Week 4 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Columbia's 42-6 win over Georgetown:

1. Momentum.  Putting aside the final score of Saturday's game with Columbia, those of us who have followed this series have noticed something in every season: the Columbia talent gets better every year. Al Bagnoli will go into the College Football Hall of Fame for his nine Ivy championships at Pennsylvania, but his work at Columbia may be some of his best coaching yet.

From 1951 to 2015, Columbia posted a total of four winning seasons in football. Four. To put this in comparison, even with 13 seasons for not playing at Georgetown, the Hoyas managed 22 winning seasons in that same period. If the Lions split their remaining games this season, Bagnoli will have posted winning seasons in four of his last five. He's done it in spite of the headwinds that have bedeviled Lion football for generations: the facilities 100 blocks from campus, the indifference and insouciance of its student body, and seven fellow schools who recruit against Columbia the same way the SEC recruits against Vanderbilt: "there's no winning there."

So many coaches have walked across Baker Field, and later went headlong into a brick wall: Aldo Donelli, Frank Navarro, Bill Campbell, Bob Naso, Jim Garrett, Larry McElreavy, Ray Tellier, Bob Shoop, Norries Wilson, Pete Mangurian. From 1979 to 1991, Columbia won a total of nine games.  When Bagnoli took over in 2015, the Light Blue was a combined 4-36 in the prior four. 

Columbia isn't Fordham, and it's not even Harvard. Saturday's game with Princeton will say a lot about where Columbia fits in the 2022 race; while picked sixth, the degree to how their defense will mature will say a lot if they can move up the ranks. 

Georgetown won the first two games in this nine game series versus Columbia and Columbia has won four of the next five. Those four have all come under Al Bagnoli, and that's no accident.

The players notice it, too.

"We have so many dudes that can get it done. I think me adding another is just adding more versatility to the offense,” said WR Bryson Canty. "Already in the first few games, we’ve improved so much from last year, because I remember last year we struggled to put up points sometimes."

At 69, this is likely Bagnoli's last job as a head coach. More than most, he has left a legacy to his successor and to Columbia University as a whole: if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

2. Lessons From Week Four. When an opponent is 14 of 18 on third  down conversions, trouble follows, no matter if the opponent is Columbia or Clemson. Following a missed field goal midway in the first quarter, the Lions scored on seven of seven of its final eight possessions. 

This starts on the ground, where Georgetown is allowing 4.5 yards per play. That's leaving a third and one, on average. The defensive line is not getting the penetration and this gives an opposing offense that most valuable of resources: time. It's a toxic combination when the Hoyas face Fordham on Saturday, given the skill of its passing offense. The Rams have more passing touchdowns in 2022 (22) than Georgetown has in total this season (nine) .

Georgetown hasn't given up on the run (32 carries per game) but if there was a week to do so, this may be it. The Rams are allowing 374 yards per game in the air, which is more than Georgetown averages overall (347.3), so it brings a question following rushing struggles with Monmouth and Columbia: do you just make this a passing contest? 

Tempting as it may be, Georgetown doesn't win that argument. The Rams have not scored fewer than 48 points in four games this season, while the last Division I school that the Hoyas scored 48 points on was Marist...in 2011.  Georgetown has never scored 48 points in a Patriot League game.

Time of possession is the only way, perhaps, for Georgetown to stay close with Fordham. That starts on the ground and it ends on the defensive line. Both need a spark this week.

3. Around the  Patriot League: Week four saw the continuing distance between the top two and the bottom five.

Ohio 59, Fordham 52: It didn't take long before the artillery started flying: 1,332 yards and ten passing touchdowns later, Ohio overcame a 49-38 deficit and two fourth quarter fumbles to prevail, 59-52. The Rams' defense continues to have serious questions, but its offense is without peer. This week: vs. Georgetown (1-3).

