Week Six Thoughts

 

I've written stories about Georgetown football for 31 years and been an active supporter since 1994, and still have that "Pay the Toll: MAAC Football 1994" sweatshirt sitting in a box somewhere.

Saturday's game, and particularly its finish, was an all-timer.

The coverage of Jimmy Kibble's touchdown is as much coverage as Georgetown football has received in that time, maybe going as far back as when Georgetown dropped major college football in 1951. How big is it, and is part of it (or soon, was) an opportunity lost?

First some thoughts on the game itself.

For 59 minutes or so, this had the trajectory of one of the more discouraging  Homecoming games in recent memory, played before an alleged crowd number that was the smallest at that event since 1987. (More on that next week.)  Georgetown scored on its first two drives and had one red zone appearance for the rest of the game, missing two field goal attempts and losing the ball at midfield with 1:25 after three consecutive sacks.  

Defensively, despite allowing scoring plays on four consecutive full possessions ending the first half and entering into the second, the Hoyas held Morgan State without a first down for the final 9:55 of the game. But with all that, the Bears could have all but run off the clock had they not concocted one of the all-time head-scratchers with 35 seconds to play, opting for a pass on fourth down which saw the Hoyas gain 15 seconds on the clock and 15 to 20 yards. 

Fifteen seconds in college football is not more than two plays: one to Brock Biestek to the Morgan 49, and one to Kibble to close the game. It's unlikely either of those takes place if the Bears had played the percentages: simply run the play clock down to 20 seconds, take a five yard penalty, position a pooch kick that rolled around inside the 20, and left the Hoyas with 85 yards and no time outs with nine or 10 seconds remaining. 

For what its worth, Dez Thomas threw two incompletions to open the series. Were he to have done that starting at 15, third down was an 85 yard ask with four seconds left, and that wasn't going to happen.

In a post game interview with HBCU Sports.com, MSU coach Damon Wilson did not assign blame on either QB Kobe Muasau or Apollo Wright, his offensive coordinator. 

"We had a situation where we were trying to melt the clock down and [punt] on fourth down,” Wilson said. " We didn’t handle situational football well at all at the end."

Fortunately for Morgan State, the fan base won't run Wilson out of town. Losing to Georgetown isn't a big deal in the HBCU world, and the less said within the MEAC, the better. They've already reset expectations to a big Homecoming win this Saturday against the vagabond team known as Virginia University of Lynchburg, a private, non-NCAA HBCU of 128 full time students that plays teams like Morgan State for guarantee money.  

A full page announcement on the MSU web site announces general admission tickets begin at $40 for the game, with reserved tickets for $50 against a Lynchburg team who is 0-46 all time versus Division I teams, with a 67-10 loss to Valparaiso as its only Division I opponent to date this season.  

And while we're not quite sure how many saw this game in person, we do know how many saw the last play. A lot.

Jeremy Huber's call of the play reached 72,000 views on Twitter and a reported 4.4 million viewers between the NBC halftime report and ESPN's coverage during SportsCenter, per industry metrics. Granted, most of those were during halftime of the Ohio State-Minnesota game and there were some viewers who use halftime as a bathroom or snack break, but it's evident that more people heard the name "Georgetown football" this weekend than in any time in the last 60 years or more. Better still, none of the announcers remarked that they didn't know Georgetown played football.

A ten second ad for Georgetown on Saturday's NBC prime time football would have cost the University about $30,000. Instead, that 10 seconds of coverage could do a lot more for the program.

Will it?

Yes, it earned coverage in FCS circles, include a nice NIL placement for Thomas and Kibble as the Cheez-It Players of the Week. It also received, as Thomas attested, a lot of texts from family and friends. All that aside, the play was a great promotional opportunity for Georgetown University and Hoya football, though its long term effects will fade. What was done to take advantage of this publicity?

Georgetown Athletics has an increasingly difficult time promoting anything these days, a confluence of indecision for non-basketball promotions, institutional gridlock over the vacant seat at 2nd Healy, the belief in some development circles that promotion is a waste of money, or simply that people in McDonough are just too busy to give it too much time and effort.  It's less than a month to the opening game for men's and women's basketball, and single game tickets haven't even gone up for sale. If your focus is trying to get more than 4,000 people to show up at Capital One Arena to see Morgan State basketball in three weeks time, what happened to Morgan State last week pales in comparison.

Sports promotion is not a zero-sum game. Promotion of Georgetown basketball has been an uphill slog for over a decade because it has not been a fun experience for the players, the coaches, or the fans in a long, long time. There's no Midnight Madness anymore (presumably, it costs too much) and Ed Cooley has gone radio-silent about his plan for thousands of students along the baselines downtown. Consistent promotion of Georgetown football is moribund, as is every other sport.

But when there is something worth celebrating that's not about basketball, whether it's a touchdown catch on Homecoming or a record breaking miler or even momentum on that elusive boathouse, let's not keep it locked away on GUHoyas.com. It's appropriate to celebrate these accomplishments and use them to reengage and build new relationships with recruits, players, parents, alumni and donors going forward. If someone wanted to be Georgetown's version of Stanford's Brad Freeman, let's not have someone tell him he needs to give to the Humanities Quad instead. 

Georgetown won't have many moments like this for the remaining six weeks of the football season. Let's enjoy it, and better yet, remember it.

