BROCKPORT, N.Y.—Hobart College junior quarterback Shane Sweeney was 31-of-45 passing for 419 yards and four touchdowns while leading the Statesmen to a 41-35 season-opening victory at the College at Brockport this afternoon. He tied the Hobart game record for completions and compiled the third most passing yards in a game by a Statesman.
Hobart rallied from a 35-28 deficit midway through the fourth quarter, scoring twice in the final eight minutes to squeeze out the win. In fact, the Statesmen reached the end zone on each of their final four possessions (excepting a kneel down to run out the clock at the end of the game).
Junior wideout Brandon Shed was Sweeney's top target, pulling in 11 receptions (one off the Hobart record) for 189 yards and two touchdowns. His 75-yard TD, a one-play scoring drive, came just over a minute into the fourth quarter and tied the game at 28.
About four minutes later, Brockport's Marquez Jackson-Allen capped off a nine-play, 91-yard scoring drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. The extra point put the home team ahead 35-28.
The Statesmen countered with a seven-play, 91-yard drive. Sweeney was 5-of-6 passing and scrambled for 16-yards and a first down on the march. He threw his fourth TD of the day to Shed, who ran 39 yards to the end zone. Senior Sean Kirshe's extra point tied the game for the fifth and final time.
Hobart's defense struggled to slow down Brockport and its preseason All-American running back Dan Andrews, but came up with two critical stops late in the fourth quarter. Andrews rushed for 27 yards on the first play from scrimmage following Shed's game-tying TD, but was held to 2 yards on two subsequent carries on the drive, including no gain on third and 15 from the Brockport 43. The Golden Eagles were forced to punt setting up the game-winning drive.
The Statesmen offense went right back to work, mounting an eight-play, 88-yard drive. Hobart got two big gains through the air. The first was a 23-yard completion to senior wideout Sean Cunningham and the second was a 42-yard swing pass to sophomore tailback Tynard Barfield. Facing third down and 5 from the Brockport 10, Sweeney was able to draw the Golden Eagles offsides setting up first and goal from the five. Junior running back Joe Letizia took the next handoff into the end zone to put Hobart back in front with 1:29 remaining in the contest.
The Statesmen needed one more defensive stop and got it with an assist to a holding penalty against Brockport. The Golden Eagles' Brian McKean completed four straight passes to move to midfield, but then the home team was called for a 10-yard holding penalty and senior defensive end James Hedger and juniorBrandon Ball sacked McKean for a 21-yard loss. Brockport gave the ball to Andrews on fourth-and-37, but junior Daryl Scales stopped him for a 2-yard loss with just four seconds remaining.
Scales and Hedger shared game-high honors with 11 tackles apiece. Hedger, who hails from nearby Rochester, also had a career-high 1.5 sacks. Junior Almamy Conde added 10 stops for the Statesmen.
Cunningham had five receptions for 58 yards, including a 20-yard TD in the second quarter. Senior wideout Jack Pfohl pulled in four passes for 48 yards, including a 7-yard TD in the second quarter. Barfield was Hobart's top rusher, gaining 26 yards on six carries. Bradley Burns had five carries for 17 yards, scoring on a 2-yard plunge in the third quarter.
Despite running 10 fewer plays, Hobart finished with 489 yards of offense, 142 more than the Golden Eagles. The Statesmen's 41 points are the most scored in a season opener since Hobart began the 1976 season with a 44-16 win over RIT. The 76 combined points are the second most ever scored in a Hobart season opener (Syracuse beat Hobart 77-0 to open the 1929 season).
Andrews scored Brockport's first three touchdown, finishing the day with 184 yards rushing on 31 carries. He became the school's all-time leading rusher midway through the third quarter. Andrews now has 3,916 career yards to his credit. McKean finished 20-of-28 passing for 152 yards with a TD. He was sacked three times. Andrews was his top receiver with six catches for 36 yards.
Hobart will be on the road again next Saturday, visiting Endicott College. Kickoff in Beverly, Mass., is scheduled for noon.
Statesmen clip Golden Eagles 41-35
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20160903_u0o7.xml
2016
Hobart
41
Brockport
35
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Hobart (1-0) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 20 | 41 |
| Brockport (0-1) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Sep 03, 2016