TROY, N.Y.—The No. 16/22 Hobart College football team more than doubled Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's offensive production, but was called for 15 penalties that cost the Statesmen 148 yards in a 21-17 loss to the Engineers. The loss drops the Statesmen to 5-1 on the year, 2-1 in the Liberty League, while RPI moves to 4-2, 2-1.
Hobart junior quarterback Shane Sweeneywas 27-of-44 passing for 340 yards with two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Sean Cunningham produced career-highs with nine receptions for 149 yards. Sophomore running back Tynard Barfield gained a career-high 72 yards on 11 carries.
Hobart, which has three fourth quarter comebacks this season, took a 17-14 lead with 72 seconds remaining in the contest. Sweeney directed a 9-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 7-yard TD pass to sophomore tight end Matthew Woods. Sweeney was 8-of-9 passing on the drive.
Penalties played a key role in the Engineers' ensuing game-winning drive. Nick Esposito returned the kickoff 34 yards to the RPI 49. Hobart was hit with a personal foul at the end of the play, tacking on another 15 yards. Sophomore quarterback Ed Trimpert completed a pair of passes and ran for 4 yards to move Rensselaer inside the Hobart 10. On first down, he was sacked for a 2-yard loss by senior cornerback Todd Collier, forcing the home team to call timeout with 33 seconds left. On the next play, senior linebacker Marcus Jemison appeared to seal a Statesmen victory, but he was called for pass interference, giving the Engineers new life at the Hobart 5. Trimpert scored on a 5-yard run on first down to retake the lead with 20 seconds remaining.
Sweeney's desperation heave with no time remaining was incomplete.
Hobart finished the game with 435 yards of offense to just 192 for RPI.
Trimpert was 14-of-20 passing for 109 yards with two TDs. John Costello caught a team-high five passes for 31 yards. His 8-yard TD catch with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter gave the Engineers a 14-10 lead. That nine-play, 54-yard drive should have ended with a missed 37-yard field goal attempt, but the Statesmen were flagged for roughing the kicker, extending the drive.
Hobart carried a 10-0 lead into halftime. Senior wide receiver Jack Pfohl opened the scoring, pulling in a 15-yard throw from Sweeney with about five minutes to go in the first quarter. Junior Will McCool added a 28-yard field goal late in the second quarter.
The Engineers got on the board with the first possession of the second half. Delano Munoz Whatts returned the opening kickoff 71 yards to the Hobart 29. The Statesmen were called for pass interference on first down, moving the ball to the 14. After a rush for no gain, Trimpert hit Johnny Ramsdell on a 14-yard TD pass to make it a 10-7 game.
Hobart drove into field goal range on its next two possessions, but DJ Stefonsky blocked a 34-yard attempt on the first drive and McCool missed wide right from 35 yards on the next.
Junior linebacker Almamy Conde and sophomore defensive end AJ McFarlaneshared team-high honors with nine tackles for Hobart. McFarlane had one of Hobart's four sacks. Senior defensive end James Hedger added seven tackles, including two sacks.
Rensselaer's Brandt Beck also had nine tackles.
The Statesmen are off next week. They will return to action on Oct. 22 when Springfield (3-3, 2-1) visits Boswell Field.
Penalty plagued Statesmen suffer 1st loss
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20161008_fo7f.xml
2016
Hobart
17
RPI
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Hobart (5-1) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| RPI (4-2) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
Oct 08, 2016