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!