Hobart College endured a track meet style football game tonight to defeat the Shenandoah Hornets (2-1) 56-48.
The Statesmen (2-1) were out-gained 575 to 501 yards, but Hobart kept up with great offensive and special team plays to get the win. The Statesmen lost the TOP battle almost 36-24 but the defense made enough plays to save the day.
JR QB Ryan Hofmann went 18-24 for 328 yards and four TDs. His main target was JR WR Jake Catalioto for 168 yards and a TD. Classmate JR WR Ray Conley finished with 83 yards and a TD and SR TE and Co-Captain Matthew Woods had 2 TDs, including the effective game winner.
FY WR Shahkyle Matthews broke a 95-yard KO return for TD to give Hobart a 35-27 lead with 7:34 remaining before halftime. SO RB Alex Milliken broke a 65 yard rushing TD on Hobart's first play from scrimmage as well to help the Statesmen tonight.
FY LB Brian Aguilar (who wears my old #36) led the Statesmen defense with 10 tackles, with 2 TFL and the game ending INT was great too. Not necessarily heralded but equally great was FY FS James McCoy who made some incredible plays on special teams.
Hobart improves to 2-1 on the season and will face Endicott (1-2) next weekend.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Week 3 - Shenandoah Game Preview
It appears as though Saturday night's game in Winchester, VA is going to be played as Hurricane Florence won't reach up to that part of the state. There hasn't been an official confirmation yet, but it is expected later today that Shenandoah and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) will make a decision (will provide an update on this ASAP).
Assuming the game is allowed to happen as expected, it will be a rematch of last season's 56-30 win by the Statesmen in Geneva. Hobart and the Hornets combined for 44 points in the first half, with the visitors coming back to take a 23-21 lead into the break. The Statesmen would score on back-to-back possessions in the third and fourth quarters to put the game away. The Hobart run game ended up being the story of the night, as they out-gained Shenandoah 368 rushing yards to 69.
Scouting the Hornets
Shenandoah (2-0) is off to a good start, highlighted by preseason All-American SR QB Hayden Bauserman. Bauserman has already passed for 626 yards and nine TDs which is almost three times the Hornets' rushing output. Bauserman's favorite targets are SR RB Jalen Hudson (who's probably more of a slot back when you look at his stats of 160 receiving yards, 2 TDs vs. nine runs for 30 yards), SO WR Jake Wallace (121 yards, 1 TD) and JR WR Casey Stewart (133 yards, 4 TDs). SO TE Austin Ward is basically a blocker, as he has yet to register a catch so far this season.
Up front for Shenandoah is a somewhat smaller, albeit experienced OL that includes the following players (according to last week's BX, there are no injury reports online for D3FB):
JR LT Brad Hoffman (6', 235)
SR LG Andrew Coffman (6'4", 285)
SR C Caleb Hutson (5'11", 225)
SR RG Jonathan Grammo (6'3", 300)
JR RT Michael Davidson (5'10", 220)
Overall this offense averages over 500 YPG and 53 PPG which is pretty impressive. To be fair, Shenandoah's opponents so far have a combined W/L record of 1-3.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hornets are led by JR LB Tyler Williams with 15 tackles, two TFL and an INT. If there's a weakness to be exploited Saturday night is the fact that Shenandoah is susceptible to the pass. They've allowed almost 360 YPG passing and 27 PPG to opposing offenses.
On special teams the Hornets are led by FY PK Patrick Ritchie. He's converted one FG on the season and is 14-14 PATs. SO WR Brant Butler is Shenandoah's punter, averaging 39 YPP and has done a nice job pinning the opposition. Four of his six kicks have either ended up inside the 20 or have had to be fair caught.
The return game has the combination of Hudson (who has one PR for a TD so far already) and FY RB Rashadeen Byrd, Jr. The FY RB has one return for 56 yards, so Hobart will have to make sure their coverage squad is ready.
Keys to the Game:
1. Test the Shenandoah Secondary - JR QB Ryan Hofmann had a career day last weekend against SUNY-Morrisville and could put up similar stats against what looks like a relatively weak pass defense. The Hornets have only registered two sacks this season, so the Statesmen OL should be able to provide sufficient time on pass protection to allow JR WRs Jake Catalioto and Ray Conley to get open.
2. Get the Run Game Going - So far this season Hobart is averaging just under 60 rushing YPG. That stat has to improve in order for the Statesmen to balance out the offense.
3. "Beat Up" Bauserman - The Hornets offense is predicated on the 6'3" 220 lbs gunslinger. The Shenandoah OL has allowed only one sack so far on the season, so it's up to the Statesmen DL to change that Saturday night.
4. Protect the Football - Shenandoah's defense has been a takeaway machine with six INTs. Hobart may want to avoid SO DB Daquan Pridget, who's second on the team in tackles with 12 to go with three INTs. JR FS Nate Hill has good eyes and feet - he had a 100-yard pick six in Shenandoah's Week 1 win at Methodist (1-1).
Prediction
After a confidence building win last Saturday, Hobart (1-1) has good momentum going into this game. If last season's any indication, there's potential for a shootout, but I like the Statesmen defense to once again hold on late in the game.
