Ty Godinho rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns as the Statesmen ran for 248 yards against an RPI defense that was only allowing 118.4 yards per game entering the contest. (Photo by k. colton / SPORTSPICS.net)

The Tony Clemente-led Hobart defense held the RPI offense 100 yards and 13 points below its season averages. (Photo by k.colton / SPORTSPICS.net)

November 15, 2003

TROY, N.Y.--Hobart scored four fourth quarter touchdowns, including two long scoring passes just 38 seconds apart, to complete an exciting comeback and a 43-25 victory over nationally-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at '86 Field. The Statesmen, who won in Troy for the first time since 1983, conclude the regular season with a 5-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association, winning the league title for the second consecutive season. Rensselaer, which is ranked as high as ninth (Don Hansen Football Gazette) in the national polls, falls to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the league.

After trailing 18-15 after three quarters, Hobart took a commanding 29-18 lead with two touchdown passes early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Craig Swanson hit Tony Perillo on a fourth-down play from 42-yards out at 10:19 and connected with Dan Suozzi from 45-yards away just 38 seconds later to take a 29-18 lead. A three-yard touchdown run by Ty Godinho at 4:08 and a two-yard scamper by Jack Holleran at 3:43 sealed the win.

Both Godhino and Holleran eclipsed 100-yard rushing mark. Godinho, who posted his 15th career 100-yard game, led the way with 133 yards and two touchdowns, while Holleran recorded 128 yards and a pair of TDs.

Hobart’s defense was a key component of the Statesmen’s upset. Hobart held Rensselaer’s vaunted offense to just 373 yards, 100 below its season average, while keeping the Engineers 13 points below their season average. Sophomore Tony Clemente, playing in front of his hometown fans, led the charge with eight tackles, including 1.5 sacks, while classmate Dyshawn Washington added seven stops and an interception.

Swanson completed just 8-of-13 on the day, but made the most of them, recording 183 yards and two touchdowns. Suozzi led the receiving corps with five catches for a game-high 114 yards, giving him 1,802 career receiving yards, just 97 shy of Scott Geise’s all-time mark.

The Engineers opened the day’s scoring when Dan Cole hit Dan Stephens in the back of the end zone from 21 yards out with 1:21 left in the first quarter. The point after kick attempt failed and Rensselaer led, 6-0, after the first quarter.

It didn't take Hobart long to take the lead as they drove 69 yards in 11 plays on the ensuing drive, capped by a seven-yard run by Godinho. Eric Ampuja's extra point gave the visitors a one-point lead. Rensselaer took a 15-7 lead into the locker room at halftime as Matt Verenini kicked three second quarter field goals, including two in the final 1:15 of the stanza.

The Statesmen tied the score at 4:32 of the third quarter when Holleran scored from two yards out and Hobart converted on a two-point conversion. The highlight of the play was a 36-yard pass from Swanson to Suozzi. A 38-yard field goal by Verenini with just 35 seconds left put the Engineers back out in front, 18-15, and that is how the quarter ended.

Hobart captured its fourth UCAA Championship since the league’s inception in 1995. It also marked the first time the Statesmen have successfully defended their championship (1998, 2000, 2002, 2003).