Hobart's aerial attack has never been more successful than it was in 2016. The Statesmen, led by the All-America tandem of quarterback Shane Sweeney and wide receiver Brandon Shed, broke records seemingly every week.

Hobart's final passing line for the year was 267-of-445 (60%) for 3,461 yards and 36 touchdowns against just six interceptions. The Statesmen shattered the team's season records for pass attempts, completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Both Sweeney and Shed return for their senior seasons, but the passing game will have to reload following the graduation of Jack Pfohl (58 rec, 705 yds, 9 TDs) and Sean Cunningham (41-501-4). The good news is Hobart is stocked with talented, young receivers ready to join the "Air Show."

The ability to move the ball quickly and efficiently through the air was critical to the team's success last season. Six of the Statesmen's 10 games featured a game-winning drive in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter. Hobart won five of those games on its way to its 11th Liberty League Championship.

The drama started in Week 1 with an eight-play, 88-yard drive that saw the Statesmen take a 41-35 lead with 1:29 remaining at Brockport. After earning more comfortable wins in Week 2 and Week 3, Hobart faced a gauntlet of five straight nail biters.

Shed's 23-yard TD reception from Sweeney with 2:16 remaining and a defensive stand gave the Statesmen a 27-23 win over Union. A week later, Pfohl turned a 15-yard crossing route into a 57-yard TD with 19 seconds left in a 38-35 win over Merchant Marine.

Hobart seemed to work its magic at Rensselaer, taking a 17-14 lead with 1:12 left, but the Engineers turned the tables, taking advantage of Statesmen penalties to claim a 21-17 win by scoring with just 20 seconds remaining.

After a week off, Hobart got back in the win column when Shed scored on an 18-yard pass from Sweeney with 1:47 left in a 12-7 win over Springfield. Fast forward seven days and Pfohl played the hero, securing an 18-yard scoring pass from Sweeney with just three seconds left to beat WPI 35-31.

The Statesmen finished the regular season strong, regaining the upper hand in the race of the Liberty League title with a 34-18 win at St. Lawrence and securing the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs with a 56-27 win over Rochester.

Hobart faced a tough draw in the first round, hosting defending national champion Mount Union. After falling into an early 14-0 hole, the Statesmen forged a 21-all tie late in the third quarter, only to have the Purple Raiders pull away down the stretch for a 38-21 win. Hobart finished the season with a 9-2 overall record, including a 6-1 mark against the Liberty League.

Shed's record-breaking campaign saw him earn first team All-America honors from D3football.com, the first Hobart receiver to make the first team and just the fifth at any position. Likewise, Sweeney became the first Statesmen signal caller to be a D3football.com All-American, netting honorable mention. They were joined on the D3football.com All-East team by punter Rio Schmidt and not surprisingly, all three were named to multiple preseason All-America teams.

With an abundance of experience returning at every position as well as an infusion of young talent in the Class of 2021, the Hobart offense will once again be formidable. The defense, like the offense, returns seven starters. The Statesmen may give up some points again this year, but have enough talent and experience to produce enough stops to put the team in a position to win week-in and week-out.

A quartet of seniors, Sweeney and tight end Zach Withers on offense and linebacker Almamy Conde and tackle Zackary Robak on defense, will serve as captains this year.

They'll lead the Liberty League preseason favorite Statesmen against a challenging schedule that begins with a four-game homestand against Brockport (Sept. 2), No. 23 St. John Fisher (Sept. 9), Shenandoah (Sept. 16) and Endicott (Sept. 23), the latter two coached by Hobart alumni, Scott Yoder '01 and Kevin DeWall '00, respectively.

The Statesmen open Liberty League play at conference newcomer Ithaca on Sept. 30 before returning home to face Rensselaer on Oct. 7. Hobart will be fighting history in both games. The Statesmen are winless in 14 trips to the Bombers' Butterfield Stadium. Hobart will be looking to end a two-game slide against the Engineers that came by a combined total of just five points.

The slate continues with back-to-back road games at Hartwick on Oct. 14 and at Union on Oct. 21. The Statesmen haven't faced the Hawks since 1997 while the game against the Dutchmen will be the 101st all-time meeting.

Senior Day will be Nov. 4 against St. Lawrence while the regular season ends with a short trip to Rochester on Nov. 11.

Here's a position-by-position look at the Statesmen who will navigate this schedule:
 
QUARTERBACK

Hobart's path to success rests in large part on the strength and health of Sweeney's right arm. Last year, he eclipsed the Statesmen standards for completions (266), pass attempts (442), passing yards (3,436), and passing touchdowns (36). He was fifth in the nation in passing TDs, seventh in passing yards, and 20th in completions per game (24.18). In 2015, Sweeney missed three games due to injury and was 129-of-207 for 1,547 yards and 17 TDs.

