'22 Midseason Review

The Hobart College Statesmen go into the bye this weekend after a somewhat disappointing (3-2, 0-1) start to the 2022 season. The Statesmen have had some good and bad moments so far this season and the goal of this post will be look back on them and see what, if anything, we've learned about the team this far and what we can expect in the final 5 weeks.

While a chance to share a piece of the Liberty League title isn't completely off the table, the overall depth and strength of #12 Ithaca (4-0, 1-0) makes me think the LL will be just a single bid NCAA playoff conference. In my opinion, Hobart's best-case scenario is finishing 8-2, 5-1 and getting another ECAC Bowl game bid against a team from the PAC, just like last year.

That said the rest of October will determine if that's the case and the Statesmen have a challenging schedule after this weekend with back-to-back road trips to RPI (3-2, 1-0) and Saint Lawrence (2-2. 0-0). The Statesmen close out the month at home in a big game against Union (4-1, 1-0).

The Good

The Hobart defense - This young and inexperienced unit has been the star of the season so far. A group of young and dynamic LBs have held the Statesmen's opposition to under 14 PPG. Keep in mind that the Statesmen D only allowed one offensive TD in the first 4 weeks of the season and realistically, only allowed three offensive TDs against the Bombers.

Linebacker U - SO LBs Peterson Monexant and Anthony Romano have been fantastic and lead the team with 36 (great number) total tackles a piece to go with 11 TFL, 4 sacks and 1 INT, combined. FY LB Mike McGhee is the leading candidate for the team's ROTY award winner based on his fantastic play. He has 25 total tackles, 3 TFL and 1 sack so far this season. 

Next Man Up - Several Statesmen players have made bigger contributions this season given injuries to starting players. I've noted guys like SO RB Andres Duran (2 rush TDs), SR LB Drew Walsh (3 tkl, 1 TFL vs. IC), SO WR Rane Daramola (leads team with 198 receiving yards and 2 TDs) and FY OL Ashton Mejias (now starting at LG) have stepped up and really made a difference this season.

Needs Work

The Hobart Offense - The supposed strength of the team with 9 starters returning has struggled with turnovers (3 INT, 2 fumbles returned for TDs), suspensions (2), injuries (several) and penalties so far this season. The absence of a healthy JR RB Rayshawn Boswell is a big reason for the team's offensive woes, but to be fair, this unit has scored almost 28 PPG and gained 325 YPG which is very respectable. That said the offense needs to figure out ways to extend drives, having gone 27-59 (45.76%) on third down so far this season.

The Kicking Game - With a FY and SO handling the kicking duties, you'd expect some growing pains. The Statesmen have gone 4-8 on FGs and in the IC game, Hobart averaged under 24 YPP, which was a big reason for at least one of the Bombers TD drives, given the short field.

"The Hobart Way" - The fact two important players got suspended in Week 2, all the penalties (36 for -304, over 60 YPG) and mental mistakes seen in the 2 losses this season and that alums/former players reported the team did not seem upset at all after the Ithaca game makes me think this group needs an attitude adjustment during the bye week. I know the coaches are likely all over this, but the players need to take accountability of it for themselves and drive what the "Hobart Way" really is supposed to stand for from the inside out. I have faith they can turn it around, but after these past five weeks it's clear that this team could and should be more buttoned up and focused, even with a larger number of younger and inexperienced players on the field. 

Up Next

Early next week I'll have a preview of the Week 7 matchup vs. RPI. I have to imagine the Engineers are looking at this game as a chance to get back at Hobart for being the one regular season loss on their record in 2021. The goal next week is to go 1-0 and will be for the following 5 weeks. It's not impossible, but I do think Hobart will be an underdog in at least one or more of the final 5 games. 

While there has been a couple of disappointments, there's still a lot of Hobart Football to look forward to this season. Enjoy the bye weekend. We'll get back on track next week.

Thanks as always for reading (less than 2K views away from 350K!) and go 'Bart!

Bombers Blow Up Hobart's Homecoming, 31-7

It was no good, just the bad and ugly Saturday at Boswell Field as the #13 Ithaca College Bombers dominated Hobart at Homecoming and Family Weekend, 31-7.

Ithaca (4-0, 1-0) turned two Statesmen turnovers into 14 points in the second quarter and never looked back. Hobart (3-2, 0-1) hurt themselves with a bad snap that turned into a scoop and score, among other gaffes. The Bombers outgained the Statesmen 329-210 total yards.

