GENEVA, N.Y. – Braezen Subick threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead the University of Rochester to a 35-34 double overtime victory over Hobart College on Saturday.
The victory wasn't secured until Hobart's potential gamewinning two point conversion pass fell incomplete on the last play of the second OT. A touchdown pass and a two-point conversion by Hobart forced overtime with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
“This was a great effort by our team,” said Rochester head coach Scott Greene. “Hobart came back but our guys did a good job at the end of the game. They made plays.”
Rochester finished the season with a four-game winning streak, posting victories over WPI, nationally-ranked Alfred, Liberty League champion St. Lawrence, and now Hobart. The Yellowjackets ended 4-5 overall, 3-3 in the Liberty League. They tied for third place with Hobart and Merchant Marine.
It was Rochester's first win over Hobart since 2003 – when the Yellowjackets won in Geneva on Rochester's homecoming weekend.
Rochester came back from early deficits twice. Subick threw all three of his touchdown passes to Thomas Norman. The pair hooked up with 3:56 left in the first quarter (an eight-yard toss) to completed an eight-play, 49-yard drive. That put Rochester ahead, 7-3. Hobart answered midway through the second quarter with a nine-play, 53-yard drive and a one-yard run by Steven Webb for a 10-7 lead.
Subick directed the game's longest scoring drive immediately. He took Rochester 67 yards in 14 plays and hit Norman with an eight-yard TD pass to put the Yellowjackets up, 14-10, with 16 seconds left in the half. Rochester converted twice on fourth down to keep the drive going. On fourth-and-two from the Hobart 33, Chris Bickford ran 13 yards down to the Statesmen 20. Four plays later, facing a fourth-and-one at the 11, Bickford gained one yard to make it first and goal from the 10. Subick and Norman connected three plays after that.
A short kickoff and a 15-yard return to midfield allowed Hobart QB Doug Vella to throw a pair of 15-yard passes to Garth Muratori. That got the ball to the UR 21 with 0:04 left. Reyes Guevara kicked a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half, bringing the Statesmen within 14-13 heading into the locker room.
Neither club could muster much through the third quarter and early into the fourth. They exchanged fumbles early in the final quarter. Rochester went 35 yards in five plays. Subick threw incomplete twice, then hit Tony Messana for a 13-yard gain down to the 22 on fourth down. On the next play, he found Norman for 22 yards and a TD. Zachary White-Stellato's PAT put Rochester up, 21-13.
After the ball was exchanged twice, Hobart started on the UR 47 with 5:35 left. Webb burst 32 yards down to the 15. Cainaan Webb sacked Vella for a five-yard loss. Vella threw a 15-yard pass to Kyle Tritten for first-and-goal on the five. Webb ran for two yards, sandwiched between a pair of incompletions. On fourth-and-goal from the three, Vella's pass for Muratori was incomplete.
Rochester reached its 20, thanks to a 15-yard connection between Subick and Messana. Hobart burned all three timeouts in that sequence. Subick found Byron Saggese for five yards to the UR29. The Yellowjackets called consecutive timeouts on fourth-and-one from their 29. They elected to go for it. Bickford was stacked up at the line of scrimmage by Jordan Sisti and Kyle O'Laughlin. Hobart got the ball at the UR 29 with 1:24 left, down eight.
Another sack by Webb, a breakup by Bill Campi, and a short run by Vella left the Statesmen facing fourth-and-13 from the UR 32. Vella's fourth down pass over the middle was tipped – and fell into the hands of Muratori who was lying at the 12 yard line. It gave Hobart a first down.
Vella faked a spike, then threw to Muratori for a touchdown to get within 21-19 with 34 seconds left. On the conversion, he found Junior Woodward in the right corner of the end zone, tying the score.
Rochester won the OT coin toss and elected to defend. On third-and-seven, Webb sprinted 22 yards for a TD and Guevara made the PAT to put Hobart up, 28-21. Rochester answered in seven plays. R.J. Napodano rushed two yards for a first down on third-and-one. Subick hit Adam Brinkman for a 13-yard gain down to the one. After Campi and Bickford were thrown back at the line, Subick scored on a QB sneak and White-Stellato made the PAT.
Subick threw a 19-yard pass to Saggese in the second OT before Napodano carried three straight times, the last a one-yard TD run. White-Stellato's PAT made it 35-28.
Vella's eight-yard run got the Statesmen close on third down. Vella found Matt Marsh for 13 yards down to the four on fourth-and-two. Webb rushed for his second TD of the afternoon on the next play. Hobart decided to go for two and end it there. The pass from Vella for Muratori in the right side of the end zone fell incomplete.
Hobart totaled 322 yards in offense, 100 on the ground (Webb ran for 98) and 222 in the air. Vella was 22 of 35 with no INTs and one TD. Muratori caught 10 passes for 116 yards.
Rochester had 126 yards rushing (Saggese ran for 52, Napodano had 36) and 202 in the air. Subick was 21 of 31 with no INTs and three TDs. He was sacked three times.
Norman caught seven balls for 76 yards and three scores.
Defensively, Tony Ortega had 10 tackles for Rochester (seven solo). Webb had three of the team's six sacks. Nick Sorosky broke up two passes.
For Hobart, Reggie Robinson and O'Laughlin had 12 tackles each (six solos each). Kevin Hearon broke up three passes.
Greene was very happy with his team's effort. “They kept playing,” he said, “and they kept believing.”
