Springfield Game Preview

The seventh ranked Hobart College Statesmen will travel to Springfield College this Saturday.  Once thought to be a potential number one contender to Hobart’s Liberty League championship defense in 2013, the Pride (3-2, 0-2) have lost two straight games and are effectively out of the LL race only five games into the season.  Union College (1-3, 1-1) held the former #1 rushing offense in Division III to a paltry 85 total yards last Saturday in Springfield.  The Dutchmen held the ball for an amazing 43:02, primarily due to the fact Springfield only converted three first downs.

The above really makes me wonder what kind of game we’ll see this Saturday.  Last season Hobart defeated the Pride 28-7 in Geneva.  Springfield was down 14-0 at the half but scored late in the third quarter to make it 14-7.  The Statesmen would rattle off two more scores in the fourth quarter and take the win.

Like the Union game last Saturday, in 2012 against Hobart the Pride really struggled on third down only converting one of 12 conversions (8%) and was held to 159 yards of total offense (150 of which were from running plays).

Otherwise, Springfield’s cast of characters hasn't changed much from last year.  SO QB Jonathan Marrero leads the Pride offense, rushing for 587 yards and seven TDs.  Although the Pride doesn't call many passes (only 38 total in five games), Marrero has 102 passing yards and two passing scores.  His primary targets are Jason Woods and James Poggio.  Woods has caught six passes for 84 yards and two scores and Poggio has 4 catches for 54 yards and one score.  SR FB Joel Altavesta is another key player on offense, running for 318 yards and one TD.  RB Louis Fenaroli has 237 yards and four scores.

Defensively the Pride is led by SR FS Sam Weiss with 41 tackles and two INTs, one which he returned for a 93 yard TD.  LBs Danny Macalena and Mike Dublin have also tallied 41 stops as well.  Macalena leads the team with 12 TFL for -65 yards and four sacks for -27.  Preseason All-American JR DE Max Nacewicz was injured early in the season and it has impacted Springfield’s ability to rush the QB and stop opposing offenses as well as they did in 2012.

Keys to the Game:

1. Win the LOS – all of the below is pretty self explanatory, almost obvious when it comes to football strategy.  Springfield is a solid triple option program, so if you limit the run, you’ll beat them.  Conversely, Hobart’s best defense is keeping the Pride offense off the field.  Hobart is no slouch in the run game, averaging 278.8 YPG and scoring 12 rushing TDs.  I expect a big game out of the Statesmen’s OL and DL Saturday.
2. Know Your Role (i.e., stay in your gaps) – speaking of the DL, stopping the triple option is all about gap assignments and not over pursuing, thus creating lanes for the opposing QB and/or RBs to option.  Having played a number of triple option teams Hobart is fairly familiar with this approach, but it’s easier said than done. 
3. Watch Out for Weiss - While I do expect Hobart to come out and grind out some runs, they will need to test the Pride secondary to keep them honest.  The challenge with that is not falling for disguised coverage being called by Weiss, who's effectively the "General" for the defense.  Weiss has a good nose for the ball and if JR QB Patrick Conlan isn't careful, Weiss could create some issues for the Statesmen passing game.

Prediction:

What was once billed by D3Football.com as the de facto "title game" for the LL in the preseason has lost its luster due to Springfield's struggles.  Still, the Pride is a tough out and Hobart needs to be focused and not let their guard down.  Springfield really has nothing to lose in the sense they've played themselves out of the conference title picture, but could play the role of spoiler.  I don't think Hobart will be caught unprepared, and I'll take the Statesmen in a convincing 35-7 win.  I just don't think Springfield's defense is up to par this season.

I am looking forward to getting a first hand look at Hobart this Saturday. Follow me @ITHuddLLe for pictures from the game.  I'll post some here early next week.

Go 'Bart!

Hobart Overwhelms WPI, 41-7

The seventh ranked Hobart College Statesmen dominated the WPI Engineers by the score of 41-7 today at Boswell Field.  The Statesmen (4-0, 2-0) out gained WPI (2-3, 1-1) 501 to 270 yards.

Hobart opened the scoring off of two SR RB Steven Webb 38 and 42 TD runs early in the game.  The Statesmen's JR QB Patrick Conlan found JR WR Elvin Souffrant on a five yard pass to push the Hobart lead to 21-0 with only 1:05 to play in the first quarter.  Conlan found find the end zone again by calling his own number, scoring on a three yard TD rush early the in the second quarter.  This score was set up by Hobart's second defensive interception of WPI QB Jacob Grills.  The first was by SR CB Connor Garrett (resulting in Webb's second TD) and the second by JR OLB Nolan Toran.

