GENEVA, N.Y. — Hobart Statesmen lost to Ithaca 27-20 on Saturday. Hobart's second-half push included
Jeremy Weiss' 99-yard touchdown pass to
Johnny Harding in the third quarter, but it was not enough to overcome the Bombers.
Weiss completed 13 of 26 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown without an interception. Harding caught three passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.
E.J. Taylor rushed 17 times for 97 yards and a touchdown and added four receptions for 38 yards.
Tyler Cumming led Hobart with nine tackles and recorded one of four Hobart sacks.
The Bombers ran 71 plays and held the ball for 37:09, finishing with 24 first downs while Hobart had 14. Hobart's offense produced 287 passing yards, highlighted by Weiss' 99-yard touchdown pass to Harding and another quick scoring drive that included a 44-yard pass, but the Statesmen also were flagged nine times for 92 yards while the Bombers drew five penalties for 42 yards.
First Quarter
- Hobart moved into the red zone on the opening possession, converting third downs on Tristan Reynolds' 12-yard run and E.J. Taylor's 6-yard run before Owen McNulty's 31-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright at 9:06.
- The Bombers followed with a 14-play, 80-yard drive, including Michael Reed's 14-yard run on third-and-2 and his 22-yard pass to Antwan Harvey on third-and-10, before Chris Scully scored on a 2-yard run at 2:40. Andrew Rice's kick made it 7-0.
- Hobart's next drive stalled after a recovered fumble pushed the Statesmen back to their own 12, and Vicente Lyon punted 52 yards before Cumming stopped Harvey for a 1-yard loss on the final play of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
- After the Bombers drove to the Hobart 1, Billy Brosko's tackle for loss and an illegal-substitution penalty helped force Andrew Rice's 23-yard field goal at 11:01, making it 10-0.
- Hobart threw an incomplete backward pass on its next snap, and the Bombers recovered the fumble. Reed threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Lang on the next play for a 17-0 lead.
- Weiss connected with Reynolds for 58 yards on Hobart's next possession, setting up McNulty's 25-yard field goal to make it 17-3 at 8:50.
- Hobart's defense forced a punt on the next Bombers series, then later pushed the Bombers backward in the red zone with Hunter Vos' sack before Rice hit a 32-yard field goal at 1:04 for a 20-3 halftime score.
Third Quarter
- The Bombers moved into Hobart territory on the opening drive, but Isa Abdus-Salaam broke up a deep pass and Billy Brosko followed with a sack before the Bombers punted to the Hobart 1.
- On the next snap, Weiss connected with Harding for a 99-yard touchdown at 11:04, and McNulty's extra point brought Hobart within 20-10. The longest pass play in program history surpassed the record set last year when Weiss connected with Jordan Nolan for a 96-yard touchdown against St. Lawrence.
- Hobart's defense forced Ithaca to punt on its next possession thanks in part to sacks by Jack Ligarzewski and Cumming.
- Hobart took over at its 14 with 7:00 left and drove into the red zone, with E.J. Taylor's 23-yard run helping move the ball before Reynolds' 5-yard carry to the Bombers' 14 ended the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
- McNulty made a 24-yard field goal at 14:39 to move Hobart to 20-13.
- The Bombers followed with a 10-play, 89-yard drive, capped by Chris Scully's 7-yard touchdown run and Andrew Rice's kick for a 27-13 lead.
- Hobart struck back in three plays as Weiss hit Marcus Peterson for 44 yards before E.J. Taylor scored on a 12-yard run; McNulty's kick made it 27-20 at 7:46.
- Hobart forced a punt with 1:50 left and drove from its own 9 to the Hobart 43, but a fourth-down incompletion with 36 seconds remaining allowed the Bombers to run out the clock.
Coach's Corner
Game Notes:
- Harding's 22nd career TD reception moved him into sole possession of third place on Hobart's all-time list, 10 away from the record.
- Harding has at least one reception in all 26 games he's played for Hobart tied with Nico Karagosian '97 for the third longest streak in program history.
- Harding raised his career receptions total to 99, 15th on Hobart's all-time list. With his fourth career 100-yard receiving game, Harding jumped from 14th to 12th in career receiving yards (1,541).
Hobart is 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The Bombers are 4-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
Up next, Hobart Statesmen host Union (3-2, 2-0) on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m.
