Some thoughts following Georgetown's 35-24 loss to Columbia on Saturday:
1. Depth. I'll admit I was very disappointed following the Harvard loss for the beat down that the Crimson inflicted, a product of better talent and better coaching. That same fervor was not found in the loss to Columbia. Georgetown's problems entering PL play are much the same as they have always been.
Georgetown remains the singular "one-off" in Division I-AA/FCS because of its inability to recruit the same way 108 other FCS schools do, hampered further by the Patriot League's irrational reliance on SAT scores to reflect "smart" athletes. But even this approach is tested by attrition. The game one injuries of Owen Kessler and Quincy Chinwuko have really hurt the defensive depth of this team. In 2018, the Hoyas' run defense held opponents to 103 yards a game on the ground, but by the first three games of 2021 that figure is now 232.7 yards a game, ranking Georgetown 115th of 123 schools.
While the experience is there on the starting lineup, the Hoyas cannot control the line. Columbia's ability to get penetration on first down (and an average of 5.5 yards per carry) afforded it a lot more opportunity to control the clock as it did on the consequential fourth down drive. That's a point of concern entering Saturday's game, where Colgate ranks eighth nationally in average yards per carry at 4.02. The Red Raiders rushed 44 times last weekend versus Lehigh for an average of 6.4 yards a carry and was 5-5 in the red zone.
Colgate was outscored 102-10 in its first three games (Boston College, Stony Brook, William & Mary) but its 30-3 win over Lehigh may have turned a corner. If they stay on the ground, the Georgetown line has a lot of heat coming their way, much of that a measure of depth and lack of experience.
Depth is again evident across the line in a Georgetown rushing game that is really not producing. The Hoyas' 1.6 yards per carry is 122nd of 123 schools by average and by yards per game. Colgate's numbers are skewed by BC and William & Mary, but they held Lehigh to 55 yards on 26 carries and that won't be enough Saturday.
Far, far removed from Georgetown, think of this example--why is Alabama so good? Look at the depth. The Crimson Tide can lose Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain, DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones, Alex Leatherwood, Najee Harris (all in the first 20 picks of the 2021 NFL first round) and it's next man up, and the Tide still rolls.
Coach Sgarlata likes to say "win, or learn". Without depth, there's a lot to learn.
2. A Great Debut. The Patriot League chose not to award QB Pierce Holley its offensive player of the week, and they missed on this one. One would be hard pressed at any level to find an example of a quarterback in his first collegiate start throwing for 368 yards.
Holley was ably assisted by a command performance from senior Cameron Crayton, whose 190 yards receiving has been topped by only four other men in school history. No recency bias here - this was an outstanding effort and probably the most impactful wide receiver output since Luke McArdle's 190 yards receiving and 182 yards punt return yardage against Cornell in 2003.
For its part, Columbia had no film on Holley and probably didn't even practice with him in mind, as Tyler Knoop finished the Harvard game. Colgate has the game film and I expect them to be more aggressive on Holley, especially as he rolls out, than the Lions were in that game.
How long Holley stays in the lineup is unknown outside McDonough Gym. The extent of Joe Brunell's ankle injury is, like most things Georgetown, undisclosed. As junior, Holley made a statement with the effort in the Columbia game, and should be a point of emphasis to see if he can maintain an improved passing game Saturday versus Colgate, especially if the ground game flatlines.
3. Nobody's Coming Home: What's the saying, "don't do anything that you wouldn't feel comfortable reading about in the newspaper the next day? Such was Georgetown's "abundance of caution" mantra in canceling Homecoming this year, despite a COVID-19 positivity rate of 0.2 percent in last week's testing protocols.
It's one of the few schools to take this approach. One sees the large crowds in college football elsewhere without any widespread infections that have follow, but GU has been erring on the side of canceling visible events outside the student body - (Reunion, graduate school events, Alumni Association weekends, etc.) but still maintaining student centered events like New Student Orientation.
It's not clear how many would have shown up anyway given the East Coast's more COVID-averse gathering than its western and southern neighbors--even Howard is canceling its Yardfest that often outdraws the football game itself. Homecoming at Big Ten and SEC schools continue unabated.
And while this decision was made months ago, an unusual confluence with another health event supports the idea that this may not be the weekend to be on campus.
"More than one hundred students, faculty and staff on Georgetown University’s campus have reported nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps, all symptoms that could be consistent with norovirus, officials said Monday, " read the Sept. 27 Washington Post. "University leaders first reported the gastrointestinal illness Sept. 21, after about 12 students on the main campus in Northwest Washington reported severe stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea. Days later, that number grew to 90 and “fewer than 15” people had been transported to emergency rooms, officials said. As of Monday, 130 students and employees had reported some combination of symptoms."
The last outbreak of norovirus (formerly called "food poisoning") took place 13 years ago this week and forced the cancellation of the Colgate-Georgetown game. No such prognosis this time around, but the presence of thousands of recent grads in close quarters during Homecoming would have been a risk factor to spread norovirus and some nasty symptoms, among them the aforementioned vomiting and diarrhea.
A safer Homecoming in 2022 awaits.
4. This Week In The Patriot League: The league went 3-3 last week an are now 6-18 in non-conference play to date. Games include the following, all of which may be found on ESPN+.
Yale (1-1) at Lehigh (0-4), 12 noon
Colgate (1-3) at Georgetown (1-2), 12:30
Harvard (2-0) at Holy Cross (3-1), 1:30
Cornell (0-2) at Bucknell (0-3), 3:30
Fordham (1-3) at Lafayette (1-3), 3:30
