Week 1 - Brockport Game Preview

The (new look) Hobart College Statesmen look to make a statement Saturday when they host #13 Brockport. The Golden Eagles beat and otherwise embarrassed Hobart in last season's opener by a lopsided 56-7 margin.

That was last year, as they say, and Hobart returns a more experienced and improved team in 2019.

Still, Brockport poses a tremendous challenge given their size, speed and defensive scheme which the Statesmen have struggled against in recent years. Hobart is 1-2 in their current series with the Golden Eagles and 4-7 overall, dating back to their original meeting in 1949.

Scouting the Golden Eagles

After a 24-2 run over the past two seasons, Brockport has seen a number of it's All-American and All-Regional players move on via graduation. One of the surprising moves this off-season was the transfer of SR QB Joe Germiniero to Ithaca, meaning SR QB Jason Hellwig is now the man in charge of the Golden Eagles offense.

Saturday won't be the first time he's started for Brockport however, as he did that back in 2017 against Saint Lawrence (more on that later). Hellwig (who we interviewed as part of our In the D3FB Huddle preseason show) will have a strong supporting cast, as seven starters return from last season on offense. The key one of those is SR RB Justin Morrison, who missed most of 2018 due to injury. Morrison rushed for 176 yards and two TDs the last time he played in Geneva, and will likely be a core aspect of the Brockport offense. Leading the way for Hellwig and Morrison will be SR OL Luke Lodino, who's also a captain of the team. Joining him will be returning starting tackle, JR OL Shawn Pridell.

The question mark for this season is how will DC Mike Fox replace several defensive stars, including having eight new starters in 2019? This unit will be led by SR OLB Alex West, who earned second team All-American preseason recognition by D3football.com. Joining him is JR OLB Lawrence Jenkins, who earned Empire 8 all-conference honors after ranking third in TFL and sacks last season. Jenkins is a versatile player, who's able to drop back in coverage and defended ten passes a year ago.

Also back in the secondary is SO DB Ben Marshall, who started in games when Jake O’Connell '19 was down with an injury. Other defensive players like SO DL Jordan Harris, Tafari Nedrick and Hakeem Yaya are expected to have more opportunities to step in and contribute this season as well.

Keys to the Game:

1. Learn from St. Lawrence - Hellwig's first career start showed some tendencies we could see this Saturday, namely more of an emphasis on running the football. Brockport ran the ball on 43 plays, compared to only 21 pass attempts, in that game. To Hellwig's credit he completed 14 of those 20 (70%) and a TD. He rushed for 115 yards, a TD and even caught a TD pass as well. Based on that history, I expect a somewhat similar game plan, leveraging the Golden Eagles' large OL, Saturday. Hellwig will distribute the ball on short to intermediate pass plays and at 6'4" he can easily see the field. As a baseball pitcher in the off-season, he's got strong enough arm to deliver the ball to Brockport's very fast and sure-handed players like SR WR Daquan Hubbard and SR WR Joseph Ortiz who have combined for 3,724 receiving yards and 33 TDs in their impressive careers.

2. Defense - Brockport has averaged 511 YPG against Hobart dating back to 2016. That's a ridiculous number and one the Statesmen need to change. While the Golden Eagles are likely to eat up some yards and clock, the Hobart defense can make a statement in keeping this game close from start. Hellwig is used to playing with a substantial lead. If the Statesmen DL can provide pressure and the LB/DB corps can come up with a turnover or two, Hobart stands a good chance.

3. Test the Corners - The one area the Statesmen have a clear advantage over Brockport is their WRs against a younger, less experienced CB unit. If SR QB Ryan Hofmann and/or SO QB David Krewson (who I do expect will play some) can get enough time in the pocket to find them, Hobart could make some significant gains, especially if running the football against the 3-3 stack defense remains difficult.

4. Don't Beat Yourselves - Week 1 football is often full of penalties due to mental and other mistakes given limited practice. Last season there were 13 penalties called in the game, and even though they didn't make much of a difference in the outcome, they are more costly in closer games (which we're all hoping for Saturday). INTs hurt Hobart last season also, as they saw one of their two INTs go for a 60-yard pick six.

Prediction:

Pretty much every outlet is predicting a Brockport win. Hansen Ratings predicts the Golden Eagles will win the game 33-24 and that the Statesmen only have a 27% chance of upsetting Brockport. I suspect D3football.com will make a similar prediction in their weekly Friday "Quick Hits" article.