I'll take Hobart to come away with a 42-28 win on Saturday night. While the Hornets do have a decent video feed, it's shot from pretty high up so don't expect a lot of close ups in this one. Please tweet us pictures @D3FBHuddle if you're at the game.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Assuming the game is allowed to happen as expected, it will be a rematch of last season's 56-30 win by the Statesmen in Geneva. Hobart and the Hornets combined for 44 points in the first half, with the visitors coming back to take a 23-21 lead into the break. The Statesmen would score on back-to-back possessions in the third and fourth quarters to put the game away. The Hobart run game ended up being the story of the night, as they out-gained Shenandoah 368 rushing yards to 69.
Scouting the Hornets
Shenandoah (2-0) is off to a good start, highlighted by preseason All-American SR QB Hayden Bauserman. Bauserman has already passed for 626 yards and nine TDs which is almost three times the Hornets' rushing output. Bauserman's favorite targets are SR RB Jalen Hudson (who's probably more of a slot back when you look at his stats of 160 receiving yards, 2 TDs vs. nine runs for 30 yards), SO WR Jake Wallace (121 yards, 1 TD) and JR WR Casey Stewart (133 yards, 4 TDs). SO TE Austin Ward is basically a blocker, as he has yet to register a catch so far this season.
Up front for Shenandoah is a somewhat smaller, albeit experienced OL that includes the following players (according to last week's BX, there are no injury reports online for D3FB):
JR LT Brad Hoffman (6', 235)
SR LG Andrew Coffman (6'4", 285)
SR C Caleb Hutson (5'11", 225)
SR RG Jonathan Grammo (6'3", 300)
JR RT Michael Davidson (5'10", 220)
Overall this offense averages over 500 YPG and 53 PPG which is pretty impressive. To be fair, Shenandoah's opponents so far have a combined W/L record of 1-3.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hornets are led by JR LB Tyler Williams with 15 tackles, two TFL and an INT. If there's a weakness to be exploited Saturday night is the fact that Shenandoah is susceptible to the pass. They've allowed almost 360 YPG passing and 27 PPG to opposing offenses.
On special teams the Hornets are led by FY PK Patrick Ritchie. He's converted one FG on the season and is 14-14 PATs. SO WR Brant Butler is Shenandoah's punter, averaging 39 YPP and has done a nice job pinning the opposition. Four of his six kicks have either ended up inside the 20 or have had to be fair caught.
The return game has the combination of Hudson (who has one PR for a TD so far already) and FY RB Rashadeen Byrd, Jr. The FY RB has one return for 56 yards, so Hobart will have to make sure their coverage squad is ready.
Keys to the Game:
1. Test the Shenandoah Secondary - JR QB Ryan Hofmann had a career day last weekend against SUNY-Morrisville and could put up similar stats against what looks like a relatively weak pass defense. The Hornets have only registered two sacks this season, so the Statesmen OL should be able to provide sufficient time on pass protection to allow JR WRs Jake Catalioto and Ray Conley to get open.
2. Get the Run Game Going - So far this season Hobart is averaging just under 60 rushing YPG. That stat has to improve in order for the Statesmen to balance out the offense.
3. "Beat Up" Bauserman - The Hornets offense is predicated on the 6'3" 220 lbs gunslinger. The Shenandoah OL has allowed only one sack so far on the season, so it's up to the Statesmen DL to change that Saturday night.
4. Protect the Football - Shenandoah's defense has been a takeaway machine with six INTs. Hobart may want to avoid SO DB Daquan Pridget, who's second on the team in tackles with 12 to go with three INTs. JR FS Nate Hill has good eyes and feet - he had a 100-yard pick six in Shenandoah's Week 1 win at Methodist (1-1).
Prediction
After a confidence building win last Saturday, Hobart (1-1) has good momentum going into this game. If last season's any indication, there's potential for a shootout, but I like the Statesmen defense to once again hold on late in the game.
I'll take Hobart to come away with a 42-28 win on Saturday night. While the Hornets do have a decent video feed, it's shot from pretty high up so don't expect a lot of close ups in this one. Please tweet us pictures @D3FBHuddle if you're at the game.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Statesmen Await to Hear from Shenandoah
With several other mid-atlantic D3FB schools either outright cancelling or postponing their Week 3 games given the approach of Hurricane Florence, Hobart College football players, coaches and families await to hear whether or not there will be a game to play in Winchester, VA this Saturday night.
As of now VA is in a State of Emergency, but so far Shenandoah has only released a general announcement as far as preparedness is concerned, but that's about it as of today.
More news on this to follow.
We covered this news, as well as paid a 9/11 tribute to former Statesmen football player Andrew Glokin '93 in today's In the D3FB Huddle episode.
Stay tuned and go 'Bart!
As of now VA is in a State of Emergency, but so far Shenandoah has only released a general announcement as far as preparedness is concerned, but that's about it as of today.
More news on this to follow.
We covered this news, as well as paid a 9/11 tribute to former Statesmen football player Andrew Glokin '93 in today's In the D3FB Huddle episode.