Holy Cross 35, Colgate 10: In its first serious test of the season, the Crusaders overcame a 10-7 deficit to Colgate before a convincing 35-10 win over the Red Raiders at Fitton Field. The first of two challenges to an undefeated season for the Purple comes Saturday, where they seek its first win in Cambridge since 2000. This week: Holy Cross at Harvard (2-0), Colgate vs. Cornell (1-1)

Princeton 29, Lehigh 17: A competitive game through the third quarter, three Lehigh turnovers turned the corner for Princeton. Still a lot of questions for the Engineers, but this game was won they will look back upon as an opportunity lost.   This week: vs. Monmouth (2-2)

Penn 12, Lafayette 0: The Leopards struggled on the ground, with one net yard against the stronger Quaker defense. Lafayette was stopped in its only red zone possession of the game, and that was enough. A battle of attrition follows Saturday at winless Bucknell (0-3), who was off this past week.

Week 3 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Monmouth's 45-6 win over Georgetown last week:

1. No Surprises. Monmouth is the third toughest opponent on the 2022 schedule, so any frustrations posted last week in a loss to Lehigh aren't as applicable. The Hawks have one of the best offenses to date in the FCS entering this game and played to form. Monmouth scored on three of the first four possessions of the game and did not punt after halftime. A total of 466 yards in 33:23 of time of possession are good numbers for a team that will likely finish near the bottom of the Colonial Athletic Association this fall in their move up from the Big South, but it's still a few yards ahead of anything the PL has to offer, with the possible exception of Holy Cross.

The Monmouth defense, which had give up 52 points to Fordham the week prior, did its part. The Hoyas were held to three first downs in the second half, which is more about Monmouth's adjustments than any poor play by the Hoyas on offense. A case could be made for offensive coordinator  Rob Spence to be more aggressive when playing from behind, but for what the Hawks did on defense, the Georgetown offense did what it was expected to do.

Defensively, the Hoyas have issues and we'll be seeing more of these rise to the surface as the season progresses. The Hawks had seven drives of six plays or more and converted five of them into touchdowns. Just four tackles were credited to members of the Hoyas'  defensive line. Two weeks removed from Tim DeMorat and Fordham, the defense needs to come together.

2. FloSports, We Hardly Knew Ye. An admitted fan of the PL on Stadium in prior years, the move to ESPN+ comes with a cost but it is still a good product. However, a quote of $29.99 to watch this game on FloSports wasn't flying, and since I'm far removed from the cable networks of the Delaware Valley showing the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia, I caught it on Monmouth's college radio station.

An alumnus of college radio myself, I'm tolerant of college broadcasters as a rule, mindful that there's no rehearsal and no spotters. While the facilities at Kessler Stadium are light years ahead of the days when we ran a 500 foot telephone cord from the Yates lobby up to Kehoe Field to broadcast games, it's still walking a tightrope. But, in hindsight, the WMCX announcers had their issues.

Years from now, I hope they keep a tape of the games they did, if not to enjoy the calls but the little things that seemed professional at the time that will be amusing in later years, such as the outro where the announcer would pause after each score and say "This is WMCX, 88.9 FM, Monmouth University's (pause for effect...) COLLEGE RADIO STATION!"

One issue was knowing exactly who and where their opponent was. In introducing Monmouth offensive OL Will Argo, the play by play announcer (who I won't mention specifically) noted to the audience that "he's from Georgetown," later suggesting that the Hoyas were from Argo's hometown of Georgetown, Delaware. His analyst, when asked in the second quarter what a "Hoya" was, suggested it was "a coyote or something."

Describing Georgetown to the audience was also interesting. "Georgetown? It's partially a law school, you know," said the lead announcer. "It's called a baby Ivy." He then added that next week's opponent, Villanova, "is an actual law school." 

The more you know...

3. First Quarter Stats: We're three weeks intro a 12 week season, so it's a good time to see where the Hoyas fare nationally. It's better than you might think:

Points Per Game: 64th nationally (3rd in the PL)

Points Allowed: 26th (3rd)

Rushing Offense: 67th (3rd)

Passing Offense:  45th (3rd)

Total Offense: 54th (3rd)

Rushing Defense: 43rd (3rd)

Passing Defense:  34th (1st)

Total Defense: 26th (1st)

Net Turnovers: 41st (3rd)

A 2-1 mark heading into this next quartile of games would have been optimal, but it's 1-2. Earning a 2-1 mark over the next three weeks takes the Hoyas into some rare air, at least for this program: a .500 record at the break. That climb starts Saturday.

