Hobart football could not generate enough offense Saturday afternoon, falling 33-7 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in its Liberty League opener.
The Statesmen played without starting quarterback Aidan Conrath and struggled to sustain drives, finishing with 219 total yards. Junior Jeremy Weiss made his first start in place of Conrath and completed 15 of 37 passes for 126 yards. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a sack.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute opened the scoring midway through the second quarter on a 46-yard touchdown pass before adding a field goal as the first half expired. The Engineers extended their advantage with another field goal early in the third quarter, then turned another Hobart interception into a six-yard touchdown run to take a 19-0 lead.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter following a Hobart turnover, pushing its advantage to 26-0.
Hobart finally broke through with an 81-yard, 12-play drive that ended with Weiss connecting with Johnny Harding for a four-yard touchdown. Harding returned after missing last week’s game with an injury and finished with three catches for 26 yards.
E.J. Taylor led Hobart’s rushing attack with 62 yards on 16 carries, while Marcus Peterson caught four passes for 41 yards.
Defensively, Ryan Van Tassel recorded a game-high 10 tackles. Tyler Cumming, Jack Ligarzewski and M.J. Wells each had eight tackles, while Zeshan Dixon recorded his league-leading fourth interception of the season.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute controlled the clock, holding a 33:42-26:18 advantage in time of possession.
Hobart fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in Liberty League play. The Statesmen return home Saturday, October 3, to host Ithaca at Boswell Field during Homecoming and Family Weekend.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.