Stay tuned and go 'Bart!
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Statesmen Break Mustangs, 62-24
JR QB Ryan Hofmann tied a school record with six TD passes Saturday for Hobart College's home opener. His favorite targets were JR WR Jake Catalioto and JR WR Ray Conley had three and two TDs, respectively. Hofmann finished the day 14-20 for 239 yards and was a big part in the Statesmen's setting a modern era scoring record in the process.
The Statesmen defense recovered well from last week, forcing four Morrisville turnovers. Hobart was led by SO OLB Emmett Forde and JR OLB David McCarthy with seven tackles each. SR DT Sean Moore had a great game, tallying four tackles and leading Hobart with two TFLs, a sack and a forced fumble.
SO PK Kyle Hackett remained perfect, hitting two FGs, one for 23 and another for 39 yards. He was also a perfect 7-7 on PATs. The final PAT was converted by FY PK Rob DiGregorio (according the BX, anyway). Hackett moved past my former team and roommate Matt Edwards into sixth place on the Statesmen's all-time FG's made list.
While it was a great all around day for Hobart, the run game still needs work. The Statesmen averaged 2.6 YPR, but they did get two rushing scores via FY RB Dante Kimbrough and FY QB David Krewson. FY WR De' John King got his first career TD on a 27-yard pass from Hofmann in the third quarter.
Hobart will travel to VA next week to take on Shenandoah University in a rare Saturday night game to face off against former DC Scott Yoder '01. More on that game early next week, but for now, congratulations to Coach DeWall '00 on his first career win as HC!
The Statesmen defense recovered well from last week, forcing four Morrisville turnovers. Hobart was led by SO OLB Emmett Forde and JR OLB David McCarthy with seven tackles each. SR DT Sean Moore had a great game, tallying four tackles and leading Hobart with two TFLs, a sack and a forced fumble.
SO PK Kyle Hackett remained perfect, hitting two FGs, one for 23 and another for 39 yards. He was also a perfect 7-7 on PATs. The final PAT was converted by FY PK Rob DiGregorio (according the BX, anyway). Hackett moved past my former team and roommate Matt Edwards into sixth place on the Statesmen's all-time FG's made list.
While it was a great all around day for Hobart, the run game still needs work. The Statesmen averaged 2.6 YPR, but they did get two rushing scores via FY RB Dante Kimbrough and FY QB David Krewson. FY WR De' John King got his first career TD on a 27-yard pass from Hofmann in the third quarter.
Hobart will travel to VA next week to take on Shenandoah University in a rare Saturday night game to face off against former DC Scott Yoder '01. More on that game early next week, but for now, congratulations to Coach DeWall '00 on his first career win as HC!
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Week 2 - Morrisville State Game Preview
After just getting back from a very hot, but fun, weekend in Upstate, NY, I don't really have much to say about the Brockport game. I decided to pass on writing a recap on it as I think it was well covered in our live In the D3FB Huddle game day pre-and-post-game shows. I wish I had more time to visit with and meet more of the current Statesmen's families (I did enjoy speaking with a few here and there over the weekend) and spend more time with the coaches, but it was a pretty hectic day and weekend for everyone.
The link to the Hobart recap on the game can be seen here. While I credit the team to fighting through adversity and avoiding a shutout thanks to SR TE Matt Woods TD; in terms of losses, yes, this is right up there as one of the worst in recent memory.
While the 47-7 loss to St. Thomas in the 2012 national quarterfinals was lopsided, you'd really have to go back to 1988-90 to find a Statesmen defense that gave up over 50 points in a game. Needless to say I think the SUNY-Morrisville Mustangs will be a more feasible match-up, but certainly no push-over, for the Statesmen.
Last season the Mustangs finished 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Empire 8 with a team that reportedly struggled with a great deal of injuries. A lot of those players are healed and back this season, and so they welcomed as many as 15 returning starters - eight on offense and seven on defense - coming in to 2018. Let's take a look at them and this week's home opener:
Scouting the Mustangs
The Statesmen and Mustangs will meet for the very first time, which is kind of surprising given the schools are only 84 miles apart from one another. SUNY-Morrisville opened their 2018 season with a 34-13 win over Norwich University (0-1) from the NEWMAC in Vermont. SR QB Brandon Gwinner had a big day, passing for 316 yards and four TDs. Gwinner spread the ball around, hitting four different receivers multiple times led by big SR TE Petrit Boga for 91 yards and a TD. At 6' 2" 240 lbs #5 is easy to see but he got behind the Cadets defense on a 58-yard pass and score late in the game. SR WR Raffaele Bradshaw, JR WR Jermaine Cooper and FY WR Toure Hall, Jr. combined for 190 yards and three TDs.
Helping balance the offensive attack was bulky SR RB Nick Edmond who at 5' 10" 243 lbs is a load to bring down. He carried the ball 22 times for 113 rushing yards while being spelled by classmate SR RB Darrell West who added 45 yards on 11 carries. Leading the way for these runners will likely be JR FB Jeffrey Carozza (who tips the scales at 280 lbs!).
