Some thoughts following Georgetown's 30-20 win over Lafayette:
1. Having Their Number: Perhaps it's just preparation. Perhaps it's more likely for two teams who have not had a winning season between themselves in over a decade to be closely matched. Either way, Georgetown's win Saturday was a welcome if brief respite against the relentlessly uphill climb which the University seems unwilling to fix.
As noted here recently, the win-loss numbers against Patriot League teams are grim. In the last 10 years, however, a pattern is evident between Georgetown and Lafayette, (and to some extent, Bucknell), and everyone else. Since 2012, here are Georgetown's win-loss records by PL opponent:
Bucknell: 4-5
Colgate: 0-10
Fordham 1-9
Holy Cross: 2-7
Lafayette: 5-5
Lehigh: 1-9
Put another way, with a win over Bucknell in two weeks, GU would be an even 10-10 against either Lafayette or Bucknell, and a combined 4-35 versus everyone else.
What was (or is) Georgetown's secret against Lafayette? In these 10 games, three patterns follow:
1. Close, low scoring games: The "Rule of 22" is a knockout punch to Georgetown teams when the opponent can score 22 or more points, but it's a number rarely seen in the series. Georgetown's 30 points were the most scored by any team since 2015. The Leopards have scored more than 24 points against the Hoyas just once since 2010, as compared to five such scores before 2010.
2. Defensive control: Unlike games against Fordham or Colgate where the Hoyas cannot control the line of scrimmage, these two teams are very comparable across the lines, which helps to keep both teams in contention.
3. Key plays: Rob Sgarlata calls them "criticals" , those four or five plays that can change a game. Saturday, Georgetown connected on four of them:
1. 1st Quarter: Lafayette tries a fake punt after gaining five yards on a Georgetown offsides: Georgetown holds the Leopards and scores its first touchdown on the succeeding drive.
2. 2nd Quarter: Score one for the Leopards for the sack and fumble recovery that led to the Leopards' late second quarter score and a reversal of momentum entering the second half.
3. 3rd Quarter: Georgetown picks up the big turnover when Wedner Cadet gets ahead of Ah-Shaun Davis' flanker pass. This ends the Leopards' run that closed to 17-14 and sets up a Georgetown touchdown.
4. 4th quarter: Defensive Lapse: The Hoyas had been waiting to work the Lafayette secondary and it come with a flash with Jimmy Kibble's 46 yard touchdown pass, extending the lead.
5. Defensive Stop. A late two point conversion attempt would have closed the Georgetown lead to eight, but the Hoyas held and Lafayette never mounted a comeback.
2. Attendance Check. Announced attendance at Saturday's game was 3,473. This image from the broadcast begs to differ.
3. Around the PL: No one will long remember Georgetown-Lafayette, but they will remember Fordham-Holy Cross.
Holy Cross 53, Fordham 52: The game was for the nominative league championship and it delivered, with the Crusaders falling behind but tying the score in regulation on a strange official's call where a personal foul penalty was called to have taken place after the touchdown had been caught. Fordham fans can be forgiven if that didn't reek of a homer call.
In the overtime, Tim, DeMorat needed one play to give the Rams the lead, then answered by the Crusaders. HC coach Bob Chesney opted to go for two, then pulled a reverse out of his playbook for the win--shades of Boise State taking out Oklahoma with the Statue of Liberty play from years gone by. Here's the winning play:
Chesney's star is ascendant. The Crusaders fans should enjoy it before he gets a call from a larger program. Holy Cross plays Lehigh this weekend, Fordham gets Bucknell. Both should be big wins for the league leaders.
Colgate 13, Bucknell 7: For all the fireworks in Worcester, the Red Raiders got past a sleepy Bucknell outfit before just 1,164 in Lewisburg. The Bison now average less than ten points a game heading into a game with the high-powered Fordham offense, while Colgate continues its upward trajectory hosting Lafayette.