Around The PL:

Lehigh 31, Yale 13: The #8-ranked Engineers continue to dominate in the first half of the season, pulling away in the third quarter for a 31-13 win before 4,364 at Goodman Stadium. Luke Yoder (108 yards) outrushed the entire Yale backfield while Lehigh's defense forced two second half turnovers that kept the game out of reach for its first 6-0 start in 13 seasons.

Bucknell 33, Richmond 28: Ralph Rucker threw for 284 yards as the Bison won its first game ever versus the Spiders, 33-288.  Despite gaining 494 yards on the afternoon, three Richmond turnovers, including consecutive interceptions within the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, preserved the Bucknell win.

Colgate 41, Cornell 21: The Red Raiders' annual climb up the standings is underway, gaining its second straight win before 12,142 at Schoellkopf Field. Colgate forced four Cornell interceptions, including two in the first four minutes of play, and held the Big Red in check despite allowing 458 total yards.

Harvard 59, Holy Cross 24: Dreams of the Crusaders clinching an eighth consecutive PL title November 22 at Fenway Park continue to dim, falling to 0-6 for the first time since 1994 in its loss before 15,549 at Fitton Field. The Crimson led 38-3 at the half and put up 528 yards against the Crusaders, who gave up points on eight consecutive Harvard drives. 

Lafayette 24, Fordham 10: The Leopards built a first half lead and maintained it in the win at Fisher Stadium. The quarterbacks enjoyed a busy day in the air, with Fordham's Gunnar Smith throwing for 354 yards and Lafayette QB Dean DeNobile for 314.  The Rams were just 3 of 16 on third down thanks to a confident Lafayette defense.

This week's games are below--three teams are on an open week (Fordham, Georgetown, and Holy Cross):

Lehigh at Columbia, 12 noon

Bucknell at Lafayette, 12:30

Richmond at Colgate, 1:00

Week Five Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Columbia's 19-10 win over Georgetown Saturday:

1. Driving On Ice: It's just the first week of October and already there are some signs this season is starting to get away from the coaches and players. Some of it is beyond their control, but so is any accident. A setback at Homecoming sets this team on the skids heading into Patriot League play

The last two weeks have been both disappointing and concerning for an offense to whom Brown and Columbia will be the least of its comparison set entering the conference race. Danny Lauter is not Ralph Rucker or even Dean DeNobile, but Lauter was able to put Georgetown into contention when the ground game was sluggish. Yes, Lauter made his mistakes, but he elevated the game.

After avoiding it in the Brown pre-game, Georgetown finally admitted Lauter was out of action in the Columbia media notes, and the reported diagnosis of a shoulder injury puts a lot of question marks on the season going forward.

Georgetown being Georgetown, they won't speak as to the severity of Lauter's injury, whether a simple sprain or something as serious as a rotator cuff. In Thursday's media call with Jeremy Huber, head coach Rob Sgarlata, not one to look too far down a depth chart when it comes to quarterbacks, alluded to all five quarterbacks on the roster as needing to play at a high level to execute the offense. This is a team which rarely discusses below the second string, but the strings may be played out if things continue to wither with offensive execution.

Dez Thomas' last two games have been rough: 16 for 48, 161 yards passing,  five INT's. His running talent surprised Davidson and Wagner, absent game film to the contrary, but teams have now adjusted and they have put pressure on him to settle for the run or make bad decisions in the pocket. It doesn't help that options like Savion Hart, Bryce Cox, and Nick Dunneman are banged up, but in the end, it's up to the quarterback to make good decisions. 

Thomas needs a good game Saturday or the coaching staff may be forced to do something that GU has avoided since the awkward quarterback rotations of the 2008 and 2009 seasons; namely, use the bye week to open the door to elevate one of three untested players (Jacob Holtschlag, Jack Johnson, and Aiden Krause) to take over the reigns, especially if Lauter's downtime remains an issue. With both Lauter and Thomas as seniors, it could be a season-defining decision.

Depth is an issue all over the offense and it won't end well if people don't get healthy. Jayden Sumpter was another player with limited game film for Columbia to study but expect Morgan State and especially Columbia to adjust. If Georgetown gets further down the two-deep at running back, there's nothing in the passing game that can compensate for it.  

2. A Name From The Past: Earlier this year, we discussed the return of former Georgetown coach Kevin Kelly to the college coaching ranks, taking over a new program debuting this season at New England College in Henniker, NH. A recent article in the Concord Monitor introduced its readers to the 65 year old coach, who was head coach at Georgetown from 2005 through 2013.

Since leaving Georgetown for a job with Pete Lembo at Ball State in 2014 that lasted only two seasons, Kelly returned to the wandering life of an assistant coach: a brief stay at Wyoming Seminary (PA), then Bryant, then a assistant coach's role with the New York Guardians XFL franchise before COVID folded the league for two seasons. An assistant's job at Division III Salve Regina (RI) in 2022 appeared to be his last stop until he read about the new program an hour north and applied for the head coach at NEC. It's the 20th stop on a career which began in 1981.

After four weeks, the results are what Kelly probably expected: the Pilgrims are 0-4, and one statistical service ranked NEC 767th out of 768 NCAA schools across all three divisions. A 55-0 loss to MIT was a low point, and last week's 34-21 loss to Nichols College (coached by former Kelly assistant Vinny Marino) proved an example of the hill any first time program must climb, even in Division III.

