MORRISVILLE, N.Y.—The Hobart College football team outscored Morrisville State College 21-3 in the second half on its way to a 38-24 victory at Drake Stadium. Senior linebacker
Josh Walker led another stout performance by the defense, finishing with a team-high 11 tackles.
After a back-and-forth first half, the Statesmen (2-0) went into halftime trailing 21-17, but Hobart took the opening drive of the third quarter 55 yards in seven plays, reclaiming the lead on a 6-yard pass from senior quarterback
Ryan Hofmann to senior tight end
AJ Perlino. Junior kicker
Kyle Hackett's PAT made it a 24-21 game.
The Mustangs (1-1) tied the game early in the fourth quarter when Desmond Akpanok kicked a 33-yard field goal. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise promising drive for the home team. Morrisville State had used two big gains to move to the Hobart 1. On first and goal, sophomore linebacker Bryan Augilar chased Mustang quarterback Bill Flatow out of bounds for a 5 yard loss. Senior free safety
Andrew Koonz broke up a pass play on second down and junior defensive end
Zach Rudolph got into the backfield on third down forcing Flatow to throw the ball away.
On Hobart's ensuing possession, sophomore wide receiver
Shahkyle Matthews took a first down handoff around end and raced 75 yards for a touchdown, putting the Statesmen ahead for good.
The Hobart defense forced a three-and-out and sophomore
Cal Sullivan blocked the punt with classmate
Dante Kimbrough recovering the ball at the Morrisville 35. Four plays later,
Rayshawn Boswell broke free for a 16-yard rushing TD.
The Mustangs got into Hobart territory just once more, moving to the Statesmen 18 with under two minutes to go. Junior cornerback
Jared Leake ended the threat, intercepting Flatow in the end zone. In addition to the pick, Leake finished the day with 10 tackles.
Hofmann threw for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver
Mike Giacobbe caught three passes for a team-high 73 yards, including a 28-yard TD that gave Hobart a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter. Perlino had two receptions on the day, both touchdowns. With his single carry, Matthews was the game's leading rusher. Senior running back
Brian Haeffner added 71 yards on 16 carries.
Morrisville State scored a touchdown on the game's opening drive. The Statesmen had to settle for a 30-yard Hackett field goal on their first possession. The kick was the 20th field goal of his career, breaking the Hobart record for career makes.
The teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter. Mike Cirasuolo's 3-yard scamper gave the Mustangs a 14-10 lead with about 10 minutes left in the first half. Perlino's first TD catch, a 5-yarder, temporarily put the Statesmen back in front 17-14, but Morrisville State used a 68-yard pass from Flatow to Toure Hall for the four-point advantage they carried into halftime.
Flatow threw for 377 yards and a touchdown. In addition to his fourth quarter interception, he was also sacked three times. Hall was the game's top receiver with nine catches for 127 yards. Kinsey Williams gained a team-high 50 yards on the ground. Ernesto Mitchell led the Mustang defense with a game-high 13 tackles.
Hobart was outgained 471-292, but made the most of its opportunities to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
The Statesmen will return home to host Rowan (0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff on Boswell Field at Urick Stadium is at noon.