Hobart should be an underdog in this game, but I think the team won't be blown out like they were last season. My head says the Hobart OL will need some time to gel and the offense may only score about 14 points, coming up short somewhere in the 28-14 range. My heart though says I'll take the Statesmen to upset the Golden Eagles on a late JR PK Kyle Hackett FG, 24-21.

Go 'Bart!

Statesmen Defense Stands Out in Scrimmage

The Hobart College Statesmen football team traveled to Alfred, NY last evening to scrimmage against the Alfred University Saxons. The Statesmen showed well and a lot of players gained valuable playing time, allowing the coaching staff to make some final decisions leading into Week 1.

A few key items of note:

OL - I appears as though the coaching staff has made some initial decisions regarding the OL with SO OL Ludner Mercy moving to C and JR OL Alex Lanzana moving to OG. JR OL Corey Dillon remained in his guard spot from last season and SO OL Kieran Paskewitz and JR OL P.J. Tziachris played as the first team OTs. The latter is an interesting pick by the coaches given P.J. was previously a TE, and at 245 lbs, definitely under-sized compared to past Hobart OTs. Still, quickness, technique and skill can trump brute size and strength, especially for an offense like the Statesmen's.

D - The Hobart defense made a statement, causing at least three turnovers and coming up with several key stops in the scrimmage. While the second string did allow a passing TD in the second quarter, the Statesmen defense completely shut out the Saxons in the first. Hobart only gave up two first downs in the opening quarter, one via penalty. However, the overall discipline showed by this year's team was much improved compared to last season.

QB - The starting job appears to be SR QB Ryan Hofmann's after leading the team on a TD drive and committing no turnovers in the scrimmage. He reportedly looked sharp and in command of the offense, finding his receivers on both short and long pass plays. SO QB David Krewson struggled a bit, and all three FY QBs had opportunities to play.

RB - FY RB Rayshawn Boswell, a name that didn't make it into the recruiting recap, but obviously was a late add to the roster, showed flashes running the ball last night. He joins the Statesmen along with FY FS Alex Barnosky, who was a HS teammate of his at the Berkshire School (MA). Boswell was a triple option / wildcat style of QB who's not only fast (4.5 speed) but also elusive. His highlight reel can be seen here. With JR RB Shane White and JR RB Alex Milliken nursing minor injuries, the younger RBs on the team had ample opportunities to show off against the Saxons.

Overall, it's pretty safe to say Hobart "won" the scrimmage against a solid Alfred team. With the regular season almost upon us, I'll start working on next week's game preview while I wait and see how Hurricane Dorian approaches FL (or not, hopefully).

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Scrimmage Saxons Tomorrow Night

The Hobart College Statesmen will get a good tuneup tomorrow when they travel to Alfred University to take on the Saxons, who finished third place in the Empire 8 last season (although to their credit they beat second place Cortland State head-to-head).

With 14 starters returning from last season's 7-4 and ECAC Bowl winning squad, the Saxons have garnered some preseason Top 25 attention, landing at 17th in Street & Smith's poll and receiving votes in the D3football.com poll (effectively ranking them at 32nd in the nation based on vote totals).

Alfred and Hobart have a long history, initially facing off all the way back in 1899. The series has been a close one over the years, with Hobart having a slight 39-35-4 edge. In spite of their relative geographical proximity, the last time the Statesmen faced the Saxons in the regular season goes back to 2007, a 41-22 win for Hobart over then #11 Alfred. While that game didn't crack my best 20 HFB games of the last 20 years, in retrospect, it probably should have.

While this match-up won't count in the record books, it's a great opportunity for the Statesmen to help them make final decisions on a few critical positions prior to Week 1's game against #13 Brockport.

Things To Look For:

The Alfred DL vs. the Hobart OL - The Saxons run a 4-3-4 defensive scheme and although they are undersized (averaging about 5' 9-10" and 225 lbs) on the DL, Alfred has some talented players that generate pressure up front. SR DE Leo Pamphile (9) is a stocky, bull pass rusher who the Statesmen OTs could potentially struggle against. JR NG Matt Eldridge and SO DE Rodney Bailey also return. This front enabled the Saxons MLB Cole Reed '19 to rack up 130 tackles last season. Reed has graduated, but returns as the Saxons LB coach. Given most the Saxons LB corps are back, including SR OLB and captain Nick Milgate, who finished second on the team to Reed with 96 total tackles, I expect the Hobart offense to try and spread things out to try to create mismatches. The Hobart TEs will likely be called upon to help chip / pass block the Alfred DEs as well.