"I talk to them ahead of time, tell them that we’re going to have adversity, and then look at the positives, not always the negatives,” he said.

"We’re playing older teams, so it will be a challenge every week. The positive is that they’re going to be juniors and seniors in three or four years, and that will be the barometer of the program at that time.”

Some of Kelly's nomenclature follows that of Georgetown. What Rob Sgarlata calls the "Four for 40" mantra, Kelly calls the "Four for 44". He's built a leadership council among the players to build team unity. He lists four outcomes for his program: academic success, professional development, football experience and an investment in education. And, like his old Hilltop home, he is recruiting on the promise of a better facility.

"Kelly wants his fans, players and his staff invested in the program’s roots that will only continue to grow," writes the Monitor. " The team, which currently plays on a converted rugby field, will have a new multi-sports turf field with a stadium by next season. A new addition to the athletic center will include football locker rooms, new office spaces, classroom facilities and a modernized weight room."

Kevin Kelly famously did not get his Multi-Sport Facility at Georgetown, and here's hoping that New England College can give him the tools there to succeed.

3. Around The PL: 

Lehigh 44, Penn 30: Since its opening week win over Richmond, Lehigh is cooking, and its win over Penn before 8,430 at Goodman Stadium puts the Engineers at the top of the PL race heading into October. Despite a wild 31 point fourth quarter between the teams, Lehigh's 539 yards of total offense allowed it to address very Penn drive and maintain its distance on the scoreboard.  Luke Yoder led all rushers with 173 yards, as the Engineers held the Quakers to just 29 yards on the ground for the afternoon. 

Bucknell 30, St. Francis 23: The farewell tour of Division I football at St. Francis moves on from the PL, as the Bison needed a late touchdown and an interception at the goal line at the conclusion of the game to win before an astonishing low 887 at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium. Ralph Rucker passed for only 168 yards as the Bison won the game on the ground, led by a 10 carry, 95 yard effort from RB Tariq Thomas. The Bucknell defense gave up 377 yards in the air and that will be a point of emphasis as league play dawns. 

Richmond 13, Howard 12: Despite the Bison holding over 42 minutes in time of possession, a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns carried the Spiders to the win before 6,293 at Robins Stadium. A pair of interceptions late in the third and early in the fourth quarter opened the door to Richmond to fight back for the win.

Fordham 26, Holy Cross 21: The Crusaders dropped to 0-5 for the first time since the 2004 season despite a 21-20 halftime lead. A pair of Fordham field goals were the only points scored after halftime as the Rams won its first game versus HC since 2016 before 2,039 at Moglia Stadium in New York. Fordham was just 1 for 10 on third down conversions in the game.

Princeton 38, Lafayette 28: The Leopards fell behind early and never caught back up in the loss at Fisher Stadium, its 46th loss in 54 meetings versus the Tigers dating to 1883. Princeton scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and never trailed.

This week's games:

Richmond at Bucknell, 12 noon

Yale at Lehigh, 12:00

Fordham at Lafayette, 12:30 pm

Morgan St. at Georgetown, 1:00

Colgate at Cornell, 2:00

Harvard at Holy Cross, 2:00

Week Four Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Brown's 46-0 win over Georgetown Saturday:

1. The U-Word: 

"We did not do the things you need to do to earn the result we set out to accomplish. I give Coach Perry and his staff credit. They outplayed us in all three phases. We have a great opportunity to review this game and learn from the experience as we take the next step in the 2025 journey. I love this group of players and coaches and I am looking forward to this upcoming week." - Rob Sgarlata

The words you didn't hear? "We were unprepared."

Put aside Georgetown's generally poor record in long bus rides beyond New York (a combined 1-12-0 all time in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, with its last win in Massachusetts in  2013), or Brown's well promoted 100th Anniversary of Brown Stadium fete, despite drawing just 3,949, or even its traditional woes versus any Ivy opponents: the Hoyas looked unprepared right from the start and it continued for the next 60 minutes on the field. 

Brown opened up last year's game with an 87- yard touchdown pass, a clear slap at Georgetown's secondary preparation. This year? A 36 yard pass. What, did GU think they wouldn't do it again? 

When I was a kid, there was an armed robbery at a Safeway up the street, which cleaned the place out and was the talk of the neighborhood. The police investigated it carefully and went back to work. The next morning, the same robbers returned at the same time and cleaned it out again! Aside from the fact that the next day, half of the Richardson, TX police force was waiting in the parking lot, the thieves were never caught, but that's a testimony to utter confidence to pull the same job 24 hours later.

Brown was a confident team. Georgetown was not. The two kickoff fumbles, eight sacks from an good but not great Brown d-line, the unnecessary penalties which extended two Brown drives into the end zone, missed tackles, even five players standing and failing to stop a runner before he took off for the end zone, all communicated to the viewer that the Hoyas were not ready for this game. This was not a game played in stormy conditions or a hostile crowd. This team was flat and the coaches didn't prepare them.

The unexplained absence of Danny Lauter probably didn't help things, but when a team has 32 yards passing at the half, having not made a single attempt to its all-PL wide receiver, that raises questions, especially versus a team ranked last in the Ivy League in defense. From its opening drive, the Hoyas had no first downs in the first half until the second to last play of the  frost half. 

