October 24, 2006

Evan Hoffman leads the nation in forced fumbles. (Photo by Ken DeBolt)

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart football team continues to hold down a place in all three Division III polls. The Statesmen moved up to No. 17 in the D3football.com poll, and held steady at No. 13 in Don Hansen’s Football Gazette ranking and at No. 18 in the American Football Coaches Association poll.

Of the 234 Division III football teams, Hobart (6-0, 4-0 Liberty League) is one of only 18 undefeated teams remaining. The Statesmen rank 18th in the nation in kickoff returns (24.0 yds/ret). Hobart leads the Liberty League in scoring defense (18.7 ppg), punting (34.7 yds/p), opponent fourth down conversion (40.0%), red zone offense (87.0%), red zone defense (66.7%), and time of possession (34:19/g).

Individually, several Statesmen rank among the top 20 in the nation according to the latest NCAA statistics report:

• Senior linebacker Evan Hoffman (Fairfield Prep/Fairfield, Conn.) leads the nation in forced fumbles (0.67/g, 4).

• Senior running back Doug Blakowski (Iroquois/Elma, N.Y.) is 10th in scoring (11.0 ppg) and all purpose yards (162.0 yds/g) and 15th in rushing (121.7).

• Junior punter Dominick Ancona (Chaminade/Garden City, N.Y.) is 14th in punting (39.6 yds/p).

• Sophomore Ryan LiDrazzah (Kent School/San Diego, Calif.) is 16th in kickoff returns (28.0 yds/ret).

• Senior defensive end Andy Purdie (Victor/Farmington, N.Y.) is 17th in sacks (1.1/g). In Hobart’s last two games, he has recorded a total of 5.5 sacks, matching his total for the previous two seasons combined.

Hobart is back in action on Oct. 28, when the Statesmen travel to Alfred University. Hobart will square off with the Saxons (6-1) for the 77th time since 1899. The non-conference match up is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.

Fans unable to make it to Merrill Field can follow all of the action courtesy of WEOS-FM (89.7/90.3 in Geneva, 88.1 in Ithaca). Live streaming audio is available online.