The Hobart football team pushed through a two-hour lightning delay to notch its fourth straight victory, a 35–9 Liberty League win over Buffalo State. In the regular-season finale, the Statesmen piled up 401 yards of total offense, including 266 yards on the ground.
Junior running back E.J. Taylor continued his dominant season, recording his sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game. He finished with 173 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Senior Kieran Cotter added 55 yards on 10 attempts. Sophomore quarterback Jeremy Weiss completed 7-of-9 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Johnny Harding caught two passes for 77 yards, including a 54-yard score, extending his catch streak to 21 games—tied for the sixth-longest in program history with Luke Gutelius ’98.
Defensively, the Statesmen held Buffalo State to 60 rushing yards and 131 passing yards. Senior linebacker Mike McGhee notched a team-high 12 tackles. Senior linebacker Noah Chachere added six tackles and an interception. Junior defensive back Zeshan Dixon and sophomore defensive back Corey Rock each posted four tackles and an interception; Rock also recorded two pass breakups.
For the Record
- Hobart finishes the regular season 5–5 overall and 4–3 in the Liberty League.
- Buffalo State ends the year 1–9, 1–6 in league play.
Coach’s Comments
Postgame interview with Head Coach Kevin DeWall:
https://youtu.be/lyiPWEFUf8k?si=EYvlip4-ItMczIuf
How It Happened
- Hobart opened the game with an eight-play, 73-yard scoring drive, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from Taylor.
- The Statesmen forced a punt, but Buffalo State picked up a safety when Gabe Williams tackled Taylor in the end zone.
- Lightning halted play at the 9:15 mark of the second quarter, triggering a two-hour delay.
- On the first play after the delay, Taylor broke loose for a 14-yard touchdown.
- Dixon intercepted Buffalo State quarterback Landon LaDuke at the Hobart 15 on the Bengals’ next drive.
- Weiss hit Harding on the next series for a 54-yard touchdown, with Harding breaking a tackle at the 35 and racing to the end zone.
- A wind-stalled Buffalo State punt set up Hobart at the Bengals’ 26, and Taylor scored again on the next play—his third TD of the game.
- Hobart led 28–2 at halftime.
- The Statesmen added a third-quarter touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Weiss to senior tight end Luke Hescock.
- Buffalo State scored its lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter after a Hobart fumble at the 11-yard line. Jeadi Higdon powered in from the 1 and finished with 104 rushing yards on 29 carries.
Taylor Tracker
Taylor continues climbing the Hobart record books:
- His league-leading 1,182 rushing yards rank 11th on Hobart’s single-season list.
- His 16 rushing touchdowns this season rank sixth all-time.
- His 2,711 career rushing yards place him ninth in program history.
- His 31 career rushing touchdowns also rank ninth all-time.
More Record Notes
- McGhee’s career total rises to 226 tackles, placing him 19th on Hobart’s all-time list.
- Senior punter Vicente Lyon ends the season with a 42.8-yard average, second only to his own program record set last year.
- Lyon remains the only Statesman to average more than 40 yards per punt for a career (41.3).
Postseason Outlook
By reaching .500, Hobart is bowl eligible. The Statesmen will learn Monday whether they have been selected for an ECAC Bowl.
