Hobart’s upset bid falls short at #17/19

TROY, N.Y.—The Hobart College football team amassed over 200 yards and reached the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, but came up short in its upset bid of nationally-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at East Campus Stadium this afternoon. The Statesmen twice got within a touchdown in the final three minutes of the game, but the Engineers held on for a 31-24 win to remain unbeaten on the season. Hobart outgained RPI 449-410, but the Statesmen had a punt blocked that led to an Engineer touchdown and two drives ended on interceptions. Junior quarterback Ryan Hofmann completed 28 passes for 295 yards and pair of touchdowns, while first-year quarterback David Krewsoncompleted six passes for 70 yards and a TD. Junior wide receiver Jake Catalioto pulled in a game-high nine passes for a game-high 106 yards. Classmate Ray Conley caught five passes for 80 yards, including two TDs. Sophomore kicker Kyle Hackett contributed a 29-yard field goal, accounting for all of Hobart's first half scoring, and made all three of his PATs. The field goal was the 18th of his young career, one shy of the Hobart career record. The three PATs make him 31-for-31 this season and give him a Hobart record 42 in a row dating back to last year. The previous record was 41 consecutive set by Conor Callahan '12 during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Statesmen (4-2, 2-1) got a game-high 15 tackles from junior linebacker David McCarthy. Senior Brendan McCarthy and sophomore Emmett Forde both contributed eight stops. Junior defensive end Collin Hudgins and senior defensive end Al Smith each recorded a sack. Junior free safety Andrew Koonzposted his team-leading third interception. After taking a 17-3 lead into halftime, RPI (6-0, 2-0) added to its lead with a scoring drive to start the second half. Conor Davies returned the opening kickoff 35 yards to the Hobart 49. Three plays later, quarterback George Marinopoulos hit Keaton Ackermann on an 18-yard TD pass. The extra point gave the home team its biggest lead of the day, 24-3. Marinopoulos completed 12 passes for 210 yards and two TDs. Ackermann was his top target with four catches for 74 yards and a TD. Hobart's ill-fated comeback got started late in the third quarter when the defense forced RPI to punt from its own 2. The Statesmen started in Engineer territory and needed just three plays to go 48 yards for a touchdown. Krewson completed a 37-yard TD to Conley. Hackett's extra point made it a 24-10 game with 51 seconds left in the third. The Statesmen made it 24-17 with 2:51 left in the game. Hofmann's 11-yard touchdown pass to Conley capped a 10-play, 90-yard drive. Hobart elected to try an on-side kick, but RPI recovered. The Engineers, who are ranked No. 17 in the AFCA Poll and No. 19 by D3football.com, got some breathing room when Davies broke free for a 45-yard touchdown run with 2:10 to go, putting Rensselaer up 31-17. The Statesmen answered with a scoring drive of their own. The six-play, 79-yard drive ended with an 11-yard pass from Hofmann to senior tight end Matt Woods. Hackett's record breaking PAT once again made it a seven-point game with 78 seconds left. Hobart again went for an on-side kick and again the Engineers recovered, allowing them to run out the clock. The RPI defense was led by juniors Andres Guisasola and John Sadak who both had 12 tackles. Luke Watanabe and Joey Gutowski each had an interception. Hobart will have a week off before returning to Boswell Field at David J Urick Stadium to host Ithaca on Saturday, Nov. 3 on Hall of Fame Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.