I'll write up a recap later today, but the bottom line was Hobart's offense could not come up with points to keep up with Dickinson (2-0). Being held to three points on offense hasn't occurred for the Hobart (0-1) since back in 1992 and 1993 (both against Union College).
A lot of questions at QB, WR and RB for this year's Statesmen squad based on this lackluster performance.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Dickinson 7 - Hobart 3 at the half
2 personal foul penalties and a fumble inside Dickinson territory haven't helped the Statesmen. In general the offense has racked up 10 (unofficial) first downs and about 170 total yards but has otherwise struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
Dickinson QB Ian Mitchell scored on a fourth and goal finishing a 89 yard drive in the 2nd quarter.
Conor Callahan kicked a 25 yard FG to end the half. Hobart gets the ball back to start the second half.
Dickinson QB Ian Mitchell scored on a fourth and goal finishing a 89 yard drive in the 2nd quarter.
Conor Callahan kicked a 25 yard FG to end the half. Hobart gets the ball back to start the second half.
Dickinson Game Notes Up
A couple of points of interest -
No Marlier? - apparently our leading rusher from last season is either injured or lost the starting job to SO RB Pat Julian, a former spread QB at Sauquoit Valley who's battled injuries as a converted slot receiver so far in his Hobart career, who will get the start at RB today against Dickinson.
Schultz out as well - SR WR Zach Schultz is also not on the game day roster, but this is not as big an issue given the depth at WR given SO WR Garth Muratori and SO WR Andy Schettine's play from last season.
Vella at QB - It appears that SO Doug Vella gets the starting nod at QB today with JR transfer Preston Earl the #2 QB.
Here are the game notes:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/9/11/2009-0912%20Dickinson%20Game%20Notes.pdf
Kick-off is in less than 1 hour! Go BART!
No Marlier? - apparently our leading rusher from last season is either injured or lost the starting job to SO RB Pat Julian, a former spread QB at Sauquoit Valley who's battled injuries as a converted slot receiver so far in his Hobart career, who will get the start at RB today against Dickinson.
Schultz out as well - SR WR Zach Schultz is also not on the game day roster, but this is not as big an issue given the depth at WR given SO WR Garth Muratori and SO WR Andy Schettine's play from last season.
Vella at QB - It appears that SO Doug Vella gets the starting nod at QB today with JR transfer Preston Earl the #2 QB.
Here are the game notes:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/documents/2009/9/11/2009-0912%20Dickinson%20Game%20Notes.pdf
Kick-off is in less than 1 hour! Go BART!
9/11/ 01 - Remembering Andy
Although Andrew Golkin '93 was a senior when I was first-year on the 'Bart football squad - we were both in the defensive secondary and definitely cracked pads and helmets a few times that fall.
I didn't know Andy well, but I was certainly sad when I learned of his (as well as Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simons '83) passing in WTC on Sept 11.
The link below is the obit posted in the HWS alumni/ae magazine. The pic of Andy is the exact same from the '92 fall football program.
http://web.hws.edu/alumni/keepintouch/pssurvey/fall01_memorium.asp
RIP and God Bless
I didn't know Andy well, but I was certainly sad when I learned of his (as well as Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simons '83) passing in WTC on Sept 11.
The link below is the obit posted in the HWS alumni/ae magazine. The pic of Andy is the exact same from the '92 fall football program.
http://web.hws.edu/alumni/keepintouch/pssurvey/fall01_memorium.asp
RIP and God Bless
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Season Opener - Hobart vs. Dickinson
The #15 Hobart Statesmen will open up their 116th football season against the Dickinson College Red Devils. This is the 18th consecutive season the Statesmen will face the Red Devils in their season opener. Hobart is 8-9-1 all-time against Dickinson but has won the last three of four against their Centennial Conference rivals from Carlisle, PA. Last season Hobart defeated Dickinson 28-21 in Geneva. The Statesmen lead 14-0 at the half but had to rally down 14-21 to win the game in the final four minutes.
