#22 Football Heads to Hobart

Sept. 12 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team will take their 2-0 record on the road this Saturday, September 15, as the head to Geneva, N.Y. to play Hobart College.  Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm. This will mark the first meeting between the Tartans and the Statesmen.

“We are excited to play a team of Hobart’s caliber they are a perennial NCAA Division III playoff team.  They have been in the playoffs the last five years,” comments Head Coach Rich Lackner.  “They are very well coached and it is certainly a huge challenge for our team.”

The Tartans are coming off a 16-6 victory over Grove City College.  For the second straight week the Tartans’ stingy defense took away the ground game.  Grove City managed only five yards rushing and was sacked seven times.  Tartans senior defensive lineman Richard Hauffe (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) accounted for 3.5 of the teams sacks and recorded a career-high nine tackles including five for a loss of 29 yards.  Junior inside linebacker Jim Sands (Windham, Ohio) led the Tartans with a career-high 13 tackles, while senior Jonathan Bodnar (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes) had ten tackles and a forced fumble.  Sophomore Josh Kresge (East Greenville, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) recorded two interceptions and recovered a fumble.  With Kresge’s three turnover recoveries, the Cardinal and Gray now have a 2:1 turnover ratio for the season.

“It is early yet, but you definitely want to win the battle of the turnover margin,” added Lackner.  “They are a critical part of the game and it is a plus for our team to have the advantage.”

Senior running back Robert Gimson (Palm Beach Gardens., Fla./The Benjamin School) heads into Saturday’s contest needing seven yards to move into sixth place and 55 yards to move into fifth on Carnegie Mellon’s all-time chart.  For the season, he leads the Tartans with 223 yards on 30 carries setting him 40 yards ahead of the schools all-time leading rusher, senior fullback Travis Sivek (Traverse City, Mich./St. Francis), who has 183 yards on 42 carries.  The tandem accounts for 203 of the teams 327.5 rushing yards per game.

The forceful running attack of the Tartans had 210 yards against the Wolverines.  In the victory over Grove City, junior backup fullback Ryan Phillips’ (Seville, Ohio/Cloverleaf) number was called.  He rushed for a career-high 69 yards and had a 35-yard run that setup the game sealing touchdown for the Tartans.  

“We have very good depth at the running back position. We are very blessed to have the talent that we do.  With our offensive scheme it is imperative to have the depth that we do,” said Lackner.  

Hobart enters the contest with a balanced attack.  The Statesmen totaled 444 yards of total offense, 189 rushing and 255 passing, in a 30-27 overtime loss to Dickinson last Saturday.   In the loss, senior quarterback Andrew Strom completed 22 of 26 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 34 yards and one score.  Hobart had three different running backs with ten or more carries.  Leading the way was junior Anthony Hobaica who had 18 carries for a total 81 yards.

“Hobart is a very talented football program and I was impressed with the Dickinson game,” added Lackner.  “They are extremely balanced and have depth at running back and have wide outs that run good patterns that catch the ball.  Their quarterback is a good decision maker.  They are elusive too; they attack the width and depth of the field.”