The Saxons QB/WRs vs. the Statesmen DBs - A big reason for optimism for Alfred this season is the return of SR QB Ben Burk (19). He passed for over 1,500 yards and 12 TDs in 2018 and his backup, SR QB Casey Boston (12) is no slouch either. With the departure / transfer of Saxons leading rusher RB Nas Smith to Central Connecticut State (a FCS / NEC school), I wouldn't be surprised to see the Alfred air it out a bit more this season, especially given a solid WR corps including SO WR Robert Smith (89 - over 300 receiving yards and four TDs last season), JR WR Keandre Sanders (87 - missed four games due to injury, but added two receiving TDs in 2018) and JR RB Kevin Bragaglia (6 - more of a slot back in 2018, but he could be auditioning for Smith's vacated role this season).

The Hobart DL vs. 21-personnel - Offensively, the Saxons like to run out of this formation - 2 WRs, 1 TE, 2 RBs - at least based on last year's box scores - so it'll be interesting to see how the Statesmen defense will stack the box given their primarily 3-man DL. Like Brockport, the Saxons will use a FB as a lead blocker (62 - 5'11" 241 lbs. SO "RB" Gary Peterkin and 49 - SR FB James Lucadamo are potential candidates) which is another benefit of this scrimmage from a Week 1 game prep perspective. Alfred has an experienced SR TE in (96) E.J Staniszewski who I'm sure will primarily be used as a blocker with an occasional, if not rare, pass play coming his way. Stanizewski earned second team all-conference awards last season, adding three receptions and one TD. While I imagine we'll see some even front looks by Hobart - likely with packages that include a second DE or an OLB on the LOS, this will be good practice for the Statesmen defense given I believe Brockport will primarily operate out of the 20 formation (add a WR, no TE) for a good amount of Week 1's game (more on that later) based on their new QB situation.

Get Away from Greer - JR SS Raegwon Greer (#5) is Alfred's most decorated returning defender, at least based on the fact he earned D3football.com First-Team All-American honors earlier this month.The Saxons were a ball-hawking defense last season, finishing with 23 INTs which ranked third nationally, so the Hobart QBs will need to go through their progressions and not misfire on their pass attempts.

Safe travels to those heading up to Alfred for the game. I will provide some reactions and thoughts based on those first-hand accounts later this week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

2019 Season Preview

A Quick "Announcement"

Before I get into the annual preseason preview, I'd like to recognize the fact that 10 years ago today (8/24/09) I "officially" started this blog. I am not sure if this means today is the 10th birthday or anniversary of the "Comin' Atcha" blog, but either way, it's hard to believe so much time has gone by!

While 633 posts seems like a lot of "work", the rewards far outweigh the time spent. The best part of this avocation has been getting to know many of the players, coaches, fans, alums and families connected to Hobart College Football through this and other social media.

Thank you all for your continued support of this site in the past, present and future. I'll keep blogging for as long as I can - another 10 years sounds like a good goal to me...

"Back to where it all began.." - ABB

Anyway, here we go!

Previewing #Team126

Although last season’s 5-4 mark was disappointing, this decade has arguably been the best in Hobart College’s history. The Statesmen (who have a new logo / brand identity for 2019 and going forward) have cemented themselves as a “household name” as far as Division III football goes and HC Kevin DeWall ’00 enters Hobart’s 126th season with confidence after a successful spring practice session and strong incoming recruiting class. While he believes the depth and talent of the team has room for improvement, he also knows there are the necessary pieces in place to challenge for yet another Liberty League title.

The LL is as competitive as it’s ever been, similar to how it was over a decade ago when two teams would regularly qualify for the NCAA playoffs. Hobart will once again be facing one of the toughest schedules in the East Region, if not the nation, which would make earning the program’s 24th consecutive winning season (sorry, not sorry NCAA) quite an achievement.

Offense

QB - The LL’s top scoring and total offense returns many, if not all, the key pieces from last year’s squad. Coach DeWall is pleased with the progress and competition between SR QB Ryan Hofmann and SO QB David Krewson. Hofmann’s experience and understanding of the playbook may give him a slight edge, but it’s no denying the athleticism and versatility Krewson provides, especially on RPO types of plays. Either way, it’s a nice problem to have two strong quarterback candidates.

RB - This group should also be a strength, led by offensive captain and SR RB Brian Haeffner. JR RB Alex Milliken showed flashes last season and it’s likely you’ll see players like JR FB Shane White get carries versus being used as a more traditional FB. SO RB Isaiah Hopkinson converted from DB and adds speed and depth to this group, as do three new FY RBs. 

