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)