Bombers SR QB A.J. Wingfield had a modest 10-16, 143 yards passing day and scored on a one-yard TD run in the second half. Wingfield got picked off on a long pass play that turned into the tip drill by 5th year SR DB Jay McCoy. Unfortunately, neither Hobart QB was really effective in the game either, and JR RB Tim Denham, Jr. saved the Statesmen from being shutout with a late rushing score. He had a game high 54 rush yards. JR RB Rayshawn Boswell led all receivers with 73 yards on six catches. SO LB Peterson Monexant led all tacklers with 11, 2 TFL and a sack. 

Hobart is on a bye next weekend and will have back-to-back road trips to RPI and Saint Lawrence in Weeks 7 and 8. With no game to cover, I'll plan to do a recap of the first half of the season. This was a deflating loss, but the season is far from over. There's a lot more football to go.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 5 - Ithaca Game Preview

Brace yourselves, Statesmen fans. 

Here come the #13 nationally ranked and undefeated Ithaca College Bombers. Ithaca (3-0) conveniently (for them) is coming off a bye week and heads into Hobart's homecoming game (which should be at night, under the lights, btw) a heavy favorite in this Liberty League conference opener. The Bombers were picked to win the LL this year (with Hobart in third, based on the preseason coaches' poll). After Union and RPI's surprising losses last weekend, this game is arguably a league championship and playoff elimination one. 

Hobart (3-1), which once again plays the role of the underdog, has lost four in a row against the Bombers, dating back to when Ithaca joined the LL (so yes, Hobart is 0-4 in LL play against IC). The Statesmen's last win dates back to 2016 (which also was a homecoming, ahem, night game), their biggest in the series, a 23-3 beatdown. Hobart is 5-29 all time against Ithaca, dating back to 1961, and all five of those wins have come at Boswell Field. The Bombers were the last visiting team to beat Hobart at home, 10-3, back in Week 10 of the 2018 season. The Statesmen have gone 13-0 at "the Boz" since then and hope to be 14-0 after this weekend.

Hobart led Ithaca 21-14 with 5:09 to go in the 3rd quarter of last season's game, but now SR QB A.J. Wingfield engineered two quick scoring drives to tie and then win it on a 30-yard TD pass with 8:54 to go in the 4th quarter. The Statesmen had a chance to force overtime and/or go for the win from the Ithaca 16-yard line, but literally dropped the ball on the final play and lost, 28-21.

Scouting the Bombers 

Ithaca comes into this matchup after crushing three team in Weeks 1-3, including Alfred University (1-3), being the one common opponent shared with Hobart. The Bombers won that game, 52-3, compared to Hobart's Week 1 win over the Saxons by a 36-6 margin. Ithaca averages over 42 PPG on offense and have held opponents to only 5.67 PPG on defense (less than a TD). To be fair, Hobart's numbers stack up pretty well after last Saturday's blowout of Keystone (0-4), moving our offensive and defensive PPG stats to 32.75 and 9, respectively. 

Regardless of the stats, the biggest advantage Ithaca has over Hobart is depth and experience. Starting with the Bombers OL - all five are fourth- or fifth-year seniors and returning starters from 2021. Actually, it looks like at LG JR OL Alexander Rice got the start over SR OL Andrew Testani against Alfred, but regardless; this unit is very big (everyone is listed at 6' 2"+ and close to 300 lbs.) and have worked together well over a season plus.

Wingfield is the best QB in the LL, and ranks first in efficiency (154.8), passing TDs (5 - which is interesting because Statesmen SR QB David Krewson technically has six) and completion percentage, going 46-68 for 509 yards (67.6%). Unlike all the other starting LL QBs, Wingfield has yet to throw an INT.

As the saying goes, a QBs best friend (other than a great OL) is a strong running game. The Bombers have two solid backs at their disposal - JR RBs Jake Williams and Ryan Brozovic. This duo has combined for 257 rushing yards and 5 TDs so far this season.

Wingfield's favorite targets has been a pair of SR WRs - Michael Anderson and Julien Deumaga. They've made 29 catches for a combined 381 yards and 3 receiving TDs. Wingfield likes to spread it around, however, as 3 other WRs have caught a TD each.

