GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College football team bounced back in a major way Saturday as they defeated St. John Fisher 31-3 on Boswell Field. The Statesmen evened their record at 1-1 while the Cardinals fall to 0-2.
Hobart senior quarterback Shane Sweeney, completed 22-of-31 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, but it was the Statesmen defense that turned heads today. After giving up 603 yards and 34 points last week to Brockport, Hobart was tested early and often, but didn't falter, holding the Cardinals to 280 yards and a solitary second quarter field goal.
Senior Brandon Ball and sophomores Jayson Prince, Jedh Downey and David McCarthy shared team-high honors with seven tackles apiece. Prince had a pair of sacks and Ball also had a sack, causing a fumble that he recovered, one of two Hobart takeaways on the day. Junior Sam Wheeler had the other, making his first career interception.
The Statesmen defense stood tall in the red zone on Fishers' first offensive drive, forcing a 21-yard field goal attempt that junior kicker Devin Dzikowicz pushed to the left. On the Cardinals' second possession, the defense again held strong in the shadow of the goal posts. Senior Tom D'Antonio broke up a third down and 8 pass play from the Hobart 15 and Prince disrupted the pass on fourth down.
Hobart turned the ball over on downs on each of its first two possessions, but started to heat up on its third drive. The Statesmen methodically drove down the field with a balanced attack. The 13-play, 85-yard drive was capped off by a 7-yard touchdown pass from Sweeney to junior tight end Matthew Woods. First-year Kyle Hackett's PAT was good for a 7-0 lead about six minutes into the second quarter.
St. John Fisher countered with an 11-play, 62-yard drive that stalled at the Hobart 4. The Cardinals settled for a 21-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with just under five minutes remaining in the half.
Hobart restored its 7-point edge when Hackett booted a 29-yard field goal on his first collegiate try. The 3-pointer capped a 12-play, 63-yard drive and wiped all but 49 seconds off the game clock. The Statesmen led 10-7 at the half.
Wheeler's interception halted St. John Fisher's first drive of the second half and set up the offense for a quick strike. On third-and-7 from the Hobart 40, Sweeney completed a 10-yard throw to sophomore wide receiver John DelliSanti, who faked out two would-be tacklers and out raced the rest of the Cardinals for a 60-yard touchdown. Hackett made the PAT for a 17-3 lead about five minutes into the third quarter.
Hobart's defense forced a three-and-out and the offense went right back to work. Sweeney hit Isaiah Hill on a short out and Woods made a goal line block to clear the sophomore wide receiver's path to the end zone. The eight-play, 76-yard drive completed the third quarter scoring and made it a 24-3 game.
Ball forced his turnover with about three minutes left in the game. He used a spin move to shed his blocker and hit Fisher quarter Johnathan Letta from the blindside, jarring the ball loose. Ball regained his feet, picked up the football and gained 9 yards before getting tackled at the Cardinal 7. Two plays later, first-year running back Dakota Harvey completed the day's scoring with a 2-yard dive into the end zone.
Sweeney completed passes to eight different receivers on the day. Senior wide receiver Brandon Shed caught a team-high six passes for 69 yards. DelliSanti had four receptions for a game-high 75 yards. On the ground, Harvey averaged 6.4 yards per carry, finishing with 77 yards on 12 carries.
St. John Fisher sophomore quarterback Joshua Michaels was 10-of-21 passing for 114 yards with an interception before Letta came on in relief. He finished 6-of-13 for 75 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Dylan Harrington caught a game-high eight passes for 72 yards. Senior running back James Chambers led the Fisher ground game, carrying the ball 15 times for 77 yards.
Junior safety Michael Chase had a game-high 12 tackles for the Cardinals. Senior safety Evan Majewski added 11 stops.
Hobart will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 16, when the Statesmen host Shenandoah University. Kickoff on Homecoming and Family Weekend is scheduled for 7 p.m. St. John Fisher will return home to host Brockport in the annual Courage Bowl next Saturday at 6 p.m.
Defense cages Cardinals to lead Hobart to victory
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20170909_ez7l.xml
2017
St. John Fisher
3
Hobart
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John Fisher (0-2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Hobart (1-1) | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
Sep 09, 2017