Dickinson returns virtually their entire offense (10 starters) from what was one of the most prolific units in 2008 (ranked 28th in DIII in total offense) and returns four players who were either first- or second-team All Conference including SR WR Pat O'Connor and SR OL Anthony Abbate on the first team and SR QB Ian Mitchell and JR RB Greg Lord on the second team. The Red Devils return only four defensive starters (SR S Mike Maxwell and SR DB Matt DeStefano along with JR LBs Kevin Wood and Cole Glennon) from a team that held Hobart to 97 rushing yards last season.
Dickinson (1-0) opened their 2009 season with a non-conference 52-47 victory over the Grove City College Wolverines (PA). The Red Devils needed every bit of the 504 yards they gained on offense to defeat the determined Wolverines (0-1). Dickinson was lead by an impressive performance by QB Ian Mitchell who accounted for 437 yards (21 for 27 passing for 288 yards with two interceptions/149 yards rushing on 14 carries) and four touchdowns. Grove City were no slouches on offense either, racking up 449 yards behind the arm (32 for 41 passing for 291 yards, one interception and three touchdowns) and legs (22 carries for 109 yards and one touchdown) of QB Andrew DiDonato. In the end, it was two big plays by Mitchell – a 39 yard pass to JR TE Austen Steele to make it 45-41 with 6:08 to play in the game, followed by a 45 yard touchdown run with 2:05 remaining to seal the victory for Dickinson.
Keys to the game:
1. Improve tackling at the point of attack – Last season the Red Devils’ multiple option offense racked up 229 rushing yards on 51 attempts (a 4.5 yards per carry average) against the Statesmen defense. RB Greg Lord was the leading rusher that day with 106 yards (5.6 average yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Although Lord was the leading rusher last season, look for him to split carries with JR RB Tim Smith this season. I also expect the Red Devils to test Hobart’s interior defense given the graduation of Sanders, Aruck and Hager. Although the Statesmen’s losses due to graduation on the interior defense may be perceived as this season’s potential Achilles heel; Hobart fans will likely recall that Dickinson’s bread and butter in the 2008 game were off-tackle plays that exploited the Statesmen’s early season tendency to over-pursue (as well as their somewhat undersized DEs and OLBs). Although both Dickinson LT Abbate and SO RT Andrew Hubley are not exceptionally big (both are 6’ 3” and 240 LBs), they are quick and able blockers. Red Devil SR FB Tim Wells (210 lbs) is also a key component to attacking opposing defenses to spring Mitchell, Lord and/or Smith for long runs.
2. Capitalize on turnovers – Although Mitchell is an offensive force, he is also prone to throw interceptions. In fact he had two last Saturday against Grove City and was also picked twice (once by Boyington and once by Woodard) during last season's Hobart-Dickinson game. Look for the Statesmen D to keep the pressure on Mitchell and trust their experienced secondary to lock up the Dickinson receivers in man coverage. Although there is a risk given Pat O’Connor’s talent, I believe Hobart has enough depth and speed in the secondary to limit him somewhat.
3. Control the clock – In the 2008 game, Hobart rode the time of possession battle (18:51-11:09) to a 14-0 lead in the first half before Dickinson took over in the second half (19:26 to 10:34). This year look for JR RB Andrew Marlier to improve on last season’s 52.1 yards per game average and play a bigger role in handling the bulk of the carries (moving the chains and the clock) against the Dickinson defense.
4. Go to the air - The Red Devils gave up 158 yards rushing to the Wolverines last Saturday, but more importantly showed they were susceptible to the pass allowing 291 yards. Given the Statesmen’s deep receiving corp of Tyler Vincent, Zach Schultz and Matt Duliba (who accounted for 197 of Hobart’s 234 passing yards and two receiving TDs against Dickinson last season), look for Hobart to ease their new QB with its pro-set, west-coast offense style of short yardage completions to move the chains.
