Hobart knocks off previously unbeaten Union

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart College football team handed Union College its first loss of the season this afternoon on Boswell Field at David J Urick Stadium. The Statesmen took their only lead of the game on a 16-yard pass from junior quarterback Ryan Hofmann to junior tight end AJ Perlino with 8:28 remaining in the contest and the defense made the 29-28 advantage stand up. Hofmann completed 17-of-29 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns on the day. Junior wide receiver Jake Catalioto caught a game-high eight passes for 148 yards, including a 66-yard TD. Classmate John DelliSanti pulled in three passes for 99 yards. Junior running back Brian Haeffneradded 49 yards on 16 carries. Defensively, first-year linebacker Bryan Aguilar made a game-high 10 tackles, including a sack. Junior linebacker David McCarthy chipped in nine stops and junior defensive end Collin Hudgins recorded seven tackles, including two sacks. On special teams, sophomore kicker Kyle Hackett tied the Hobart game record by making three field goals, including a career-long 41-yarder. Now 16-for-16 on career field goal attempts, he moved into a tie for third on the program's career list. The record is 19 set by Eric Ampuja '05. Coupled with a pair of PATs, Hackett finished the game with 11 points and raised his career total to 112, tied for 20th on Hobart's career list. Hackett opened the day's scoring with a 31-yard field goal to cap off a 10-play, 39-yard drive late in the first quarter. Before the frame was over, Union countered with a 19-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Will Bellamy to first-year running back Ike Irabor. The extra point sent the Dutchmen (4-1, 0-1) into the second quarter with a 7-3 lead. On Hobart's next possession, junior Paul Chambers intercepted Hofmann, giving the visitors the ball at the Union 43. Three plays later, Irabor scored on a 3-yard run for a 14-3 lead. Statesman first-year Dante Kimbrough returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to the Union 43 and on the first play from scrimmage Hofmann connected with junior wide receiver Ray Conley for a 43-yard touchdown. Hackett's extra point made it a 14-10 game less than two minutes into the second quarter. The next Dutchmen TD was also set up by an interception, this time senior Tucker Newman picked off Alex Milliken on a halfback option pass and returned it 57 yards to the Hobart 16. Newman shared team-high honors with junior Vincent DiCaterino with seven tackles apiece. On the next play, Bellamy threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Griffin Beal for a 21-10 lead midway through the second quarter. Hobart (3-2, 1-0) answered with a two-play, 68-yard drive that ended on Catalioto's long TD catch. A bad snap cost the Statesmen the extra point, leaving Union a 21-16 lead. Hackett capped the first half scoring with the longest field goal attempt of his career. The 41-yarder had plenty of distance and split the uprights to make it a two-point game, 21-19, going into halftime. Union came out of the break and marched down the field on an 11-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 27-yard pass play from Bellamy to first-year wide receiver Andre Ross Jr. to extend the lead to 28-19. From that point on, the Hobart defense kept the Dutchmen in check. Bellamy was 15-of-30 passing for 215 yards and three TDs. He was intercepted twice and sacked three times. Ross pulled in six passes for 152 yards. Irabor rushed 21 times for 86 yards and caught three passes for 30 yards. The next Statesmen possession stalled out at the Union 19 and Hobart had to settle for a 36-yard Hackett field goal to trim the Dutchmen lead to 28-22. Despite seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, the three-pointer proved to be the final points of the frame. Hobart's first possession of the fourth quarter began at its own 15. After rushing for no gain on first down, the Statesmen got out of the shadow of their own end zone in a big way. DelliSanti faked a hitch route and Hofmann added a shoulder fake that both the cornerback and the safety bit on, opening the door for a 60-yard completion. Three plays later, Hofmann completed his pass to Perlino at the Hobart 7. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder ran through two would-be tacklers for the game-tying touchdown. Hackett added the extra point for a 29-28 lead. On Union moved into Hobart territory on its next possession, but faced a fourth and 15 from the Hobart 33. Bellamy's pass was picked off by Cal Sullivan at the Hobart 5. The Statesmen were able to pick up a pair of first downs before punting the ball back to the Dutchmen with just 25 seconds left. On Union's first play from scrimmage, senior defensive end Al Smith tackled Bellamy inbounds for just a 1-yard gain. Bellamy hurried its offense to the line and spiked the ball on second down to stop the clock with 3.9 seconds remaining. On third down, Bellamy heaved the ball down 65 yards down the field, 10 yards beyond his nearest receiver, as time expired. Union entered the game with the Liberty League's top scoring defense (8.3 ppg). The Dutchmen hadn't allowed an opponent to score more than 10 points in any of its first four contests, including a 45-10 win at then No. 25 Springfield. Hobart's 328 passing yards are the most allowed by Union this season. The Statesmen are the first team to record more than 300 yards of offense against the Dutchmen defense this year, finishing with 429 yards. Hobart will be home against on Saturday, Oct. 13, when the Statesmen host Rochester (1-4, 0-1) in the annual Centennial Cup game. It will also be Hobart's annual Tackles and Touchdowns for Happiness House game. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. Union returns home to host Ithaca (3-2, 0-1) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.