The reigning Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year is the only Statesman to throw for more than 400 yards in a game twice (420 at Brockport and 416 vs. Merchant Marine).

Sweeney enters the year needing 61 completions, 1,115 yards and nine touchdown passes to eclipse the Hobart career records currently held by Shawn Mizro '07 (455 comps, 6,097 yds, 61 TDs).

"Shane has the 'it' factor in the clutch," Head Coach Mike Cragg says. "We can count on him. That doesn't mean it's always going to work out, but he's the one we want to have the ball."

Sophomore Ryan Hofmann will backup Sweeney. He won the job in preseason camp with a good command of the offense and a confidence to lead. Classmate Jack Brotzki was Hofmann's chief competitor for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
 
WIDE RECEIVER

Shed produced Hobart season records with 74 catches for 1,284 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2016 and did not rest on his laurels. He redoubled his commitment to his workouts and returned to camp in superb shape. Shed and Sweeney have developed a chemistry that's unparalleled in Hobart history.

At his best against the best pass defense the Statesmen faced last season, Shed caught 12 passes for 241 yards against a St. Lawrence secondary that came into the game No. 1 in the nation in passing yards allowed (114.3). He finished the year third in the nation in receiving touchdowns and fifth in receiving yards.

Shed already holds Hobart's career record for receiving touchdowns (27) and needs 62 receptions and 644 yards to eclipse the standards set by Dan Suozzi '05.

Filling the starting roles vacated by Pfohl and Cunningham with be junior Joseph Barrocas and sophomore Ray Conley. Between last season (13 rec, 130 yds, TD) and spring ball, Barrocas earned his spot in the starting lineup while Conley's performance in preseason camp—displaying good hands and running clean routes—made him a starter for the Brockport game.
 
Junior Kiande Phillips and sophomores Isaiah Hill and John DelliSanti will fill out the depth chart. Phillips is a converted defensive back who has a good grasp of the playbook and good hands. Hill might be the fastest player on the team and can stretch the top off the defense. DelliSanti is very fit and a diligent worker. Sophomores Jake Catalioto and Jake Henzes are knocking on the door and could also see quality reps this season.
 
TIGHT END

Withers and junior Matthew Woods give Hobart a quality 1-2 punch at tight end. Withers has embraced his leadership role and looks poised to build on his breakout performance against No. 7 Mount Union last season. He had a career-high eight receptions for a career-high 89 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns against the Purple Raiders. A converted quarterback, Woods had 16 receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns last year. In addition to their contributions as strong blockers in both the pass and run game, Withers and Woods will also contribute on special teams splitting long and short snapping duties.
 
RUNNING BACK

With such a prolific passing attack, Hobart ran just 296 times in 2016. The first time in more than 50 years that the Statesmen didn't have at least 300 carries. Hobart posted just 972 yards on the ground, its lowest total since 1988.

The combination of healthier tailbacks, new talent and teams keying up to stop the pass, the Statesmen have no intention of making the downturn in the run game anything more than an aberration.

Junior Tynard Barfield and senior Joe Letizia are the top returning rushers. Barfield averaged a team best 5.8 yards per carry. The All-Liberty League honorable mention pick exploded for a career-high 123 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Rochester, ending Hobart's two-year draught without a 100-yard rusher. Letizia was the No. 3 rusher last year, but he closed the campaign strong, averaging 6.0 yards per carry against Rochester and Mount Union.

Sophomore Brian Haeffner and first-year Dakota Harvey will also factor heavily into Hobart's running back by committee. Haeffner has a similar build and abilities to Barfield and Letizia. Harvey will be the changeup to the scat back trio of Barfield, Letizia and Haeffner. The Saratoga Springs native is 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, giving the coaches more of a North-South power runner.

When the Statesmen line up with a fullback, senior Dylan Quay will be the first off the bench. He has the most experience, knows the offense well and is a strong blocker. Sophomore Omari Davis and first-year Shane White will back up Quay.
 
OFFENSIVE LINE

Hobart's starting offensive line is loaded with experience and all-stars. The second string, however, is largely untested, but has performed well in preseason camp.

The Statesmen's No. 1 lineman, junior John Deveney, will begin his second year as the starter at left tackle. A second team All-Liberty League selection in 2016, he has a rare combination of size (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) and agility and provides rock-solid protection to Sweeney's blind side.

Starting left guard, senior Alex Helm, will move over to center. The All-Liberty League honorable mention was the most consistent snapper in preseason and knows the offense well.

Lining up between the two all-stars will be the only first-year in the starting lineup on Day 1, Alex Lanzana. He stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 275 pounds. Lanzana quickly picked up Hobart's blocking schemes and any rookie mistakes he might make will be covered by Deveney and Helm.

