pictured above), who made the SCTop10 with this amazing one-handed catch last week. He caught six passes for 82 yards and both receiving TDs in last Thursday night's game. Hobart will have their hands full trying to cover this tall (6' 4") and speedy receiver.

While former DC Mike Fox has moved on his strong defensive schemes have stayed behind. Fox's system was a tough 3-3-5 alignment that has caused Hobart, among other teams, fits in years past. In the shutout, the Golden Eagles held Buff State to only three first downs and a paltry 60 total yards on 40 plays. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Hold the Line - The Hobart DL had a great game last Friday night against Alfred and will need to be stout against this strong rush offense from Brockport. They will need to apply pressure on Gocella to get him out of his comfort zone, because if given time, he will pick the Statesmen apart. 

2. Bend, Don't Break - Slywka is a deep threat unlike any other Hobart will likely face in the regular season, and the reality is, he will be targeted and get some receptions in this game. What the Statesmen secondary has to avoid are the explosive plays he can generate and look to jam and frustrate him with physical play. This is one guy where committing a DPI foul maybe worth it versus allowing a huge gain. My expectation is that SR DB Zeshan Dixon will be locked up with Slywka (with potentially some help from a deep safety) for most of this game. How he fares will play a big role in the outcome.

3. Home Cooking - Last week Hobart improved to 33-4 all-time under HC Kevin DeWall '00 at the Boz. Only two teams have beaten the Statesmen there in the regular season in the last eight years and seven seasons (taking out the 2020 COVID year). Brockport hasn't won a game at the Boz since 2017, so I am hopeful Hobart's winning ways in Geneva can continue. 

Final Thoughts:

The next two weeks will tell us a lot about this year's Hobart squad. The Liberty League has been down the past couple of years, and both Brockport and Utica (1-0) are considered potential national playoff caliber teams this season. If the Statesmen can run this gauntlet prior to October with some success, we could be looking at something special this season. 

Ultimately, this is a game where Hobart is the underdog, but playing at home should provide them with a better opportunity to win. I will be keeping a close eye on this one Saturday.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Sack Saxons, 24-17

The Hobart College Statesmen defense racked up seven sacks and the offense gained over 400 yards in an occasionally sloppy (with 17 total penalties) and hard fought, Friday night lights game at the Boz to open the 2026 season. SR DL Hunter Vos and JR DL Billy Brosko combined for 12 tackles and four sacks, including a safety that gave Hobart (1-0) their first lead of the game, and one they never relinquished. 

SO QB Aidan Conrath got the start and had a solid game passing for 172 yards and two TDs. One of those passing TDs went to SR RB E.J. Taylor who had another monster game, rushing for 137 yards and a TD to go with 78 yards and his receiving TD. With his efforts Friday night, Taylor has rushed for over 3.000 yards in his memorable Hobart career. 

You can read more about the game, Taylor's stats and more in the HWSAthletics.com release here. 

The win improves the Statesmen home record under HC Kevin DeWall '00 to 33-4. While they were an undersized team, Alfred (0-1) made Hobart work for this win. SR QB Matt Parker (an Ithaca transfer who's played Hobart two times previously in his college career) passed for 242 yards and a TD. 

The Statesmen inexplicably almost gave this one away with a bizarre reverse call with under three minutes to go in the game. The defense would bail out this error and force the Saxons to a turnover on downs to close this one out. Not sure what else to say about that call, but when you have a guy like Taylor on your roster, trick plays like that aren't necessary. 

Hobart will host Brockport (1-0) who ran over hapless Buffalo State (0-1) last Thursday night, 68-0, next Saturday at the Boz. I'll have more on that game early next week. 

Until then, happy Labor Day weekend everyone. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 1 - Alfred Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will open the 2026 season under the lights of Boswell Field this Friday night, September 4th at 7 PM. Hobart (0-0) is looking to make amends for a loss to Alfred (0-0) in last season's opener. 

