Hobart Comes Back to Beat Utica, 20-17

It was a fast start followed by a frustrating three quarters, but we got a dramatic ending we almost didn't deserve. After jumping out to a 13-0 lead given two Utica turnovers, the Statesmen offense struggled on the afternoon, but Hobart won a big game against previously undefeated Utica (2-1, 0-0) to notch their first win of the season, 20-17, improving to 30-3 at Boswell Field under HC Kevin DeWall '00.

Not to say I was right, but the Statesmen pressured the Pioneers QB effectively and made enough plays to generate an early lead. While they didn't run the ball as well as I would have liked, the Statesmen did outgain Utica and averaged 3.5 YPR and called 33 rushing compared to 19 passing plays. Maybe the turnovers were part of the Boz's magic, which propelled Hobart to their 30th home win under Coach DeWall. 

You can read the HWSAthletics.com recap here. 

SO QB Jeremy Weiss came off the bench to go 4-6 for 74 yards, but it was the defense with four sacks, a FF/FR and INT that was the difference. The Statesmen rushed for 114 yards, 105 from JR RB EJ Taylor who scored all three of Hobart's (1-2, 0-0) TDs, in another clutch performance. 

End of the day, a win's a win, and the Statesmen needed one badly. With conference play starting in Week 4, this was exactly the boost of confidence Hobart needed to get ready to defend their LL title. Realistically this should be a 3-0 team, but with a combination of injuries and struggling on the offensive side of the ball, the Statesmen stumbled out of the gate.

They need to go on a seven-game run starting next Saturday. We're here for it.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Looking Back on Week 2, Looking Ahead to Week 3 - Utica Game Preview

For the first time in many years, I missed the window to get a game recap up. I suppose I could blame the family weekend and travel. Really, I think it's the fact that I was just so disappointed with the outcome of Saturday's game, I had to mull it over for a bit before writing anything about it. 

The sad truth of the matter is Hobart (0-2, 0-0) is off to their worst start since 1999. They are at risk of going 0-3 with a surprisingly strong Utica (2-0, 0-0) team that's brought in an upper-division transfer QB who's blown out Washington & Jefferson and RPI in the last two weeks. The Pioneers were the last team to beat the Statesmen on their home field back in 2023, and only Ithaca has defeated Hobart twice at home since HC Kevin DeWall '00 took over the program in 2018. 

Looking Back

You can read the Brockport game recap from HWSAthletics here. Although Hobart led most of the game and the defense stood up for about 58 minutes, the offense gained only 37 yards on 23 plays in the second half. Ultimately what was supposed to be the strength (the offense) of the Statesmen going into this season, has really hurt the team, and when I asked one of the Golden Eagles' coaches who is a long-time acquaintance via In the D3FB Huddle about what's going on with the Statesmen, all he said was "they got some OL depth issues". I think QB play has been pretty inconsistent also, and it's been an issue for some time now. If you look at the teams at the top of D3, they have guys with over 60-70% completion percentages and who can throw for 200-300+ YPG. We haven't had one of those since Shane Sweeney '18. 

Either way, the Statesmen could easily be 2-0 but a couple of bad plays have given them this difficult start. Factoring in Ithaca drubbing Alfred (1-1, 0-0) by a 45-14 margin last weekend also, the rest of September's outlook looks grim to say the least.

So how can Hobart turn things around?

Looking Ahead

Scouting the Pioneers:

A big part of Utica's resurgence has to do with the addition of FCS transfer (via University of Albany and Robert Morris) SR QB Tyler Szalkowski. His numbers so far this season are fantastic, going 55-69 for 913 yards, 10 TDs and only 2 INTs in ONLY TWO GAMES!

The Pioneers' defense has been allowing over 22 PPG, but Szalkowski and the offense has put up an average of 45 PPG, which they'll likely expect to do to the Statesmen this weekend. Three Utica WRs have over 100 yards receiving already and the running game is led by JR RB Eze Frazier (39 rushes for 139 yards and 1 TD), but honestly, the Pioneers haven't needed to run the ball much. 

Defensively, Utica is led by SO LB Isaiah Thomas with 18 total tackles. SR DB Eli Douglas has 2 INTs already on the season. JR DL Jordan Davis leads the team with two sacks. 