Junior Jack Koch will once again start at right guard with senior Stephen VanHoesen lining up at right tackle. VanHoesen has been a jack-of-all-trades during his career, playing everywhere on the line, essentially giving the line a fourth returning starter.

Sophomores Micah Holloway and Elijah Weiss will be the top backups at right tackle and right guard, respectively. After missing two seasons due to injury, Holloway is healthy and ready to put his imposing 6-foot-10, 295-pound frame to work while Weiss is 6-foot-3, 330 pounds.

First-year Dillon Carey (6-0, 270), senior Liam Murphy (6-4, 275) and first-year Corey Simmons (6-8, 347) will fillout the depth chart from center to left tackle.
 
DEFENSIVE BACKS

Hobart's pass defense took a big hit with the graduation of cornerback Todd Collier, free safety Matt Cragg and outside linebackers Marcus Jemison and Michael Harper. However, lining up against one of the best wide receivers in the nation every day in practice has made Hobart's returners much better from the start of camp to Week 1.

Senior cornerback Tom D'Antonio is the only returning Statesman who had an interception last year. He had two picks while racking up 47 tackles, six for loss, four pass breakups and a sack. The second team All-Liberty League pick made a season-high 11 stops, including four for loss, in the win over Union.

Junior Sam Wheeler won an intense battle for the other starting cornerback job. He played in every game last year, making nine tackles. Wheeler edged senior Daryl Scales with a strong performance in the scrimmage at Buffalo State. Scales, who started every game last year, recording 47 tackles and a team-high five pass breakups, will still see quality playing time.

In addition to Scales, sophomore Ryan Conschafter and first-years Brian Hoffman and Jared Leake add to the depth at cornerback.

At free safety, junior Kai Brandford will start. While he's short on experience, he knows the defense well and has the speed and athleticism to get the job done. Classmate C.J. Boleware will be his backup. He appeared in eight games last year, making seven tackles.
 
LINEBACKER

The Statesmen may be strongest in the secondary on defense, but Hobart is rock solid in the middle thanks to the inside linebacker pairing of senior Almamy Conde and sophomore Jedh Downey. Conde was a second team All-Liberty League pick after producing a team-high 96 tackles in 2016. He had at least five stops in every game and notched a season-high 14 in the upset of St. Lawrence. Downey was arguably the most impressive rookie in the league last season on his way to All-Liberty League honorable mention. Only one player in Hobart history made more tackles than Downey's 86 in his first season (current Defensive Coordinator Aaron Backhaus had 98 in 1996).

Senior Christian Coons, sophomore Jake Spreckman and first-year Reilly Pelow will provide depth to the middle.

At outside linebacker, sophomore David McCarthy beat out senior Will Hofer to take over the starting spot vacated by Harper. McCarthy earned the nod with a stronger performance against the run in the Buffalo State scrimmage. Hofer and sophomore Josh Walker will also get quality playing time.

The other outside linebacker will be a royal court. Sophomore Jayson Prince will start. He's equally tough against the run and the pass. Sophomore Marco King, a converted quarterback, will be the backup.
 
DEFENSIVE LINE

The defensive line will feature experienced veterans at every position.

Senior Brandon Ball and junior A.J. McFarlane will anchor the ends. Ball had a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2016 while McFarlane added six tackles for loss and five sacks.

Junior Al Smith and sophomore Colin Hudgins will rotate in on a regular basis and be steady contributors.

Senior Zackary Robak and junior Sean Moore will man the tackles. They are big bodies that can occupy two blockers allowing the linebackers to swoop in and stuff the run. Robak and Moore can also add some pressure in passing situations, combining for five sacks last year.

Sophomore Reid Crobak will backup Robak and senior T.J. Adams will relieve Moore. First-years Isaiah Boone and Yves Montissol have shown promise in camp and could also work their way onto the field.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS

After averaging just over 40 yards per punt and sharing the 2016 Liberty League Special Teams Player of the Year award, Rio Schmidt will again be Hobart's top punter. He tied the Statesmen record with a 68-yard punt against Springfield last season. Cornerback Sam Wheeler will be his backup.

First-year Kyle Hackett is the only place kicker on the roster. He'll handle PATs, field goals and kickoffs. Schmidt will fill out the two deep.

Several players have auditioned as kick returners in preseason camp. Jake Catalioto and first-year Alex Milliken will be deep for the first kickoff of the season, but Brian Haeffner, Tynard Barfield and Dakota Harvey could also get the chance to show off their speed.

First-year Mike Giacobbe's sure hands earned him the starting nod on punt returns with Kiande Phillips serving as his backup.