The Hobart College football team will travel to Liberty League leader Union College on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff at Frank Bailey Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
The Statesmen (5-2, 1-1) have been in playoff mode since dropping their conference opener 24-21 at Ithaca (3-3, 1-1). Hobart's hopes for a 12th conference championship got an assist last week when RPI (4-2, 1-1) handed the Bombers their first league loss. Union (6-1, 2-0) sits atop the conference, but a loss to Hobart would leave four teams with one league loss with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
 
The game will be the 101st in the gridiron series between Hobart and Union. The Dutchmen hold a 50-48-2 series lead, but the Statesmen have won each of the past seven games.
 
Statistically, the contest features the league's top offense (Hobart) and top defense (Union). The Statesmen lead the Liberty League in scoring offense (34.4 ppg) and total offense (410.9 yds/g) while the Dutchmen pace the conference in scoring defense (14.4 ppg) and total defense (300.0 yds/g). Hobart also leads the league in passing efficiency (144.8) while Union is first in pass efficiency defense (107.9).
 
Over the past two seasons, Hobart senior quarterback Shane Sweeney and senior wide receiver Brandon Shed have excelled against Union. Sweeney has completed 67 percent of his passes (37-of-55) for 551 yards and seven touchdowns for a 193.4 pass efficiency rating. Shed has 11 receptions for 285 yards and six touchdowns against the Dutchmen.
 
Sweeney is approaching two significant milestones. He needs 174 passing yards for 2,000 yards this season. Sweeney threw for a Hobart record 3,436 yards last year. Only one Hobart quarterback has thrown for 2,000 yards in a season more than once, Newark, N.Y., native Shawn Mizro (2,253 in 2004, 2,143 in 2005). Sweeney also enters today's game with 6,809 career passing yards, just 192 yards away from becoming the first Statesman to throw for 7,000 yards.
 
Shed is also closing in on a pair of milestones. He's caught at least one pass in 28 consecutive games, tied for the second longest streak in school history and four shy of the record. Shed also needs 132 receiving yards to break Dan Suozzi's career mark of 2,843.
 
Sophomore linebacker Jedh Downey leads the Hobart defense with 66 tackles. Senior defensive end Brandon Ball leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
 
Winners of six in a row, the Dutchmen are averaging 24.0 points per game and 294.0 yards per game (123.7 rush/170.3 pass). Junior quarterback Nick Cascione directs the offense. He's completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,129 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Alex Kaplanovich has a team-high 35 receptions for 439 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Griffin Beal adds 22 receptions for 273 yards and a team-high three TDs. Senior running back Connor Kinzelmann is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and has a team-high three rushing touchdowns.
 
On defense, the stingy Dutchmen are allowing just 14.4 points per game and 300.0 yards per game (92.6 rush/207.4 pass). Senior linebacker Jake Lombardo leads the team with 69 tackles. Junior linebacker Jack Reilly has a team-leading 11.0 tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive end Vincent DiCaterino boasts a league-leading 7.0 sacks. Junior cornerback Tucker Newman is the Liberty League leader in passes defended with 11.
 
The game will be broadcast live on WEOS-FM (89.5/90.3).