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Hobart posts 2nd straight shutout, tops F&M 34-0
September 17 , 2005
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Doug Blakowski rushed for 119 yards
and two touchdowns in Hobart's 34-0
win over F&M. |
GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart football team posted its second consecutive shutout, blanking the visiting Franklin & Marshall Diplomats 34-0 on Boswell Field. It’s the first time the Statesmen have posted back-to-back shutouts since 2000 and the first time they’ve accomplished that feat to start the season since 1936.
Hobart’s swarming team defense limited F&M to just 199 yards of total offense, kept the Diplomats from converting a single third down (0-for-13), and forced three turnovers.
The first of those turnovers, a fumble forced by sophomore linebacker Jeff Sanders (Camden/Camden, N.Y.) and recovered by senior linebacker Jimmy Gradis (Elwood John Glenn/Greenlawn, N.Y.), set up the Statesmen’s first scoring drive. Eight plays and 26 yards later, Hobart (2-0) had a 7-0 lead. Junior running back Doug Blakowski (Iroquois/Elma, N.Y.) capped the drive with a 2-yard plunge.
Franklin & Marshall (0-2) handed the ball back to Hobart four plays into its ensuing drive, as senior cornerback Dyshawn Washington (Kent School/Piscataway, N.J.) made a leaping interception at the Hobart 32.
The Statesmen dug into their bag of tricks on first down, running a halfback option to perfection. Senior tailback Brian Bach (Weedsport/Weedsport, N.Y.) took the handoff to the right, drawing the defense, while first-year wide receiver Ryan LiDrazzah (Kent School/San Diego, Calif.) slipped behind the secondary. LiDrazzah caught Bach’s offering in stride, shook one would-be tackler and raced to the end zone for a 68-yard score. LiDrazzah finished with four catches for 89 yards, both game-highs.
Hobart led 14-0 at halftime.
The Statesmen added a third touchdown late in the third quarter on a 4-yard run by first-year tailback Anthony Hobaica (Utica-Proctor/Utica, N.Y.), capping an eight-play, 53-yard drive. The key moment in that scoring drive was a 15-yard personal foul against the Diplomats that helped Hobart dig out of a first-and-25 hole that was the result of an illegal block.
F&M came closest to scoring early in the fourth quarter. After recovering a fumble at the Hobart 39, the Diplomats moved as close as Hobart’s 16, but turned the ball over on downs.
Blakowski iced the contest with his second scoring run of the day, a 59-yard scamper with 8:18 remaining. After forcing F&M to go three and out, the Statesmen got another long scoring run, this time sophomore tailback Don Gilardi (Eastridge/Rochester, N.Y.) did the honors from 55 yards away.
Blakowski led Hobart on the ground with his second straight 100-yard game, taking 119 from the Diplomats. As a team, the Statesmen gained 234 yards on the ground, while handing the ball off to six different backs.
Defensively, Hobart played textbook team defense with 22 players recording at least one tackle, led by the quartet of senior linebacker Tony Clemente (Troy/Troy, N.Y.), senior defensive end Zach Young (Midlakes/Phelps, N.Y.), junior linebacker Nolan Robinson (Johnson City/Johnson City, N.Y.), and Sanders, who each logged six stops.
Junior tackle John Warnick led the Diplomats with a game-high nine tackles.
Hobart returns to action on Sept. 24, when the Statesmen begin Liberty League play against Rensselaer. Kickoff with the Engineers on Boswell Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.