On special teams the Pioneers have only punted three times and are 0-1 on FGs, so not much to report there. JR PK Nico Duarte has been averaging just over 48 YPKO and has gone 12-13 on PATs. 

Leading Utica since 2008 is HC Blaise Faggiano who is currently the longest tenured D3 HC (if not all of NYS, would need to double check that) in NYS. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Sack Szalkowski - It goes without saying that Hobart must get pressure on this talented QB. He has carved up opposing defenses in the last two weeks and the most points Hobart has allowed in the DeWall era at the Boz was 31 to Ithaca back in the 2022 season. Utica will look to stretch the field and get points on the board quickly. They've scored 21 and 28 points in the first half in both their Week 1 and 2 games, respectively. 

2. Back to Basics - While I know the OL is banged up (they've lost 2-3 starters), establishing the run and controlling the clock is a big key to keeping Szalkowski on the sideline. JR RB E.J. Taylor will need to get rolling, as the Utica defense has allowed over 3 YPR and close to 93 YPG rushing (but that number is deceiving given how their opposition has had to play from behind). You could make an argument to try starting SR QB Tru Styles and go with a more RPO based offense against the Pioneers, but that's up to the coaches, not me. 

3. Home Sweet Home - We all know that Hobart has a 90.6% winning percentage at home since the 2018 season. One of those losses was a surprising one to Utica in 2023, however, so they will be very confident coming to the Boz this Saturday. The Statesmen just have to play a strong fundamental football game and not beat themselves like they have in Weeks 1 and 2. 

Final Thoughts:

I don't bother with Logan Hansen's ratings or models, but my guess is he has Utica as at least 10–14-point favorites in this game. You don't need to be a statistician after watching the games to see that Hobart has some issues they need to fix. Utica seems to be on a roll and could be looking to make another statement like they did against W&J and RPI.

Hobart hasn't started 0-3 since 1996, Coach Cragg's second season as HC. Here's hoping the Statesmen can lean on their winning ways at the Boz and pull off kind of an upset win Saturday.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart! 

Week 2 - Statesmen vs. Golden Eagles Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen return to a familiar, but difficult place to win, this Saturday when they take on the Brockport Golden Eagles. It's been a short series, but one that's covered many years, dating all the way back to 1949. After that initial game, the Statesmen didn't see the Eagles again until the 1970's (1974, 19977-79) and kept the series going for a bit in the 1980's (1980-82), until shutting it down for a few decades. 

Hobart and Brockport's modern era really started in 2016 and went four years with the teams splitting the home-and-home schedule, 2-2. Overall, the Golden Eagles have a 7-5 advantage in the overall series, but Hobart did win the last match up pretty convincingly, 33-7.

This season this is a tale of two very different teams and programs. Last Thursday night in Week 1, Brockport (1-0, 0-0), steamrolled a hapless Buffalo State, 41-0. We know what happened with the Statesmen. 

Hobart (0-1, 0-0) comes into this game needing a win, but they will be the underdogs. 

Scouting the Golden Eagles

Offensively, the Brockport running game is the key for the Statesmen. The Golden Eagles SR RB Isaiah Simmons is the best RB in the Northeast not named EJ. He rushed for 174 yards on 25 carries and scored three TDs in Week 1. He is coming off a 2024 season where he rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and scored 19 rushing TDs.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles have run a version of the 3-3 stack for at least a decade now. Hobart has moved in that direction with 3 DL and having the flexibility to stack LB/DBs in different roles depending on what the offense shows them. Last week the Brockport defense was led by SR LB Luca Friedman with six total tackles. FY DL Jayden Ferrell had a nice debut, logging five tackles, two TFL and a sack. 

On special teams, the Golden Eagles only punted twice so not much to report there. FY PK Connor Parker kicked one 59 yards and back up SO QB Anthony Vino apparently did a "quick kick" for 34 yards. JR PK Zach McGowan averaged nearly 61 YPKO, with two touchbacks. One KO rolled out of bounds. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Stop Simmons: While Hobart can't sleep on the experienced and accurate JR QB Ben Gocella (10-12, 140 yds., 1 Pass. TD vs. BSU), Simmons is the key to the Brockport offense. Their big OL will look to establish the run early and keep Hobart on their toes. I do expect Gocella to take a few deeps shots (SO WR Nathan Williams was his favorite target in Week 1 to the tune of four catches for 75 yards and one TD), so we'll need guys like JR DB Zeshaun Dixon ready and playing better than we saw in Week 1. The Golden Eagles ran 40 times compared to 18 pass attempts against BSU, probably because they could, so you can do the math. If Hobart can create issues for them in the run game, that will help the Statesmen level the playing field.

