Week 9 - Centennial Cup / Rochester Game Preview

This Saturday, the Hobart College Statesmen will face off against their oldest rivals, the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets for the 118th time. This series dates back to Hobart's first season of 1892, and this game was renamed the Centennial Cup for the 100th game back in 2007. Hobart (4-3, 2-2) will host Rochester (3-4, 2-2) in the 16th annual Tackles and Touchdowns game, which raises funds for the Ability Partners Foundation in Geneva.

This event was originally conceived by former Hobart OL and Captain Jarrid Blades '12. You can make a donation via the link in the HWSAthletics.com article above if you're interested in supporting this wonderful cause. I know I will.

Last season the Statesmen narrowly escaped Rochester with a 28-21 win, seeing a 21-7 halftime lead chipped away by a couple of late TDs by the Yellow Jackets. Hobart needed OT to come away with the victory, their 14th straight over Rochester. This recent run by the Statesmen has given them a 62-38-7 lead in the all-time series.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets

Rochester has improved under the guidance of former Hobart QB and graduate Chad Martinovich '94, but has struggled of late, losing back-to-back games to Ithaca and RPI by a combined 77-7 margin.

The Yellow Jackets are a run first team, leaning towards the rush 68.8% of their offensive play calls. That may be by design, or the fact that they tend to be turnover prone when they throw the football, getting picked off 14 times in seven games this season.

JR RB Cole Raux (shown above) leads Rochester with 707 yards on 121 carries this season, scoring five rushing TDs. He did not play last week, however, so it remains to be seen if he'll be active for this Saturday's game or not. 

SO QB Shawn Bellenger has played in six games this season, going 76-131 passing for 829 yards, eight TDs, but with 11 INTs. His favorite targets on the Yellow Jackets receiving side are SO WR Justin Rizzo-Troxell (21 catches, 350 yards, TD), SR TJ Shifflet (18 catches, 229 yards, 4 TDs), and SO WR Corey Wang (14 catches, 155 yards, two TDs). 

Defensively Rochester has been led by big (6' 2" and 235 lbs.) SR LB Jack Diggins. He has 67 total tackles and is dangerous in the backfield, collecting 11.5 TFL, five QB hits, 2.5 sacks and an INT. 

SR PK Kyle Brainard covers all aspects of the special team's game, including punting (38.07 average), KOs (56.1 average), and FGs. The Yellow Jackets have only attempted two FGs all season however, and one of those was blocked, so unless they are really close in the red zone, I don't think we'll see Brainard attempt one. 

Keys to the Game:

1. Another Quick Start (and Don't Let Up): We finally saw the Statesmen score some TDs in the first half last week against SLU. A healthy SO QB Aidan Conrath absolutely picked apart the Saints pass defense and he should be able to do the same Saturday against Rochester. I do think we need to give SR RB EJ Taylor his fair share of carries, but staking out to an early lead would be a great way to get things started. Once we have the lead, we need to remember last season and not take our foot off the pedal. 

2. Turnovers: The Yellow Jackets have a -8 TOM this season, so the Hobart defense should have opportunities for a couple of takeaways. 

3. Keep the Streak: The win against SLU was Hobart's 15th in the series and they have a chance to notch their 15th straight win against Rochester. Let's keep it going. 

Final Thoughts:

I apologize if this comes out crass, but this is the final test for the Statesmen this regular season. A win here sets them up for two very winnable games against Buffalo State and Hilbert who are a combined 1-13 overall (and Buff State's only win was against Hilbert last weekend). 

Then it'll be a waiting game to see who the Statesmen draw in a potential ECAC Bowl game which Frank and I will once again announce around noon on Monday, November 16th on our In the D3FB Huddle Bowl Selection Show. 

That's all for now. Let's hope we can keep these winning streaks going.

Thanks, as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Shut Out Saints, 41-0

The Hobart College Statesmen's offense and defense had its best game of the season, scoring four TDs in the first half and notching their first shut out of the season, in route to a 41-0 win over Saint Lawrence. 

The Statesmen (4-3, 2-2) outgained the Saints (2-5, 1-3) 481 to 184 total yards. SO QB Aidan Conrath came back into the fold and had an impressive 21-27, 324 yards and four passing TDs performance. SR RB EJ Taylor rushed for 69 yards on 15 carries, scoring his 39th and 40th career rushing TDs. SR WR Marcus Peterson led the receiving corps with three catches for 103 yards and his first TD of the season. 