These offensive specialists are protected by an experienced line that features SR OL Marcus Thompson (6'3" 290), JR OL Zach Hutchinson (6'1" 305), JR OL Tyler Elmore (6'1" 365) and SR OL Niko Cejic (6'2" 255). This group won the LOS overall, but they did give up two sacks last Saturday and saw the Cadets manage six TFL for -21 yards and a forced fumble.
Defensively the Mustangs were led by JR LB Taylor Avanzato with seven total tackles. Overall Morrisville's defense held Norwich to 215 total yards, particularly due to only allowing two of 12 on third down conversions in the game. Although he only had three tackles in Saturday's game, SO SS Jose Garcia is considered one of the Mustangs' best overall athletes. JR S Mike Bodnar had six tackles against Norwich from the weak side. SO CB Deondrade Wells is considered Morrisville's top cover corner, but he will be at a size disadvantage (5'9" 163) compared to some of Hobart's taller WRs. JR DL Jermaine Rankine and SR DL Jordan Robinson bring experience to the interior of the defense, but they are on the smaller side at only 230 and 247 lbs, respectively.
One area where the Mustangs are a bit weak is in the kicking game. FY PK Zan Stewart was only 2-5 with a long of 36 on FGs Saturday, but he went 4-4 on PATs. He averaged 57.1 yards PKO, but did land one out of bounds. Morrisville didn't attempt a punt in the game.
Keys to the Game:
1. Sustain Drives - Nobody on the Statesmen OL had a good game last Saturday, even returning All-LL SR OL John Deveney was beaten regularly throughout the game by the #5 Golden Eagles rushers. If Hobart is to once again to be without leading rusher SO RB Dakota Harvey and receiver JR WR John DelliSanti, then the Statesmen will need to find other ways to move the chains. Norwich had similar struggles on offense against Morrisville in Week 1, losing the TOP battle by a 34-26 margin because of it.
2. Make Gwinner a Loser - The Hobart defense had zero sacks and, even more telling, zero QB hits last weekend. While SO OLB Emmett Forde and SO DE Zach Rudolph did have one TFL each, the Statesmen will need to apply a lot more pressure to defend their home turf Saturday.
3. Play All Four Downs - If it comes down to the kicking game, the Statesmen have a big advantage. It wouldn't surprise me given Morrisville's FG kicking issues we could see the Mustangs go for it more often on fourth down, so the Hobart defense needs to be ready.
4. Stay Confident - It seems like all the wind went out of the Hobart sideline after the first play, 77-yard Brockport TD last weekend. This young team, which is going through a lot of personnel changes as the coaching staff works with the roster, needs to keep it's heads' up. SUNY-Morrisville will be very excited to get a shot at Hobart and a win over the Statesmen would be a big feather in their cap as they get ready for E8 play. Last season they barely lost to Union, so the Mustangs will be confident they can win on Saturday. While I know Hobart fans were a bit stunned by last weekend's result, the Mustangs aren't on Brockport's level. With a large home crowd, filled with alums from multiple decades in attendance, there should be a lot of positive vibes for the Statesmen to latch onto and run with Saturday.
Prediction:
I think this game will be more of an offensive shootout than a defensive struggle given the experience Morrisville has at OL, WR and RB. Their SR TE will present some match-up problems also, but I do think the Statesmen can come out on top, and will, by the score of 34-28.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
The link to the Hobart recap on the game can be seen here. While I credit the team to fighting through adversity and avoiding a shutout thanks to SR TE Matt Woods TD; in terms of losses, yes, this is right up there as one of the worst in recent memory.
While the 47-7 loss to St. Thomas in the 2012 national quarterfinals was lopsided, you'd really have to go back to 1988-90 to find a Statesmen defense that gave up over 50 points in a game. Needless to say I think the SUNY-Morrisville Mustangs will be a more feasible match-up, but certainly no push-over, for the Statesmen.
Last season the Mustangs finished 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Empire 8 with a team that reportedly struggled with a great deal of injuries. A lot of those players are healed and back this season, and so they welcomed as many as 15 returning starters - eight on offense and seven on defense - coming in to 2018. Let's take a look at them and this week's home opener:
Scouting the Mustangs
The Statesmen and Mustangs will meet for the very first time, which is kind of surprising given the schools are only 84 miles apart from one another. SUNY-Morrisville opened their 2018 season with a 34-13 win over Norwich University (0-1) from the NEWMAC in Vermont. SR QB Brandon Gwinner had a big day, passing for 316 yards and four TDs. Gwinner spread the ball around, hitting four different receivers multiple times led by big SR TE Petrit Boga for 91 yards and a TD. At 6' 2" 240 lbs #5 is easy to see but he got behind the Cadets defense on a 58-yard pass and score late in the game. SR WR Raffaele Bradshaw, JR WR Jermaine Cooper and FY WR Toure Hall, Jr. combined for 190 yards and three TDs.
Helping balance the offensive attack was bulky SR RB Nick Edmond who at 5' 10" 243 lbs is a load to bring down. He carried the ball 22 times for 113 rushing yards while being spelled by classmate SR RB Darrell West who added 45 yards on 11 carries. Leading the way for these runners will likely be JR FB Jeffrey Carozza (who tips the scales at 280 lbs!).