Maybe Dez Thomas was thrown in to the lineup under short notice. Maybe the offensive line was banged up. Maybe the play calling went out the window down 14-0, it doesn't matter. It was a poor effort throughout and did little to assuage those that, once again, thought that Georgetown carried some momentum out of its generous scheduling of Davidson and Wagner.  Instead, against a 3-7 Brown team from 2024 in its first game of the 2025 season, perhaps headed to another three or four win season, it was more of the same.

The next two weeks continue to offer opportunity, but once PL play begins, there are no easy opportunities. 

2. Some Other Rankings: Late last night, the US News college rankings debuted for 2025-26. Ten schools with an FCS football team were ranked in the top 40 universities nationally, but only two outside the Ivy League: Georgetown and UC-Davis. 

That's still a very good place to be, and should be more of a plus in recruiting, though it hasn't been a driving force that it might be at, say, UC-Davis, coming off an 11-3 season last fall and ranked #9 nationally this week.

How did the other Patriot League schools (now and in 2026) fare?

National Universities:

#46: Lehigh

#51: William & Mary

#57: Villanova

#97: Fordham

Liberal Arts Colleges:

#22: Colgate, Richmond

#22: Richmond

#27: Holy Cross

#30: Bucknell, Lafayette

3. Around The PL:

Lafayette 38, Columbia 14: After three weeks on the road, Lafayette returned to Fisher Stadium with a convincing 38-14 win before a crowd of 4,206 or a rare Friday night game in Easton. As was the case with many PL games this week, the first half score was reasonably close (Lafayette 17-14) before the Leopards pulled away in the second half.  The Lions were held to just 91 yards on the ground and allowed 51 carries for 232 yards.

Yale 28, Holy Cross 10: After three games where the Crusaders fell maddingly short at game's end, such was not the case in New Haven, where Yale opened its season with a decisive win before 4,469 at the Yale Bowl.  From a 7-0 score at the half, Yale scored 21 unanswered points behind 127 yards and there touchdowns from RB Josh Pitzenberger.

Holy Cross is off to its first 0-4 start since 2012.

Colgate 44, Fordham 21: Another 0-4 team, Fordham, meets the Crusaders this week. Its 44-21 loss in Hamilton before 2,581 saw the Rams stay close through two quarters at 23-21, but the  Red Raiders owned the second half en route to 547 yards total offense and holding Fordham to just 101 yards after halftime.

Lehigh 41, Bucknell 24: The Engineers continued their winning ways thanks to 21 unanswered points after halftime before 3,143 in Lewisburg. Despite 291 yards in the air from Bucknell QB Ralph Rucker, Lehigh owned the ground game with 323 yards, an average of 7.9 yards per carry.

Richmond 38, VMI 14: A crowd of 7,244 at Robins Stadium saw the Spiders hold the Keydets to just 34 yards on the ground, while UR's 541 total yards nearly doubled that of its in-state opponent. Jamaal Brown led all rushers with 153 yards on 14 carries while Andrew King rushed for three touchdowns in seven carries for 100 yards.

This week's games are all on ESPN+:

Penn at Lehigh, 12 noon

Georgetown at Columbia, 12 noon

Holy Cross at Fordham , 1:00

Howard at Richmond, 2:00

Princeton at Lafayette, 3:30

St. Francis at Bucknell, 6:00

NFL: "Back In Old DC"

 

The Washington D.C. City Council has finalized the move of the NFL's Washington Commanders to a $3.7 billion facility on the present site of RFK Stadium.

In an 11-2 vote that survived some last minute amendments posed from a handful of council members, the Council's decision gives the team the green light to begin construction once the RFK facility is demolished, with a scheduled opening date of September 2030. 

It is with great pride that I can say we are officially bringing our Commanders home and turning 180 acres of land on the banks of the Anacostia, on the monumental axis, into jobs and opportunity for DC residents" said Mayor Muriel Bowser, less than two years after a similar move helped keep NBA and NHL teams at Capital One Arena. 

"The city's contribution to the project includes $500 million for stadium infrastructure, more than $350 million for parking garages, and $202 million for utilities and a transit study," wrote the Washington Post. "The city will also finance a sportsplex that will be run by the Department of Parks and Recreation and include an indoor track and other space for youth sports. And the city will raise and dedicate funding for transit improvements, including a possible expansion of the Stadium-Armory Metro station or a new station entirely."

The modern NFL stadium is not about eight home games a year, it's about hosting events for the rest of the year. The proposed 65,000 seat indoor stadium opens Washington to major events such as the Super Bowl, political conventions, college football playoffs, NCAA Regionals and the Final Four, NBA All-Star games, UFC fights, Wrestlemania, and other such events, but also to events closely related in the community. This also offers some long range opportunities for Georgetown, even if present day attendance for men's basketball, football, and soccer seem a world removed.

Georgetown's 1989 basketball game versus LSU at the Louisiana Superdome, a single game event broadcast nationwide on CBS, remains the largest crowd ever to witness a Georgetown sports event, with a paid attendance of 66,144. What about 2030 and beyond? A doubleheader with nationally prominent teams or a matchup with a top ranked team may seem distant to a program which has not posted a sellout at Capital One Arena in 12 years, but opportunities await in a showplace facility. Similarly, opportunities in soccer, lacrosse, or even football (which holds the distinction of the last scheduled sporting event at RFK Stadium in a 2017 game) wouldn't sell out the building but could be an interesting promotional and recruiting opportunity.

Howard? 

Villanova?

