(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson football team had a tough outing in the season opener and series finale with #16-ranked Hobart College on Saturday afternoon. The visiting Statesmen struck twice in the first quarter, adding nine points in the second on the way to a 29-7 win at Biddle Field.

Hobart held the Red Devils on the opening possession and came out throwing as Shane Sweeney connected with Brandon Shed on a 44 yard pass on Hobart's first play from scrimmage. Bradley Burns capped a six-play drive with a 27 yard run to the end zone with 8:24 on the clock.

The Statesmen capitalized on a bad snap as first-year punter Stephen Walker (Darien, Conn./Darien) was forced to run and Michael Harper recovered a fumble that he carried to the one yard line. Sweeney dove in on the next play to put Hobart in front 14-0 at the 6:31 mark.

The Red Devil defense settled in and held Hobart to a pair of field-goal attempts on the next two possessions. The Statesmen missed from 31 but converted the next as Will McCool connected from 32 yards out for a 17-0 lead with 2:35 to play in the first half.

Sweeney went to the air again on Hobart's next series, finding Jack Pfohl for a 63 yard strike and a 23-0 advantage as the teams headed into the locker rooms at halftime. Senior Mark Manganaro (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) broke through to block the extra-point attempt.

The Red Devil defense really went to work in the third quarter, forcing the Statesmen to punt on all three possessions. They held once again to start the fourth quarter, forcing an illegal forward pass on fourth down to gain possession on their own 38 yard line.

Hobart would capitalize on a turnover as Tynard Barfield bounced off a block and found some room around the outside to find pay-dirt from 27 yards out at the 7:55 mark. The Dickinson special teams unit came up big again as sophomore tight-end Darrion Bunce (Kelowa, British Columbia, Canada/The Gunnery) went vertical to swat away another extra-point attempt.

The teams traded punts with Walker booming a 57 yard boot in a solid debut for the first-year kicker. Dickinson was determined to spoil the shutout, taking possession with just 1:48 to play in the game. Sophomore quarterback Ricky Klingerman (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) led the Devils on a solid 10-play, 63-yard drive that resulted in a nice diving touchdown catch by junior Joe Cacchione (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) for his first collegiate score.

Hobart finished with 427 yards of offense, led by 21-of-30 passing for 248 yards by Sweeney. Conner Hartigan and Bradley Burns combined for 137 yards rushing on the day. Pfohl finished with six catches for 86 yards to lead all receivers.

Jacob Stanley tallied 5.5 tackles and a pair of sacks to lead the Hobart defense. Zach Thornton added 1.5 tackles-for-loss and an interception.

Senior lineback Jake Myers (Middletown, Del./St. Andrew's) led the Red Devils with eight tackles while Pat Schlecker (Wilmington, Del./Wilmington Friends) tallied seven stops. Manganaro finished with four tackles, a blocked extra-point and a pass break-up in the end zone.

The Red Devils are home again next weekend, hosting Juniata College in the Centennial Conference opener. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm at Biddle Field.