Defensively, Hobart was led by SO DB Latrell Bonaparte with five tackles. The Statesmen defense held Saint Lawrence to only 75 rushing yards. 

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

Up next is the annual Centennial Cup clash against Rochester. I'll have more on that one early next week.

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 8 (Post Bye) - Saint Lawrence Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen got a much-needed bye week after a big win in Week 6 over the defending Liberty League Champions, Union College. While the 2026 season hasn't panned out how we hoped it might, things are certainly better than last year when the Statesmen (3-3, 1-2) were 1-5 after six games.

While it appears the NCAA playoff berth will go to the winner of the Ithaca-RPI game, Hobart still has designs on getting back into the postseason, especially if they can end the year with seven wins. That mark puts them in good shape for a potential ECAC Bowl bid.

The first step as always is going 1-0 this week, as the Statesmen hit the road for what will be their longest trip of the season so far. Up next are the Saint Lawrence University (SLU) Saints this Saturday for a 1 pm kickoff. Last season Hobart took care of the Saints early, with the Statesmen scoring 35 unanswered points in the first half on the way to a 49-17 rout. Then SO QB Jeremy Weiss had one of his best games of the 2025 season, going 13-17 for 329 yards and four passing TDs. 

Hobart and SLU's series is an old and long one, with the Statesmen having a 58-36-2 record against the Saints, going back to 1901. Saturday will be the 97th edition of this rivalry, with Hobart enjoying a 14-game winning streak that dates back to 2010.

Scouting the Saints

SLU has struggled this season, earning a 2-4, 1-2 record so far. The Saints wins have come against Norwich (3-3, 1-2) and Hilbert (0-5, 0-4). SLU has losses to two teams Hobart beat, Alfred (31-7) and Union (49-7), and were blanked by Ithaca, 66-0. They also dropped a 30-10 decision to Saint John Fisher back in Week 2. 

The Saints made a QB change midseason, giving JR QB Sean Miles the top job after JR QB Oliver Cheer started the season as QB1. Miles seems like a versatile athlete, having passed for 256 yards and two TDs to go along with 83 rushing yards (the net of his 143 of gains vs. 60 in TFLs or sacks) and three rushing TDs.

Regardless of who's throwing the ball, SLU's top receiver is JR WR Cole Phelan. He has 24 catches for 292 yards and three TDs so far this season. SR TE Ben Chapman has been used mostly as a blocker, but he scored a TD in the Hilbert game.

The offense, which leads toward the run (206 to 148 plays) is led by SO RB Caeden Perreault, who missed a few games this season, but logged two 100+ yard rushing games in the three he's played in. He rushed 15 times for 179 yards and a TD against Hilbert.

The Saint's defense is led by SO LB Luke Robillard with 34 total tackles and two TFL. Classmate SO LB Drew Lazcano has been good at getting into the opposition's backfield, leading the team with 3.5 TFL, three sacks and two FFs. 

On special teams, SLU has two PKs, the first being JR PK Aidan Morris who handles FGs. He's missed as many as he's tried (4-8) with a long of 37 yards. JR PK Rory McGuire handles punts and KOs, averaging 37.42 YPP and 58 YPKO this season. SR DB Jack Finnegan has been the primary punt returner, and it appears as though Perrault has had the best success of any Saints player in the KOR side of things.

Keys to the Game:

1. Get Off to a Good Start - The Statesmen's road woes have been well documented, so I don't want to dwell on it that much. Hobart is simply an average road team, and while they will be heavily favored to beat SLU, it would be nice to see them come out looking sharp and executing well in the first quarter. Hobart still hasn't scored a TD in the first half going back to Week 2, so yeah, that would be a nice thing to erase off the ledger on the opening drive.

2. Turnovers: The Saints defense has forced eight turnovers this season, including six INTs. SLU has given up 233 YPG and 12 TDs through the air this season, so I could see Hobart wanting to challenge that secondary, but they will need to be smart about it.

3. Business Trip: The Statesmen know the key ingredients of successful Hobart Football at this point - run the ball, stop the run on defense, and play with poise. I'm looking for a clean, well-executed game by all three units, without any silly penalties. 