2. Negative Plays: A big reason for the Hobart Week 1 loss was simple - three turnovers and seven penalties for 63 yards. Some of those penalty yards were unnecessary too, but the either the coaching staff didn't stress the new injury rules enough, or the players just made mental mistakes in not going down fast enough to avoid the flags. Once bitten, twice shy is what I hope we see this weekend. We can't afford many more injuries, obviously, but turnovers and negative yardage will kill Hobart against a team as good as Brockport. 

3. Just Win: To say this is a must win game is an understatement. Utica (1-0) put up close to 600 yards of offense on PAC co-champions W&J in Week 1. The Statesmen need a get out of this OOC schedule with some positive momentum, especially with LL play starting at Ithaca in Week 4. 

Prediction: 

While I had some concerns about Hobart being a close to .500 road team, the reality is more than half (nine) of those 15 losses were to ranked teams, and eight of them to LL rivals (Ithaca, Union and RPI), which, when it comes to conference play, isn't a surprise. Almost all of them were also close (7-14 points, or less), save for one (and a lopsided loss to Ithaca in 2019), which was the 2018 Brockport game which was HC Kevin DeWall's debut with a young, inexperienced team against one that ended up in the final four, losing to the eventual National Champions. 

The Statesmen can go on the road and win this game, but they will have to execute better than they did last week. I expect a low-scoring defensive battle that will come down to who rushes the football better and doesn't commit the most mistakes. I'll be optimistic and say Hobart can win this game, 24-21, because if they start 0-2, 0-3 and 0-4 likely follows and that's not the road we want to see this team go down. 

LFG Bart. Time to win.

Never Forget

On this 24th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, I wanted to recognize former Hobart College football player and alumnus Andy Glokin '93 as well as fellow grads Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simon '83, P '11 who lost their lives that unfortunate day.

HWS did a nice piece on their website commemorating and remembering this tragic event back in 2021.

I'd also like to recognize the Toyen family, who lost their daughter and sister Amy in the attacks. She was the younger sister of my Avon High School classmate, Heather.

Never Forget.

Saxons Turn Out the Lights on Statesmen, 28-23

The Hobart College Statesmen 2025 regular season got off to a dubious start last Friday night with an unexpected, 28-23, loss to the Alfred University Saxons. Alfred had been the team who Hobart (0-1, 0-0) had a 14-game winning streak against dating back to 1996 going until this year.

The Saxons (1-0, 0-0) capitalized on several Statesmen mistakes and penalties, including a pick six interception return for a TD by SR DB Thomas Welch. SO QB Aidan Conrath got the start and made a few rookie mistakes (the pick six included) along the way. JR RB E.J. Taylor had a good night, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring all three of Hobart's TD's. Injuries to the OL and the new injury rules implemented by the NCAA bit the Statesmen multiple times. At this point the Hobart are potentially down three starters, which is pretty shocking this early in the year. Hopefully they will all make quick recoveries, and this won't be like the lacrosse team who seems to lose key contributors on the regular every season. Makes me wonder if we have a S&C issue, or just really bad luck. 

While I didn't understand the lack of urgency / use of a no huddle offense in the final drive of the game, clearly the coaching staff felt with the two minute and three timeouts they'd be ok. In the end, it didn't pan out that way. Hobart took nearly six minutes to score, couldn't convert the onside kick and Alfred made some plays and ran out the clock to win the game. 

You can read more about the game from the HWSAthletics.com recap here. 

The loss drops Hobart's road record under Coach DeWall to 18-15. The Statesmen just seem like a different team away from Boswell Field. Something I want to deep dive into soon. 

Looking ahead, a motivated and strong Brockport (1-0, 0-0) team that blasted Buffalo State (0-1, 0-0), 41-0, last Thursday night awaits. Equipped with one of the best OL's and RBs in the Empire 8 (if not Region 2), the Statesmen could be looking at an 0-2 start. Brockport DC Mike Fox runs a trickly 3-man stack defense that an inexperienced OL and QB may struggle against. 