The real fireworks didn't start though until Conlan and JR WR Troy Robinson executed the longest passing TD in Hobart history connecting on an 89 yard flea flicker to push the Statesmen lead to 34-0.  Dan Suozzi '05 hauled in an 88 yard score from Craig Swanson '04 in a 35-3 beating of Union in 2003 which was the previous record. Pretty much everything went Hobart's way up until then, the only miscue being a FY PK Sean Kirsche pulling the PAT wide left. To be fair, Kirsche had a great game overall, going four of five on averaging 58 yards on kickoff, even handling punts later in the game.

Head Coach Mike Cragg would empty the bench in the second half and JR QB Kyle Bayly took advantage of the opportunity, scoring his first ever Hobart passing TD, finding Robinson for 27 yards and a 41-0 Statesmen lead.

The Engineers would avoid a shutout as SR QB Johnny Antonopoulos's play action pass to Larry McGillicuddy would connect for 70 yards late in the game.  Blaine Bursey's point after was good and WPI was on the board, but down 41-7, which would be the final.

Leading the Statesmen on offense was Conlan in an impressive nine for 15, 208 passing yards and two TD performance.  Webb added 113 yards on 10 carries and two scores.  Robinson was the top target hauling in three catches for 127 yards and two scores.

Defensively the Statesmen were once again led by SR LBs Jacob Price and Cory Davis with five stops a piece.  JR DE Tyre Coleman added three tackles, including a TFL and one sack.  The latter leaves him only a 1/2 sack away from Hobart's all time mark of 33 set by Dave Russell '98.

Next week the Statesmen will travel to Springfield, MA to take on the reeling Pride (3-2, 0-2) of Springfield College.  Once thought to be potential contenders to Hobart's LL crown, the Pride have lost back to back LL games and were otherwise man handled by previously win less Union College (1-3, 1-1).  Hobart will do well not to look past to Springfield however.  I am looking forward to seeing the Statesmen in person next weekend.  Fans, friends of the program, let's meet up for a tailgate!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

WPI Game Preview

It’s October!

Thanks to all the readers who made the month of September the best one yet with over 4,200 visits to the site. At this rate we’ll crack 50K before the end of the month!

The seventh ranked Hobart College Statesmen (3-0, 1-0) host the WPI Engineers, in a rare home game, Saturday in Geneva at noon. The Statesmen will once again don their camouflage / Wounded Warrior uniforms (see below) in honor of America’s troops. Funds raised from the game will go to assist “Honor Flight”, a charity organization that provides travel services for veterans to Washington, DC.

Last season Hobart had their way with WPI in a 61-8 blowout that saw the Statesmen rack up 542 total yards and hold the ball for 39:46 in the contest. Hobart tallied 27 compared to WPI’s six first downs and the Engineers only gained 78 total yards in the game.

This year WPI is coming into this contest with a better overall team and record (2-2, 1-0) than 2012. Last Saturday they had a resounding 27-14 win over LL and “industry” rival RPI in the annual “Transit Trophy” game. WPI has had a “Jekyll and Hyde” type of season of sorts, with dominant victories over Curry (0-3, 0-1) and RPI (3-1, 0-1) while playing quite the opposite in a 31-14 loss to Norwich (1-2) in Week 3. The Engineers could easily be 3-1, but lost a 15-14 heart breaker to cross town rival Worcester State (3-1, 1-1) in the final seconds of that game, in Week 2 (and perhaps the hangover lasted until after Week 3?).

WPI ranks just behind Hobart in scoring offense (25.8 compared to 29.3 PPG) and boasts one of the best running backs in the conference, if not the country, in JR Zach Grasis who’s averaging 131.2 YPG, scoring seven touchdowns (TDs) in four games.  Grasis ranks 10th in the nation in total rush yards (525) and is tied for sixth in rushing TDs (6). It appears after last week that JR QB Jacob Grills has earned the starting job over SR QB Johnny Antonopoulos, and he looked good, going 17 of 30 for 184 yards and one TD against RPI. Grills’ top target is SR WR Ehab Hamdan who leads the LL with 89 receiving YPG and six TDs. The six receiving TDs also ranks Hamdan as second in the nation according to the NCAA DIII stat sheet.