Prediction:
I believe Hobart’s defense will be the deciding factor in this game. Mitchell et al will get their yards, but ultimately the final score will depend on how effective the Statesmen are at coming up with key stops (and/or turnovers). That said although Hobart needs to avoid a getting into a shoot-out with this Dickinson squad, I’ll predict this will likely be a high scoring game with Hobart hanging on to win 31-28 in Carlisle.
For more info on the Statesmen, please check out the official Hobart Football season preview here:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/news/2009/9/7/HFB_0907093346.aspx
Go Bart!
Dickinson returns virtually their entire offense (10 starters) from what was one of the most prolific units in 2008 (ranked 28th in DIII in total offense) and returns four players who were either first- or second-team All Conference including SR WR Pat O'Connor and SR OL Anthony Abbate on the first team and SR QB Ian Mitchell and JR RB Greg Lord on the second team. The Red Devils return only four defensive starters (SR S Mike Maxwell and SR DB Matt DeStefano along with JR LBs Kevin Wood and Cole Glennon) from a team that held Hobart to 97 rushing yards last season.
Dickinson (1-0) opened their 2009 season with a non-conference 52-47 victory over the Grove City College Wolverines (PA). The Red Devils needed every bit of the 504 yards they gained on offense to defeat the determined Wolverines (0-1). Dickinson was lead by an impressive performance by QB Ian Mitchell who accounted for 437 yards (21 for 27 passing for 288 yards with two interceptions/149 yards rushing on 14 carries) and four touchdowns. Grove City were no slouches on offense either, racking up 449 yards behind the arm (32 for 41 passing for 291 yards, one interception and three touchdowns) and legs (22 carries for 109 yards and one touchdown) of QB Andrew DiDonato. In the end, it was two big plays by Mitchell – a 39 yard pass to JR TE Austen Steele to make it 45-41 with 6:08 to play in the game, followed by a 45 yard touchdown run with 2:05 remaining to seal the victory for Dickinson.
Keys to the game:
1. Improve tackling at the point of attack – Last season the Red Devils’ multiple option offense racked up 229 rushing yards on 51 attempts (a 4.5 yards per carry average) against the Statesmen defense. RB Greg Lord was the leading rusher that day with 106 yards (5.6 average yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Although Lord was the leading rusher last season, look for him to split carries with JR RB Tim Smith this season. I also expect the Red Devils to test Hobart’s interior defense given the graduation of Sanders, Aruck and Hager. Although the Statesmen’s losses due to graduation on the interior defense may be perceived as this season’s potential Achilles heel; Hobart fans will likely recall that Dickinson’s bread and butter in the 2008 game were off-tackle plays that exploited the Statesmen’s early season tendency to over-pursue (as well as their somewhat undersized DEs and OLBs). Although both Dickinson LT Abbate and SO RT Andrew Hubley are not exceptionally big (both are 6’ 3” and 240 LBs), they are quick and able blockers. Red Devil SR FB Tim Wells (210 lbs) is also a key component to attacking opposing defenses to spring Mitchell, Lord and/or Smith for long runs.
2. Capitalize on turnovers – Although Mitchell is an offensive force, he is also prone to throw interceptions. In fact he had two last Saturday against Grove City and was also picked twice (once by Boyington and once by Woodard) during last season's Hobart-Dickinson game. Look for the Statesmen D to keep the pressure on Mitchell and trust their experienced secondary to lock up the Dickinson receivers in man coverage. Although there is a risk given Pat O’Connor’s talent, I believe Hobart has enough depth and speed in the secondary to limit him somewhat.
3. Control the clock – In the 2008 game, Hobart rode the time of possession battle (18:51-11:09) to a 14-0 lead in the first half before Dickinson took over in the second half (19:26 to 10:34). This year look for JR RB Andrew Marlier to improve on last season’s 52.1 yards per game average and play a bigger role in handling the bulk of the carries (moving the chains and the clock) against the Dickinson defense.