Defensively the Bombers are led by 5th-year SR LB Matt DeSimpliciis who's tallied 23 total tackles, 2 sacks and 3 TFL. He also has one FR. Overall the Bombers are +3 in turnover margin, collecting 3 INTs to go with the FR. They've only turned the ball over once so far this season. Much like the offensive side of the ball, Ithaca's defense is very experienced and deep with upperclassmen. 

On special teams, the Bombers have arguably the best PK in the nation as SR PK Nick Bahamonde was named 1st team preseason All-American by D3football.com. That said, Bahamonde's season has gotten off to a rough start, as he's missed more FG attempts than he's converted (2-5). He handles Ithaca's KO duties also, averaging close to 58 YPKO.

The punting unit is headed up by 5th year SR SS Michael Roumes who averages about 37 YPP and has forced 5 FC balls on 11 kicks, including 2 that have landed inside his opponent's 20-yard line and one 50+ yard kick. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Start Strong, Move the Chains: The Bombers have outscored their opponents 85-10 in the first half so far this season. Hobart needs to get on the board and do their best defensively to keep Ithaca out of the end zone, where they have scored 13 times on 15 trips (an 86.67% success rate). Running the ball will be a challenge as the Bombers have an outstanding run defense (albeit against average to mediocre opposition), allowing a paltry 2.1 YPR and only 66.3 rush YPG average. That said, Hobart should grind away in the running game to burn the clock and keep Wingfield on the sideline. I expect Ithaca to "stack the box" so play action is a good strategy in my opinion. Third down conversions will be at a premium as Ithaca has only allowed 10 first downs on 45 attempts (22.22%) this season. The Bombers have allowed just under 5 YPC passing, so short, precise patterns can work against this defense. I know HC Kevin DeWall '00 likes to go deep from time to time, but against a defense that's racked up 6 sacks and 19.5 TFL, spending too much time in the pocket to let a longer play develop could be troublesome.  

2. Bend, Don't Break: The Hobart defense will need to lock in a stop an offense that has looked superhuman so far this season. Ithaca will look to put the Statesmen in a hole early and try and make them play from behind. It's crucial that assignments are kept and more importantly, penalties are negated as you can't give up any easy yards to a team this talented and expect to win. If the Statesmen can hold this dynamic offense to FGs instead of TDs, that'll go a long way in keeping this game competitive. Pressuring Wingfield will be paramount as well, but the Bombers OL has only given up one sack this season.

3. Home Sweet Home: The Statesmen haven't lost at Boswell Field in over two seasons, and there should be a big crowd there Saturday cheering on the Statesmen. As much as Butterfield stadium has been a "house of (0-17) horrors" for Hobart, the Statesmen (and their fans) need to make the Boz environment similar Saturday. Ithaca will come into this game well rested and extremely confident, so Hobart will have to take their first couple of punches and hold firm, while delivering a few of their own. 

Prediction:

I have struggled with this one and would feel better about Hobart's chances if not for what happened in Week 2. The end of the day is the Statesmen are a younger, less experienced and to a certain extent, physically smaller version of what Ithaca is today. The Bombers should probably win this game by 14+ points based "on paper", but I have a feeling our defense - who is loaded with young and hungry talent, especially at LB - will keep it from getting out of hand.

My heart tells me otherwise, but my head is telling me I have to go with Ithaca getting the win, but in a lower scoring, 17-13, type of game. 

I've enjoyed it in the past when Hobart has proved me wrong. Let's hope this is one of those times.

I'll be hoping for the best and thinking go 'Bart!

Hobart Rolls Giants, 65-6

The Hobart College Statesmen scored the second most points, 65, in the 128-season history of their program, blowing out the Keystone College Giants, Saturday in La Plume, PA.

The game got off to an auspicious start, as the Giants drove deep into Statesmen (3-1) territory, and it took a fourth down hold by the defense to keep Keystone (0-4) from scoring first. After that, it was all Hobart.

The Statesmen racked up 377 total yards on offense, averaging nearly 8 yards per play, and saw seven different Hobart player's score a TD, including JR DB Blake Hansen who had a 60-yard pick six in the game. 