Defensively WPI has struggled a bit, allowing 22 PPG and allowing a LL-worst 400.5 YPG and 12 TDs. The Engineers have been particularly susceptible against strong passing teams, allowing 221.2 YPG and eight receiving TDs to their opponents. SO DB Eric Lacroix leads the Engineers with 34 total tackles (8.5 TPG), two interceptions and one sack. Lacroix earned LL honors as Co-DPOY after tallying eight stops against RPI, including five solo tackles, one for a loss and a 33 yard interception return. JR LB Jake Brown has 25 tackles and one sack.

On special teams WPI has a solid kicker in FY Blaine Bursey. He’s two for two on FGs this season and has converted 11 of 14 PATs. SO PK Vincent Tavernelli leads the LL in punting, averaging 42.5 YPP with a long of 74 yards.

Keys to the Game: 

1. Zack Attack (or really, Attack Zach) – Stuffing WPI’s run game is the key to beating WPI. In the Engineers’ two wins, Grasis has run for 342 yards and six scores. In the two losses, he ran for 183 and just one TD. Against Norwich WPI really struggled on third down, only converting two of 13 attempts. If the Statesmen can force the Engineers to be one dimensional, they can pin them back and rush Grills, potentially forcing…

2. Turnovers – WPI is -1 on the season in turnover margin, and their struggles with possession have played a role in their losses this season. The Engineers have thrown a league high six interceptions, so if the Statesmen bottle up Grasis, players like JR OLB Nolan Toran or SR FS Jolyon Davis could collect a pick (or two) Saturday

3. Rush for 300(+) – Norwich ran for 374 yards on the WPI defense and I expect Hobart will be shooting to eclipse the 300 rushing yard mark as well. While the Statesmen may test the Engineer pass defense, I don’t see it happening until after a steady dose of SR RB Steven Webb and SO RB Connor Hartigan

Prediction: 

The Statesmen are very tough to beat at the “Boz”, and this game will be no exception. I think WPI’s issues on defense and ball control on offense should make for another home win for Hobart. I’ll take the Statesmen to win going away, 30-10.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Hobart Grinds Out Tough Win Against Merchant Marine, 24-8

The seventh ranked Hobart Statesmen improved to 3-0 Saturday and are the Liberty League's final undefeated squad after a very competitive Week 4.

Hobart struggled against a tough USMMA defense and was otherwise shut out in the first quarter, save for a FY PK Sean Kirsche 31 yard FG.  SO RB Connor Hartigan would finally get the Statesmen into the end zone about half way through the second quarter to post the visitors to a 10-0 lead. The Merchant Marine (3-1) would threaten to score right before the half, advancing to the Hobart three yard line, but questionable clock management by the Mariners coaching staff forced them to rush a 23 yard Daniel Kennedy FG.  The kick, which WEOS FM's Ted Baker aptly called a "Chinese Fire-drill", ended up being wide right.  With the miss the 10-0 Statesmen lead stood at the half.

JR QB Patrick Conlan would find SR WR Yosh Karbowniczak from 37 yards out only 52 seconds into the third quarter to push Hobart's lead to 17-0. Apparently Conlan has some speed too, as he faked a hand off to SR RB Steven Webb, and ran untouched for 53 yards to score another Hobart TD. Although the Statesmen reserves would fail to preserve the shut out, Hobart hung on to win by a score of 24-8.

Conlan led the Statesmen offense with 129 passing and 49 rushing yards and two scores.  SO LB Trayvon Toney led the Hobart defense with 12 tackles.  SR OLB Devin Worthington had a big game, collecting 11 stops, including 3.5 TFL and two sacks.  Worthington is closing in on both the career TFL and sack marks, the latter in close range for JR DE Tyre Coleman with only one and a half to go, but the All-American only had three tackles in Saturday's contest.

The Hobart defense bottled up what used to be the nation's leading rusher, holding SO QB Matthew McDaniels to only 65 rushing yards on 22 carries.

Webb ended up with 93 rushing yards, breaking a string of five games with over 100.  Overall the Mariners held Hobart to 207 total rush yards, more than a 100 yards off their season average.  The Statesmen controlled the game from start to finish, so there's really not much to complain about.  24 points is a bit low, but these aren't the Mariners of 2012.  I could see this MMA squad doing some damage in what now appears to be a wide open LL below Hobart.

