GENEVA, N.Y.—Sophomore quarterback Shane Sweeney engineered a 7-play, 64-yard game-winning drive that culminated in a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Cooper Merrill with 1.8 seconds remaining to lift the Hobart College football team to a 19-17 upset of No. 25 St. Lawrence University on Boswell Field today.
The Saints (7-2, 5-1) had the ball and a 17-13 lead with 2:28 remaining. On third-and-8 from the SLU 26, St. Lawrence handed the ball to first-year running back Roderick Payne, who was stopped by senior linebacker Trayvon Toney 2 yards short of the first down. Junior Sean Cunningham's 7-yard punt return set up the Hobart offense at its own 36 with 47 seconds left.
Sweeney completed four of seven passes on the final drive, throwing to first-year Joe Barrocas for 14 yards, to Cunningham for 26 yards, and then back to Barrocas for 20 to move to the Saints 4 with nine seconds left. Sweeney's throw on first down was incomplete. On second down, he threw to Merrill, who appeared to catch the ball as he moved across the goal line and then junior linebacker Jayson Leigh ripped the ball out of his arms, celebrating what he thought was a game-saving interception. The officiating crew made no immediate signal and quickly gathered to confer. After a short discussion, the referee informed the crowd that the ruling on the field was a simultaneous possession, which is awarded to the offense. Hobart's two-point try was no good, leaving the home team a 2-point lead with 1.8 seconds left.
St. Lawrence's return on the ensuing kickoff was fumbled at the Saints 31 and recovered by the Statesmen, clinching Hobart's 22nd win over SLU in 23 tries. St. Lawrence hasn't won in Geneva since 1990.
Sweeney was 28-of-46 passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns. His completion total is the second most in a game by a Statesman, while his 46 attempts are tied for second on the team's single game list. Junior wide receiver Jack Pfohlcaught a game-high 10 passes for 80 yards. He was two receptions shy of the Hobart game record. Cunningham pulled in a career-high seven passes for 53 yards.
The Statesmen trailed 17-7 at halftime and were forced to punt on their only possession of the third quarter. Hobart's first drive of the fourth quarter stalled short of the red zone and the Statesmen missed a 42-yard field goal attempt wide left. Hobart's comeback began to build momentum midway through the final frame as Sweeney directed a 10-play, 76-yard drive. He threw a 15-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Brandon Shed, who made a spectacular one-handed grab, to secure the TD. Shed finished with three receptions for 26 yards.
The Statesmen forced a three-and-out on the Saints' next possession, but Sweeney threw his only interception of the day on Hobart's ensuing drive, setting up the drama of the final 2:28.
St. Lawrence moved to the Hobart 1 on its first possession of the game, but senior quarterback Mike Lefflbine threw back-to-back incompletions to turn the ball over on downs. Sophomore cornerback Tommy D'Antonio dove in at the last moment and batted away the fourth down pass to keep the contest scoreless.
In the shadow of its own goal post, Hobart gained just a single yard on three plays and punted back to the Saints. A short punt coupled with a facemask penalty, one of 12 flags on the day for the Statesmen, put SLU in business at the Statesmen 11. However, the defense didn't break, holding the visitors to a 27-yard Andrew Carvalho field goal.
Hobart answered with a 32-yard kickoff return by sophomore Joe Letizia and seven plays later, Sweeney rolled out to his right and threw back across the field to senior tight end Josh Britton for a 9-yard touchdown. Junior Sean Kirshe's extra point gave the Statesmen a 7-3 lead that remained in place until midway through the second quarter.
Lefflbine tossed two touchdowns in a span of about four minutes to help the visitors build a 17-7 edge. His 29-yard connection with senior Leondre Simmon came at the 8:53 mark and junior tight end Mitch Gallagher pulled in a 21-yard toss at 4:59.
Hobart nearly countered Gallagher's score with one of its own, but on fourth-and-goal from the 3, Sweeney scrambled toward the end zone, but was hit by junior end Michael LaRusso at the one, jarring the ball loose. LaRusso recovered to preserve the 10-point halftime lead.
Lefflbine, who came into the game as the Liberty League leader in completion percentage, was 15-of-32 for a season-low success rate (.469). He had 195 yards passing and two TDs. Gallagher had a team-high five receptions for a team-high 66 yards.
Neither team had much success on the ground. Senior Conner Hartigan ran for 58 yards on 10 carries for the Statesmen, while Payne picked up 31 yards to lead the Saints.
Defensively, Toney had a team-high nine tackles, including a sack. Five other Statesmen were credited with solo sacks, giving Hobart six on the day and 13 in the past two meetings with SLU. Sophomore linebacker Almamy Conde and junior linebacker Marcus Jemison each contributed eight stops.
Sophomore defensive back Brendan Donahoe made a game-high 11 tackles for the visitors while sophomore linebacker William Garrity added seven tackles, three for loss, and a pair of sacks.
Hobart will close out the regular season on the road, visiting the University of Rochester on Saturday, Nov. 14. The annual Centennial Cup game is scheduled to kickoff at noon at Fauver Stadium.
Statesmen stun #25 Saints with last second rally
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151107_42rf.xml
2015
St. Lawrence
17
Hobart
19
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lawrence (7-2) | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Hobart (6-3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 19 |
Nov 07, 2015