Week 10 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Bucknell's 20-17 win over Georgetown Saturday.

1. Hey, What Happened To...Yeah, we missed a few weeks. Too many in fact. I'll take some time in the off-season to retrofit some comments on those games, but they follow a trend that this article will hope to tell. 2019 hasn't been disappointing or discouraging, but, ah, missed opportunities.

Missed opportunities were all over this one. One could not have drawn up a better defensive stand in the first half for Georgetown--or any team for that matter. First five drives:

• 3 plays, 3 yards
• 3 plays, 2 yards
• 3 plays, -5 yards
• 3 plays, 4 yards
• 3 plays, no yards

 And despite that, Georgetown was no better than 10-6 at the half.

Turnovers and penalties abounded, some more foolish than others. Personal fouls, late hits, the kind of things that make teams lose games... and they did. And yet, the defense stopped four drives inside the red zone that would have put the game well out of reach.

As is the case, the offense was late to the party. Georgetown managed one scoring drive, a field goal, that started in its end of the field. An depleted line made it unlikely that Gunther Johnson had enough time to find receivers against a Bucknell pass defense averaging 266 yards allowed per game. Georgetown only gained 199 in comparison. By quarter: 

• 1st: 95
• 2nd: 29
• 3rd:  47
• 4th: 28

Georgetown held the ball just 4:45 in the fourth quarter. That just isn't enough.

2.  Player of the Week. I had to think about this one for a moment.

Brad Hurst is a fine young man with a great career and family ahead of him. Saturday was not his finest hour. An onsides kick is great, but a horizontal field goal and yet another blocked punt illustrated the chronic flaw in Hurst's kicking motion that the Georgetown staff has not corrected after four years. But Hurst as player of the week was almost as head-scratching as the face that Isaaac Schley was named an all-PL running back.

The staff likes Hurt, I understand it. But like Oliver Hill before him, Davis Walker didn't add anything to the kicking calculus this year, and Georgetown will be starting back at square one next fall trying to get its kicking game in order.

There comes a point every season--maybe once, maybe more, where a kicker is the outcome of a game. Losing by three following a blocked punt converted into a touchdown is one such instance. Last season's collapse versus Holy Cross came down to the same kicker. Hurst is more than overdue to win a game and I'd love to see it versus the Crusaders Saturday, but it's not likely.

3. Patriot League Tiebreakers. Yet another deflating season of PL football ends this weekend, with the sole consolation that a 4-8 win team will not represent the league in the playoffs. Here's the tiebreakers entering the final week of the regular season:

• Holy Cross (6-5, 4-1 PL) is currently the only team above .500 this season. HC wins the playoff bid with a win over Georgetown OR a Lehigh win over Lafayette.
• Lafayette (3-8, 3-2) wins the playoff bid with a win over Lehigh AND a Georgetown win over Holy Cross.
• A Lehigh win over Lafayette AND a Georgetown win over Holy Cross AND a Bucknell win over Fordham creates a three way tie, to which Holy Cross wins the tiebreaker.

 If there was any year where the Hoyas could have snuck into the conversation, this was it. Three of its four losses were by a field goal each.  Such a returning opportunity is not likely anytime soon.

4. Since Last We Met:  The front page likes to recall the  most recent meeting between the teams, but I'd like to take a look back at Georgetown's last win at Holy Cross, six years ago to the day. With 439 yards total offense, including 212 on the ground, and no turnovers, Georgetown got the win.  Here's the recap--is past prologue?

Kyle Nolan's 82 yard quarterback run with 1:57 to play earned Georgetown its most important win of the season, rallying from an early deficit and dominating the second half in a 28-21 upset of Holy Cross at Fitton Field in Worcester, MA. The win ended an eight game losing streak for the Hoyas and earned Georgetown a season ending win for only the second time since the 2002 season.