I have to say after last Friday, I am less optimistic about Hobart's chances in this one but will hold out hope they can make some corrections quickly. 

Week 1 - Statesmen vs. Saxons Game Preview

The 131st season of Hobart College Football will come down to how the Statesmen play on the road. This opening game will be the first of six road contests for Hobart who are looking to defend their Liberty League Championship and return to the playoffs in 2025.

This season will open under the lights of Yunevich Stadium at Alfred University. The Statesmen will face the Saxons for the 83rd time in an Upstate rivalry that dates back to the 1902 season. Hobart leads the all-time series by a 43-35-4 margin, winning the last 14 in a row. Last season, a long lightning and weather delay made the Hobart home opener a very drawn out, and occasionally, dramatic one. Alfred led the game 7-3 until an eight-yard rushing TD by QB Johnny Columbi '25 gave the Statesmen their first lead of the game with only 1:52 remaining. Hobart would hold on and win, 10-7. 

Alfred would go on to finish the 2024 season with a 7-4 overall record. This year, not unlike Hobart, the Saxons are looking to replace some key players due to graduation, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Scouting the Saxons

SR QB Chris Kelly took a big step forward in 2024, throwing for 2,071 yards and 18 TDs. He added 194 rushing yards and 1 rush TD. An established starter, you can expect Kelly to lead the Saxons offense in 2025, barring a preseason injury. 

The Statesmen secondary will see almost a totally new WR corps however, as only SO WR Carmine Hoag is returning. SR Thomas Welch caught 18 passes for 196 yards and a TD in 2024, but he's listed as DB (and one of Alfred's captains) for the 2025 season. Hoag finished second on the team with three receiving TDs.

The Saxons will also be auditioning a new starting RB. While undersized, JR RB Steven Bidwell looks like the most experienced returnee. He carried the ball only eight times last season, but he netted two short yardage TDs. There are six other RBs on the roster, including three FY, so your guess is as good as mine on who gets the call here. One element to note about Alfred's offense is last year they liked to use a TE/H-back in goal to go situations. Something to keep an eye out for if they encroach the end zone.

Leading the way for Kelly and the specialists will be a huge OL, which is a staple of many E8 teams. The OL group is led by the giant SR OL Carter Fronk. Standing 6' 5" and 370 lbs., Fronk will be a mismatch for the Hobart DL. The Statesmen will likely have to rely on their speed to get around him and the other OL starters. While the starting lineup here is TBD, the Saxons boast 10 OL players who weigh in at or over 300 lbs. 

Defensively, Alfred lost a stud with the graduation of LB Joe Copp '25. JR LB Landon Spencer is undersized but sturdy. He racked up 49 tackles for the Saxons in 2024. SR DL Quadir Holmes led Alfred with 3.5 sacks to go with 4.5 TFL and 22 total tackles up front. 

The Saxons have six P/K listed on their 2025 roster. JR PK Dominic Bronco went 7-8 on FGs last season. JR PK Owen Bishop handled KO's, averaging 54 YPKO. Bishop also went 2-3 on FG attempts in 2024. SO PK Colin McGovern averaged just over 40 net yards in punting. We will see if the other three FY PKs crack the lineup, otherwise, it seems like Alfred has an experienced Special Teams unit. 

Having only returned six punts all last season, I imagine the Saxons will find a sure handed speedster for this job. Same for KOs as both players who handled the majority of them last season have either graduated or left the program. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Close In On Kelly - The new look Statesmen defense will be put to the test early by the Alfred offense, especially by Kelly who's one of the better QBs Hobart will face this season. Given the Saxons OL's size, I imagine they will test Hobart with the run early and look to open up mismatches in the passing game. It'll be imperative for the Statesmen DL and LBs to get steady pressure on Kelly early on in this one.

2. Stick with the Program - While we will see a lot of new faces on the field in this first game, after six seasons, we know what Hobart Football under Coach DeWall '00 looks like - an aggressive, attacking defense, with an opportunistic RPO style offense and will be run first, while looking to make a big pass play down the field later in the game. Couple that with a strong special teams' unit, and the Statesmen should be fundamentally strong across the board. I expect a low scoring first half as both squads get up to game speed. Hopefully after some halftime adjustments, Hobart can open things up.

