GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College senior wide receiver Jack Pfohl picked a perfect time for his first collegiate 100-yard receiving game, logging seven receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns to help the #15/#21 Statesmen remain undefeated with a 38-35 win over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He broke free for a 57-yard, game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the contest to secure Hobart's 13th consecutive win over the Mariners.
Junior quarterback Shane Sweeney was 32-of-51 passing for 416 yards and five touchdowns. He broke the Hobart game record for completions. The previous standard was 31, which Sweeney shared with Shawn Mizro '07. Sweeney also continued his climb up the season and career charts for passing touchdowns. He has 18 this year, which is third behind Craig Swanson '04 (21 in 2002) and Mizro (30 in 2004). Sweeney has 35 passing TDs for his career, fourth on the all-time list, one behind No. 3 Nick Strang '13.
In addition to Pfohl's big day, senior wideout Sean Cunningham added six catches for 66 yards and a TD. Junior wideout Brandon Shed's streak of 100-yard games was stopped at five as he fought against double coverage for most of the game. Shed still managed five receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns. At the halfway point of the season, he has 10 receiving TDs, fourth on Hobart's single season list and four away from Dan Suozzi's record.
Merchant Marine's triple option offense was formidable, gaining 397 yards on the ground against the Statesmen. The Mariners (2-2, 1-1) had three players rush for over 100 yards led by sophomore fullback Wiley Martin's 113 yards and a TD. Junior quarterback Robert Moore added 112 yards and two TDs and junior running back Luke Tiefenthaler added 102 yards and a TD.
Shed's second TD of the game gave the home team a 31-28 lead with 4:14 remaining in the game. Moore then led the Academy on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that he capped with a 5-yard score for a 35-31 lead with just 54 seconds left.
First-year Isaiah Hill's 19-yard kickoff return put the offense in business at the Hobart 25 with 49 seconds to go. Sweeney completed a 6-yard pass to Cunningham on first down and then a 12-yard pass to sophomore Joe Barrocas for a first down at the Hobart 43 with 36 seconds left. Sweeney was incomplete on the next play, but hit Pfohl over the middle on second down. The pass itself covered about 20 yards, Pfohl's legs and a couple of key blocks did the rest. The Cicero native ran through a couple of attempted arm tackles and got blocks from sophomore tight end Matt Woods and Cunningham to go all the way to the end zone. The 57-yard scoring play came with just 14 seconds remaining.
A wild, back-and-forth affair, the game featured eight lead changes, including four in the fourth quarter.
The Mariners led 10-0 after 15 minutes thanks to a 26-yard field goal by junior Jake McDonough and a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Tiefenthaler.
However, Hobart (5-0, 2-0) took the lead into halftime thanks to 19-yard TD pass from Sweeney to Pfohl and a 6-yard throw to Cunningham with just two seconds left in the half.
Merchant Marine scored the first 10 points of the second half as well, thanks to a 17-yard TD run by Moore and another 26-yard field goal by McDonough.
Shed, who came into the game third in the nation in receiving yards, had just one catch for 10 yards in the first half, but he came alive as the third quarter wound down. Shed pulled in a 30-yard gain on a third-and-2 play with under five minutes remaining to get the Statesmen into Mariners' territory at the 22. Three plays later, he pulled in an 18-yard pass for a touchdown to tie the game. JuniorWill McCool added the extra point for a 21-20 Hobart lead, setting the table for an exciting finish.
Hobart senior linebacker Marcus Jemison returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games with an injury. He recorded a career-high 16 tackles to lead all players today. Sophomore AJ McFarlane added a career-high 13 stops and junior Almamy Conde also notched a career-high with 12. First-year linebacker Jedh Downey matched his career-high set just last week against Union with 11 tackles.
For Merchant Marine, senior safety Patrick Keyes had a team-high eight tackles. Senior defensive tackle Ian Stoner added seven stops, including half a sack.
Today's game marked the end of Hobart's three-game homestand. The Statesmen will travel to Rensselaer next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Mariners will stay on the road, visiting WPI on Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.
Hobart wins wild one over Merchant Marine 38-35
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20161001_flcg.xml
2016
Merchant Marine
35
Hobart
38
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant Marine (2-2) | 10 | 0 | 10 | 15 | 35 |
| No. 19 Hobart (5-0) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
Oct 01, 2016