TE - This unit has size and depth with SR TE AJ Perlino, and JR TEs Jimmy Adams and Jake Bergmann coming back. With the graduation of Matt Woods ’19, someone will need to step up as a receiver. Perlino did score on two receiving TDs, but overall this group is pretty inexperienced. FY TE Charlie Pierce brings additional size and pass catching ability, but time will tell how long he gets into the mix. Also, back is FY TE Mike Zaccone who received a red shirt year after he missed the 2018 season because of injury.

WR - The strongest unit on the offense is probably the WR corps which is led by the experienced group of SR WR Jake Catalioto, SR WR John DelliSanti, and SR WR Ray Conley. This trio combined for over 1,180 receiving yards and scored 14 TDs last season. SO WR Shahkyle Matthews adds depth and speed as does JR WR Mike Giacobbe, who turned into a very reliable possession receiver last season. 

OL - This brings us to the most critical group of the offense, if not the entire team. There are three starters back from last season, but the decision over whether they’ll remain in their same positions as 2018 is TBD. JR OL Alex Lanzana is a smart and tough C and JR Dillon Carrey and SO Ludner Mercy had good seasons as LG and RG, respectively. That leaves an open competition for two tackle spots, assuming one of the guards isn’t moved to cover one of those positions. SO OL Dalton Kindt has potential to earn one of them, but will have some competition from a number of different Statesmen. There are no SR OL players on the roster, and only four of them are JRs, making this a young and mostly inexperienced group. If Hobart can find the right combination and build depth along this OL, they’ll be good shape.

Defense

Defensively Hobart will continue to improve upon the 3-4 / 2-4-5 hybrid scheme they switched to in 2018. While it took some time, the Statesmen defense was much improved, especially in the latter half of the season.

DL/DE - Up front Hobart returns a number of talented players including SR DL Reid Crobok, SO DL Naj Johnson and JR DT Isaiah Boone. The DE / edge group is anchored by SR DE Collin Hudgins and JR DE Zach Rudolph. The Statesmen need to generate more sacks this season, after only netting 18 in 2018, which was the second lowest total in the LL.

ILB/OLB - The LB corps welcomes back SO ILB Bryan Aguilar as well leading tackler SR OLB David McCarthy. JR OLB Emmett Forde, JR OLB Collin Urie also return as does SR ILB Josh Walker and JR ILB Nathan Cooley. FY ILB CJ Calero is back and looking strong after needing a red-shirt year after suffering a non-contact ACL tear in the 2018 preseason. SO ILB Dante Kimbrough has converted over from RB and adds depth here.

CB/FS - The secondary returns a deep group of players like defensive captain SR CB Jayson Prince who’ll play his third position in as many seasons. SO FS Jay McCoy and JR FS Cal Sullivan will look to improve upon their 2018 debuts at the varsity level. JR CB Jared Leake returns as the Statesmen’s top cover corner. Also returning is JR CB Matt Horgan. 

With the addition of SR QB Joe Germiniero at Ithaca, as well as key returning offensive starters at RPI, Union, SLU and other rivals; the Hobart pass defense will need to improve from allowing last season’s league high 21 passing TDs and third most passing yards marks. Overall the Statesmen defense was last in passing efficiency with a league worst 144.4 mark. Hobart was tougher against the run, finishing third overall in the LL allowing 130.8 YPG and only 13 rush TDs. INTs could improve also, as Hobart only intercepted opposing QBs nine times last season, basically a 1 PG average (by comparison, the RPI defense had 19, with four returned for TDs).

Special Teams

Hobart boasts one of the best PKs in the nation in JR PK Kyle Hackett who’s on his way to rewriting the Statesmen record books. His list of recognitions from national publications continued to grow as he was named to the 2019 D3football.com preseason All-American team. Waiting in the wings is SO PK Rob DiGregorio as well as FY PK Lucas Amaral. The Statesmen are in the need of a true punter, as last season they relayed on SR WR John DelliSanti to cover those duties. Time will tell if DelliSanti continues in this capacity or if Amaral or DiGregorio fill in that important role. 

Schedule

With a seven-game stretch that opens with #13 Brockport, two NJAC teams and having to face Union, RPI and Ithaca before their bye week, each week will be a playoff type of game for the Statesmen if they want to make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. The good news is six of the Statesmen's games are home at the "Boz". The Statesmen are 8-2 at home the last two seasons.