3. And Stick with the Script - You have to go back to 2018 for the last time the Statesmen lost a season opener. That was Coach DeWall's first game as Hobart's HC (I was in attendance) against a Brockport team that ultimately made it to the National Semifinals / Final Four. Hobart is 4-0 vs. Alfred in season opening games dating back to 2021, so it stands the Statesmen are road favorites here. That said I expect a tough game from both teams and turnovers/mistakes may ultimately decide the outcome. 

Prediction:

While I think we'll see more scoring that we did last season, and I like the idea of Hobart working out some kinks offensively early, but with a strong running game, they will be able to pull away and win this one 35-14. 

Looking forward to tuning in next Friday night to listen / see how this one goes. Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

The 2025 Hobart College Football (Team 131) Preseason Preview

Welcome back to football season!

The Statesmen wrapped up their 2024 campaign taking the Landmark Conference Champions, National Semifinalists and 2025 preseason Top 5 ranked Susquehanna University to the limit, dropping a 42-35 shootout in the playoffs. Hobart rushed for 217 yards and four TDs in the game. The Statesmen won the Liberty League Championship with a perfect 6-0 record and finished 9-2 which matched the 2016, 2019 and 2021 seasons for total wins. 

This season Hobart is returning key players in several position groups but will have to lean on experienced second stringers and perhaps some newer players to step up into starting roles in others. For the first time in a while, the Statesmen will have six road games, which have proved challenging in the past. Hobart has only lost three home games since HC Kevin DeWall ’00 took over the program in 2018 but has been more like a .500 team on the road (this is a topic for a whole other post because a lot of these road games have been against ranked teams). Just like in prior years, I’ll preview the offense, defense, special teams and the regular season schedule. 

OFFENSE

Looking at the offensive side of the ball, Hobart returns effectively the entire OL from last season which is a big plus. SO OL Javon James, SR OL Quinn Broggy, SR OL Ashton Mejias and SO OL Jake Jeffay create a solid core for Coach DeWall to build his offense around. SR OL Ben Goodell, who started every game in 2023, is also back and will likely step in at guard. While it remains to be seen if any of the incoming FY players can jump in and play like James and Jeffay did last season, I would anticipate others in the mix and good competition to determine the two deep and to potentially overcome a few injuries which often occurs up front. 

The WR corps were a pleasant surprise last year, with a lot of new faces who quickly became All-Conference level players. SO WR Johnny Harding would win the LL ROTY award with a team high 43 catches for 584 yards and eight TDs. Several other receivers such as SO WRs Luke Hansen, Tristan Reynolds, and Owen Preskar will look to improve upon their solid FY campaigns. I also expect JR WR Marcus Peterson, who had four receptions for sixty yards last season, will play a bigger role this year. 

At TE, Hobart graduates a couple of starter level players but also welcomes back a key returnee in SR TE Luke Hescock who has another year of eligibility after he missed the 2023 season due to injury. When he’s healthy, he’s a de facto All Conference talent in my book so with him back, along with SR TE Lukas Ruby and JR TE Timothy McKeever, this position has good depth, blocking and receiving wise.

Speaking of blocking, the OL and TE group will once again be opening up holes in opposing defenses for JR RB EJ Taylor who had a breakout 2024 season. He led the team with 1,196 rushing yards on 211 carries with 12 TDs. He added 15 catches for 109 yards and two receiving TDs out of the backfield also. While you can expect Taylor to get the majority of the carries this fall, Hobart has a strong group of RBs behind him that could get opportunities to make their mark as the season progresses. 

The biggest change for the Hobart offense this fall will be at QB. 

JR QB Tru Styles backed up Johnny Columbi ’25 for the past two seasons, playing in 12 games in his Hobart career. Styles has passed for 292 yards and three TDs while also rushing for 157 yards in those games. 

Also competing for the starting QB role are SO QBs Aidan Conrath and Jeremy Weiss. Both of these QBs were early decision commits to Hobart's Class of 2028. We first met Jeremy in January of 2024 as a recruit out of Commack HS (NY). We first met Aidan about a week later in February of 2024 as a recruit out of Gonzaga College HS (DC). 