The Statesmen will host WPI (2-2) next Saturday at the "Boz".  Hobart will don their camouflage uniforms in honor of our veterans, specifically, the Honor Flight organization.

Tune into "In The HuddLLe" Sunday night at 7:30 PM ET at www.inthehuddlle.com for highlights to this, and the weekend's top games.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

USMMA Game Preview

My apologies for posting so late in the week. Contrary to popular belief, I do have a day job and that got in the way of getting this out sooner. Without further ado, the Hobart Statesmen (2-0) are back up to #7 in the D3football.com Top 25 poll and will open conference play this Saturday in Kings Point. They face off against the United States Merchant Marine Academy Mariners (USMMA) at 2 PM.

The Academy (3-0) is off to its best start since the 1997 season and boasts one of the best offensive players in the country. SO QB Matt McDaniels leads the nation in total rushing yards with 538 and is third in the nation with 189.3 YPG. SR OLB Matthrew Morse leads the Mariners defense with 25 tackles. While the USMMA offense gets a lot of press, the defense is no pushover. The Mariners are allowing only 18 PPG and 285.7 YPG in total defense. By comparison Hobart has allowed 14 PPG and 276 YPG in total defense.

To be fair, teams like Coast Guard, SUNY-Maritime and Susquehanna aren't at the same level of Hobart, who with SR RB Steven Webb, boasts a 178.5 YPG rushing average, good for sixth in the nation. Webb is also, as WEOS' Ted Baker likes to call him, a "touchdown maker", averaging 15 PPG (fifth in the nation). Webb is also sixth in the nation in all purpose yards with 218 YPG.

Ultimately I view this game as a "something's got to give" scenario as each teams' total rushing offense is around three times what they allow in rushing defense. The MMA have struggled with strong passing teams in the past, so it'll be interesting to see whether or not JR QB Patrick Conlan will get more of an opportunity to pass the ball more?

Keys to the Game:
1. Win the LOS - when two strong running offensive and defensive teams play, it's all about the trenches. Hobart has a definite size advantage over the Mariners given the latter have strict weight and body fat percentage requirements per the Academy.

1b. Improve third down conversions - The Statesmen offense has put up a lot of yards and points, but their 3rd down work needs improvement. Hobart is next to last in the LL with only seven 3rd down conversions (out of 22 attempts, a 31.8% conversion percentage). With a tough rush defense like the Mariners, the Statesmen offense needs to move the chains and keep McDaniels off the field.

2. Stay in your gaps - The Statesmen defense struggled last season against the MMA's triple option, often overpuising and missing their gap assignments in the first half. Players like SO DE Mark Guarino-Hyde, SO DT Tucker Gumkowski and JR DT Troy Johnson are all a year older and wiser having played four option teams in the 2012 season.

3. Air it out (and be ready on defense for MMA to do the same) - The Mariners allow 177 YPG through the air and could be suspectible to Hobart's passing game if Conlan performs better. SO DB Sklyer Stone is tied for second in the LL with five passes defended, but a shoulder injury has had him sidelined for the last couple of weeks and his status for the Hobart game is uncertain. The Statesmen defense has to be ready for the long ball themselves, as McDaniels does have a good arm. The Mariners don't pass much (only 20 attempts in three games), but those plays have averaged 18.5 YPP, and have accounted for two of USMMA's 10 TDs on the season. SR RB/WR Connor Kennedy has 123 yards and one receiving TD, including a long of 71 yards, so Hobart can't sleep on the long ball.

Prediction: Hobart holds a 9-0 series record vs. the Mariners since the two teams joined the LL. Last season the Statesmen struggled with the USMMA and the triple option out of the gate and went into the half only up 14-6. Hobart regrouped in the second half and put the Mariners away, 42-21. The USMMA looks improved this season but I am not sure they will be the team that knocks off a top ranked Hobart squad. I'll pick the Statesmen to play the role of spoiler at the Mariners' Homecoming by the score of 35-21.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Coach Cragg Talks Utica and USMMA on ITH

Head Coach Mike Cragg appeared on the D3Football / Liberty League podcast show "In The HuddLLe" show tonight.  A playback can be found here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ith/2013/09/22/in-the-huddlle--liberty-league-football-talk-show

We also previewed this Saturday's LL opener against the 3-0 United States Merchant Marine Academy, including an interview with Head Coach Mike Toop.