3. Around the  Patriot League: Another good week for PL teams in week three.

Central Michigan 41, Bucknell 0: The Bison get the bye this week after a game that was close at the half.  Trailing 7-0 at the break, Bucknell gave up five consecutive touchdown drives to open the second half.

Richmond 30, Lehigh 6: Any era of good feeling for Tom Gilmore following the Georgetown win was short lived, as the Spiders went ahead 20-0 and never looked back.  Lehigh was outgained 423-203 and mounted only one red zone penetration for the afternoon. This week: at Princeton (1-0)

Penn 26, Colgate 14: A crowd of only 4,678 at Franklin Field saw the Penn defense lock down the red Raiders, holding Colgate to 43 yards on the ground and 192 yards overall. Penn QB Aidan Sayin was 31 of 44 for 289 yards and two touchdowns in the game. A tall defensive order awaits Saturday in Peter Sluka. This week: hosts Holy Cross (3-0)

Holy Cross 38, Yale 14: A season's best 13,847 at Fitton Field saw the Crusaders continue to march forward. Sluka passed for 249 yards while HC put up 571 yards on the Elis. Saturday's game is one of two games remaining where  the Crusaders could trip up en route to the PL title, but are favored to get past Colgate in this one,. Next game: at Colgate (1-2)

William & Mary 34, Lafayette 7: Another rough afternoon on the ground for the Leopards, netting 47 yards on 37 attempts as the Tribe scored the final 27 points of the game for the win. Next week: at Penn (1-0)

Fordham 48, Albany 45: The Rams are nothing if not exciting, as Tim DeMorat threw for 464 yards and still needed a fourth quarter defensive stop with 2:11 to play.  Next week: at Ohio (1-2)

Week 2 Thoughts

 

Nebraska. Texas A&M. Notre Dame.

Saturday's college football results were replete with mind-numbing, misplaced efforts by nationally prominent teams and coaches which frankly should do better. And while no one else was adding Georgetown to that list, maybe they should have.

Saturday's home opener with Lehigh should have been a celebration of better times ahead for the Hoyas, with a half-stadium that had been presumed, predicted, promised,  and otherwise prayed for across three generations of Georgetown coaches. "Give us a facility and we can turn this around," they told us.

Since 2021, Georgetown has played five games in The House That Peter Cooper Built, and it has lost all five. Saturday, with the Cooper family and dozens of football alumni in the stands, it had three significant opportunities in this game and failed on all three.  And  that's on the coaching staff for a series of plays in a game that Georgetown gave away as much as Lehigh won.

 1. Missed Opportunities. Early returns were discouraging. On Georgetown's second drive of the game, the Hoyas moved 60 yards in six plays, setting up at the Lehigh two. What got them there? Passing. Pierce Holley was 3-3 in that drive, with 55 yards in the air.

 First and goal at the two, shotgun draw, no gain.

Second and goal at the two, shotgun draw, no gain.  

Third down, a one yard pass with two to go. Fourth and one, fall start, and Georgetown settles for three.

Fast forward to the opening Georgetown drive of the third quarter after the Engineers score on three consecutive possessions. Holley leads the Hoyas on eight plays to the Lehigh 14. First down, with Lehigh on its heels? Shotgun draw.

Offensive coordinator Rob Spence continues to dial up the short pass instead of the end zone. With some of the best receivers  GU has had in a decade, Holley gets two short passes to the eight yard line, but passed on points. Georgetown hasn't met a fourth down  it didn't like, and decided that yet another short pass was the answer. It wasn't then, and it isn't now.

So why not do it again? Late in the third, start at the 20, drive 60 yards to the Lehigh 20. Three straight shotgun draws and Georgetown turns it over on downs. 

If the Hoyas pick up a field goal on either series, the late game drive is the winning drive. Instead, it merely sets Georgetown up for yet another crushing defeat when Holley, arguably the slowest rushing quarterback in the conference, and having connected on seven of eight passes to score, tries to run for the tying conversion.

"Georgetown is not a well-coached team," wrote a Lehigh fan on a message board following the game. "The Sgarlata does so much with so little narrative has thankfully finally fallen by the wayside. His teams do not play smart, fundamental football and his in-game decision making is awful. Georgetown outplayed Lehigh last night but made far more mistakes."

