GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College football team took a 14-7 lead into halftime and scored on its first four possessions of the second half on its way to a 41-27 Liberty League victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Boswell Field this afternoon. The Statesmen improved to 5-1 overall, 1-1 in conference play, while the Engineers slipped to 4-2, 1-1.
 
Hobart's defense turned in another sterling performance, limiting the visitors to just 110 yards (46 run, 64 pass) and just a single touchdown through three quarters. The Statesmen added three more takeaways to their league leading total, intercepting RPI junior quarterback George Marinopoulos twice and recovering a fumble.
 
Hobart junior linebacker Emmett Forde, who came into the game seventh in the nation in tackles for loss, led the charge. He produced a game-high 12 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. His third quarter sack of Marinopoulos jarred the ball loose and junior defensive tackle Yves Montissol corralled fumble for the Statesmen. Free safeties senior Andrew Koonz and sophomore Jay McCoy each had an interception. For Koonz, it was his third pick of the season, moving him into a tie for the team lead with junior cornerback Jared Leake.
 
On offense, Hobart got big statistical efforts from the senior trio of quarterback Ryan Hofmann and wide receivers Jake Catalioto and Ray Conley. Hofmann was 19-of-35 passing for 294 yards with three touchdowns. Catalioto pulled in a game-high seven passes for 69 yards and Conley caught six passes for a game-high 111 yards and a TD. All three players moved higher in Hobart's all-time top 20 across several stat categories.
 
Hofmann moved up one spot to sixth in career passing touchdowns with 32, one spot to ninth in career completions with 226, and one spot to ninth in career passing yards with 3,014. Catalioto jumped three spots to No. 13 in career receiving yards with 1,391 and became the 14th Statesmen to make 100 career receptions, tying Luke Gutelius '98 for 13th place with 105. Conley moved from a tie for 13th into a tie for 11th with 12 career TD receptions and jumped two spots in career receiving yards to 18th with 1,101.
 
Marinopoulos completed 18-of-39 passes for 220 yards—most of which came in the final 15 minutes of the game against Hobart's reserves—and a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Vinnie McDonald caught a team-high six passes for a team-high 105 yards and a TD. Sophomore running back Dylan Burnett rushed for a game-high 50 yards and a TD on 10 carries.
 
Senior defensive end Magnus Wamble led the Engineers with seven tackles, including two for loss.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, Hobart got on the board first thanks in part to a stout play by the defense. RPI elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Hobart 40, but senior defensive end Collin Hudgins stuffed the run attempt for no gain to give the Statesmen offense the ball. Seven plays and 60 yards later, senior running back Brian Haeffner scampered into the end zone from 16 yards out for a 7-0 lead.
 
The Engineers were able to tie the game by taking advantage of a Hobart fumble, caused by junior defensive lineman Conor Ahern and recovered by senior linebacker John Sadak at the Hobart 12. On first down, RPI ran a reverse option play that saw slot receiver Maliek Kelly compete a 12-yard TD pass to McDonald.
 
Hobart reclaimed the lead on a 65-yard pass from Hofmann to junior Mike Giacobbe. The play would have only gained 23 yards if not for Giacobbe's well-timed spin move that evaded the only player on the field close enough to make the tackle.
 
The third quarter belonged to Hobart. The Statesmen scored on their first four possessions, outgained the visitors 157 yards to two yards, and held the ball for 12:50 to just 2:10 for RPI.
 
Hobart first-year Rayshawn Boswell returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for what would have been a touchdown, but an illegal block brought the ball all the way back to the Hobart 15. Nevertheless, the Statesmen kept the momentum with a 10-play, 85-yard drive that culminated in a 10-yard leaping grab by Giacobbe for a 21-7 lead.
 
On RPI's second down play, Koonz intercepted Marinopoulos and returned it 16 yards to the RPI 39. Four plays and 39 yards later, sophomore quarterback David Krewson scored on a sweep around the right side for a 28-7 lead. After a three-and-out by the Engineers, Hobart again drive into the red zone, but this time settled for a 35-yard field goal by junior Kyle Hackett for a 31-7 lead with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.
 
RPI's ensuing possession lasted just five seconds. On first down, Forde streaked into the backfield unblocked and strip-sacked Marinopoulos to give the ball back to the Hobart offense at the RPI 21. On third-and-five from the 16, Hofmann hit Conley in the end zone to stretch the lead to 38-7.
 
The Engineers were able to post three touchdowns in the final 11 minutes—the last of which came with just 2:40 left—to keep things interesting, but RPI failed to recover a pair of on-side kick attempts and Hobart was able to keep the Engineers at a safe distance.
 
The win evens the all-time series at 31-31-1. Hobart improved to 16-13-1 on Boswell Field against RPI and 18-1 when scoring at least 30 points against the Engineers.
 
Hobart will travel to Ithaca (5-0, 2-0) on Saturday, Oct. 19. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. RPI is off next week.