Synopsis

As I stated in my LL preview as part of the D3football.com Kickoff 2019 publication, this season the Statesmen come into 2019 looking to play the unfamiliar role of "spoiler." While 2018 was humbling at times, you have to give Hobart credit as they learned from the early missteps and remained a tough out down the stretch - losing very close contests to Ithaca and RPI by a TD each, but winning the rest of their LL games by a 123-68 margin.

To be fair the Statesmen played the No. 1 strength of schedule in Division III last season, and this year won’t be much different. Realistically, this is the toughest schedule in the East Region, and Hobart knows it. The good news for Statesmen fans is they return enough players and talent to give them a chance.

That said certain 2018 issues such as penalties (Hobart was the most penalized team in the LL last season, averaging 82.1 YPG) and turnovers (+1 in TOM) should improve dramatically in Year 2 of the DeWall regime. Overall I'm excited to see how this season unfolds.

It begins 2 weeks from today at the Boz against Brockport.

Thanks for 10 years of reading and go 'Bart!

The Statesmen's Season is Underway

The Hobart College Football team has arrived and checked into Geneva for the Statesmen's 126th season. Players and their families were met by the coaching staff Tuesday afternoon and good fun was had at a team BBQ.

For some, like Derrick and Renee Robles of Orlando, FL it was bittersweet to see their son, FY QB Sean Robles, dropped off at college.

Other Hobart Football families have been through the process a couple of times already and are enjoying it while it still lasts, like the parents of JR RB Shane White.

After having a couple of days to settle in, the Statesmen will commence preseason practice today. An updated roster has been posted, albeit without pictures for the FY players, which will be taken soon. A scrimmage with Alfred University is a little under two weeks away, but for now, Hobart will begin installing their offensive and defensive game plans.

Week 1 against Brockport is only 23 days away. It's football season.

Go 'Bart!

Don't Forget to Order Kickoff 2019!

In between grocery shopping, cooking food, doing the dishes and laundry, driving kids around, taking the family to the beach, and working my day job, I have been speaking to several of the coaches around the East Region in preparation for this fall's football season.

I once again covered the Liberty League and a handful of other conferences for this August's annual D3football.com "Kickoff" preseason online magazine. While I haven't exactly nailed the predictions part over the years, you'd be hard pressed to find this kind of coverage of the LL and the Statesmen anywhere else, at least until a few days before Sept. 7th when HWSAthletics.com will finally publish their preseason preview.

I will shoot to have my own version of a more in-depth Hobart preseason preview by mid-to-late August, based on conversations with HC Kevin DeWall '00 and other coaches and sources around the league. This fall's LL race should be another close one as RPI looks strong again, as does Ithaca, at least on offense. The Bombers have lost a lot on the defensive side of the ball and the whole Germiniero transfer situation will be interesting to see play out over time.

SLU's new spread offense should cause more headaches for opposing defenses, and Union returns a lot of talent, but like Ithaca, has some key questions on the defensive side of the ball. Buffalo State gets included into the mix and the Bengals view last season as more of the exception than the rule. Fortunately the Statesmen don't have to play them until Week 10, which by then there will be plenty of game tape against familiar opponents to review. Rochester remains in rebuilding mode but you can count on former Hobart QB Chad Martinovich '94 to get the Yellow Jackets back on track sooner rather than later.

With camp just a few weeks away, Hobart is looking at a somewhat different role this season as a potential spoiler / dark horse, which honestly hasn't happened in quite some time. The Statesmen's biggest question mark remains the OL, and while there is experience in the middle, there's a key need at both tackle positions. Defensively the Statesmen return a good amount of experience and should have some players back lost to injury for parts, if not all, of 2018 that can make a difference.

We're only 38 days away from the home and season opener against Brockport.

It's almost football season!

Lots of Stuff Happening for the Statesmen

The Hobart College Statesmen are just over eight weeks away from kicking off their highly anticipated 2019 season!

I am planning on speaking with HC Kevin DeWall '00 next week to hear about the off-season and talk about this upcoming fall for the annual D3football.com Kickoff 2019 publication. I'll be covering all the Liberty League teams and several other East Region conferences. Please consider checking it out if you haven't ordered a subscription yet.

Preseason camp will begin on August 13th with the first practice taking place on the 15th, given NCAA guidelines. The highlight of the preseason will be a scrimmage against Alfred University on August 28th.

One other bit of exciting news is an update that Senior Day will actually be in the evening, as the final home game of the season on November 9th will be under the lights at the "Boz" (as a 6 PM kickoff).

Otherwise, make sure to visit the Hobart Football online store for your new Statesmen gear. The store will close at midnight on July 18th.

That's all the news I have for now, but more to come soon!

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!