GENEVA, N.Y.—For the fourth time this season, the Hobart football team rallied from a fourth quarter deficit and pull out a victory, the program's 500th all-time win. Junior quarterback Shane Sweeney threw an 18-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Brandon Shed with 1:47 remaining for the game-winning score against Springfield College.
With the 12-7 victory, Hobart improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Liberty League. The loss drops Springfield to 4-4, 3-2. The 19 combined points are the fewest in a Hobart game since the Statesmen defeated Rensselaer 10-0 in 2009.
On a blustery, windy afternoon at Boswell Field, Hobart was limited to a season-low 233 yards of offense. The Statesmen came into the game averaging 336.0 yards passing, but fought against the wind to gain just 164 through the air. However, Hobart got two key pass plays during the decisive drive as well as a key fourth down conversion.
That drive didn't start out well. The Statesmen were penalized on back-to-back plays for holding and had a 5-yard sideline interference penalty tacked on as well. Facing third-and-17 from its own 25, Sweeney fired a tight spiral down the middle of the field. Shed had a step on the coverage, but the pass was just a bit under thrown. He slowed down enough to outjump the coverage and pull in a 47-yard gain.
Four plays later, Hobart faced fourth-and-2 from the Springfield 20. Sweeney handed off to senior running back Bradley Burns who pushed his way close to the marker. The officials called for a measurement and Burns had the needed yardage by half a football length. On the next play, Sweeney made a perfect back shoulder throw to Shed for the go-ahead score. The Statesmen tried for a two-point conversion to make up for an earlier missed PAT, but the pass was incomplete.
Hobart sealed the victory with a play call that caught Springfield as well as many of the fans in attendance off guard. Senior kicker Sean Kirshe drilled the ensuing kickoff right at one of the Pride's frontline blockers. The ball ricocheted off his leg and sophomore Bobby Lewis recovered the loose ball for Hobart near midfield. Burns took three straight handoffs and gained a first down allowing the Statesmen to take a knee and run out the clock.
Springfield opened the scoring on its first possession of the game. The Pride gained 25 yards on its first two plays from scrimmage and reached the end zone in 13 plays. Jordan Wilcox capped the 80-yard drive with a 3-yard rumble across the goal line. Blake Heller added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.
From that point on, the Statesmen defense bent, but didn't break. Senior linebacker Marcus Jemison led the way with a team-high 11 tackles while junior linebacker Almamy Conde added 10 stops. Junior defensive end Brandon Balland senior linebacker Michael Harper each recorded two tackles for a loss as Hobart registered eight total stops behind the line of scrimmage on the day.
Hobart got a 30-yard kickoff return from first-year Brian Haeffner to start its ensuing drive at midfield. Nine plays later, senior Bradley Burns rolled over a pile at the 3 without being down, regained his footing and scored his team-leading third rushing TD. The extra point hit the right upright, leaving the Pride a 7-6 lead with two minutes to go in the first quarter.
Late in the half, Springfield had a chance to add to its lead, but missed a 37-yard field goal attempt. Hobart was flagged for running into the kicker, giving the Pride a second chance from 5 yards closer, but a bad snap on the second try negated the opportunity.
Springfield led 7-6 at halftime.
Wilcox accounted for 92 of the Pride's 289 rushing yards on the day. First-year running back Hunter Belzo added 72 yards. Springfield ran four passing plays. Two ended in sacks and the other two were incompletions.
Sweeney was 12-of-25 passing for 164 yards and a TD. He was intercepted once. Shed posted his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the year, pulling in five passes for 113 yards. Burns led the ground game, accumulating 65 yards on 17 carries. He also caught three passes for 33 yards. Junior Rio Schmidt averaged 44.6 yards punting and tied the Hobart record for longest punt with a 68-yarder in the fourth quarter.
The Statesmen will travel to WPI (5-2, 2-2) for its next contest. The Liberty League showdown is scheduled to kickoff at noon on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Another late comeback gives Hobart 500th win
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20161022_35h5.xml
2016
Springfield
7
Hobart
12
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield (4-4) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 19 Hobart (6-1) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
Oct 22, 2016