These offensive specialists are protected by an experienced line that features SR OL Marcus Thompson (6'3" 290), JR OL Zach Hutchinson (6'1" 305), JR OL Tyler Elmore (6'1" 365) and SR OL Niko Cejic (6'2" 255). This group won the LOS overall, but they did give up two sacks last Saturday and saw the Cadets manage six TFL for -21 yards and a forced fumble.
Defensively the Mustangs were led by JR LB Taylor Avanzato with seven total tackles. Overall Morrisville's defense held Norwich to 215 total yards, particularly due to only allowing two of 12 on third down conversions in the game. Although he only had three tackles in Saturday's game, SO SS Jose Garcia is considered one of the Mustangs' best overall athletes. JR S Mike Bodnar had six tackles against Norwich from the weak side. SO CB Deondrade Wells is considered Morrisville's top cover corner, but he will be at a size disadvantage (5'9" 163) compared to some of Hobart's taller WRs. JR DL Jermaine Rankine and SR DL Jordan Robinson bring experience to the interior of the defense, but they are on the smaller side at only 230 and 247 lbs, respectively.
One area where the Mustangs are a bit weak is in the kicking game. FY PK Zan Stewart was only 2-5 with a long of 36 on FGs Saturday, but he went 4-4 on PATs. He averaged 57.1 yards PKO, but did land one out of bounds. Morrisville didn't attempt a punt in the game.
Keys to the Game:
1. Sustain Drives - Nobody on the Statesmen OL had a good game last Saturday, even returning All-LL SR OL John Deveney was beaten regularly throughout the game by the #5 Golden Eagles rushers. If Hobart is to once again to be without leading rusher SO RB Dakota Harvey and receiver JR WR John DelliSanti, then the Statesmen will need to find other ways to move the chains. Norwich had similar struggles on offense against Morrisville in Week 1, losing the TOP battle by a 34-26 margin because of it.
2. Make Gwinner a Loser - The Hobart defense had zero sacks and, even more telling, zero QB hits last weekend. While SO OLB Emmett Forde and SO DE Zach Rudolph did have one TFL each, the Statesmen will need to apply a lot more pressure to defend their home turf Saturday.
3. Play All Four Downs - If it comes down to the kicking game, the Statesmen have a big advantage. It wouldn't surprise me given Morrisville's FG kicking issues we could see the Mustangs go for it more often on fourth down, so the Hobart defense needs to be ready.
4. Stay Confident - It seems like all the wind went out of the Hobart sideline after the first play, 77-yard Brockport TD last weekend. This young team, which is going through a lot of personnel changes as the coaching staff works with the roster, needs to keep it's heads' up. SUNY-Morrisville will be very excited to get a shot at Hobart and a win over the Statesmen would be a big feather in their cap as they get ready for E8 play. Last season they barely lost to Union, so the Mustangs will be confident they can win on Saturday. While I know Hobart fans were a bit stunned by last weekend's result, the Mustangs aren't on Brockport's level. With a large home crowd, filled with alums from multiple decades in attendance, there should be a lot of positive vibes for the Statesmen to latch onto and run with Saturday.
Prediction:
I think this game will be more of an offensive shootout than a defensive struggle given the experience Morrisville has at OL, WR and RB. Their SR TE will present some match-up problems also, but I do think the Statesmen can come out on top, and will, by the score of 34-28.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Monday, August 27, 2018
Week 1 - Brockport Game Preview
The 2018 season opener is upon us!
For the third straight year, the Hobart College Statesmen will line up against the College at Brockport Golden Eagles. The Eagles took a slight 5-4 edge in the all-time series, after they ran up over 600 yards of total offense, in a 34-20 defeat of Hobart in 2017. A 12-game win streak, an Empire 8 Championship and trip to the NCAA Final Four followed. Not surprisingly, the Golden Eagles come into 2018 with a lot of expectations to go with a #6 ranking in the D3football.com Top 25 preseason poll.
That publication believes they will once again go 10-0, and named JR QB Joe Germiniero and SR S Jake O'Connell first team preseason All-Americans along with third team nods to JR RB Justin Morrison, SR NG Austin Dean and JR OLB Alex West.
Needless to say Brockport is bringing back a LOT of talent. So how do the Statesmen upset the latest "Beast of the East"?
Scouting the Golden Eagles:
The biggest question mark facing Brockport in 2018 is whether or not their OL can be as dominant a group as it was last season? Four starters graduated, so they have a lot to replace in this key unit. Back on August 19th, the Golden Eagles did an interesting preview that focused on their OL, so be sure to give that a look. Another came out on August 22 and you can see that here. SR OL and team co-captain Caleb Ferdilus is the one starter returning, but he's switching from his usual position of LG to RT.
