The 21st-ranked Hobart College football team will travel to Schenectady, N.Y., for its Liberty League opener at Union College at noon on Saturday, Oct. 5. A battle of unbeaten teams, the Statesmen come into the game with a 4-0 record and the Dutchmen hold a 3-0 mark.
 
The showdown will be the 103rd gridiron meeting between the two schools. Union holds a 51-49-2 lead in the series, but Hobart has won eight of the past nine games vs. the Dutchmen.
 
The game will be broadcast live on WEOS-FM (89.5/90.3). Fans can also track the action online with live stats and streaming video on unionathletics.com.
 
The Statesmen are coming off a 16-3 win over Montclair State on Saturday. Hobart got a program record tying three field goals from Liberty League Special Teams Performer of the Week Kyle Hackett and a pair of interceptions from Liberty League Defensive Performer of the Week Jared Leake.
 
The defense was especially strong in the non-conference portion of Hobart's schedule. The Statesmen are second in the nation with 10 interceptions and fourth with 13 takeaways. Hobart is yielding 12.8 points per game, 120.5 yards rushing per game and 216.5 yards passing per game. Senior linebacker David McCarthy leads the team with 33 tackles while junior linebacker Emmett Forde is close behind with 31 stops, including a league-high 9.5 tackles for loss. Leake leads the team with three interceptions and four takeaways.
 
On offense, the Statesmen are scoring 26.8 points per game on 100.0 yards rushing and 204.0 yards passing. Senior quarterback Ryan Hofmann has thrown for 787 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Classmate Jake Catalioto has been his top target, pulling in 21 passes for 266 yards and a pair of TDs. Senior running back Brian Haeffner leads the ground game with 182 yards rushing and a touchdown.
 
The Dutchmen were off last weekend. On Sept. 21, they posted a 21-17 win over Springfield. Union led 21-3 at halftime and extended its advantage to 27-3 by the end of the third quarter before the Pride added a pair of late scores to close the gap.
 
Union also sports a stingy defense, allowing a league-low 10.3 points per game. The Dutchmen have given up just 77.7 yards rushing per game and 78.0 yards passing per game. Junior linebacker Colin Lama has a team-high 26 tackles, nearly twice as many as senior defensive end Vincent DiCaterino, who is second with 14.
 
The Dutchmen offense leads the league in rushing (213.7 yds/g) and pass efficiency (177.3) while scoring 41.0 points per game. Junior quarterback Will Bellamy has completed 68 percent of his passes for 523 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Griffin Beal has a team-high 13 receptions for 132 yards and a TD. Sophomore running back Ike Irabor leads the Liberty League in rushing yards per game (94.3).