GENEVA, N.Y. – Rochester staged a furious second-half rally, drawing within five points twice, before eighth-ranked Hobart College prevailed, 28-23, at Boswell Field on Saturday afternoon.
Farid Adenuga caught two touchdown passes from Dan Bronson and Derek Wager had one. Dan Bronson threw for 149 yards, hitting 16 of 33 passes with two interceptions and the three scores. The three TDs ties his career high, set first against RPI on Meliora Weekend at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
Matthew Eichhorn ran for a career best 85 yards on 12 rushes. Nick Perpignan rushed 13 times for 46 net yards and Myles Allen had 31 yards on 10 carries. Defensively for Rochester, Isaiah Smith had 12 tackles, including one sack and two quarterback hurries.
Rochester earned 317 yards in total offense, 168 on the ground and 149 through the air. Hobart had 331 yards in offense, 174 rushing, 157 passing.
Quarterback Patrick Conlan was 13 of 25 for 157 yards with one TD. Elvis Souffrant was the top receiver. He caught four passes for 79 yards and one score.
Conner Hartigan rushed 13 times for 114 net yards and two TDs for Hobart. Dominque Ellis had 44 yards on 10 carries and one score.
Hobart finished the regular season at 10-0, 7-0 in the Liberty League. The Statesmen clinched the league's automatic bid a week earlier when they won at St. Lawrence. Rochester finished 5-4 overall, 3-4 in the Liberty League.
The Statesmen built a 21-0 cushion by halftime. Souffrant caught a nine-yard TD in the first quarter. Ellis completed a seven-play, 55-yard drive midway through the second period with a one-yard scoring run. Hartigan broke several tackles along the sideline for a 21-yard scoring run just 68 seconds before halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Hobart's Christopher Holoman fumbled deep in his own end. The ball rolled into the Hobart end zone and was covered by Conlan which gave Rochester a safety. After the ensuing free kick, Bronson completed a big 20-yard pass to Wager on 3rd-and-18 to keep a drive going.
Hobart did its part – unintentionally – to sustain the drive. The Statesmen committed two penalties – an offsides violation on 4th-and-2 and a personal foul on 4th-and-9. On 3rd-and-goal from the Hobart seven, another offsides moved the ball closer and Bronson hit Adenuga for a three-yard TD on the next play.
When the Statesmen didn't convert on fourth down when they had the ball, Rochester marched down the field and Bronson completed two straight passes to Wager, 15 yards and 10 yards, with the last one cutting the deficit down to 21-16 after Andrew Haber's PAT.
Hartigan made the play of the game after the kickoff. On second down in the wildcat formation, he broke through the middle and ran 55 yards for a TD, increasing the lead to 28-16.
Rochester couldn't move and punted. Conlan was hit by Colin Woods and fumbled. Thomas Marone recovered for the Yellowjackets just outside the red zone. On fourth down, Bronson was intercepted in the end zone by Christian Apicella.
The Yellowjackets didn't surrender. Late in the fourth quarter, Hobart's Kyle Bayly was intercepted by Kevin Brooks who returned it 28 yards to the Rochester 45. Eichhorn made the big play, busting 52 yards through the middle down to the three. Bronson found Adenuga for the TD, his seventh touchdown catch of the season.
Rochester tried an onside kick which Hobart recovered. The Statesmen were able to run out the clock.