Ferdilus and the OL will have the job of protecting one of the best signal callers in the nation in JR QB Joe Germiniero. He'll have a strong group of WRs to throw the football to including SO WR Tyree Brown, JR WRs Daquan Hubbard and Joseph Ortiz. This group had big days against the Statesmen defense last season, especially in the second half, racking up 18 total catches for 306 receiving yards and a TD. Brown is a dual threat, as he rushed for 355 yards and nine TDs in 2017. Morrison, a DII transfer, had a break out game against Hobart also, rushing for 169 yards and two TDs. The second was a back breaking 22-yard run for a score with 2:41 remaining in the game. He finished the season with 1,004 yards and nine TDs. Germiniero is a mobile QB, adding 55 rushing yards of his own and the first score of the game, a 14-yard scamper after putting the Statesmen defense on it's heels after a 45-yard bomb to Hubbard on the play before. He actually led the Golden Eagles in 2017 with 13 rushing TDs. Look for SR FB Casey Goldberg to lead the way for Germaniero and Morrison on running plays.
The Brockport defense held Hobart to only 79 rushing yards but more importantly forced three interceptions last season. The Statesmen didn't do themselves any favors, getting flagged 14 times for -107 penalty yards, but credit the Golden Eagles "D", they made the plays when needed. They were especially effective on third and fourth down, holding Hobart to 4-12 on third and 0-2 on fourth down conversions. The Brockport offense was the beneficiary of that, having nearly a 38-22 minute TOP advantage because of it. DC Mike Fox runs a 3-3 stack type of defense from his days at Saint John Fisher (which Hobart struggled with, especially in the 2013 NCAA playoffs), and he has the luxury of bringing back the bulk (eight or nine starters, depending on who you ask) of last year's squad. 5th-year SR DB Matt Arita will start opposite O'Connell in a weak-side S / FS role. JR OLB Alex West is back and SO OLB Lawrence Jenkins will move into the starting role opposite the All-American. SR LB Matt Szymanski is back via a red-shirt. He was a real pain for Hobart last season, getting a sack, two TFL and adding two QB hits to go along with five tackles. SR NG Austin Dean is back and will have SR DL John Tucci and SR DE Terry McDonald returning as the bookends of the DL. SR DB Rashad Baker returns at corner, although the Golden Eagles tend to be more heavy in playing safeties / hybrid players than most traditional defenses. FY DB Adonis Carrasco has reportedly had a good camp, and could work his way into the rotation at either CB or S. Another who should see some time Saturday is 5th year transfer (taking advantage of the new rules in DIII) Cedric Cambell III, who was a second team all-conference player for Birmingham-Southern (a DIII school in GA) last season at S.
The Golden Eagles special teams unit was strong on kickoffs against the Statesmen, averaging over 62 YPKO. Brockport only punted twice (one was a quick kick by Germiniero), but one of them was downed inside the Hobart 20 yard-line. The Statesmen blocked one FG attempt, but otherwise their PK Brett Renzi was perfect, going 4-4 on PATs and hitting his other two FG attempts. With Renzi having graduated, however, Brockport will have to rely on someone new in the kicking game this season.
Keys to the Game:
1. Dent Dean (but Get to the Second Level) - One of the most important match ups of the new season will be how new starting center SO OL Alex Lanzana and projected starting guards SO OL Dillon Casey and FY OL Dalton Kindt handle Brockport SR NG Austin Dean. The LOS battle will start there and the interior three OL's ability to keep the 6'5" 272 lbs third team preseason All-American in check (along with his two classmates at tackle and end) will go a long way in deciding how this game plays out. It'll also be crucial for the OL to cover their initial gaps, but get to the "second level", i.e., the Brockport LBs and DBs who'll probably be very aggressive at the point of attack.
2. Convert / Win TOP - The most obvious "best defense" for Hobart is to keep arguably the best QB in the nation on the sidelines for a long as they can. This job will fall on the Statesmen OL, FBs and RBs as they will need to do a better job against the 3-3 stack than they did last season. While Hobart had success in the passing game against Brockport, I doubt you'll see JR QB Ryan Hofmann drop back 44 times like Shane Sweeney '18 did. SO RB Dakota Harvey scored his first career TD against Brockport last season, seeing limited action in that game. He'll need to have a couple more TDs than that to give Hobart a chance to win Saturday. The Statesmen may need to employ a rotation of players like SO FB Shane White and JR FB/RB Omari Davis to open up running lanes given all the LBs and safeties flying in for the Eagles (pun intended).
3. Keep Fighting (Nicely) - The Golden Eagles respectfully refer to Hobart as a "perennial powerhouse" on their website, but they are the clear favorites in this year's match up. The Statesmen will need to make some plays early on and try and avoid a lot of the mistakes, penalty and execution wise, that ultimately cost them a chance to really comeback and possibly win the game last season. Brockport HC Jason Mangone runs a good program, but if Brockport has an achilles heel, it's that they can get chippy and a little cocky, trying to intimidate their opposition. This behavior almost cost them in the national quarterfinals against Delaware Valley. So while Hobart needs to play hard and always to the whistle, they cannot afford to get baited into, nor start any, extra curricular activities in the game when emotions are high.
4. Limit Big Plays on Defense - The Statesmen "D" gave up pass plays of 67, 45 and 30 yards and every Golden Eagles receiver had double-digit reception yards in the game last season. Morrison had a 68-yard run to go with his 22-yard, second TD, as well. Hobart's young defense will have to look to limit these long gains and play a bend, but don't break style of play to limit Brockport's possessions and scoring opportunities.
