The Hobart football cruised to a 63-6 Liberty League win over Hilbert Saturday afternoon. The Statesmen racked up 456 yards of offense, including a season-high 321 yards on the ground.
Junior running back E.J. Taylor led the ground game with 148 yards and three touchdowns. It was his fifth consecutive 100-yard game, seventh of the season and put him over 1,000 yards rushing for the season (1,009). Taylor also caught two passes for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Additionally, Hobart had three other backs finish with more than 40 yards rushing and a TD each. Senior Byron Maddox Jr., sophomore Tristan Reynolds and senior Tahj Jackson ran for 48, 48, and 46 yards, respectively.
Statesmen quarterbacks Jeremy Weiss and Tru Styles each threw TD passes. Weiss was 8-of-11 passing for 113 yards and Styles was 3-of-5 for 22 yards.
Sophomore wide receiver Johnny Harding caught a pass in his 20th consecutive game, the seventh longest streak in Hobart history. He pulled in seven passes for 72 yards and two TDs.
Junior kicker Luke Monteyne tied the Hobart record for most PAT kicks made, going 9-for-9.
Defensively, Hobart limited Hilbert’s triple option offense to 111 yards in the game, all on the ground. Senior linebacker Mike McGhee and junior defensive lineman Hunter Vos contributed six tackles apiece. Vos and first-year Isa Abdus-Salaam (4 tkls) shared game-high honors with two tackles for loss each. The Hawks only passing play of the game ended with a sack by junior linebacker David Charles II.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Taylor carried the load on Hobart’s first scoring drive, taking the handoff on all six plays. He reached the end zone for the first time on a 5-yard run midway through the opening quarter.
- Hilbert drove into Hobart territory on its ensuing possession, but turned the ball over on downs at the 32.
- Styles directed an eight-play, 68-yard march and capped it off with a 19-yard TD pass to Taylor.
- The Hawks got their only score of the game with under five minutes remaining in the second quarter on a 25-yard by Christian Hamilton Jr. Hobart blocked the extra point try, keeping it a 14-6 lead.
- The Statesmen put together two scoring drives before heading into halftime.
- Taylor scored on another 5-yard run just after the two-minute timeout and Weiss completed a 1-yard pass to a wide-open Harding as time expired.
- The Statesmen added three touchdowns in the third quarter and two more in the fourth to complete the high-scoring affair.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- 321 rushing yards rank 14th on Hobart’s single-game list. It’s the most by the Statesmen since producing 346 yards against Buffalo State in 2021.
- 63 points are tied for third on Hobart’s single-game list. The 2022 Statesmen scored 63 points at Buffalo State in November and 65 points against Keystone in September. The program’s all-time record is 70, set back in 1896.
- 8.2 yards per carry is the fourth-highest average in a game for Hobart. The 2022 team set the record at 8.9 against Rochester.
- 6 rushing touchdowns are tied for fifth on the Hobart single-game list. It’s the most by the Statesmen since scoring seven rushing TDs against Keystone in 2022.
- 4 total touchdowns by Taylor are tied for sixth on Hobart’s single-game list. It’s the most since Rick Pinero scored four TDs against WPI in 2004.
FOR THE RECORD
- Hobart wins its third straight to improve to 4-5 overall and evened its Liberty League record at 3-3.
- Hilbert falls to 0-9, 0-6.
UP NEXT
- The Statesmen will wrap up the regular season at home when they host Buffalo State (1-8, 1-5) on November 15. Kickoff on Boswell Field at Urick Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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