In contrast to a Georgetown offense with lots of questions entering the 2023 season, the defense return experience, even if it was challenged during many of the games last season.
Past experience suggests the Hoyas can't go very far at all without a skilled defensive set, and experience burnishes that skill. With this, five questions for the 2023 defense:
1. How do the Hoyas address the run? Georgetown was last in the PL in rush defense in 2022 (187.5 yards/game), whish was statistically better than its 197 yards in 2021. Controlling the run falls to a group of experienced linemen in senior Kwame Achompong, junior VeRon Garrison, and sophomore Mateen Ibrigoba. Of these, Garrison's 29 tackles and four TFL's last season were solid, but Ibrigoba's 22 tackles and four sacks was one off the team lead for a Georgetown defense which tied for second in the PL last season in sacks. The Hoyas' improvement in the secondary is supported by a stronger approach up front, one which these three can take the lead on. Reducing the average rush allowed under 150 yards would be a sizeable step forward for the Hoyas to contend.
2. Who is the next Justin Fonteneaux? No small shoes to fill after Fonteneaux's 2022 season, where he averaged just short of eight tackles a game and earned second team all-PL honors at linebacker. If Will Kessler and Ibri Harrell continue as outside linebackers, there is a pressing need for a stopgap in the middle. Junior Myles Jones, with 16 tackles last season in spot duty, could be a candidate, along with sophomore Jed Henry.
3. How does the secondary hold up? Despite finishing third in the league in pass defense in 2022, the Hoyas were last in defensive efficiency, which is a function of opponent completion percentage. Put another way, opponents got a lot of completions against the Hoyas defense, from Fordham's Tom DeMorat to Holy Cross' Michael Sluka, the latter competing his first 11 passes.
Sluka returns for the season finale, but the Hoyas must do better on passing sets all season long.
4. Can Georgetown Hold The Line? The Hoyas were last in the Patriot League (and 118th of 123 teams nationally) in third down conversions allowed, at a very poor 49 percent. On fourth down, much the same: last in the PL and 108th nationally with a discouraging 60 percent of fourth downs (15 of 25) extending opponent drives.
5. Can the defense win the second half? Georgetown gave up an average of 21 points per game in 2022...in the second half alone. If you've followed this site's "Rule of 22" when it comes to Georgetown's offense, it becomes prohibitive for the Hoyas to win giving up more than 22 points in any game of the Patriot league era because the offense is historically overmatched on its talent.
The Hoyas gave up 36.5 points per game last season, most in any season since 2009. Without a meaningful reduction in this number, the chances for any winning season is just not happening because the offense is not capable of matching these numbers.
