GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College football team rallied from a 10-point, second half deficit to defeat Liberty League rival Union College 27-23 in the 100th all-time meeting between the two schools. Junior wide receiver Brandon Shed caught six passes for a game-high 106 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Statesmen.
Shed celebrated his birthday this afternoon with his fifth consecutive 100-yard receiving game. It's the second time in as many games against the Dutchmen that he has caught three TD passes. This year's performance raised his season total to eight, sixth on Hobart's single season list, and raised his career total to 18, vaulting him from ninth to tied for fourth (with Ryan LiDrazzah '08) on the Statesmen's all-time list.
Junior quarterback Shane Sweeney was 22-of-35 passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns. He was sacked twice in the first half, after getting through the first three games of the season unscathed. Senior wideout Jack Pfohl also caught six passes, gaining 75 yards. Sophomore running back Tynard Barfieldran for a team-high 52 yards on 11 carries.
Linebacker Tom D'Antonio and Jedh Downey shared game-high honors with 11 tackles apiece. D'Antonio recorded four of Hobart's nine tackles for loss and scored a defensive extra point, stepping in front of a two-point conversion pass attempt by Union and racing 95 yards for two points in the Statesmen's ledger.
Union used a run-heavy attack, gaining 170 yards on 47 carries while adding 124 yards through the air. Senior running back Jermaine Carn had a team-high 88 yards on 21 carries. Junior running back Connor Kinzelmann added 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior quarterback Blake Geller was 8-of-18 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Alex Kaplanovich caught four passes for a team-high 98 yards.
The Dutchmen got a team-high eight tackles from junior linebacker Jake Lombardo.
Hobart (4-0, 1-0) got off to a promising start, but lost its first fumble of the season at the Union 37. The Statesmen defense forced a three-and-out and this time the home team cashed in. After a 14-yard punt return punt Hobart in business at midfield, Sweeney and Shed beat double coverage on a 50-yard bomb to take the early lead. Senior Sean Kirshe added the extra point for a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Union (1-3, 0-1) got its second takeaway of the opening frame when senior defensive lineman Conor O'Malley sacked Sweeney, jarring the ball loose deep in Hobart territory. Kinzelmann did the rest, running 9 yards into the end zone on first down. Junior Jonathan Schaible booted the extra point to tie the game with a minute and a half left in the first.
In the second quarter, Hobart looked out of sync, managing just one first down while taking three penalties for 29 yards. One of those flags cost the Statesmen 14 yards and moved the Dutchmen into the red zone. Although Hobart's defense stiffed and force Union to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Schaible, sending his team into halftime with a 10-7 lead.
The Dutchmen used the first possession of the second half to extend its lead to 10. Geller hit senior fullback Tom Jensen on a 2-yard out for a touchdown, completing a five-play, 68-yard drive. Schaible's extra point made it a 17-7 Union lead.
Hobart started its comeback late in the third quarter when Sweeney directed an 11-play, 57-yard drive that senior fullback Sean Bright capped off with a 1-yard dive into the end zone. The extra point attempt was blocked by sophomore Tyler Torres, leaving Hobart in a four-point hole.
On its ensuing possession, Union sandwiched a pair of incompletions around a 3-yard run and was forced to punt. Senior Sean Cunningham broke free for a season's best 23-yard return that was bolstered by 10 yards thanks to an illegal block call against the Dutchmen. Hobart took over at the Union 33. Three plays later, Sweeney pump faked to his right in the direction of Shed and looked back to his left, but the Dutchmen had all of the receivers on that side of the field covered. By the time he shifted his attention back to the right, he inexplicably found Shed wide open for an 8-yard TD. The Statesmen missed the extra point wide right and led 19-17.
Union answered with a 15-play, 77-yard march that were helped by an unsportsmanlike penalty and a personal foul penalty against Hobart. Kinzelmann punched it into the end zone on second and inches to cap off the drive and make it a 23-19 game. The Dutchmen elected to go for two and threw a pass into the left flat, but D'Antonio jumped the route and raced in the other direction to make it a 23-21 game with six and a half minutes to go.
Hobart took full advantage of the momentum swing and used a methodical march to advance to the Union 16. Facing third-and-1, Sweeney fumbled a shotgun snap on what looked to be a quarterback keeper. He recovered the ball, but not after losing 7 yards. On fourth and eight, Hobart went for it. Sweeney had plenty of time in the pocket and eventually found Shed in the end zone for a 23-yard scoring play and a 27-23 lead. The Statesmen also tried for two, but their pass play was broken up.
Union almost rallied to retake the lead, but four straight incompletions from the Hobart 36 sealed the Statesmen's seventh straight win over their long-time rivals.
Hobart will close out its three game homestand on Saturday, Oct. 1 when it hosts Merchant Marine. Kickoff at Boswell Field is slated for noon. Union will travel to WPI next Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.