JR RB Tim Denham, Jr. had a day, rushing for only 42 yards but a team high 3 rushing TDs. SO TE Luke Hescock led the team with 48 receiving yards. The defense was led by FY LB Mike McGhee who had 14 total tackles, 3 TFL and a sack. SO PK Tobias Weffering was kept busy all day, accounting for 11 points if my math is correct. He kicked a 27-yard FG and converted 8 PATs on the day.

Next weekend Hobart will host #12 Ithaca (who was on a bye this weekend) for Homecoming in both teams Liberty League opener. I'll have more on that one early next week. 

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 4 - Keystone Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will go on one of their longest road trips of the season when they head south to play the Keystone College Giants. The Giants are located in La Plume, PA, just a few miles northwest of Scranton in a very rural part of Lackawanna County. 

Hobart (2-1) will basically have this game as a final tune up before the game of the season / year, Week 5 at home against #12 Ithaca (3-0), for homecoming. The Bombers were the last team to defeat Hobart at Boswell field, dating back to Week 11 of 2018.

Back to the Giants (0-3) - the Statesmen won last season's matchup, 58-14, behind over 500 yards of total offense. As we have seen first-hand, last year's results don't necessarily match this year's, so Hobart can't take this steadily improving new program too lightly.

Scouting the Giants

Looking at the stat sheet, one thing is pretty clear - Keystone is consistent. They have scored 21 points in Week 1 and 20 points in Weeks 2 and 3. They are led on offense by SR QB Tom Roach. He's averaged about 150 pass YPG and has thrown more INTs (5) than TDs (2). Roach has added two rushing TDs so far on the season.

The other rushing TDs came from SO RB Mujaheed Muhammad (2) and SR RB Kevin Lewis (1). JR WR Jorden Cook led the Giants with 4 receptions for 50 yards and 1 TD last year at Hobart. This season he's had team high 8 receptions for 121 yards. 

On defense, JR DB Sean Pettway (pictured above) earned ECFC DPOTW honors, tying for the team lead in tackles (8 solo and 2.5 TFL). He had a 45-yard pick six to give the Giants a 20-7 lead before halftime. SR LB Carlos Perez leads the Keystone defense with 24 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. 

On special teams, SR TE Zac Cost is the Keystone punter, averaging nearly 36 YPP. FGs and KOs are handled by SO PK Josue Hernandez. He averages nearly 50 YPKO and has missed his only FG attempt, which was between 30-39 yards. He's gone 7-9 on PAT attempts.

Keys to the (Keystone) Game:

1. Stick to the Statesmen Script: A game plan similar to the Fisher one would do well Saturday. The Giants defense allows nearly 265 rushing YPG. A steady dose of JR RB Tim Denham, Jr. with a high percentage passing game like the one SR QB David Krewson had in Week 3 will go a long way to securing a win. Defensively Hobart can play smart, aggressive football and likely pick up a few more turnovers like they did last weekend.

2. Rotation, rotation, rotation: It would be great to keep rotating in some of these newer, younger Statesmen players to develop their confidence with game experience. The newly retooled OL should get some useful reps also, but it's a good opportunity to try out other guys, should things go well for Hobart.

3. Enjoy the Road Trip: October starts the grind of conference play, in which every game will be a dogfight, starting with Ithaca next weekend. This is one of the longer trips the Statesmen will have this season (and it's the only one out of NYS), so it's a good opportunity for the team to bond and become a stronger group, especially when the adversity kicks in during the conference race. 

Prediction:

I think Keystone will fare better than last season, but Hobart should be able to pull away in the second half. I'll take the Statesmen to win it, 42-21.

Will have more on last weekend's action in the next "CrunchTime" show on "In the (D3FB) Huddle tomorrow and cover off on Week 4 games this Friday on our Facebook and Twitter Live show.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Hobart Bounces Back, Beating SJF, 17-0

The Hobart College Statesmen continued their home winning streak, taking their 13th straight in a dominating, 17-0, shutout of Saint John Fisher. The Cardinals (1-2) racked up over 300 yards of total offense, including 18 first downs, but could never crack the scoreboard.

Hobart (2-1) used a grinding running and efficient passing game to get the win. SR QB David Krewson went 11-15 for 194 yards and 1 TD. JR RB Tim Denham, Jr. carried the ball 25 times for 111yards and 1 TD. Although he missed on two attempts, SO PK Toby Wefering was good from 23 yards to cap the scoring. SO LB Peterson Monexant led the defense with 9 tackles and 1 INT.

