CANTON, N.Y.—The Hobart football team shut out St. Lawrence 41-0 on Saturday. The Statesmen gained a season-high 481 yards, while limiting the Saints to 184 yards.
Hobart (4-3, 2-2 Liberty League) scored on its first three possessions and six of its first seven to secure their 15th consecutive win over SLU (2-5, 1-3). The Statesmen earned their first road win of the season, converting on 7-of-13 third downs and 3-of-4 fourth downs, while holding a nearly five minute advantage in possession.
Sophomore
Aidan Conrath completed 21-of-27 passes for a career-high 324 yards and two touchdowns and added 18 rushing yards. Senior
E.J. Taylor rushed 15 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 79 yards. Senior wide receiver
Marcus Peterson finished with three receptions for 101 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown. Junior
Johnny Harding scored twice, rushing once for a 22-yard touchdown and adding four catches for 24 yards and another score. Sophomore
Latrell Bonaparte and first-year
MJ Wells led the defense with five tackles apiece.
First Quarter
- Hobart's defense opened by forcing a three-and-out, with MJ Wells and Isa Abdus-Salaam combining on a tackle for loss and Latrell Bonaparte breaking up a third-down pass.
- The Statesmen's first scoring drive covered 50 yards in seven plays, including a 32-yard Conrath to junior Jordan Nolan for 32 yards to the Saints' 2, and Taylor scored from there at 9:53. Owen McNulty's kick made it 7-0.
- After the Saints picked up one first down on their next series, Hobart forced another punt and drove 56 yards, highlighted by Conrath's 20-yard completion to Taylor and 29-yard pass to Peterson.
- Taylor finished that drive with another 2-yard touchdown run at 2:22, and Hobart forced a third Saints punt to close the quarter ahead 14-0.
Second Quarter
- Conrath hit Taylor for 38 yards to set up a fourth-down scoring pass to Harding from the Saints' 3 at 11:24.
- The Saints forced a turnover on Hobart's next possession when Luke Robillard forced a fumble and Dylan Varekamp recovered at the SLU 6 with 6:02 left.
- Hobart got the ball back after a punt, and Nolan's 15-yard return set up a 48-yard drive.
- With the ball at the SLU 2, Hobart lined up in a wildcat formation with junior running back Tristan Reynolds in shotgun formation. In a sign that everything was going the Statesmen's way, the center hit himself with the snap, fumbling at the 3. Reynolds scooped up the loose ball and powered across the goal line with 41 seconds left.
- The Saints drove to the Hobart 21 in the final minute, but Peterson broke up a pass to the end zone and Ryan Van Tassel intercepted Oliver Cheer's final throw at the goal line as time expired.
Third Quarter
- Hobart struck on its opening drive, converting third-and-2 before Conrath hit Peterson for a 53-yard touchdown; Owen McNulty's PAT made it 35-0 at 12:43.
- The Saints put together a 10-play possession, converting once on third down and once on fourth down, but Hobart forced a punt after a holding penalty left the Saints in third-and-19.
- Starting at its 4 with 5:16 left, Hobart moved across midfield behind completions from Conrath to Taylor, junior Luke Hansen, Peterson and Nolan, reaching the SLU 22 as the quarter ended.
Fourth Quarter
- Harding scored on a 22-yard reverse at 14:51. The missed extra point left Hobart with a 41-0 lead to complete the day's scoring.
Coach's Corner
"It was very good to see the team back in action after the bye weekend and continuing to take steps forward in today's competition. The defense played well throughout, and especially with key stops early in the game. The offense complimented those stops and scored touchdowns on the first three possessions, helping to establish control of the game from the start. I believe the team used the bye week well with a good balance of rest, preparation and evaluation, and was eager to be back competing today." -- Hobart Head Coach Kevin DeWall '00
Game Notes
- The Statesmen shut out the Saints for the second time in four years and the 13th time in 97 all-time meetings.
- Harding has caught at least one pass in 28 consecutive games, tying Scott Yoder '01 for the second longest streak in program history.
For The Record
- Hobart is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Saints are 2-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
Up Next
- Hobart hosts Rochester (3-4, 2-2) on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. on Boswell Field at Urick Stadium in Geneva, N.Y.