While they didn't see the field as varsity players in the 2024 season, both had very impressive film from their HS careers, so it's no surprise they are in the mix to potentially start at QB this fall.  

DEFENSE

The Statesmen defense was the strength of the team last season, finishing fourth in the nation allowing just over 11 PPG. The biggest question marks going into the 2025 campaign will be around who will replace the highly productive LBs lost to graduation in Anthony Romano, Cashon Young, Jamien Bliss and Vincent Giordano ’25.

SR OLB Mike McGhee is the only returning starter from this unit and he’ll take a greater leadership role in 2025 because of it. In 2024, he finished third on the team with 61 total tackles to go with nine TFL, 3 sacks, and 3 INTs (one which was a 67-yard pick six against Buffalo State). I think we’ll see a number of incoming FY, rising SO and other players get looks at these open LB roles. 

The Statesmen return several players for the DL, including SO DL Billy Brosko who’s promising 2024 campaign was cut short due to injury. Other players like SR DL Dante Randle (who earned All-Conference honors in 2024), JR DL Hunter Vos and SO DL Perry Goodridge will be in the mix. 

In the secondary, Hobart will welcome back SR DB Alex Smith and JR DB Zeshan Dixon. Other Statesmen expected to step up in 2025 include SO DB Corey Rock and SO DB Ryan Van Tassel. Both were ball hawks last season, even as rotational players / backups, collecting a combined seven INTs. I could see a handful of incoming FY players competing for backup roles in this group potentially. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

With the graduation of Tobias Wefering ’25, the kicking duties will fall on the capable shoulders of SR PK Vicente Lyon and JR PK Luke Monteyne. I expect LS duties to transition to a new Statesman, with the possibility of new recruit FY LS Teague Blanchard getting some opportunities eventually after working on developing his skills on the JV squad. 

Last season SO WR Johnny Harding and SO WR Tristan Reynolds handled the majority of the punt and kickoff return duties, but I expect the coaching staff will give some other newcomers a chance to prove themselves on special teams.

SCHEDULE

For the first time in many years, Hobart will have an unbalanced schedule with six road games. The month of September may dictate the remainder of the regular season as there are two tough Empire 8 crossover games at Alfred (7-4, 5-2) and Brockport (8-3, 5-2) in Weeks 1 and 2. The Golden Eagles (given all the graduations and new coaching staff at Cortland) could be a prohibitive favorite to win that league this year. Time will tell. 

Week 3 the Statesmen host Utica (5-5, 3-4), who was the last program to beat Hobart on their home field (in the low scoring, 10-6, 2023 ECAC bowl game). In Week 4 the Statesmen hit the road to break the curse of Butterfield Stadium and open their defense of the 2024 LL Championship. As everyone already knows, Hobart is 0-18 all-time there and that has to change for this program to take the next step. 

Week 5 has the Statesmen hosting RPI which is always a tough battle. In Week 6 Hobart hits the road to take on long-time conference rival Union College before getting a bye in Week 7. 

Hobart will host Saint Lawrence in Week 8 then hit the road for back-to-back road games at Rochester and new affiliate LL member, Hilbert, in Weeks 9 and 10. This will be the first time in several decades that the Centennial Cup game won’t be contested in Week 11. This season, that game will be Hobart hosting Buffalo State on Senior Day. 

While the coaches may not agree with this statement, the Statesmen’s schedule is much easier in the back half than the front. If Hobart can escape September with a winning record, they could be on their way back to the playoffs for the second straight season. 

The NPI process and “dials” will remain in effect for the 2025 playoffs, so the Statesmen’s goal needs to be a minimum of 9 regular season wins, and/or a chaotic round-robin 6-1 conference season with tiebreakers like we saw in conferences like the SAA and PAC last year, to qualify for the playoffs. That’s getting way ahead of ourselves here, but you can count on me and Frank to cover all the NPI “stuff” later in the season on In the D3FB Huddle. 

While a few big questions remain heading into preseason camp, we can expect the offense to carry this team, at least early on, while the defense solidifies itself for a potential postseason run. It was the opposite last year, with the defense doing the heavy lifting until the offense came around. Given the personnel coming back, Statesmen fans should be optimistic going into the 2025 season.

Thanks as always for reading (it was pretty cool to see this little blog go over half a million views!) and go ‘Bart!