You can check out the official HWS Athletics recap here.

The victory was a much needed one after a rough Week 2. Still, the Statesmen have some work to do as usually a three turnover game would result in more than 17 points. Hobart also only gained 16 yards on six plays in the entire fourth quarter. The Statesmen really need to cut down on the penalties, as they were flagged nine times for -87 yards. Hobart isn't the most penalized team in the LL at the moment, that honor goes to Union (30 penalties for -268 yards), but they're pretty close.

Next weekend, the Statesmen will travel to winless Keystone College in PA. The Giants are 0-13 all-time, but they led 20-7 at the half over William Paterson in Week 3. WPU eventually came back to win, 27-20, to improve to 2-1. 

I'll have more on that matchup early next week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 3 - Saint John Fisher Game Preview

The Hobart Statesmen will need to put Week 2 behind them quickly as a stronger, more talented Saint John Fisher Cardinals team will make the short trip to Geneva for Saturday's OOC matchup. This will be Hobart's third straight against an Empire 8 team. The Statesmen (1-1) should have their hands full with a Cardinals (1-1) offense that's averaged 41 PPG.

To be fair those stats are bolstered by their Week 1 blowout of Buffalo State (0-2). Against a stronger, playoff caliber team in Framingham State (2-0), the Cardinals got off to a 14-0 lead, but ultimately lost, 31-20. 

Scouting the Cardinals

Based on a review of the statistics from Weeks 1 & 2, the SJF offense is really keyed off of 5th year SR RB Malachi Duval (pictured above - credit to sjfathletics.com). Duval averaged over 100 YPG on the ground, carrying the ball 36 times for 294 rushing yards and 5 TDs. He also pulled off a successful halfback passing play, for 27 yards and a TD last weekend against Framingham. 

JR QB Aaron Chase is a dual threat, passing for 254 yards and 4 TDs while also rushing for 86 yards and 1 TD. Chase was the receiver on the Duval trick pass play, so Chase has the proverbial trifecta of passing, rushing and receiving TDs already only two weeks into the season.

Defensively the Cardinals are led by JR LB Joe Miscia with a team high 19 total tackles. Up front, SO DL Zach Driesbach leads the defense with 3.5 TFL and 2 sacks. Generally, it appears as though the LB corps is the strength of this unit and so Hobart will need to prepare accordingly. 

On ST, SO PK Kyle Farewell handles all the majority of the kicking duties. He averages less than 30 YPP, so that could help the Statesmen in the field position battle. He's only attempted one FG (from 30-39 yards), but it was no good. He's otherwise pretty reliable on PATs, converting 9-10. SR PK Andrew Symans has handled KOs, averaging nearly 50 YPKO.

Keys to the Game:

1. Back to the Basics (Run the Ball, Win the Turnover Battle): Regardless of who was or is the starting QB, Hobart's success in 2021 was predicated on being an outstanding rushing offense. The winning formula for the Rams in their win over Fisher last weekend appears to have been a conscious decision to run the football. Framingham called 44 rushing plays in Week 2, getting 18 first downs via the run and scored 5 rushing TDs. The Rams pass defense also had a good game, limiting the Cardinals offense to only complete 14-34 (41.17%) for 187 yards. While they allowed two passing TDs, FSU picked off SJF twice. Coach Kelly is a great coach, so why not just copy his game plan?

2. Trial by Fire: We saw some new faces last Saturday, and if that's the case again this weekend, these younger Statesmen will just have to buckle up and learn on the job. There's a great deal of young talent on this team, but obviously with youth comes the occasional mistakes. Hobart will need to work on its resiliency, as they crumbled under pressure at Morrisville. These younger players will need to rise to the occasion and assume more of a leadership role, especially if that's not being provided by the upperclassmen to the extent it should. 

3. Home Sweet Home: In need of a bounce back win, you couldn't pick a better place to do so than at Boswell Field where Hobart is unbeaten in 12 straight, dating back to 2018. 

Prediction: 

I expect a dog fight Saturday as the Statesmen's confidence has to be shaken and SJF must believe they can beat Hobart if SUNY-Morrisville did. We won't know the status of certain players until later in the week (tune into the next Hobart podcast on Thursday), so I expect a lower scoring, defensive struggle, but (I hope) Hobart will hang in there to make their home record a lucky 13-0, edging the Cardinals late, 24-17.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!