The fifth year of Rob Sgarlata's tenure begins as its head
coach has the support of the team, the coaches, the athletic director, and the
University. What he does not have is wins.
In four seasons, Sgarlata's teams are 11-33 and 3-21 against
Patriot League teams, the fewest of any multi-year PL coach since Larry Glueck
at Fordham from 1990 to 1993. In the last two and a half seasons, Georgetown Georgetown
That's not to say Georgetown
A former offensive coordinator at Clemson nicknamed "the mad scientist" by Clemson fans,
Spence has been an enigma of sorts. Despite the accolades he earned under Terry
Bowden, Spence has been on the move since 2008...literally. In the last ten
seasons he has not stayed at any college program more than two seasons. He
served as offensive coordinator at Syracuse Temple
in 2010, Bethune Cookman in 2011, and Rutgers
in 2012, serving two seasons as quarterbacks coach under Kyle Flood, but was
fired in 2013.
A two year detour to the high school ranks led Spence to
Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2016, where the Mocs finished 9-4 under Russ Huesman.
But when Huesman left for Richmond , Spence was
on the road again, this time to Morgan
State
Whether Spence will prove to be the next Dave Patenaude or the
next Elliot Uzelac remains to be seen.
What is expected is a pass-dominant offense, something Georgetown
Offensive Line
The tackle positions could be anchored by the Horne
brothers, with sophomore Daniel Horne on the left and senior Jared Horne on the
right. With open positions at the guard positions, senior Tower Menning and
junior Justin Wood are leading candidates in training camp, with senior Randy
Crystian returning from injuries suffered last season. Fifth year senior
Dominic Scarangella figures to have the nod at center with sophomore Izaiah
Thompson as his early successor.
Five freshmen enter the season to compete across the line,
but most may be a year away from sustained action: 6-2 Neal Azar, , 6-3 Alex
Ederson, 6-4 T.J. Thomas, 6-5 Josh Stevens, and 6-6 Mac Hollensteiner. A
graduate of the Landon School , Hollensteiner has local interest while
Stevens, from Ruskin , FL
Running Backs
The Hoyas have struggled mightily in the Patriot League era
on the ground. Last year's squad was no different, averaging 58 yards per game
on the ground and ending the season 120th of 123 teams in the subdivision in
rushing.
Without scholarships, the Georgetown Georgetown
While it remains unrealistic to see an impact runner coming
to play in Washington Georgetown
Receivers
Junior Michael Dereus is the leading returner, with 46
receptions for 596 yards and five touchdowns, third best overall in the PL. Senior
Brandon Williams, who will wear the Eacobacci Memorial #35 jersey, only played
in eight games but offers another option with his speed and downfield moves.
Junior Max Edwards (18-257, 1 TD) is another good option.
The Spence offense may bring new names to the stat sheet.
Two to watch may be junior Dijon Williams, who brings experience as a 4 x 400
runner into his skill set, and Skyler Springs, whose father (Shawn) and
grandfather (Ron) were each NFL veterans.
Three incoming freshmen are WR candidates, including 6-1
Cameron Crayton, who had offers from a pair of Mid-American Conference schools
before opting for Georgetown Georgetown
The tight end position is wide open. Two seniors and two
sophomores will compete on the depth chart but it is too son to determine what
role, if any, the TE position will offer in lieu of playing with an extra WR.
Quarterbacks
After a frustrating junior year which saw him lose the
starting job to Gunther Johnson at mid-season, senior Clay Norris did not
return for his senior season, leaving the job to Johnson and four backups, none
of whom have played a down of college football.
Johnson ended the season with 1,026 yards passing, four
touchdowns and six interceptions, sixth among seven PL quarterbacks and last in
passing efficiency with a 94.0 rating.
Johnson was winless in his four starts and struggled in the final three
games of the season, where GU's passing yards decreased in each of the three games and bottomed out
with just 101 yards versus Colgate, with six first downs on the afternoon.
Johnson threw for 2,400 yards as a senior in high school and
should have the opportunity to match that in 2018 if Georgetown Georgetown Georgetown
Senior Jowan Watson threw for 3200 yards as a high school
senior and has not seen any action in three seasons, and did not escape the
two-deep in 2017. Another Georgetown
Expectations For the Offense
Outside of Cooper Field, expectations are low for this
offense. The arrival of Spence adds an air of possibility for the offense,
which can get yards from Dereus and Williams, if they can get the ball. But
without more consistency on the offensive line and a sustainable running game,
the Hoyas' offense may be little more to how fast Gunther Johnson can release
the ball before he is overwhelmed by stunts and interior blitzes by
opportunistic defenses.
Spence's reputation was built on his success at Clemson, but that was over a decade ago. In his most recent season at
In conference call comments at what used to pass for Patriot
League Media Day, Sgarlata remarked that the 2018 Hoyas have to learn to play
four quarters of football. The aforementioned last place finish in time of
possession was magnified by the fact that Georgetown
Whether it was Patrick Murphy, Rob Spence, or
someone else entirely, the facts were apparent: change is needed for a Georgetown
