Statesmen ratify Engineer loss and secure league title

The Engineers couldn’t stop the drives of Hobart College in their game last Saturday, losing 27-21 to the Statesmen. Despite both teams scoring three touchdowns in the game, Hobart also knocked in two field goals to bring them ahead. This win cements Hobart’s spot as 2024 Liberty League champions.

The Statesmen fronted an offensive line that could not be stopped in the first half, ending four of their six drives by scoring. While the Engineers stopped some of the Statesmen’s longer plays, they were stumped about how to stop their rushing yards or drives. They scored two touchdowns in the first quarter alone and ended the first of Rensselaer’s drives with an interception after the Engineers starting quarterback, Jake Kazanowsky, was temporarily taken out due to injury. A highlight of the first half for the Engineers was a one-handed touchdown reception for Connor Cruz off of a twelve-yard pass from Kazanowsky.

Engineers stepped it up in the second half, holding the Statesmen to just one field goal while scoring two touchdowns of their own. One touchdown was scored just eight seconds into the fourth quarter, while the other came halfway through the quarter off of a three-yard rush from Sean Kelly to break into the Hobart end zone. Engineer defense held Hobart to zero points in the final quarter, albeit too late for them to claim the lead.

The Engineers had one final chance at a touchdown with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, starting the drive when a pass from the Hobart quarterback was batted down by Engineer Owen Boland,giving Rensselaer possession. The following four-minute drive came down to a play at Hobart’s 24-yard line with two minutes left. Likely to be their last drive of the game, Rensselaer was brought to their last down with just two yards to convert. Unable to make a play, Kazanowsky was sacked for a loss of seven yards, and the Engineers lost possession for the final time. The game ended with a score of 27-21 for the Statesmen.

The Engineers fall to 3-5 for the season, with a 1-3 record in their conference. Their next game will be Saturday, November 9 at Buffalo State. Their last regular season home game will be against Union College on Saturday, November 16, where they will be competing for the Dutchman Shoes trophy. The box score for this game can be found here.