2. Words Matter. Some post game quotes:

"We did not execute and play at the level we needed to, and that's my fault. As the head football coach, that's your job to have your guys read the play and put them in position to make plays and let them do it. At the end of the day, that's on us. I thought our players, there was--nobody tried to make a mistake today. Nobody was trying to do it on purpose. We have to do a better job of coaching them and getting the fundamentals right. That's coaching on our part, and that's what we have to do as a staff and all the things we have to do... Had opportunities, but got to coach it better. That's on me."

"I don’t know if that’s a reason why or a lack of execution.  But it starts with me.  It starts with me as a head coach and looking at myself and saying, what do I have to do to help this football team and really look at everything we’re doing, because the performance isn’t where we need it to be."

Except neither of those were quotes from Rob Sgarlata, but two of the coaches at the top of the page; namely, Jimbo Fisher and Marcus Freeman, after their own discouraging late game losses. For the record, here's Sgarlata's quote:

"We did a nice job of staying in the game and creating some explosive plays tonight. I'm really proud of our guys for the way they trusted and relied on each other to make some plays and to get that last drive. Any time you get the chance to tie the game up late, it's super exciting. We're an extremely talented team that plays hard, that made some mental errors and Lehigh took advantage."

Enthusiasm aside, Coach, this was not the quote for a game like this. This is a program which is not that good, is going to get knocked around a lot this season, and yet this was a game for the taking... against arguably the weakest Lehigh team since the 1960s's. Poor play calling, poor late game decisions and poor execution are all clues to yet another loss for the Patriot's least distinguished team.

"Tonight was a very characteristic, one-score Patriot League game," Sgarlata  added.

 In Patriot League games of seven points of less since 2014, Georgetown is 3-15.

 2. Attendance? Blue. At opening of what is now Cooper Field in 2005, the Hoyas drew 3,500 against Brown. At its reopening Saturday night, just 2,107, or less than 500 more than showed up at the soccer game that afternoon. On a night where Georgetown officials discouraged the Lehigh marching band from coming to Washington, there were plenty of seats to be had. Yet again.

For those of us who bemoaned the loss of visitor seating and a still-undersized stadium compared to our peers, however you define them If Georgetown even can't fill what it has, how will it ever need more?

Three questions:

1. With nearly 6,000 students on campus or within there blocks of same, how many were  invited to attend by social media or e-mail, and how many attended?

2. With nearly 50,000 alumni within one hour of the campus, how many were  invited to attend by social media or e-mail, and how many attended?

3. How many tickets were sold in advance?

Ten years ago, the season opener drew just 2,147 and Georgetown has done little to promote football in the interim. Should we be surprised?

3. Around the  Patriot League: A solid week for PL teams in week two.

 Holy Cross 37, Buffalo 31: Yes, the last play of the game made the ESPN highlight package, but the Crusaders were strong throughout. QB Matthew Sluka picked up 396 yards in total offense and threw for three touchdowns. A Homecoming crowd Saturday at Fitton Field versus Yale will draw better than 2,107. Next game: vs. Yale (0-0)

Fordham 52, Monmouth 49: QB Tim DeMorat throws for 452 yards and six touchdowns, and even that wasn't enough to be comfortable until the end. The Rams must improve its defense or else, no matter what DeMorat can do. As for Monmouth, Saturday's home game with the Hoyas looks promising. This week: at Albany (0-2)

Colgate 21, Maine 18: Following an expected loss at Stanford, the Red Raiders stood tall on defense, holding Maine to 6 for 18 on third down conversion and earning its first win over the Black Bears in 23 years. This week: at Penn (0-0)

Temple 30, Lafayette 14:  A solid effort from the Leopards, despite just 110 yards of total offense. Three Temple fumbles kept it close. An announced crowd of 18,430 saw this one, but looked about 3,000 on TV. This week: vs. William & Mary (2-0)

VMI 24, Bucknell 14: More of the same for the Bison, whose offense continues to struggle to gain yardage: 61 yards at the half, 183 overall. Three VMI turnovers kept it close, but not that close. This week: at Central Michigan (0-2)

Week 1 Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Georgetown's 43-12 win over Marist:

1. Rice, Texas, and Marist: In the midst of one of his greatest speeches, John F. Kennedy inserted a handwritten note in his speech at Rice University in 1962  when calling the nation's will for the space race: " "But why, some say, the moon?" Kennedy said. "Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic?...why does Rice play Texas?"