Navy?

For now, anyway, put that aside. Whether you call them the Commanders or still call them the Redskins, the NFL is headed to the District for the first time in nearly 30 years, and that's a big deal.

Week Three Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Lafayette's 42-37 win over Georgetown Saturday:

1. Week Three. Another 2-0 start, another 2-1 finish.

In a game that was not quite as close as the score would indicate, Lafayette won the game on the strength of the one skill position that Georgetown has been unable to overcome in recruiting: the running back. 

In an league that has produced the likes of Chase Edmonds,  Jordan Scott, Nate Eachus, and Joe McCourt, there are no Georgetown running backs in the PL Top 10 career marks. Or Top 20. Or Top 30.

Georgetown has not had a rusher gain 2,000 yards over a career since Joe Todisco in the MAAC era. Of the 13 rushing categories listed in the PL record book, not a single Georgetown rusher of the last 25 years is listed in any of them. In a passing era, it's easy to look at quarterbacks and receivers as the foundations of an offense. But football is still driven on the ground, and Lafayette had a back that Georgetown did not.

Kente Edwards isn't Chase Edmonds but he didn't need to be against a young Georgetown defense. Edwards' 19 carries for 255 yards shredded the Hoyas and with it, offered a view to what other PL teams with talented run offenses may be able to replicate against the Hoyas. 

Georgetown's defense needs to acclimate itself to stopping the run game--not at the expense of a pass defense, but as a first line of defense.  The likes of Luke Yoder (Lehigh), Tariq Thomas (Bucknell) and Jayden Clerveaux (Holy Cross) figure to test it early and often. Georgetown enters week three last in the PL in rushing defense, and it needs to be addressed.

2. End Of An Era? As noted on the front page, a four year series with Brown was cut short to accommodate Patriot League expansion, and both the Brown and Columbia series appears to end after this season. Georgetown has played an Ivy team consecutively since the 2005 season. Does this come to an end in 2025?

The Ivy scheduling model was the brainchild of former head coach Bob Benson, which saw the opportunity to schedule "up" with the promise of academic peers being a popular choice . Playing Yale or Penn was preferable to Duquesne and St. Peter's for recruiting, for alumni, and presumably for fans.

In the intervening years, it's been a mixed bag. Hoya fans haven't been get excited to "play the schools in the fight song" and Ivy fans view Georgetown on the football with about as much fervor as Georgetown basketball fans view UMBC. There's little anecdotal evidence that Ivy League games provide a bump in attendance, largely because of distance. Holy Cross can schedule four different Ivy schools whose fans are within an hour and a half from Worcester, while only one Ivy school (Penn) is within 200 miles of the Nation's Capital.  Beyond the local alumni clubs, few traveled from Hanover or Ithaca for a game in Washington; in no small part, because there was never a rivalry to begin with.

The records haven't helped, either. Since 2003, Georgetown is a competitive 6-7 against Columbia and Cornell and a combined 2-24 versus everyone else, including 0-11 versus Harvard and Yale. These schools got a significant head start on the art of non-scholarship recruiting and it showed. Some of these games were great fun, and some were akin to getting one's teeth pulled.. a show of hands if you were at the Harvard game at RFK Stadium in 2017.

Collectively, Georgetown isn't the Ninth Ivy and it's unclear which of the Ancient Eight will engage in any long term series with GU when the Patriot League goes to nine league games in 2026.  Georgetown doesn't share its future schedules, so it's to be determined whether the Hoyas will see the likes of Yale or the University of New Haven down the road. Let's take the opportunity to enjoy the next two weeks for what they are, and maybe get a win along the way.

3. Attendance...What Gives? Distance precludes me from figuring out what is going on with attendance, but after two games Georgetown's average has dropped a staggering 61% from the first two games last season.

OK, the first game featured an approaching thunderstorm, but Saturday's game was warm and sunny. Just 1,132 showed up, the second smallest turnout at Cooper Field  and the third smallest since leaving Kehoe Field. 

So what happened?

A call on social media to Hoya Blue for answers went unanswered (as did Hoya Gray, who may be no better organized at this point of the school year) but it may be as simple as a truism that seems incomprehensible in an age of constant communication: students didn't know much about it. In an age where "sleep is for the weak" and students are determined to do as much as they can, a thee hour sports break is not going to draw interest unless there is something "there".  What's there?

Cooper Field is better than its spartan predecessor, sure, but that's a very low bar. There are no pre-game or in-game promotions, the pep band shows little pep, and student seating is an afterthought. No video board, no halftime events, nothing to see across the field. Other sports fare little better: on a campus of well over 5,000 resident undergraduates, volleyball averages 238 a game, women's soccer  429, and men's soccer 1,260, but almost a third of the season total comes from one game versus Duke. Its last two games drew 625 and 529, respectively. Add in Georgetown's traditionally poor job at marketing to local alumni, and it's a harbinger of what is to come for basketball season.

But how did the Hoyas draw 3,975 for Davidson last year?

(You got me.)

4. Around The PL:

Lehigh 35, Duquesne 21: With a minute to halftime, this was a tie game, but a late touchdown to close the first half and a touchdown drive on the opening possession of the third quarter led thee Engineers to the 35-21 win before 1,703 at Rooney Athletic Field in Pittsburgh.  Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson was 17 of 24 for 335 yards and there touchdowns but it was Lehigh's defense stepped up, holding the Dukes to two third down conversions in 10 attempts.