4. Go to the air - The Red Devils gave up 158 yards rushing to the Wolverines last Saturday, but more importantly showed they were susceptible to the pass allowing 291 yards. Given the Statesmen’s deep receiving corp of Tyler Vincent, Zach Schultz and Matt Duliba (who accounted for 197 of Hobart’s 234 passing yards and two receiving TDs against Dickinson last season), look for Hobart to ease their new QB with its pro-set, west-coast offense style of short yardage completions to move the chains.
Prediction:
I believe Hobart’s defense will be the deciding factor in this game. Mitchell et al will get their yards, but ultimately the final score will depend on how effective the Statesmen are at coming up with key stops (and/or turnovers). That said although Hobart needs to avoid a getting into a shoot-out with this Dickinson squad, I’ll predict this will likely be a high scoring game with Hobart hanging on to win 31-28 in Carlisle.
For more info on the Statesmen, please check out the official Hobart Football season preview here:
http://www.hwsathletics.com/news/2009/9/7/HFB_0907093346.aspx
Go Bart!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Week 1 Recap - Around the Liberty League
Week 1 of the 2009 season is officially in the books. Although Hobart doesn't kick off their season until this Saturday, half of the Liberty League (LL) began their '09 campaigns last Saturday. Here's a brief recap of how the LL fared (3-1) in out-of-conference action:
Susquehanna's RB Dave Paveletz ran for nearly 200 yards (30 carries for 185 yards) scoring three TDs - two rushing and one receiving - in a 24-0 shutout of Moravian College. Paveletz was recognized as an "Offensive Performer of the Week" by the LL for last Saturday's effort.
Speaking of rushing - the Merchant Marine Academy (MMA) racked up 263 yards and had three different RBs (Alex Coviello 11 rush for 109 yards for 1 TD; Karl Heimbrock 16 rush for 80 yards and 2 TDs; and Adam Leines 13 rush for 66 yards and 1 TD) score in a 38-14 victory over Gallaudet (who btw were held to 0 yards passing - that's not a typo - ZERO). Although the Bison couldn't pass the ball (literally) they did rush for nearly the same amount of yards (250) as the Mariners. Coviello earned a LL "Rookie of Week" award for his Week 1 performance.
WPI opened 2009 under the lights and took to air - passing for nearly 300 yards on Salve Regina to win 34-20. WPI QB Mike Swanton went 23 for 37 with 288 yards and 1 TD. Swanton also was the Engineers' leading rusher on the day, tallying 73 yards on 15 carries and 1 TD. Swanton shared the "Performer of the Week" honors with SU's Paveletz for his efforts against Salve last Saturday.
The Saints of Saint Lawrence were the only losers in Week 1 falling 45-0 to #10 Ithaca College. IC dominated in all aspects of the game - 22 first downs to 2; 433 yards to 80, etc. IC QB Brian Grastorf was an impressive 21 for 32 throwing for 288 yards and three TDs. The Bombers D also forced five Larry turnovers (three in the first quarter) which helped IC jump to a 24-0 first quarter lead.
Week 2 in the LL features some additional out-of-conference match-ups including:
Sep. 11 @ 7:00 PM ET:
Worcester Polytech vs. Worcester State
Sep. 12 @ 12:00 PM ET:
Case Western Reserve vs. Rochester
Hobart vs. Dickinson
@ 1:00 PM ET
Susquehanna vs. Juniata
Endicott vs. RPI
Ithaca vs. Union
@ 1:30 PM ET
St. Lawrence vs. Norwich
@ 2:30 PM ET
Coast Guard vs. Merchant Marine
Stay tuned for the Hobart-Dickinson game preview!
Susquehanna's RB Dave Paveletz ran for nearly 200 yards (30 carries for 185 yards) scoring three TDs - two rushing and one receiving - in a 24-0 shutout of Moravian College. Paveletz was recognized as an "Offensive Performer of the Week" by the LL for last Saturday's effort.