Final Thoughts:

Saint Lawrence hasn't beaten us in 14 tries, and Hobart is clearly the stronger side, but the Statesmen can't take anything for granted. We saw several higher rated teams lose to lower ranked conference opponents in Week 7 across D3FB.

Here's to hoping we see a polished and focused Hobart team coming out of the bye ready to finish the year on a nice long winning streak. 

Thanks as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Statesmen Rally to Defeat Dutchmen, 18-12

The Hobart College Football team got their first Liberty League win of the season yesterday against long time conference rivals and defending champions, Union College. SR RB E.J. Taylor capped off an 11-play, 64-yard drive with a five-yard TD run with 52 seconds left to give Hobart (3-3, 1-2) a hard-fought victory over the Dutchmen (3-3, 2-1).

Although the Statesmen's first half offensive scoring struggles continued (they were shut out for the fourth straight week in a row), FY LB M.J. Wells read and intercepted a JR QB Luke Sheehan pass and returned it 42 yards to give Hobart an early 7-0 advantage. FY PK Owen McNulty struggled a bit on Saturday, going 1-3 on FGs, but the one he did make gave the Statesmen a 10-0 lead with 6:38 remaining in the first half.

Union would score after SR DL Jordan Black forced a JR QB Jeremy Weiss fumble which was cashed in on by Sheehan and SR WR Gil Rivera, his first of two receiving TDs on the day. The second TD would give the Dutchmen their only lead of the game, 12-10 (Union missed both PATs) with 11:13 remaining in the game. 

You know the rest and can read more about it here from the HWSAthletics.com recap.

The win gave HC Kevin DeWall '00 his 56th career victory at Hobart, making him the third winningest coach in Statesmen Football history. More importantly, it gave Hobart some needed confidence after three weeks of struggles. While the team showed grit and determination, they failed to find ways to win games until this weekend. 

Hobart goes into its bye week with an even mark, and a good chance to finish the year with a 7-3 regular season record. The Statesmen's final four opponents are currently a combined 5-19. This gives Hobart a great chance to earn another ECAC bowl bid and potentially host it. Time will tell but in a season of tough breaks, it was nice to see one go the Statesmen's way this Saturday in a tough, all-around effort. 

Congratulations again to the team and Coach DeWall on the big win over Union. I'll have a midseason review up later next week.

Thanks, as always for reading and go 'Bart!

Week 6 - Union Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will look to break a three-game losing streak Saturday when they host the defending Liberty League Champion, Union College. The Dutchmen (3-2, 2-0) have won three in a row and come into this critical matchup with some momentum. Hobart (2-3, 0-2) is still looking for their first LL win, and even more importantly, a first half TD in the last couple of weeks. 

Last weekend, Union defeated Saint Lawrence (1-4, 0-2) by a score of 49-7. The Dutchmen (sorry I just can't call them the "Garnet Chargers") have been on a roll after losing to nationally ranked Susquehanna and Cortland in Weeks 1 and 2. They have put up 150 points while only surrendering 38 points in the last three games. 

While the Statesmen have shown some great heart and determination, the big first half holes they've dug themselves into in Weeks 3-5 need to stop. Union defeated an injury-riddled Hobart team last season (only about 50-55 players were able to dress), 33-16 at Frank Bailey Field. The Statesmen are 51-55-2 all-time against the Dutchmen, making this Saturday's matchup the 109th in the series. As stated in my last write up, Hobart hasn't lost to Union at home since 2008, enjoying a seven-game winning streak at the Boz against this conference rival.

Scouting the Dutchmen / Chargers

Union is led by long-time Hobart assistant coach and former OC, Jon Drach. Coach Drach runs a dynamic and fast paced offensive scheme that requires his QB be a playmaker. After struggling with turnovers in Week 1, JR QB Cole Brisson has been replaced by JR QB Luke Sheehan, a tall (6' 3") and athletic guy out of Middleton, NJ.

Sheehan has passed for 661 yards and nine TDs in the last four games, while adding 99 rushing yards and 1 TD on the ground. Union has four receivers with over 100 yards, led by SO WR Caden Gore with a team high 238 receiving yards and three receiving TDs. 