Rhode Island 9, Holy Cross 7:  With three losses by a combined seven points, the Crusaders are the best 0-3 team in the East, but one to which an at-large playoff bid will be largely out of its reach.  This week, a late field goal and a defensive stop near midfield led Rhode Island to the 9-7 win before 14,127 at Fitton Field. The Crusaders crossed the URI 40 just twice all afternoon, as neither team  could maintain consistency against their respective defenses. In the end, it came down to the field goal: URI hit there, HC missed one.

Bucknell 35, VMI 28: Ralph Ricker continued his aerial assault for the Bison, throwing for five touchdowns before 2,058 at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium. The teams combined for 767 yards in the air as Bucknell never trailed but could not shake the visiting Keydets.

Stony Brook 41, Fordham 18: The defensive woes of the Rams continued this weekend, giving up 28 unanswered points in the second half for a 41-18 loss before 5,79 at LaValle Stadium. From a 13-10  score midway in the third, the Seawolves scored on pass plays of 15, 19, and 93 yards, capped off by a 52 yard interception returned for the score.

North Carolina 41, Richmond 6:  The Tar Heels got up early and cruised to the 41-6 win before 50,500 at Kenan Stadium, holding the visiting Spiders to 199 total yards. A pair of field goals in the final 90 seconds of each half amounted for the six points from UR on the afternoon.

Syracuse 66, Colgate 24: In their 69th all-time meeting, the Orangemen poured it on for the 66-24 win before 37,372 at JMA Dome. The Orangemen put up 447 yards in the air and six passing touchdowns, leading 38-3 at the half. It was the 18th consecutive win in the series for Syracuse since the 1950 season, a series last played in Hamilton in 1897, but Syracuse leads just 33-31-5 overall.

Friday, September 19:

Columbia at Lafayette, 6:00

Saturday, September 20:

Holy Cross at Yale, 12 noon

Georgetown at Brown, 12 noon

Fordham at Colgate, 1:00

VMI at Richmond, 2:00

Lehigh at Bucknell, 6:00

Week Two Thoughts

 Some thoughts following Georgetown's 31-20 win over Wagner Saturday:

1. Climbing The Ladder: Yes, Wagner was a step above Davidson, and yes, Lafayette will be a step above Wagner. That said, there were a number of positives coming out of this game.

The Georgetown offensive line continues to be unsung heroes after the second week of the season. Down two starters in Losini Maka and Josh Sauwickie after week one, players stepped up and did what they had to do: open holes for the run and protecting the quarterback. The line has allowed only one sack in its first two games (tied for sixth nationally) and that has given Danny Lauter the time not to rush into his progressions and throw the wayward pass that was more common than it ought to have been last season. 

The line has been prominent in the output from the backfield. Savion Hart averaged 5.3 yards a carry in the Wagner game, Bryce Cox was just under three yards a carry. Both will be tested Saturday against a Lafayette defense allowing just 2.92 yards per carry, but Cox rushed for an average of 3.89  yards per carry last season versus the Leopards, and his size may be to Georgetown's advantage in this one.  The line has also allowed, for the second consecutive week, for Dez Thomas to be a problem to defenses. His 67  yard run was not only vital for the outcome of Saturday's game, but it shows how a mobile quarterback and an offensive line in tandem can open opportunities for big gains. Thomas literally ran through the middle of the Wagner line, but having a capable line was vital.

Georgetown's biggest enemy for its offensive line is injury. It won't say what the severity of the injuries are to Maka and Sauwickie, and patchwork lines will eventually fail as the season progresses. This game proved a positive one for a group that will be called upon each and every week to drive the Hoyas forward.

2. Turning Points: There are usually four or five plays in any college football that are determinative, whether the result of an offensive play, a special teams decision, or a defensive stop. Nick Dunneman's punt return was one, Dez Thomas' run was another. None may have been as important, however, as the first play coming out of the rain delay.

Down seven, Wagner had drove to the Georgetown 23 and faced a third and eight when the game was halted. The Seahawks had enjoyed considerable success on the ground all day, as evidenced by three drives of 13 plays or more and three backs averaging four or more yards per carry. A Wagner first down extends a drive that likely ties the score with under five minutes remaining, and BC transfer RB Andre Hines was a touch stop all afternoon. However, John Caramanico's stop of Hines to a one yard gain forced a field goal and Georgetown responded with a touchdown on the next drive to put the game out of reach.

Obviously, this isn't a turning point if Georgetown is down three touchdowns, but it's a credit to the coaches to focus on Hines in the break to limit Wagner from the red zone.

3. Kicking Matters. What was going to be a few thoughts bemoaning a missed extra point  (the third in two games) has taken a back seat to something perhaps more important: the power of the kickoff.

Of 12 Wagner drives, six started at the 25, including touchbacks on every kick after a Georgetown score. The Hoyas rank sixth nationally after two weeks in number of kickoff touchbacks (6), and for a team that can sometimes struggle to manage defensive field position, that's a positive sign.  

Between games at Kansas and Georgetown, Wagner has returned just one kickoff to date this season for 15 yards, while Lafayette has returned eight kicks for 140 yards through two games, a 17.5 yard per kick average.

4. Attendance Questions: Was it the weather, the opponent, or just a lack of interest? Saturday's attendance of 1,276 was the lowest for a game at Cooper Field in eight years. 