In that game, the Statesmen struggled with turnovers, including a pick six to fall behind, 28-10, late in the third quarter. Hobart did fight back, scoring 13 unanswered points, before running out of time. It was Hobart's first loss to Alfred, snapping a 14-game winning streak dating back to the 1996 season. The Statesmen are 43-36-4 all time against the Saxons, with the series beginning in 1902. This will be the 84th game between these two Upstate NY rivals. 

This year the Saxons went to the transfer portal to get former Ithaca QB and team captain, Matt Parker, to take over at QB. Alfred had a disappointing 2025, going 4-6 overall and only 2-5 in the Empire 8 conference. HC Bob Rankl (68-51) is hoping 2026 is a better year for his Saxons squad.

Scouting the Saxons

Week 1 scouting is a fool's errand of sorts, with no games played or statistics to review. We can glean some tendencies from 2025, however, which should carry over into this season. 

What those tendencies told me is that Alfred runs a fairly balanced offensive attack (56/44% run to pass ratio). They averaged just over 300 YPG of offense and had very similar rush (143.5 YPG) and passing (162.2 YPG) statistical totals. They just didn't score enough, though, only averaging 3 TDs per game which led to a 23.1 PPG result. 

The Saxons defense struggled defensively last season, allowing nearly 400 YPG and 46 total TDs. The Alfred special team's unit did well, usually winning the field position battle, but the defense was just too porous at times to get them more wins. The Saxons were -7 in turnover margin (TOM), which didn't help their cause as the season wore on. 

This season the Saxons are led by five co-captains: SR DB Jack Bestpitch, SR PK Dominic Bronco, JR RB Tommy Nyquist, SR LB Michael Davis and SR RB Steven Bidwell. 

Bestpitch finished third on the team with 51 total tackles last season, including two INTs. Bronco went 7-9 on FGs with a long of 43 yards. Nyquist and Bidwell combined for over 1,300 rushing yards and 11 TDs. Nyquist was the featured back, carrying the ball 222 times, while Bidwell had only 60 carries in seven games last season. Davis (who stands at an imposing 6' 2" and 235 lbs.) tallied 42 tackles to go with 6.5 TFL and four sacks. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Protect the Football - Hobart committed three turnovers (two fumbles and one INT which was returned for effectively the game winning TD) in last year's contest. With many new starters on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the Statesmen need to focus on fundamentals. While not confirmed, it sounds like SO QB Aidan Conrath (who threw the INT and went 13-28 in his first collegiate start against Alfred last year) could be the man under center for this game. He'll need to play better than he did last season to get Hobart to an important 1-0 start. 

2. Panic Parker - Last time the Statesmen saw Matt Parker, he had a good, but not great game, passing for 140 yards and a TD in a 13-7 win for Ithaca over Hobart last season. With a new DC and players at LB, Hobart's defense may not be what Alfred is expecting. The Statesmen need to apply pressure and get to Parker who can be prone to mistakes when rushed. 

3. Home Sweet Home - Hobart has had a remarkable run under HC Kevin DeWall '00 as the home team. The Statesmen are 32-4 at the "Boz" dating back to 2018. Only Ithaca, RPI and Utica have claimed victories on Hobart's home turf, and Alfred hasn't accomplished that feat since my junior year (1994).

Final Thoughts:

I've heard mixed reviews coming out of preseason camp. One key defensive player is apparently lost for the season due to an ACL injury, and rumor has it the OL didn't look great in the last scrimmage. I am holding out hope that Hobart can shake off some preseason cobwebs and/or jitters and get back to playing the Statesmen football we remember from 2024. Time will tell, as every year is different. We still have a lot of questions about this group, and with still no preseason preview from the HWS SID, we will have to keep wondering, close to or right up until kickoff. 

I'm hopeful the Statesmen can ride their strong rushing offense and defense to a hard-fought win on Friday night. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!