Speaking of rushing - the Merchant Marine Academy (MMA) racked up 263 yards and had three different RBs (Alex Coviello 11 rush for 109 yards for 1 TD; Karl Heimbrock 16 rush for 80 yards and 2 TDs; and Adam Leines 13 rush for 66 yards and 1 TD) score in a 38-14 victory over Gallaudet (who btw were held to 0 yards passing - that's not a typo - ZERO). Although the Bison couldn't pass the ball (literally) they did rush for nearly the same amount of yards (250) as the Mariners. Coviello earned a LL "Rookie of Week" award for his Week 1 performance.
WPI opened 2009 under the lights and took to air - passing for nearly 300 yards on Salve Regina to win 34-20. WPI QB Mike Swanton went 23 for 37 with 288 yards and 1 TD. Swanton also was the Engineers' leading rusher on the day, tallying 73 yards on 15 carries and 1 TD. Swanton shared the "Performer of the Week" honors with SU's Paveletz for his efforts against Salve last Saturday.
The Saints of Saint Lawrence were the only losers in Week 1 falling 45-0 to #10 Ithaca College. IC dominated in all aspects of the game - 22 first downs to 2; 433 yards to 80, etc. IC QB Brian Grastorf was an impressive 21 for 32 throwing for 288 yards and three TDs. The Bombers D also forced five Larry turnovers (three in the first quarter) which helped IC jump to a 24-0 first quarter lead.
Week 2 in the LL features some additional out-of-conference match-ups including:
Sep. 11 @ 7:00 PM ET:
Worcester Polytech vs. Worcester State
Sep. 12 @ 12:00 PM ET:
Case Western Reserve vs. Rochester
Hobart vs. Dickinson
@ 1:00 PM ET
Susquehanna vs. Juniata
Endicott vs. RPI
Ithaca vs. Union
@ 1:30 PM ET
St. Lawrence vs. Norwich
@ 2:30 PM ET
Coast Guard vs. Merchant Marine
Stay tuned for the Hobart-Dickinson game preview!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
In The Huddle Season 2!!!!
Tune in Thursday night (Sept. 3rd) at 7:30pm ET for the second season premiere of the only talk show dedicated to Liberty League college football:
"In the HuddLLe" - This week's show is in a special weekday slot so that we can get Liberty League fans ready for the opening kickoffs this Saturday with analysis and interviews for all eight teams in the League. So join Frank Rossi (voice of the Union Dutchmen on WABY) and Eric Ren (former RPI All American OL) as they review the 2008 season and look forward to the games to be played in 2009 for two hours.
During the show, Frank and Eric will be joined by D3football.com's Pat Coleman to discuss 2009 predictions -- and we will take your phone calls for any questions you may have. Finally, this season, "In the HuddLLe" will have a better web presence with blogs, news and other league-specific information at http://www.inthehuddlle.com/ (will go live soon -- currently redirects to the BlogTalkRadio.com page). So join us in 2009 on Sunday nights, but first join us this Thursday for the season premiere at InTheHuddLLe.com!
"In the HuddLLe" - This week's show is in a special weekday slot so that we can get Liberty League fans ready for the opening kickoffs this Saturday with analysis and interviews for all eight teams in the League. So join Frank Rossi (voice of the Union Dutchmen on WABY) and Eric Ren (former RPI All American OL) as they review the 2008 season and look forward to the games to be played in 2009 for two hours.
During the show, Frank and Eric will be joined by D3football.com's Pat Coleman to discuss 2009 predictions -- and we will take your phone calls for any questions you may have. Finally, this season, "In the HuddLLe" will have a better web presence with blogs, news and other league-specific information at http://www.inthehuddlle.com/ (will go live soon -- currently redirects to the BlogTalkRadio.com page). So join us in 2009 on Sunday nights, but first join us this Thursday for the season premiere at InTheHuddLLe.com!
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