While Wagner doesn't have a base of support in the Washington area, it drew better in its 2012 and 2014 appearances to Multi-Sport Field (averaging 2,064).

It is a tried and true statement: Georgetown does not promote football very well among students and local alumni. Dark clouds can lead some students away, but it's more than that. Georgetown promoted a Friday night soccer game versus Duke that drew over 2,000, mostly students, and most of those same fans took a pass on Wagner. With no schedule conflicts Saturday, there needs to be better turnout, but you can't get turnout without program awareness, and there is far too little of it.

What say you, Hoya Blue?

5. Around the PL:

Lehigh 28, Sacred Heart 10: The Engineers are at the top of the standings and showed it Saturday, outgaining the visiting Pioneers 423-177 for a 28-10 win before 3,168 at Goodman Stadium. Luke Yoder led all rushers with 12 carries and 127 yards.

Lafayette 42, Stonehill 26: Kente Edwards rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns as the Leopards led 28-6 at halftime and never looked back before 2,351 at W.B. Mason Stadium. The Leopards averaged nearly eight yards a carry, outgaining the homestanding Skyhawks 319-71.

New Hampshire 19, Holy Cross 16: Another last minute setback for the Crusaders, allowing the homestanding Wildcats a game winning field goal as time expired, 19-16, before 6,509 at Wildcat Stadium.  After HC missed a 34 yard field goal with 1:40 left, the Wildcats drove 45 yards in nine plays for the winning score.

Bucknell 34, Marist 23: In a game that probably shouldn't have been this close, the Bison never trailed but could not put the Red Foxes away, winning 34-23 before 1,923 at Tenney Stadium. Ralph Rucker threw for 236 yards for the Bison but need two fourth quarter touchdowns to ensure the win.

Villanova 24, Colgate 17: In a closely fought game, neither team scored in the fourth quarter as Villanova opened its season with a 24-17 win before 4,151 at Villanova Stadium. All five drives in the fourth quarter ended in punts, as neither side could move beyond midfield.

Monmouth 48, Fordham 28: Another rough night for the Fordham defense, as Monmouth QB Derek Robertson threw for six touchdowns, including the final TD with under five minutes left in a game out of reach. The Rams managed just 39 yards on the ground.

Richmond 14, Wofford 10: Despite an advantage on both sides of the ball, the Spiders had to battle to steer past Wofford, 14-10, before 2,765 at Wofford's Gibbs Stadium. The teams combined for 16 punts, in a defensive battle where UR scored late in the third for the win.. 

This week's games:

Friday, September 12:

Colgate at Syracuse, 7:00 (ACCNX)

Saturday, September 13:

Lehigh at Duquesne, 1:00 (NEC Front Row)

Lafayette at Georgetown, 1:00 (ESPN+)

Rhode Island at Holy Cross, 2:00 (ESPN+)

Richmond at North Carolina, 3:30 (ACCN)

VMI at Bucknell, 3:30 (ESPN+)

Fordham at Stony Brook, 3:30 (ESPN+)

Week One Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Georgetown's 51-14 win over Davidson:

1. An Opening Thought: I do not gamble on anything, but found it bizarre that a published line in Las Vegas, posted at BetMGM.com, listed Georgetown as a 2.5 point favorite in this game, despite a new staff at Davidson and GU coming off a 24 point win against Davidson last season. Nothing in this game was going to come down to less than a field goal, and one hopes that anyone who set such a line is either an AI bot or someone who still has a job Monday morning. All that said...

2. Perspective: Excepting some lapses in the kicking game,  Saturday's effort versus the Wildcats was a complete success across the board. Of ten Georgetown drives, exclusive of plays to end the first and second half, the Hoyas scored on eight of them and punted on the other two--no turnovers, no fourth down stalls. Three red zone appearances, three scores.  

This was a first week tune-up, nothing more or less. Davidson is neither Richmond, Lehigh, or Holy Cross. It's not even Morgan State. Of the 10 prior Georgetown wins versus the Wildcats in this series, nine ended up losing seasons for Georgetown, and not a sign of things to come. Both teams have learning opportunities coming out of the game, and that's what this game was: a learning opportunity.

Offensively, Georgetown took advantage of an opponent literally playing its first game together, and a Savion Hart touchdown on the second play was evidence of same. Davidson returned no defensive starters from the 2024 finale versus Valparaiso and this allowed GU to take advantage of matchups which set the tone from the opening drive. The Hoyas may not get many opportunities to rush 40 or more carries in a game the rest of the  season, but it opens the door for offensive coordinator Rob Spence to get more options in the playbook for Savion Hart and Bryce Cox, and not just on first downs. 

Defensively, Davidson's offense is the equivalent of changing four tires on a car while it is still running down the road. The move from a  triple-option offense to a traditional package is going to be difficult in the best of times and the Wildcats did not have the experience with both the players and the new coaches with which it could run and pass effectively. An example of same: Mari Adams, the nation's 13th leading runner by total yards in 2024, had just five carries in the game,  for 15 yards.  

With the exception of Quincy Briggs falling down on a pass play that earned Davidson its first score,  the Wildcats were held to a net of 274 yards in the game and had just one red zone appearance all afternoon. Better yet: Georgetown held Davidson to 4 for 15 on third down and made three fourth down stops in the game. Freshman Brian Allen made a strong debut in the secondary, tying the game high six tackles alongside veterans Giancarlo Rufo and Cody Pham.

