It wasn't the best performance of the year, but the No. 8 Hobart
College football team wrapped up its third consecutive undefeated
regular season with a 28-23 win over the University of Rochester in
the annual Centennial Cup game at Boswell Field today.
The Statesmen (10-0, 7-0) played an efficient first half, building
a 21-0 lead by the intermission. On Senior Day, Hobart senior
quarterback Patrick
Conlan connected with classmate Elvin
Souffrant on a 9-yard scoring pass with 1:58 left in
the opening quarter for a 7-0 lead. The Statesmen twice converted
on fourth down plays during the nine-play, 42-yard drive.
Hobart returned to the end zone with 7:04 left in the second
quarter, when senior fullback Dominique
Ellis punched it in from 1 yard out for a 14-0 lead.
His team-leading ninth touchdown of the year capped a 7-play,
55-yard march.
The Statesmen defense, aided by a sack by senior defensive
end Tyre
Coleman, forced a Rochester punt, giving the offense the
ball back with 2:43 left in the half. On first and 10 from the UR
21, junior running back Conner
Hartiganappeared to be stopped after a short gain, but
bounced a swarm Yellowjackets and broke free for the touchdown.
Hobart outgained Rochester 185-101 in the first 30 minutes, while
the Yellowjackets (5-4, 3-4) hurt themselves with seven penalties
for 64 yards. UR, which came into the game as the least penalized
team in the Liberty League, was flagged a season-high nine times
for 98 yards on the day.
The teams traded punts to start the second half, but Rochester's
pinned Hobart back at its own 7. The Statesmen fumbled into the end
zone on first down when Conlan fell on the loose ball for a
Rochester safety. On the ensuing possession, the Yellowjackets
marched 51 yards in 13 plays, scoring on a 3-yard pass from
first-year quarterback Daniel Bronson to junior wideout Farid
Adenuga to make it a 21-9 game with 5:26 left in the third.
Hobart tried to answer, moving to the UR 23, but on second and 9,
Conlan was sacked for the first time in five games for a loss of 8
yards. Back-to-back incompletions gave the Yellowjackets the ball
back at their own 31. Rochester upped its scoring run to 16
straight with a nine-play, 69-yard drive that ended on a 10-yard
throw from Bronson to junior wideout Derek Wager at the 13:20 mark
of the fourth quarter, closing the gap to 21-16. Wager made a
game-high seven catches for 75 yards.
Staggered by the blows, Hobart regained its footing and punched
back with a quick scoring drive. Conlan hit Souffrant for 16 yards
on the first play and then, out of the wildcat formation, Hartigan
broke free for a 55-yard TD run and a 28-16 lead. He finished with
a game-high 114 yards rushing on 13 carries (8.8 yds/rush).
Conlan was 13-of-25 passing for 157 yards. Souffrant finished the
day with four catches for a game-high 79 yards.
Rochester made the Hobart fans hold their breath to very end. The
Yellowjackets turned a late interception by senior free safety
Kevin Brooks into the day's final scoring drive. A 52-yard run by
first-year Matthew Eichorn set up Bronson's third TD pass, a 3-yard
toss to Adenuga, who finished with five catches for 61 yards.
The Yellowjackets attempted an on-side kick with 90 seconds
remaining, but senior Troy
Robinson recovered the kick at the UR 49 and the
Statesmen ran out the clock with three straight kneel downs.
Hobart ended the day with a 331-317 advantage in total offense.
The Statesmen were minus one in turnovers, intercepting Bronson
twice, but giving the ball away on a pair of fumble as well as the
one interception.
Defensively, sophomore Michael
Harper made his first start at linebacker, filling
in for the injured Marcus
Jemison, and produced a career-high 11 tackles, including
2.5 for loss, a sack and an interception. Junior
linebackers Trayvon
Toneyand Jacob
Stanley added nine tackles each.
Coleman finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks,
upping his career totals to 85.5 and 48, respectively. He moved
passed Wesley's Bryan Robinson '08 into third place on the NCAA
Division III career sacks list and moved within one tackle for loss
of fifth place in NCAA history.
Rochester got a game-high 12 tackles and a sack from Isaiah
Smith.
Hobart wrapped up its fourth consecutive Liberty League
Championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs with last
week's win at St. Lawrence. The NCAA Football Championship
selection show will be webcast on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. on Sunday,
Nov. 16.
#8 Hobart retains the Centennial Cup with 28-23 win over Rochester
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141115_1cqr.xml
2014
Rochester
23
Hobart
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester (5-4) | 0 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 23 |
| No. 9 Hobart (10-0) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Nov 15, 2014