 The Hoyas stumbled at the start, with a fumble by senior RB Nick Campanella on the second play of the game. HC took over in Georgetown territory, driving 42 yards in six plays for the 7-0 lead three minutes into the game. The Hoyas punted the ball back but a Holy Cross returned fumbled the wind-adjusted punt, setting up the Hoyas at the Crusader 26. The offense stalled over the next three downs, but with nothing to lose, Georgetown opted to go on 4th and six at the 22, with sophomore QB Kyle Nolan finding senior TE Dan Sprotte for the first down. Three plays later, sophomore RB Joel Kimpela went six yards for the score, 7-7.

Holy Cross reasserted itself over its next series: a nine play, 71 yard touchdown drive late in the first quarter, aided by a late hit by junior LB Patrick Boyle into the Georgetown bench that extended the Crusaders' drive. GU ended the first quarter on a three and out, and following a defensive interception to stall a Holy Cross drive at the Georgetown 35, the G-men turned in a second three and out. On its next series, however, Nolan took advantage of the wind, with passes to Zack Wilke and Brandon Durham to advance inside the HC 20. A Following a penalty, Nolan found WR Justin Hill with a 29 yard pass to the one yard line, and took it over on the following play, 14-14, with 5:20 to halftime.

The Hoyas held Holy Cross in check over the next three Crusader series, forcing three straight punts. The Hoyas looked to be taking advantage of the wind at its back in its final series of the half, with Nolan completing passes to Wilke and Elliott Owusu to close inside the HC 25, but three offensive penalties pushed the Hoyas back and forced an unwieldy 52 yard attempt from PK Matt MacZura which fell short at the end of the first half.

Georgetown maintained the wind direction entering the third quarter and took early advantage, with Nolan found Wilke in stride with a 49 yard pass to the HC 25. The Hoyas advanced to the Crusader 10, and cashed in for a 29 yard MacZura field goal, 17-14, its first lead in a third quarter since mid-September.

Holy Cross simply could not move against the Hoyas and against the wind, failing to post a first down in its fifth straight series since the second quarter. Georgetown marched 10 plays to the HC 23, and on the 39 yard field goal attempt appeared to be faked and Georgetown lost three yards in the process.

The third quarter Crusaders continued to be generous to the Hoyas, but the touchdowns did not materialize. On the third play of the next drive, QB Peter Pujals threw a pass that was picked off by DB Cameron Gamble at the HC 44. Seven plays later, the drive stalled at the HC 22, with a 39-yard MacZura field goal extending the count to 20-14.

Holy Cross got the wind into the fourth, and on its first play of the quarter picked up its original first down of the second half. The Crusaders picked up three more first downs before WR Kyle Tolouse fumbled a likely touchdown, recovered by DB Garrett Powers at the two. A big drive followed for Georgetown at the 11:15 mark of the 4th, where Nolan led the Hoyas on converting three consecutive third down possessions to keep the clock moving. Another third down followed at the 6:24 mark, where a 15 yard pass from Nolan to Sprotte was invalidated for an illegal receiver downfield. Georgetown punted it back at the 5:59 mark, with HC taking over at its 15. Five plays took the Crusaders across midfield, but a holding call on the Crusaders set the drive back to its 44 with 3:20 to play. With 2:56 to play, HC faced a 3rd and 20, whereupon DT Richard Shankle sacked Pujals at the 36 and forced a punt with 2:15 to play.

  

Georgetown took over at its 15. A first down run to Kimpela netted four, and when everyone expected Kimpela to get the carry on second down, Nolan took off untouched down the field for 82 yards, fooling the Patriot League Network cameras and sending the ever-stalwart Hoya fans across Fitton Field to its feet. A two point conversion passed muster, and GU took over, 28-14.

Holy Cross wasted no time to come back, with an eight play drive that advanced to the Georgetown 12 entering the final minute. Pujals threw a touchdown to freshman Jake Wieczorek with :47 left, 28-21, but Georgetown alertly recovered the onsides kick at midfield and ran out the clock.