The Dutchmen also like to play a variety of RBs to keep defenses guessing and adjusting to their different running styles. SO RB Brady Markowski has the most attempts with 36 for 181 yards over the past three games. He's scored one TD. JR RB Jah'Cire Jones has rushed 33 times for 65 yards and two scores. He's more of their short yardage back. SO RB Justin Singh has run the ball 22 times for 98 yards and two scores. 

Defensively Union has an experienced unit, led by SR LB Dwayne Hinds. He has racked up 34 total tackles, 2.5 TFL, a sack and two PBUs. The DL is anchored by SR DL Jordan Black (who I interviewed on In the D3FB Huddle in the preseason). He has a team high 8.5 TFL and four sacks. It's imperative the Hobart OL blocks this guy well on Saturday. 

On special teams, the Dutchmen have a young but interesting group of kickers. FY PK Nathan Bearrows is the punter and JR PK Francesco Pileggi (what a great name for a kicker) has handled FGs and KOs. These guys are from CA and Brazil, so you have to credit Coach Drach for going out of his way to find these guys. Bearrows averages 40.65 YPP and has connected on a 62-yarder and seems to have been successful in pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line. Pileggi has gone 1-2 on FGs with a long of 27, so his range seems short. FY PK Ben Stark seems to have taken over the KO duties from Pileggi, averaging 53.9 YPKO. He also seems to be their primary PAT kicker also.

In the return game, SO WR Kaden Gore has fielded most of the KOs and FY WR Peyton Kellett has handled most of the PRs.

Keys to the Game:

1. Get on the (Damn) Scoreboard: If the Statesmen are going to break this skid, they need to figure out how to score points in the first half. This offense is too talented to have been basically shutout in the first half for the past three weeks. The Dutchmen will look to get on the board quickly and the Union defense will attack early and often. The Hobart OL will need to win the battle at the LOS and open up running and passing lanes. The Dutchmen can be beaten for big gains due to their aggressive play, so the Statesmen will need to take those opportunities when they get them. They just need to execute better than they have of late.

2. Turnovers and Penalties: Union has a +6 TOM and has capitalized on their opponent's mistakes in recent weeks. It's common sense, but Hobart has to avoid giving the Dutchmen short fields, because they will make the most of those opportunities. The Statesmen also have to just play smarter, fundamental football. No more late hits and woofing after the whistle. Seriously, act like you've been there and done your job before and move on to the next play. Sure, celebrating and getting your teammates up is one thing, but Hobart hasn't picked their spots well, which is something the coaches need to get a better handle on, honestly. 

3. Home Sweet Home: If the Statesmen ever needed some "home cooking" aka home field advantage, it's this Saturday. Ithaca added the fifth loss in 38 games last weekend, but Hobart still has an 87% winning percentage under Coach DeWall '00 at home. The Statesmen will need some magic to turn the corner and slow down this Union squad. Sticking to what has gotten us 33 wins - running the football, explosive plays, excellent special teams play and a tough defense - should be the recipe.

Final Thoughts

Coach Drach is a great guy and a long-time friend, so I like to see him do well, but Saturday I will be pulling for a Hobart victory. This is a winnable game, just like the last three, but the Statesmen need to play smarter, fundamental football. Here's hoping we get that and start a turnaround for the second half of the regular season.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

Sloppy Statesmen Spoil Homecoming Comeback, Drop Another to Ithaca, 27-20

What could have been.

The Hobart College Statesmen saw another slow start, falling behind 17-0, less than five minutes into the second quarter, while also committing nine penalties for -92 yards, take away what could have been a big win on Homecoming yesterday in Geneva. The Statesmen have only scored three points in the first half in their last three games. It's hard to win when you can't score. 

Due to these offensive struggles and defensive mental errors, Ithaca (4-1, 3-0) was able to keep their drives alive, especially in the second half when the Statesmen (2-3, 0-2) needed to get the ball back. The Hobart rally eventually happened, just like last week at Utica, but the mistakes helped the Bombers dominate TOP (37-23 minutes) and keep the Statesmen at bay.

Hobart was held to under 100 rushing yards again, and while SO QB Jeremy Weiss did set a Statesmen record with a 99-yard TD pass to JR WR Johnny Harding, it was too little too late as the penalties killed Hobart in the fourth quarter and let the Bombers steal another win, their 33rd out of 39 tries in this lopsided series.

