Alfred, NY- The Alfred University football team came up short in their season-opener, falling to Hobart College by a 35-3 score on Friday evening from Yunevich Stadium.
The Saxons fall to a 0-1 record to begin the season, while the Statesmen improve to a 1-0 record.
Alfred University featured two quarterbacks under center, as sophomore
Blake Van Woert (Corning, NY/Corning) completed 9-of-21 pass attempts for 101 yards. First-year
Zuke Smith (Kane, PA/Kane Area) made his collegiate debut during the second half, completing 4-of-10 pass attempts for 51 yards. Senior linebacker
Jeremiah Young (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) led the Saxons defense with 15 tackles, while sophomore defensive lineman
Tyreek Ormil (Margate, FL/Coral Springs Charter) picked up a fumble recovery.
"We expect to play a lot better football than we played tonight," Head Coach Bob Rank said. "However, we have no time to feel sorry for ourselves. The players and coaching staff need to take ownership in tonight's outcome. There are a ton of football games left on our schedule and we need to start getting prepared for next week."
A turnover from the AU offense to open the game led to Hobart gaining the early 7-0 lead. The Saxons retaliated with a 10-play drive that set up a successful 31-yard field goal from senior kicker
Dustin McCaslin (Ashville, NY/Chautauqua Lake). The defense for Alfred University held strong in the final minutes of the first quarter, as Ormil picked up a fumble recovery with Hobart on Alfred's three-yard line.
The Statesmen picked up 14 points in the second quarter, entering halftime with a 21-3 lead. With another two touchdowns scored by Hobart's offense in the second half, the Saxons were unable to string together a comeback.
"My message to the team will be that we need to put this game behind us and learn from it," Rankl said. "I know we have a lot of room for improvement if we can correct many of our errors from this evening."
The Saxons will continue their season on the road as they travel to play Mount St. Joseph next Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 1pm.
