GENEVA, N.Y.—The eighth-ranked Hobart College football team improved to 8-0 with a 30-6 victory over Union College on Boswell Field at the Caird Center for Sports and Recreation. The Statesmen shutdown the Liberty League's leading rusher and outgained the Dutchmen 350 yards to 242 yards.
Hobart (8-0, 5-0) has not allowed a touchdown in 10 consecutive quarters, limiting Union (1-7, 1-4) to a pair of David Pope field goals. Senior cornerback Fajri Jackson led the Statesmen with eight tackles and blocked a punt. Junior linebacker Jacob Stanley recorded seven stops, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, blocked a punt, and forced a fumble that he returned 44 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore linebacker Marcus Jemison also added seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack.
Union was never able to get its running game on track. The Dutchmen had just 10 yards rushing thanks to Hobart's three sacks. Darnel Thomas, who came into the game with a league best 111.0 rushing average, finished the day with just 40 yards on 15 carries.
Junior linebacker Trayvon Toney had four tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception for Hobart, while senior defensive end Tyre Coleman added 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack to his career totals. He now has 80 career tackles for loss (9th in Division III history) and 44 sacks (4th all-time).
The Statesmen defense forced a three-and-out on the game's first possession and then marched 59 yards in 12 plays, scoring on a 9-yard pass from senior Patrick Conlan to senior wide receiver Troy Robinson. First-year Will McCool's PAT put Hobart up 7-0 with 7:24 left in the first quarter.
Union took advantage of a 32-yard kickoff return by Connor Kinzelmann and answered with its own scoring drive. After Jemison and Toney stuffed a third-and-4 play at the Hobart 14 for no gain, Pope booted a 31-yard field goal to put the visitors on the board.
Hobart took a 14-3 lead when Conlan threw a 9-yard TD pass to senior tight end Mike Berkowitz on the first play of the second quarter. It finished off a 9-play, 69-yard drive. Conlan was 15-of-27 passing for 148 yards with the two TDs. He completed passes to eight different receivers. Sophomore wide receiver Jack Pfohl was his top target, pulling in four passes for 42 yards.
The Statesmen extended their lead to 17-3 when McCool kicked a 30-yard field goal on his first collegiate attempt.
The Dutchmen got another good return from Kinzelmann, this one 39-yards, setting up a short scoring drive. Union moved into the red zone as time wound down, but Coleman and Jemison teamed up to sack first-year quarterback Dante Cioffi on second-and-goal from the 10. After an incompletion on third down, Pope converted a 39-yard field goal to send his team into the break down 17-6.
Hobart padded its lead with a 14-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Dominique Ellis with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Ellis had 44 yards on 10 carries in the game. The key play of the 80-yard drive was a 28-yard run by sophomore running back Bradley Burns. He led all rushers with 58 yards on seven attempts.
Stanley capped off the day's scoring with a scoop and score. On a third-and-5 play from the Hobart 35, the Statesmen set a blitz after Cioffi. Stanley went through the middle of the line untouched and hit Cioffi deep in his own backfield. The pop jarred the ball loose and Stanley picked it up and the 44 and ran it in for his first career touchdown.
Union made its last trip into Statesmen territory on its next possession, but on fourth-and-6 from the Hobart 28, Coleman and Jemison teamed up on a 12-yard sack.
Cioffi was 17-of-39 passing for 206 yards with one interception. Senior wideout Kyle Reynolds had a game-high six catches for 68 yards while junior wideout Joe Vito had five catches for a game-high 92 yards.
Defensively, Union junior inside linebacker Thomas Hayes recorded a team-high 10 tackles.
Hobart started the game 6-for-6 on third down conversions and finished the game 9-of-19, while Union was 6-of-17. The Statesmen controlled the clock, holding onto the ball for 38:16. Both teams were plagued by penalties, combining for 16 flags for 153 yards.
Hobart will head to St. Lawrence (7-1, 5-0) next Saturday, Nov. 8, for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Dutchmen return home to host Merchant Marine (2-6, 0-5) on the same date and time.
#8 Statesmen shut down Dutchmen to remain unbeaten
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141101_62d5.xml
2014
Union
6
Hobart
30
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union (1-7) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 9 Hobart (8-0) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 30 |
Nov 01, 2014