Prediction:
On paper, this should be a two to three TD win for #6 Brockport. Hobart has a lot of question marks and inexperienced players at several key positions. That inexperience however gives the Statesmen the element of surprise, so if they can execute their game plan, not get to high if they're winning nor too low if they're losing, this should be a very competitive match up.
I can't wait to see it in person.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
For the third straight year, the Hobart College Statesmen will line up against the College at Brockport Golden Eagles. The Eagles took a slight 5-4 edge in the all-time series, after they ran up over 600 yards of total offense, in a 34-20 defeat of Hobart in 2017. A 12-game win streak, an Empire 8 Championship and trip to the NCAA Final Four followed. Not surprisingly, the Golden Eagles come into 2018 with a lot of expectations to go with a #6 ranking in the D3football.com Top 25 preseason poll.
That publication believes they will once again go 10-0, and named JR QB Joe Germiniero and SR S Jake O'Connell first team preseason All-Americans along with third team nods to JR RB Justin Morrison, SR NG Austin Dean and JR OLB Alex West.
Needless to say Brockport is bringing back a LOT of talent. So how do the Statesmen upset the latest "Beast of the East"?
The last time the Statesmen played here, they beat the Eagles in a 41-35 shootout.
Scouting the Golden Eagles:
The biggest question mark facing Brockport in 2018 is whether or not their OL can be as dominant a group as it was last season? Four starters graduated, so they have a lot to replace in this key unit. Back on August 19th, the Golden Eagles did an interesting preview that focused on their OL, so be sure to give that a look. Another came out on August 22 and you can see that here. SR OL and team co-captain Caleb Ferdilus is the one starter returning, but he's switching from his usual position of LG to RT.
Ferdilus and the OL will have the job of protecting one of the best signal callers in the nation in JR QB Joe Germiniero. He'll have a strong group of WRs to throw the football to including SO WR Tyree Brown, JR WRs Daquan Hubbard and Joseph Ortiz. This group had big days against the Statesmen defense last season, especially in the second half, racking up 18 total catches for 306 receiving yards and a TD. Brown is a dual threat, as he rushed for 355 yards and nine TDs in 2017. Morrison, a DII transfer, had a break out game against Hobart also, rushing for 169 yards and two TDs. The second was a back breaking 22-yard run for a score with 2:41 remaining in the game. He finished the season with 1,004 yards and nine TDs. Germiniero is a mobile QB, adding 55 rushing yards of his own and the first score of the game, a 14-yard scamper after putting the Statesmen defense on it's heels after a 45-yard bomb to Hubbard on the play before. He actually led the Golden Eagles in 2017 with 13 rushing TDs. Look for SR FB Casey Goldberg to lead the way for Germaniero and Morrison on running plays.
The Brockport defense held Hobart to only 79 rushing yards but more importantly forced three interceptions last season. The Statesmen didn't do themselves any favors, getting flagged 14 times for -107 penalty yards, but credit the Golden Eagles "D", they made the plays when needed. They were especially effective on third and fourth down, holding Hobart to 4-12 on third and 0-2 on fourth down conversions. The Brockport offense was the beneficiary of that, having nearly a 38-22 minute TOP advantage because of it. DC Mike Fox runs a 3-3 stack type of defense from his days at Saint John Fisher (which Hobart struggled with, especially in the 2013 NCAA playoffs), and he has the luxury of bringing back the bulk (eight or nine starters, depending on who you ask) of last year's squad. 5th-year SR DB Matt Arita will start opposite O'Connell in a weak-side S / FS role. JR OLB Alex West is back and SO OLB Lawrence Jenkins will move into the starting role opposite the All-American. SR LB Matt Szymanski is back via a red-shirt. He was a real pain for Hobart last season, getting a sack, two TFL and adding two QB hits to go along with five tackles. SR NG Austin Dean is back and will have SR DL John Tucci and SR DE Terry McDonald returning as the bookends of the DL. SR DB Rashad Baker returns at corner, although the Golden Eagles tend to be more heavy in playing safeties / hybrid players than most traditional defenses. FY DB Adonis Carrasco has reportedly had a good camp, and could work his way into the rotation at either CB or S. Another who should see some time Saturday is 5th year transfer (taking advantage of the new rules in DIII) Cedric Cambell III, who was a second team all-conference player for Birmingham-Southern (a DIII school in GA) last season at S.
The Golden Eagles special teams unit was strong on kickoffs against the Statesmen, averaging over 62 YPKO. Brockport only punted twice (one was a quick kick by Germiniero), but one of them was downed inside the Hobart 20 yard-line. The Statesmen blocked one FG attempt, but otherwise their PK Brett Renzi was perfect, going 4-4 on PATs and hitting his other two FG attempts. With Renzi having graduated, however, Brockport will have to rely on someone new in the kicking game this season.
