GENEVA, N.Y.—Quarterback
David Krewson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Alex LaBella with 44.9 seconds remaining to lift the Hobart College football team to a 17-13 Liberty League win over St. Lawrence University on Boswell Field this afternoon. The Statesmen improved to 6-1 overall, 2-1 in the conference, while the Saints slipped to 3-4, 0-3.
Hobart outgained St. Lawrence 360-321 in total offense, but was called for 10 penalties that cost 95 yards. The Statesmen also finished minus-1 in turnover margin.
Running back
Rayshawn Boswell posted his second straight 100-yard rushing day, posting 120 yards, including a 64-yard first quarter touchdown. He also caught two passes for 32 yards, including a 36-yard screen pass on the game-winning drive. Krewson was 11-of-28 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown. LaBella caught a team-high three passes for 16 yards. Linebacker
Bryan Aguilar made a game-high 11 tackles for the Statesmen. Defensive back
Blake Hansen returned a second quarter interception 24 yards.
The Saints got 209 passing yards from backup quarterback Daniel Lawther, who was sent into the game after starter Tyler Grochot was injured while trying to scramble for a first down on a fourth-and-five play during SLU's first possession. Lawther also had a team-high 40 yards rushing. Wide receiver TJ Cornacchia caught five passes for 55 yards. Wide receiver Andrew Murphy caught four passes for a game-high 71 yards. Linebacker Jacob Dreisbach made a team-high nine tackles. Safeties Ryan Watson and Owen O'Brien each made an interception.
Hobart got off to a bumpy start, as Krewson was intercepted by Watson on the third play from scrimmage. The Statesmen then misses a 47-yard field goal try on their second possession. Facing a three-and-out on its third possession, Hobart opted to go for it on fourth-and-one from its own 36. The gamble paid off in a big way, as Boswell flew through the line untouched and outraced the secondary to the end zone for his league-leading 14th touchdown.
The Statesmen padded their lead midway through the second quarter on a 40-yard field goal by
Rob DiGregorio.
After losing Grochot on their opening drive, the Saints went three-and-out on four straight possessions. Late in the second quarter, St. Lawrence finally got its first first down of the game on their final drive of the half, but Hansen picked off Lawther to end the drive.
At the half, Hobart led 10-0, outrushed SLU 168-12 and had eight first downs to two for the Saints. Boswell had 105 yards rushing on just nine carries after 30 minutes.
The Statesmen struggled in the second half, seeing a 10-0 halftime lead evaporate.
Lawther completed his first three passes of the third quarter, including a 46-yard bomb to Murphy to set SLU up at the Hobart 5. Hobart's defense kept the Saints out of the end zone, forcing the visitors to settle for a 27-yard Ian Doin field goal.
St. Lawrence's defense set up the game-tying drive. Krewson through a pass that hit off a defender and bounded high into the air. When it came down, O'Brien was waiting with open arms. Five plays and 60 yards later, wide receiver Davin Sweeney came in motion, stopped behind the center and took the snap and pushed straight ahead for a 1-yard touchdown.
After a three-and-out by the Statesmen, SLU came back with a 10-play, 55-yard drive. Lawther completed a 16-yard pass to Cornacchia, but cornerback
Jared Leake made a touchdown-saving tackle at the one. The Saints lost 3 yards on a first down run, gained no yards on a Lawther to Murphy second-down pass, and through away a third down pass with Lawther under pressure from lineman
Connor Gunn. Doin's 21-yard field goal gave SLU a 13-10 lead with 2:40 remaining.
On Hobart's ensuing possession, Boswell came up big again on fourth down. Facing fourth-and-three from the Saints' 45, Krewson completed a short pass to Boswell over the middle and he raced to the nine. Two plays later, LaBella's second TD of the season put the Statesmen back in front.
St. Lawrence didn't allow Hobart to relax, moving to midfield with 0.7 seconds remaining. On the final play, as Lawther stepped up in the pocket to throw, he was hit by lineman
Isaiah Williams and linebacker
Emmett Forde. The pass landed out of bounds near the Hobart 25, clinching the Statesmen victory.
Hobart will head to No. 13/11 Union (7-0, 3-0) for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 30. The Saints will return to Canton to host Rochester (2-5, 1-3) at the same day and time.