Ithaca SR QB Michael Reed was a very efficient 21-27 for 178 yards and a fantastic play by SR WR Nick Lang boosted the Bombers to that previously mentioned 17-0 advantage after an earlier Hobart miscue (either a bad call and/or badly executed lateral play from the Hobart 27 which counted as a fumble against Weiss that Ithaca recovered at the Statesmen 21). Lang would finish with seven catches for 84 yards.

Defensively, Hobart was led by FY LB Tyler Cumming, who was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing day for the Statesmen defense. He led all tacklers with nine stops, including two TFL and a sack. To be fair, if not for a few stops here and there, the score could have been worse. The Hobart defense did hold Ithaca to two FGs and 6-14 on third down. Unfortunately the Statesmen offense just couldn't get going, missed a makeable FG on the first series, went 5-12 and 0-2 on third and fourth downs in the game. 

This leaves Hobart out of the NCAA playoffs again and they will need to get back up off the mat to deal with a Union College (3-2. 2-0) squad that's on a three=game winning streak. The Dutchmen are another key rival that HC Kevin DeWall '00 has a losing record (3-4) against. The good news is Union hasn't won a game in Geneva since 2008.

I'll have more on that big game early next week.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart.

Week 5 - Ithaca Game Preview

The Hobart College Statesmen will try and break a two-game losing streak and get their first conference win this Saturday when the Ithaca College Bombers head up from Cayuga to Seneca Lake for another clash at Boswell Field. Hobart has only been able to beat the Bombers (3-1, 1-0) in Geneva, and did so in their last visit, 16-7, back in 2024. Otherwise, the series has been very lopsided with Ithaca winning 32 of the 38 matchups, dating back to 1961.

The Bombers are riding a three-game win streak where they have steamrolled their opponents by a 169-9 margin. Hobart (2-2, 0-1) is coming off a bad game at RPI (2-2, 1-0) and will need to get themselves together to avoid being embarrassed at home. While the Statesmen have won 33 of 37 games in Geneva since HC Kevin DeWall '00 took over in 2018, two of those losses have been to Ithaca. 

Scouting the Bombers

Ithaca's statistics have been boosted of late, and they are averaging an eye-popping 536 YPG on offense and nearly 49 PPG in scoring. The Bombers have more than twice the number of first downs (111-50) as their opponents.

SR QB Michael Reed leads the offense, passing for 834 yards and nine TDs (compared to four INTs), while also leading the team in rushing with 284 yards and three rush TDs. JR RB Chris Scully has rushed for 218 yards and a team high five rushing TDs. Reed's favorite target is SR WR Nicholas Lang, who's caught 21 passes for 425 yards and five receiving TDs. 

The Ithaca defense has a pair of SR DBs in Joe Spirra and Andrew Swierbut who have 26 total tackles each this season. SO DL Landon Varley leads the team with 5.5 TFL and SR DL Chris Clax has a team high four sacks to go with three TFL this year. 

Kickoffs are handled by SR PK Luke Savino (62.5 YPKO) and JR PK Caleb Wandell is the punter and FG kicker. He averages 40.67 YPP and has hit 2-2 on FGs with a long of 26.

Keys to the Game:

1. Don't Fall Behind: Hobart has seen two slow starts end up in two consecutive road losses. The Bombers will come out looking to assert themselves early, so the Statesmen need to be able to win the field position and LOS battle and hopefully take an early lead. 

2. Turnovers: The Bombers haven't forced many turnovers this season (in fact their TOM is -1), but Hobart gave up the ball three times last week and it cost them dearly. 

3. Be Better on Third Down: The Statesmen went 4-12 on third and 1-3 on fourth downs last weekend, and that number will need to drastically improve to have a chance against this Ithaca squad. The Bombers have held opponents to only 16-60 (26.67%) third down conversions on the season, so these will be at a premium for the Hobart offense to stay on the field. 

Final Thoughts:

I know the Statesmen are a completely different team at home, and that's the only thing that gives me hope that this won't be a lopsided rout. Still, given all the issues we saw last week, Hobart needs to turn things around in several areas to have a chance Saturday. Here's hoping a little Boswell magic and home cooking will be just what the Dr. ordered for the Statesmen.

Thanks, as always for reading and go 'Bart!