Georgetown's special teams have some learning ahead of it. Two missed extra points and two kickoffs going out of bounds were underwhelming by PK Thomas Anderson and while not material to the outcome, are areas for attention.

In sum, the game was a win on both sides of the ball, but Davidson is also the weakest team on the 2025 schedule. In a schedule that is capable in September, challenging in October, and close to prohibitive in November, it's a win to take, but not one to dwell on.

3. Quarterback: Georgetown's use of a second quarterback that wasn't there to run the clock out was unexpected, and  an opportunity that this game provided.

Most years, the Sgarlata era picks one QB and rides them to the bitter end. Perhaps Sgarlata doesn't want to revisit the drama around changing QB's in the Kevin Kelly era, or unnecessarily rely on underclassmen to run the offense.  Regardless, the strategic use of Dez Thomas in this game was a smart move and one which Georgetown would do well to use going forward.

Thomas is a senior who has seen little action since transferring in from Trinity (TX) in 2022. His ability in this game to be mobile and to stretch out the Davidson defense was something that a stationary QB like Danny Lauter lacks. As with more than a few Georgetown quarterbacks of the past, Lauter tends to lock himself in the pocket and try to thread the pass, which gives mid-field defenses options to overplay and leave Lauter to send passes  low rather than risk interceptions. Thomas was more agile in this regard and while admittedly Davidson had little or no game film to even prepare for this contingency, gave Georgetown a capable second option in the backfield that it has not employed in years.

Dez Thomas is not running the wildcat, which defenses have largely driven out of the college and pro game because it screams "quarterback keeper". Instead, he offers GU the RPO opportunity and not simply rely on Lauter to throw his way out of a larger defensive line. Thomas was 6-7 for 126 yards and rushed nine times for 45 yards.

Whether this was a on-off against a inexperienced Davidson defense or a strategic opportunity we'll see down the road is still to be determined. For this game, it was the right move and it made both quarterbacks better as a result.

4. About Those Seahawks: Wagner arrives to Cooper Field following a 46-7 loss at Kansas in its first ever game against a Big 12 opponent.  Outgained 631-143, the Seahawks gave up touchdowns on four of KU's first six possessions.

Sophomore QB Jack Stevens (13-20, 90 yards) made his first college start Saturday, and will be up for the task against Georgetown. Despite the size differential, Wagner suffered only five sacks in the game and they figure to give Stevens more passing opportunities this week.

Georgetown and Wagner have met five times from 2010 through 2014, with Wagner taking three of five. The 2025 Seahawks are picked fifth in the eight team Northeast, where sixth year head coach Tom Masella, a former head coach at Fordham, is just 9-39 at Grymes Hill.

Georgetown is expected to return the game to Staten Island in 2026, but the addition of Villanova and William & Mary remains a mystery (at least outside of the football office)  in how Sgarlata will rearrange the schedule to accommodate them. The head coach likes visiting New York, of course, but some combination of Davidson, Wagner, or Columbia must give way for the Wildcats and the Tribe next season. For its part, Wagner has four non-conference games already committed and may (or may not) add Chicago State if the are ready for the NEC in 2026.  In other words, stay tuned.

5. Around The PL: Some really good games for the Patriot League to open the season, led by the early season showdown between Lehigh and Richmond.

Lehigh 21, Richmond 14: In a game which figures to involve the top teams in the 2025 race, the Engineers came back from an early deficit to prevail  21-14 before 4,463 at Goodman Stadium. Lehigh defense was tough all afternoon, holding the Spiders to just three punts and an interception after halftime. Overall, the Spiders were held to just 68 rushing yards on the afternoon.

Northern Illinois 19, Holy Cross 17? Are Lehigh and Richmond the teams to beat? Holy Cross says "Not so fast." A fourth down stop with 1:56 to play preserved a 19-17 NIU win before 10,569 at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, IL.  A strong defensive effort by the Crusaders held NIU to  just 287 total yards while the HC passing game outgained the Huskies 155-109. NIU won the battle in the trenches, and that final drive was evidence of it.

Air Force 49, Bucknell 13: The PL continues to make improvements in these FBS games, although this score doesn't reflect it. This was a 14-7 game a the half until the Falcons scored four consecutive touchdowns after halftime. Bucknell QB Ralph Rucker was held to 126 yards, and just 36 after halftime. A crowd of 30,207 at Falcon Stadium saw the Falcons soar to the 49-13 win in its 19th consecutive opening week victory.

Boston College 66, Fordham 10. The Rams played close for a quarter but the bottom dropped out after halftime before 41,221 at Alumni Stadium. From a 7-3 score midway in the first quarter, and 21-3 at halftime, the Eagles scored 28 unanswered points to open the second half.  The Rams were outgained 555-168 and managed just 27 yards rushing on 16 carries.

This week's games (all times Eastern):

Sacred Heart (1-0) at Lehigh (1-0), 1:00 pm

Bucknell (0-1) at Marist (1-0), 1:00

Lafayette (0-1) at Stonehill (0-1), 1:00

Wagner (0-1) at Georgetown (1-0), 1:00

Richmond (0-1) at Wofford (0-1), 6:00

Colgate (0-1) at Villanova (0-0), 6:00

Holy Cross (0-1) at New Hampshire (1-0), 6:00