The Hobart College football team opens Liberty League play on Saturday, Sept. 30 at conference newcomer Ithaca College. Kickoff at Butterfield Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
The Statesmen (3-1, 0-0) have won three in a row entering the showdown with the Bombers. Hobart is coming off a 34-17 win over Endicott last week. Senior quarterback Shane Sweeney enters the game on the precipice of history. In 22 career games, he has thrown for 5,965 yards and 61 touchdowns. Sweeney needs 133 yards and one TD pass to break the career records set by Shawn Mizro '07 (6,097 & 61).
 
The Statesmen lead the Liberty League in scoring (35.3 ppg), total offense (420.0 yds/g) and passing (245.5 yds/g). Sweeney paces the conference in completions (77) and passing yards (982). Senior wide receiver Brandon Shed leads Hobart's receiving corps with 19 receptions for 266 yards and two touchdowns. First-year Dakota Harvey and senior Joe Letizia have shared the workload out of the backfield. Harvey has averaged 5.1 yards per carry and has a league-leading five rushing touchdowns while Letizia averages 6.1 yards per carry with three TDs.
 
On defense, Hobart hasn't allowed more than 91 rushing yards over the past three games, but opponents have found success through the air, averaging 253.6 yards per game. Sophomore linebacker Jedh Downey leads the conference in total tackles (44) and tackles per game (11.0). Senior defensive end Brandon Ball and sophomore linebacker Jayson Prince share the team lead in tackles for loss (3.5) and sacks (3.0).
 
In addition to its three-game winning streak, Hobart has won its league opener in each of the past six seasons. However, the Statesmen have never won in their 14 all-time visits to Butterfield Stadium. The Bombers have a 25-5 series lead, but the Statesmen have won four of the past seven meetings.
 
Ithaca is in its first season as a member of the Liberty League. The Bombers are 1-2 overall and lead the league thanks to a 24-13 win at St. Lawrence on Sept. 16. Ithaca was idle last week.
 
The Bombers are averaging 328.3 yards per game (94.3 rush/234.0 pass) and 13.7 points per game on offense. First-year quarterback Wahid Nabi has completed 55 percent of his passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns in his two appearances. Sophomore wide receiver Will Gladney leads the league in receptions (23), receiving yards (362) and receiving touchdowns (3). He has more receptions than the next five players on the roster combined. Senior running back Tristan Brown paces the ground game, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
 
Defensively, Ithaca has allowed 360.0 yards per game (121.7/238.3) and 21.3 points per game. Senior linebackers Dan Loizos and Kenney Bradley share the team lead with 29 tackles and are tied for third in the league in tackles per game (9.7). Bradley is second in the league in passes defended with three breakups and an interception. Junior defensive lineman Brian Gill has a team-high 4.0 tackles for loss.
 
The game will be broadcast live on WEOS-FM (89.5/90.3). Fans can also follow the game online with live stats and streaming video.