Hobart Overcomes Utica, 34-21

The eighth ranked Hobart Football team had to wait until Week 3 for their home opener and they made the most of it, defeating Utica College, 34-21, in a tough, wet and often controversial game. The Statesmen overcame 121 yards of penalties, two interceptions by JR QB Patrick Conlan and a gritty Utica (2-1) club under the lights at Boswell Field.

The game got off to a rough start for Hobart (2-0) as their offense struggled to get their rhythm early in the game. The Pioneers converted two fourth down plays en route to a 7-0 lead when SR RB Jake Larson scored from five yards out with 4:16 to go in the first quarter. The special teams unit would block a Utica punt allowing Conlan to find JR TE Mike Berkowitz from eight yards out; capping a two play, 10 second drive. The Statesmen would take advantage of another short field, this time off JR OLB Nolan Toran's second caused turnover (he intercepted Butkiewicz in the first quarter but Hobart wasn't able to cash in), to take a 14-7 lead after a two yard SR RB Steven Webb TD. Hobart would stun the visitors on the ensuing offensive possession when SO RB Connor Hartigan took the ball 89 yards, dodging his way to the end zone for the score. Although Hobart only gained six first downs in the first half, they took a 21-7 advantage into the locker room.

The Statesmen would try to pull away in the second half after a 56 yard Webb run pushed Hobart's lead to 28-7 with 9:37 to go in the third. Utica would come back however, driving 74 yards in 10 plays, capping the possession with another Larson TD. The SO PK Thomas Woodburn kick failed leaving the score 28-13. The Pioneers would threaten again but a big defensive stand by Hobart thwarted another Pioneers score at the end of the quarter.

Conlan found JR WR Elvin Souffrant for an 18 TD pass to push the Statesmen's lead to 34-13 with 8:10 to go in the game. Although Utica would score another TD, a nine yard Connor Butkiewicz to Jamie Murphy reception, it came at 4:13 to go. Hobart would recover the ensuing onside kick and run out the clock, taking a knee at the Pioneers one yard line as time expired, winning the game, 34-21.

Leading the Statesmen once again was Webb with 150 of Hobart's 329 rushing yards and two TDs. Larson led Utica with 111 yards and two scores as well. SR LB Joe Giametta led the Pioneer defense with 11 tackles and Hobart's SR LB Cory Davis led the Statesmen "D" with a game high 14 stops.

With the win Hobart improves to 2-0 on the season and with two top 10 teams losing today may move up in tomorrow's D3football.com Top 25 poll*.  The Statesmen open Liberty League play against a 3-0 USMMA squad who won 7-6 over SUNY-Maritime in a defensive struggle.  The 3-0 start is the Mariners best since the 1997 season.

 A few additional thoughts:
- The officiating in this game was questionable with a total of 194 yards in flags, Hobart getting called 14 times for -121 yards.  Those penalties helped Utica to the tune of a 35 to 25 minute advantage in time of possession.  Seven of Utica's first downs came via penalty which distorts the 29 to 15 advantage they had over Hobart.  Both teams only punted five times each all evening
- The Statesmen running game, special teams and defense came up big when they had to make plays
- The Statesmen pass defense struggled to the tune of 235 yards, but only gave up one passing TD
- Conlan had a tough night throwing for only 69 yards
- The Statesmen defense was a bit too aggressive at times, which allowed Utica to take advantage of their over pursuit. To be fair, it was the home opener, on Homecoming and Parent's Weekend, under the lights, which may have added to the "hype".  I don't think there won't be too many other games this season when Hobart only picks up one sack
- Hobart needs to get better in the pass game to avoid being a one dimensional offense. Although it was a rainy / wet night, 69 yards against what's likely a mid-level / non-playoff Empire 8 team isn't good enough. The good news is it's only Conlan's second ever college start. He and the Statesmen receivers will improve over time
- Credit to Head Coach Mike Cragg to eschew the final TD and taking a knee

* I am not worried if the Statesmen move up or stay in the same spot, but would be sort of surprised if they drop.  I could see some pollsters wanting to see Hobart win by 20+, but the game kind of turned out how I thought it based on my prediction (which was 35-17 in case you missed it in the preview blog post).

While I do have some concerns coming out of this game, the Statesmen persevered  which is the most important thing.  Overall it was a tougher weekend for the LL in which the league ended up 4-4 after an 11-2 start. This game film will provide Hobart with a lot of learning opportunities and help them be ready against a tough Merchant Marine squad next Saturday.  More on that game later next week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!