WORCESTER, Mass.—Junior quarterback Shane Sweeney broke a pair of Hobart College season passing records and completed an 18-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Jack Pfohl with three seconds remaining to slip past WPI 35-31 at Alumni Stadium today.
Sweeney was 26-of-36 passing for 346 yards and four touchdowns on the day. He entered the game needing 74 passing yards and 20 completions to eclipse Hobart's season standards. Sweeney now holds both records with 2,526 yards and 191 completions.
Pfohl enjoyed a career day, pulling in a Hobart record-tying 12 passes for a career-high 197 yards and two touchdowns. Pfohl is the second Statesman to have a dozen catches in a game, joining Dan Suozzi who has 12 receptions for 239 yards against Franklin & Marshall in 2003.
Junior wideout Brandon Shed had seven receptions for 91 yards and two TDs.
The Statesmen (7-1, 4-1) earned their fifth fourth quarter comeback of the season with a game-winning drive that covered 58 yards in just three plays and only 15 seconds.
After Brandon Eccher caught an 11 yard TD from Dan Eckler with 22 seconds left to give WPI a 31-28 lead, Hobart got a 12-yard kickoff return out to the Hobart 42 by senior defensive end James Hedger. On first down, Sweeney completed a 23-yard pass to Pfohl. A timeout stopped the clock with 13 seconds to go. Sweeney then hit sophomore wide receiver Joe Barrocas for 17 yards to move the ball to the WPI 18. Sweeney then hit Pfohl for the game winner, capping the comeback.
WPI led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 10-yard run by Sean Allen late in the frame. However, Hobart carried a 14-7 lead into halftime thanks to a 6-yard Sweeney to Shed TD and a blocked punt return for a touchdown two minutes later. Senior linebacker Marcus Jemison made the big play on special teams, racing in from the left of the punter and blocking the kick. He then continued across the formation to recover the loose ball at the 25 yard line and tip-toed down the sideline for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, the Engineers (5-3, 2-3) got a 32-yard field goal from Blaine Bursey and a 55-yard touchdown pass from Eckler to Steven Thulin to go ahead 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
The final stanza was a wild, back-and-forth affair that featured five lead changes. Senior linebacker Michael Harper set the stage for the first with an interception late in the third quarter. From the WPI 40, Sweeney then completed back-to-back passes to Pfohl, the second of which went for 25 yards and a touchdown.
Hobart had a chance to add to its lead when the defense came up with another takeaway (one of four turnovers the Statesmen generated on the day). Junior linebacker Almamy Conde strip sacked Eckler and junior defensive end Brandon Ball recovered the fumble. Hobart's ensuing drive stalled out at the WPI 9 and the Statesmen missed a 26-yard field goal wide left.
WPI used the opening to move 80 yards in eight plays, taking a 24-21 lead on a 33-yard pass from Eckler to Eccher. Hobart struck back with a 10-play, 83-yard drive that ended with Shed's 13th touchdown reception of the season from 13 yards out. He is now second on Hobart's single season list, one behind Dan Suozzi's 2004 record. Shed also has 868 receiving yards on the year, 161 away from that season standard set by Scott Guise in 1982.
Shed's go-ahead score came with 1:41 remaining. The Engineers used 1:16 of that to go 68 yards in nine plays. Eckler's third TD pass of the day, second to Eccher came with just 22 seconds to go and set the stage for Hobart's final rally.
Hobart senior running back Bradley Burns gained 46 yards on 10 carries, added four receptions for 33 yards, and completed a 25-yard pass to Shed. On defense, Conde and first-year linebacker Jedh Downey shared team-high honors with eight tackles apiece. Junior cornerback Tom D'Antonio added six tackles, forced and recovered a fumble, and an interception.
Eckler was 24-of-35 passing for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Alex Domond recorded team-highs with seven receptions for 155 yards. Eccher caught four passes for 85 yards. McAllen ran for a team-high 41 yards on 12 carries. WPI's defense was led by Brian Murtagh's 10 tackles. Dereck Pacheco had two of the Engineers' five sacks on the day.
The Hobart victory sets up a showdown with Liberty League leader St. Lawrence (8-0, 5-0) next Saturday in Canton. The Statesmen can claim the conference title with a win over the Saints and a victory the following Saturday at home against Rochester. St. Lawrence would lock up the league championship with a win over Hobart.
Kickoff at Leckonby Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Hobart pulls off another 4th quarter comeback at WPI
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20161029_w0x9.xml
2016
Hobart
35
WPI
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Hobart (7-1) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 35 |
| WPI (5-3) | 7 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
Oct 29, 2016