GENEVA, NY -- The #22 Hobart College football team rallied from a 10-point, second half deficit to defeat Liberty League rival Union College 27-23 in the 100th all-time meeting between the two schools. The Dutchmen had a valiant effort against the pre-season league favorites, as it wasn't until Brandon Shed caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Shane Sweeney with just 2:16 left in the fourth to pull out the victory.

Shed had six passes for a game-high 106 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Statesmen. Sweeney was 22 of 35 passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Union sacked him twice in the first half, after he got through the first three games of the season unscathed. Jack Pfohl also caught six passes, gaining 75 yards. Tynard Barfield ran for a team-high 52 yards on 11 carries. Tom D'Antonio and Jedh Downey shared game-high honors with 11 tackles apiece. D'Antonio recorded four of Hobart's nine tackles for loss and scored a defensive extra point, stepping in front of a two-point conversion pass attempt by Union and racing 95 yards for two points in the Statesmen's ledger.
 
Union used a run-heavy attack, gaining 170 yards on 47 carries while adding 124 yards through the air. Jermaine Carn had a team-high 88 yards on 21 carries. Connor Kinzelmann added 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Blake Geller was 8 of 18 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown. Alex Kaplanovich caught four passes for a career and team high 98 yards. The Dutchmen got a team-high eight tackles from Jake Lombardo.
 
Hobart (4-0, 1-0) got off to a promising start, but lost its first fumble of the season at the Union 37. The Statesmen defense forced a three-and-out and this time the home team cashed in. After a 14-yard punt return punt Hobart in business at midfield, Sweeney and Shed beat double coverage on a 50-yard bomb to take the early lead, 7-0.
 
Union (1-3, 0-1) got its second takeaway of the opening frame when Conor O'Malley sacked Sweeney, jarring the ball loose deep in Hobart territory. Kinzelmann did the rest, running nine yards into the end zone on first down and it was tied, 7-7.
 
In the second quarter, Union held Hobart to just one first down, and the Statesmen had three penalties. One of those flags cost the Statesmen 14 yards and moved the Dutchmen into the red zone. Hobart's defense stiffed and force Union to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Jonathan Schaible, sending his team into halftime with a 10-7 lead.
 
The Dutchmen used the first possession of the second half to extend its lead to 10. Geller hit Tom Jensen on a two-yard for a touchdown, completing a five-play, 68-yard drive and it was 17-7.
 
Hobart started its comeback late in the third quarter when Sweeney directed an 11-play, 57-yard drive that Sean Bright capped off with a one-yard dive into the end zone. The extra point attempt was blocked by sophomore Tyler Torres, leaving Hobart in a four-point hole (17-13).
 
On its ensuing possession, Union sandwiched a pair of incompletions around a 3-yard run and was forced to punt. Senior Sean Cunningham broke free for a 23-yard return that was bolstered by 10 yards thanks to an illegal block call against the Dutchmen. Hobart took over at the Union 33. Three plays later, Sweeney found Shed wide open for an 8-yard TD. The Statesmen missed the extra point wide right and led 19-17.
 
Union answered with a 15-play, 77-yard march that were helped by an unsportsmanlike penalty and a personal foul penalty against Hobart. Kinzelmann punched it into the end zone on second and inches to cap off the drive and make it a 23-19 game. The Dutchmen elected to go for two and threw a pass into the left flat, but D'Antonio jumped the route and raced in the other direction to make it a 23-21 game with six and a half minutes to go.
 
Hobart took full advantage of the momentum swing and used a methodical march to advance to the Union 16. Facing third-and-1, Sweeney fumbled a shotgun snap on what looked to be a quarterback keeper. He recovered the ball, but not after losing 7 yards. On fourth and eight, Sweeney had plenty of time in the pocket and eventually found Shed in the end zone for a 23-yard scoring play and a 27-23 lead. The Statesmen also tried for two, but their pass play was broken up.
 
Union almost rallied to retake the lead, but four straight incompletions from the Hobart 36 sealed the Statesmen's victory.
 
Union will travel to WPI next Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.