Hobart next up for Purple Raiders on Saturday

By Eric Hamilton

The Statesmen are fulfilling a dream of Coach Mike Cragg to play Mount Union.

ALLIANCE – Hobart College football coach Mike Cragg says his team will be living a dream Saturday when it meets Mount Union in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs at Mount Union Stadium.

But with the way the Purple Raiders have dominated opponents this season, Cragg can only hope the dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

“You have to know who you are going against and it is a challenge,” said Cragg, whose team won the Liberty League to qualify for the playoffs. “It is a great challenge because they have great players and are well coached.

“It has been a dream of mine to play Mount Union and we have a chance to make a dream come true Saturday.”

Hobart is located in Geneva, N.Y., in the Finger Lakes region. The squad is making its seventh playoff appearance and is 4-6 all-time in the postseason.

The Statesmen defeated Lycoming College (Pa.) 33-15 last week to advance to the second round. Hobart’s defense had four interceptions against Lycoming with three coming from senior safety Lance Boyington.

Hobart will look to use a similar defensive effort to thwart Mount Union’s powerful offensive attack, led by quarterback Greg Micheli and running back Nate Kmic.

Freshman defensive back Drake Woodard has seven interceptions and Boyington had three of his team-best eight interceptions in last week’s game against Lycoming. The duo lead a unit that has 19 interceptions on the season.

“We watch a lot of film and look for matchups and if there is something we feel like we can mix in with our base defense,” said Cragg. “We have to try and stay balanced and somehow keep them off balance. We must try to find a way to be in the game in fourth quarter then see what happens.”

If Hobart watched any film on Micheli, they know that relying on big interceptions to stop Mount Union will be anything but easy. Micheli, who leads the nation in pass efficiency, has thrown just two picks all season and just nine in his entire college career.

Nevertheless, the Statesmens’ best hope might be to stop Kmic from running wild like he did against Randolph-Macon (290 yards) last week, and force Micheli to air it out.

Mount Union coach Larry Kehres is expecting a physical contest and that Hobart’s defense will be aggressive in the pass rush to force errand throws.

“They have a strong front seven that is big and physical,” said Kehres. “The pressure from the front allows the secondary to be in position to get interceptions.”

Hobart senior linebacker Justin Hager was voted Liberty League defensive player of the year last week. Hager is the first Statesman to record 100-plus tackles in back-to-back seasons in over 20 years, logging a League-leading 105 in 2008.

“Overall they are a diversified defense that has played to match up with its opponent. Hager at linebacker is a very good tackler that appears to be a real anchor and leader on their defense,” said Kehres.

If Mount Union turns to Kmic on the ground, which has been the strategy in the playoffs the past four years, Hager will have to be very active. Kmic enters the game needing just 139 yards to become Division III’s all-time career rushing leader.

Last week against Randolph-Macon he had 209 yards by halftime.

If Hobart manages to keep things close, it has several weapons on special teams that could make a difference. The Statesmen have blocked four kicks this season, including one by Hager.