On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Hobart College football team will close out the regular season with a short trip down the Thruway for the annual Centennial Cup game against the University of Rochester. The 108th edition of the long-standing rivalry, which started in 1892, is scheduled to kickoff at Fauver Stadium at 12:05 p.m.
The Centennial Cup celebrates the 100th meeting between the Liberty League rivals. Inaugurated in 2007, the Statesmen are 7-1 in Cup games, including victories in each of the past four meetings. All-time, Hobart leads the series 52-48-7.
The Statesmen (6-3, 4-2) enter the final weekend one game out of first place in the Liberty League. If co-leaders Rensselaer and St. Lawrence both lose on Saturday and Hobart defeats the Yellowjackets creating a three-way tie for first, the Statesmen will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. Hobart is coming off a 19-17 win over the then No. 25 Saints. The Statesmen scored the go-ahead touchdown with just 1.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore quarterback
Shane Sweeney has competed 60 percent of his passes for 1,291 yards and 11 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver
Jack Pfohl leads the team with 42 receptions, including 10 last week against St. Lawrence, for 460 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver
Brandon Shed has 32 catches for a team-high 599 yards and six TDs. On the ground, senior
Conner Hartigan has started all nine games, gaining 534 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
The Hobart defense is among the best in the nation, ranking fourth in passing yards allowed (122.3), seventh in total defense (244.8 yds/g), 13th in passing efficiency defense (93.36), 16th in first down defense (127), and 17th in third down conversion percentage defense (.282). Senior linebacker
Trayvon Toney leads the Statesmen with 70 tackles and shares the team lead with linebacker
Michael Harper with 6.5 tackles for loss. Junior linebacker
Marcus Jemison is second on the team with 43 tackles, including a team-high 3.5 sacks.
Rochester (5-3, 3-3) is looking to bounce back from a 35-34 loss to WPI last week. The Liberty League's top offense averages 407.3 yards per game, including 167.5 on the ground and a league-best 239.8 through the air, while scoring 30.9 points per game. Senior quarterback Justin Redfern has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,132 yards and eight touchdowns against just five interceptions. Senior wide receiver Farid Adenuga has 30 receptions for 520 yards and five touchdowns. Junior running back Shane Saucier has a team-high 70 carries for 287 yards and a team-high four rushing TDs.
On the other side of the ball, Rochester is seventh in the league in total defense, allowing 351.9 yards per game (163.5 rush/188.4 pass). The Yellowjackets are fourth in the league in scoring defense (21.0 ppg). Senior linebacker Thomas Marone leads the team with 71 tackles. Sophomore defensive end Peter Crossett has team-highs of 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. In the secondary, sophomore cornerback Ricky Sparks has a team-best six pass breakups.
WEOS-FM (89.5/90.3 in Geneva) will broadcast the game live. Fans can also follow the action with live stats and streaming video.