Keys to the Game:
1. Dent Dean (but Get to the Second Level) - One of the most important match ups of the new season will be how new starting center SO OL Alex Lanzana and projected starting guards SO OL Dillon Casey and FY OL Dalton Kindt handle Brockport SR NG Austin Dean. The LOS battle will start there and the interior three OL's ability to keep the 6'5" 272 lbs third team preseason All-American in check (along with his two classmates at tackle and end) will go a long way in deciding how this game plays out. It'll also be crucial for the OL to cover their initial gaps, but get to the "second level", i.e., the Brockport LBs and DBs who'll probably be very aggressive at the point of attack.
2. Convert / Win TOP - The most obvious "best defense" for Hobart is to keep arguably the best QB in the nation on the sidelines for a long as they can. This job will fall on the Statesmen OL, FBs and RBs as they will need to do a better job against the 3-3 stack than they did last season. While Hobart had success in the passing game against Brockport, I doubt you'll see JR QB Ryan Hofmann drop back 44 times like Shane Sweeney '18 did. SO RB Dakota Harvey scored his first career TD against Brockport last season, seeing limited action in that game. He'll need to have a couple more TDs than that to give Hobart a chance to win Saturday. The Statesmen may need to employ a rotation of players like SO FB Shane White and JR FB/RB Omari Davis to open up running lanes given all the LBs and safeties flying in for the Eagles (pun intended).
3. Keep Fighting (Nicely) - The Golden Eagles respectfully refer to Hobart as a "perennial powerhouse" on their website, but they are the clear favorites in this year's match up. The Statesmen will need to make some plays early on and try and avoid a lot of the mistakes, penalty and execution wise, that ultimately cost them a chance to really comeback and possibly win the game last season. Brockport HC Jason Mangone runs a good program, but if Brockport has an achilles heel, it's that they can get chippy and a little cocky, trying to intimidate their opposition. This behavior almost cost them in the national quarterfinals against Delaware Valley. So while Hobart needs to play hard and always to the whistle, they cannot afford to get baited into, nor start any, extra curricular activities in the game when emotions are high.
4. Limit Big Plays on Defense - The Statesmen "D" gave up pass plays of 67, 45 and 30 yards and every Golden Eagles receiver had double-digit reception yards in the game last season. Morrison had a 68-yard run to go with his 22-yard, second TD, as well. Hobart's young defense will have to look to limit these long gains and play a bend, but don't break style of play to limit Brockport's possessions and scoring opportunities.
Prediction:
On paper, this should be a two to three TD win for #6 Brockport. Hobart has a lot of question marks and inexperienced players at several key positions. That inexperience however gives the Statesmen the element of surprise, so if they can execute their game plan, not get to high if they're winning nor too low if they're losing, this should be a very competitive match up.
I can't wait to see it in person.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Statesmen Scrimmage Buffalo State
The Hobart College Statesmen hosted the Buffalo State Bengals last night at Boswell Field in their annual preseason scrimmage. The initial returns were encouraging as the Statesmen offense moved the ball well and JR QB Ryan Hofmann had the offense, especially the passing game, looking sharp. While not official by any means, reports of 21-7 from the second half seem to point to Hobart "winning" the scrimmage, for what it's worth.
The Hobart defense received a good amount of kudos, albeit they did have one momentary lapse on a 70-yard TD pass for the Bengals in the first half. However, while there were a lot of substitutions, the Statesmen otherwise kept the Buffalo State offense in check for the remainder of the night. SR DE Al Smith was noted for looking good as a pass rusher and run stopper. SO CB Jared Leake showed promise as in coverage and otherwise as well.
A few other players who made some big plays included SO WR Mike Giacobbe, who had a nice one-handed catch. JR FS Andrew Koonz had an INT and SO RB Alex Milliken did a nice job running the ball as SO RB Dakota Harvey sat out recovering from a mild injury from camp (much like Ali Marpet '15 will do this Friday night for the Bucs. Better save it for the regular season, as they say).
While it was just a practice, ultimately, there were a lot of positives going into the Week 1 match up against #6 Brockport next Saturday.
I'll have my Week 1 game preview next week, and don't forget to like the In the D3FB Huddle Facebook page and catch our preseason preview show on Tuesday, August 28th.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
The Hobart defense received a good amount of kudos, albeit they did have one momentary lapse on a 70-yard TD pass for the Bengals in the first half. However, while there were a lot of substitutions, the Statesmen otherwise kept the Buffalo State offense in check for the remainder of the night. SR DE Al Smith was noted for looking good as a pass rusher and run stopper. SO CB Jared Leake showed promise as in coverage and otherwise as well.
A few other players who made some big plays included SO WR Mike Giacobbe, who had a nice one-handed catch. JR FS Andrew Koonz had an INT and SO RB Alex Milliken did a nice job running the ball as SO RB Dakota Harvey sat out recovering from a mild injury from camp (much like Ali Marpet '15 will do this Friday night for the Bucs. Better save it for the regular season, as they say).
While it was just a practice, ultimately, there were a lot of positives going into the Week 1 match up against #6 Brockport next Saturday.
I'll have my Week 1 game preview next week, and don't forget to like the In the D3FB Huddle Facebook page and catch our preseason preview show on Tuesday, August 28th.
Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!
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