GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart defeated Alfred 24-17 on Friday night. The Statesmen took the lead early in the second half with a safety and a 72-yard touchdown pass from
Aidan Conrath to
E.J. Taylor just 22 seconds apart and held on for the season-opening victory.
First Quarter
- The Saxons put together a 14-play, 81-yard opening drive, converting three third downs before Tommy Nyquist scored on a 1-yard run at 7:41 and Dominic Bronco added the kick for a 7-0 lead.
- Hobart started its first drive at 7:35 and moved across midfield with Conrath's 20-yard completion to Luke Hansen, an 8-yard E.J. Taylor run and a 12-yard Conrath keeper.
- The Statesmen kept the drive alive after reaching the red zone, and Taylor converted fourth-and-2 from the Saxons' 9 with an 8-yard run to the 1 as the first quarter expired with the Saxons ahead 7-0.
Second Quarter
- Conrath found Johnny Harding for a 1-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, and Owen McNulty's extra point tied the game at 7-7.
- Billy Brosko and Perry Goodridge combined on a sack during the Saxons' next possession, helping force a punt before Hobart put together a 14-play, 71-yard drive.
- Hobart moved inside the Saxons' 10 on Conrath's 28-yard completion to Jordan Nolan, but the drive ended on downs at the Saxons' 2 with 4:15 left.
- The Saxons drove out from their 2-yard line before MJ Wells and Tyler Cumming combined on a sack near midfield, and Hobart's final possession reached the Saxons' 49 as the first half ended tied 7-7.
Third Quarter
- Vicente Lyon's 42-yard punt pinned the Saxons at their 4, and Hunter Vos and Billy Brosko combined on a sack in the end zone for a safety that put Hobart ahead 9-7 at 9:38.
- On Hobart's next offensive snap, Conrath hit E.J. Taylor on a screen play for a 72-yard touchdown, and McNulty's extra point made it 16-7 at 9:16.
- The Saxons answered with an 11-play, 70-yard drive, ending with Dominic Bronco's 22-yard field goal at 4:24 to cut Hobart's lead to 16-10.
- Hobart drove back into the red zone before the third quarter ended, with Taylor converting twice on third down, including a 29-yard run to the Saxons' 15, and the Statesmen reached the Saxons' 6 as time expired.
Fourth Quarter
- E.J. Taylor scored on a 6-yard fourth-down run at 14:51 and added the two-point conversion run, stretching Hobart's lead to 24-10.
- The Saxons put together a long scoring drive, with Matt Parker finding Cameron Lew for a 10-yard touchdown before Dominic Bronco's kick cut Hobart's lead to 24-17.
- After Hobart punted, Billy Brosko and Vos recorded sacks on the Saxons' next possession to force a punt with 3:38 left.
- The Saxons kept their comeback hopes alive when they recovered a Hobart fumble and drove to the Hobart 11, but the Statesmen produced a late red-zone stop, including a shared sack by Vos and Trey Dillabough and Nate Bush's hurry on a fourth-down incompletion with 54 seconds left.
E.J. Taylor rushed 21 times for 137 yards and a touchdown, caught two passes for 78 yards and another score, and ran in a two-point conversion. Conrath completed 10 of 17 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns and added 48 rushing yards. Billy Brosko recorded seven tackles and two sacks. Vos added five tackles and two sacks.
Game Notes:
- Hobart has rushed for more than 200 yards in six consecutive games.
- Taylor has produced eight consecutive 100-yard rushing games. It's the second longest streak in program history behind Ed Cooney's 12 (1976-1978).
- Taylor raised his career rushing total to 3,020 yards, becoming just the seventh player in program history to surpass 3,000 career yards.
- Taylor's 34th career rushing touchdown moved him into a tie for seventh place with Mark Logan '99 on Hobart's all-time list.
- Hobart's seven sacks are tied for second on the program's single game list (11 at Utica in 2012).
- With two receptions against the Saxons, Harding now has at least one reception in 23 consecutive games, tied for the fifth longest streak in Hobart history.
PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE
Hobart is 1-0 overall. The Saxons are 0-1 overall.
Up next, the Hobart football team hosts SUNY Brockport on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 1 p.m.
