Some thoughts following Georgetown's 16-10 win at Campbell to open the 2017 season:
1. More Of the Same (Part 1): Year four of the Michael Neuberger offense was underway Saturday and, well, it wasn't much that we haven't seen before.
That's not a knock on the coach but what he has to work with. Georgetown has historically struggled to recruit impact players on offense and its offensive output over the years reflects it. The Hoyas were 115th of 123 schools on the ground last season and we saw more of that Saturday. Maybe the Hoyas can attribute just eight first downs as a byproduct of one facing of the better I-AA defenses from 2016, last season, but Campbell had losses on the defensive line and Georgetown didn't get much through the trenches.
Absent a 33 yard run by Alex Valles, Georgetown combined for 26 rushes and just 71 yards. Valles doesn't have the speed to carry this team on rushing into the heat of the PL schedule, which is why it's important to see Jay Tolliver and perhaps Jackson Saffold to get some early carries this season. Georgetown won't win many games relying solely on the passing attack. And with marist holding its first two opponents to an average of 62 rushing yards per game, Saturday's game will be an interesting test to see what faith Georgetown holds in its rushing game, or lack thereof.
2. More Of the Same (Part 2): Another solid defensive effort from the Hoyas was the difference in this game. The defensive play, especially in the fourth quarter, not only earned a win, but built the confidence of a veteran team which will need every bit of this kind of effort.
"There wasn’t a rhythm to what we were doing and you have to credit Georgetown’s defense,” said Campbell coach Mike Minter.
With seven sacks up front and forcing three turnovers in the red zone, there was a lot to like about where the Hoyas were in this game. Marist had only one red zone penetration against Bucknell versus seven against Stetson in last weekend's game, and Marist's 337 yard passing effort against Stetson will be a point of effort in this week's defensive planning. The good thing is that Georgetown has the defensive mettle to meet the challenge.
3. A View From The Creek: I had planned to attend this game but reshuffled my air plans to make the September 30 game with Harvard (Promotion? Anyone??). The good news was the excellent broadcast on the Big South Network with Campbell's radio team.
Campbell clearly seems like a program on the way up. From a crowd of nearly 6,000 for an early season game to a healthy marching band with a neat nickname ("The Sound Of the Sandhills"), Campbell seems well prepared for its move to the Big South next year. The game announcers reported Campbell was scheduled to return this game in Washington in 2018, but new conference schedules and better offers can change plans. It's likely this will be a much better Campbell team in 2018 and much like Monmouth and Stony Brook before them, the program may soon outgrow a series like Georgetown.
The Campbell announcers had a pair of "oops" moments in the game, however. They referred to the first season of Hoya football as 1895 (?), then corrected that at halftime, only to note that GU had the smallest stadium in Division I "with 1600 students". They did note that "renovations are coming on [Georgetown's] field", but we've heard that before...
4. Home Opener: Saturday's game with Marist hasn't drawn well in the past. Let's make a better effort to support this team and get a good turnout. This will be the Hoyas' only on-campus game until October 21, so make plans to attend.
