GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart football team got a stout performance from its defense and timely offense to defeat Union 18-12 in Liberty League action on Boswell Field this afternoon. The Statesmen defense limited Union to 32 rushing yards, recorded three sacks and returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.
First-year linebacker
MJ Wells recorded 12 tackles, one sack and first collegiate pick six. First-year linebacker
Nate Bush added seven stops. Senior
E.J. Taylor rushed 24 times for 119 yards and a touchdown and added four catches for 14 yards. Junior quarterback
Jeremy Weiss completed 17 of 23 passes for 148 yards. Junior wide receiver
Johnny Harding caught three passes for 33 yards and added a two-point conversion reception.
First Quarter
- Wells ended Union's opening drive, jumping a slant route and returning his first collegiate interception 42 yards for a touchdown. Owen McNulty's extra point gave Hobart a 7-0 lead.
- Hobart had a chance to add to its lead with its first offensive possession, but missed a 30-yard field goal attempt.
- Union moved from its own 20 to the Hobart 43 late in the first quarter, but Billy Brosko stopped Luke Sheehan for a 1-yard loss on third down, leading to a punt. Hobart carried the 7-0 lead through the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
- After the teams traded punts, Hobart drove 53 yards in 11 plays, using first-down gains by senior wide out Marcus Peterson, senior tight end Timothy McKeever and Taylor before McNulty made a 31-yard field goal at 6:38 for a 10-0 lead.
- Hobart forced a quick punt after the score, with Wells sacking Sheehan on third down, but Union got the ball back at the Hobart 35 after a blind-side sack and fumble recovery.
- The Garnet Chargers converted the short field when Evan Anderson hit Gil Rivera for a 15-yard touchdown at 1:55. The extra point was missed, leaving Hobart a 10-6 lead.
- Hobart crossed midfield on Harding's 21-yard catch, but Matt Mitchell intercepted Weiss at the Union 16 with 58 seconds left. Union reached the Hobart 38 before a final incompletion sent Hobart into halftime with a 4-point lead.
Third Quarter
- The third quarter belonged to the defenses with neither team able to move the ball across midfield until Hobart reached Union territory on a face mask penalty against the Garnet Chargers late in the frame.
- The Statesmen were just outside the red zone as the third quarter ended.
Fourth Quarter
- Hobart missed a 37-yard field goal try on the second play of the final quarter.
- On its ensuing possession, Union drove 80 yards in eight plays capped off by a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sheehan to Rivera for a 12-10 lead at 11:13. Junior Trey Dillabough blocked the extra-point attempt to keep it a 2-point game.
- Both teams were forced to punt on their next drives, setting the stage for Hobart's game-winning drive.
- The 11-play, 64-yard march saw the Statesmen convert a fourth-and-5 at the Hobart 41 on Weiss' 9-yard pass to Taylor.
- Hobart reached the Union 26 on a 12-yard pass from Weiss to McKeever. The Statesmen were fortunate to keep possession on the play as Harding recovered a fumble at the end of the play.
- Taylor finished the drive with his 5-yard touchdown run with 52 seconds left, and the two-point pass made it 18-12.
- Union moved to the Hobart 49 on its final drive, but Xavier Aviles broke up a third-down pass before Vos and Brosko shared a fourth-down sack at :16. Weiss kneeled out the final snap to finish Hobart's 18-12 win.
Game Notes:
- Head coach Kevin DeWall '00 earned his 56th career win at Hobart, taking sole possession of third place on the program's all-time list.
- Harding's first reception of the game was the 100th of his career. He's just the 15th player in program history to reach that milestone.
- Harding raised his career receiving yards total to 1,574 yards, passing Rick Pinero to take over 11th place on the all-time list. He's 20 yards away from cracking the top 10.
- Taylor rushed for over 100 yards in a game for the 17th time in his career.
Coach's Corner
Players' Perspective
Hobart is 3-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Union is 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Following a week off, the Hobart football team travels to Canton, New York, to face St. Lawrence University on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m.