Well, the obvious answer is that they played in the same conference, and did for the next 33 years which saw Texas win 31 of those 33. Texas, with a student body roughly 20 times that of is opponent, has won all 14 meetings since. But by 2022, Texas isn't playing Rice for anything but a win before one of its largest alumni bases. When a bigger opponent comes along, Texas may play someone else (this Saturday's game with Alabama counts in that regard), but at this point, it's a win.

So after 23 years since they last played together in the MAAC, why does Georgetown play Marist? 

Most years, it's a win, as was the case Saturday in a 43-12 finish that could have been  worse. Yes, the coaches are friends, yes, it's a game in New York, albeit with little alumni turnout. Georgetown probably isn't getting any calls from Villanova or Towson for a season opener (and certainly not Stanford), so when you need to fill a schedule, you fill it. 

And yes, it's a win. Rob Sgarlata has only 24 wins since 2014, and six have been against Marist. But what it has also become is a barometer of future performance. In the last eight seasons where Georgetown defeated Marist, the Hoyas were a combined 37-51 (.420) those seasons. Not a great number anywhere but inside McDonough Gym, but definitely better to the last five losses in this series, where Georgetown finished a combined 7-47 (.129). Georgetown's 43-12 win does not set off any alarms, but as noted in the Pre-Game Report, it's not always a sign of progress, either.

2. What We Learned: With the plethora of college games available on TV, cable, and streaming this weekend, Saturday's game stated the obvious that Georgetown isn't very fast off the ball compared to many larger schools. 

Some of it is Pierce Holley, who is not a mobile passer. Some of it is the running backs, who do not get acceleration off the line. These two factors were not surprising. What was surprising was the lack of attack in the air. Georgetown has three very good receivers against a Pioneer-level secondary, and yet GU managed just 176 passing yards, averaging less than nine yards per catch.

Cameron Crayton, Joshua Tomas, and Asante Das need to go long and test some secondaries this season. They are certainly capable of more than passes along the line.

The defense looked good, a point of concern with newcomers in the secondary, but to be fair, Marist was in no shape to  really test the Hoyas deep--the 43 yard touchdown play by the Red Foxes was an anomaly in this game, but could be a harbinger of things to come against more talented quarterbacks. For now, a good step forward.

3. Around the  Patriot League: Scores from the other games this week looked a lot like these teams looked last season:

Holy Cross 31, Merrimack 17: The Crusaders were surprised by the Warriors last season after an emotional win at Connecticut. No such surprise this week, but for a third year Division I team, Merrimack is on the right track.  For HC, Matthew Sluka opened with 345 yards of all-purpose offense: 242 in the air, 102 on the ground. The road to the PL title runs through Worcester until further notice. This week: at Buffalo (0-1)

Fordham 48, Wagner 31: Tim DeMorat passed for 386 yards but the Rams still needed a fourth quarter rally to get past a Wagner team that had lost 13 straight entering this game.  The defense has to pick it up over the next few weeks to give DeMorat support. This week: at Monmouth (0-1)

Villanova 45, Lehigh 17: The Wildcats went up 24-0 early and never looked back. Saturday's game with the Hoyas may be a must-win for the Engineers given what lies ahead of them on the schedule. This week: at Georgetown (1-0)

Lafayette 6, Sacred Heart 0: Not a game for the archives. The Leopards had just 113 yards total offense but forced 10 punts and stopped the Pioneers on the goal line on the last play of the game. This week: at Temple (0-1)

Towson 14, Bucknell 13: A missed extra point in overtime was the difference in this game, as each team combined for just one touchdown in regulation. This week: at VMI (0-1)

Stanford 41, Colgate 13: 118 yards by E.J. Smith, son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, paced the Cardinal past the Red Raiders before just 26,826 at Stanford Stadium. Expectations for a Colgate win were zero, but the Red Raiders acquitted themselves to form--evenly matched on the ground but outmatched in the air, as Stanford outgained Colgate 497-218 and wrote them a six figure check for the privilege. This week: at Maine (0-1)

The 4-3 finish for the Patriot League in week one was its best since the 2016 season opener.