Some thoughts following Georgetown's 31-10 win at Marist:
1. Expectations Met: A post at a FCS (I-AA) message board I visit asked this question: "When will we know if [the Hoyas] are really any good? It wasn't going to be answered Saturday at Marist, but we did pick up come clues.
Offensively, the line is doing great work in opening up holes for the backs and closing them on the rush. Through two games, Georgetown is averaging a healthy six yards per carry while QB Danny Lauter has not surrendered a sack. Entering Week Three, Georgetown is 26th nationally in rushing offense, an unusual place for the Hoyas to be when compared with prior years. By contrast, its 160 yards per game in passing is down from where it was at the end of the 2023 season, but that's a reflection of needs and opportunities. The defenses against the run among Ivy and Patriot teams will be a significant step up from what Pioneer teams offer, so Georgetown will be transitioning to more in the air as the season progresses.
Defensively, Georgetown settled down after the first Marist possession and held the Red Foxes to nine punts and a field goal thereafter, and four for 15 on third down possession. The rushing defense will be tested over the next three weeks, but they grade out well this far.
The return game have been very strong. The Hoyas started its first three drives of the second half at midfield, and that set the tone for a game which was still close at the half. In face, the last drive of the game, with the outcome certain, is the first drive all season where Georgetown started within its 20 yard line.
Yes, Georgetown was favored to win, and did, BUT let's give some well deserved credit to Marist. The Red Foxes opened its season Saturday with a new head coach, a new staff, and a largely new team, including 53 freshmen. Coach Mike Willis has the ingredients for a significantly improved Marist team in the Pioneer, and there were some encouraging signs in that first half. For forty minutes, the Red Foxes played the Hoyas close-- and with experience, will be a more formidable opponent going forward.
No rest for the weary, however-- Marist's next two games are at Lafayette and at Bucknell. The Red Foxes won't be favored in either but its defensive line pressure against LC's Dean DeNobile and BU's Ralph Rucker could makes these games reasonably competitive.
Georgetown met its expectations for Week Two, and take another step upward Saturday at Sacred Heart.
2. Getting It Right: When Georgetown next returns its game at Davidson, likely next year, it will do so at Davidson's new $54 million football facility, the 5,500 seat Davidson College Stadium on the northwest corner of that college's grounds. It's a world removed from the 100 year old Richardson Field, which was showing its age and wasn't going to last much longer.
Davidson College Stadium is more than a football field, however, but the kind of true multi-sport facility that Georgetown once sought, but ultimately did not deliver on. Cooper Field is a monument of sorts to misplaced priorities and lost opportunities. At a glance, this facility puts Davidson right where it wants to be, and where it wants to be moving forward.
As its athletic director told the Charlotte Post, "We orient everything we do with facilities around the scholar athlete. This really was the culmination of looking at our previous facilities and create more enhancement and capacity around their wellness. This transforms everything we do; this transforms everything our scholar athletes are looking for and puts us on par with other bigger institutions in terms of the facilities they’re able to provide... There’s a lot of great things this space can do and accommodate. The concessions are fantastic, the food service we can provide. Beyond athletics, provides a really cool space for events and different opportunities. We wanted to create a space where we could bring people [together].”
If this harkens back to some of the hopes for the Multi-Sport Facility and its ill-fated partner, the McDonough Convocation Center, it does. But to its credit, Davidson got it right.
3. Around The Patriot League: After a rough open week for the other six schools, three schools picked up its first win of the season, while three others will seek that win this weekend.
Bucknell 35, VMI 28: Quarterback Ralph Rucker threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns as the Bison won on the road in Lexington. The Bison are making some real progress with Rucker at the helm and if the defense can hold its own, Bucknell will make a move up the standings. At 1-1 following the win, Bucknell hosts 0-2 Merrimack following the Warriors' 63-14 loss at UConn.
Lehigh 49, Wagner 13: Good times returned to South Mountain, as the Engineers (1-1) routed the Seahawks 42-0 at the half en route to the five touchdown win. The halftime score was its most since 2001 (49-0 versus Georgetown) and the final score is largest since 2007. Wagner was held to just 22 yards at the break. Lehigh travels to LIU (0-2) following the Sharks' 45-0 loss at TCU,
Lafayette 40, Monmouth 35: The pre-season favorite for the Patriot League title continues to impress, as the Leopards (1-1) pulled off an improbable win at Kessler Stadium. As written at Monmouth's web site, "Monmouth took the lead with under two minutes remaining... to make it 35-28. Lafayette quickly answered by taking the ball 89 yards on four plays to pull within one. The Leopards opted to go for two and the lead, but Dean DeNobile's pass was knocked away by Deuce Lee at the goal line to keep Monmouth in front. With 53 seconds remaining, Lafayette needed an onside kick to keep its hopes alive and the Leopards were able to recover. A 42-yard connection from DeNobile to Elijah Steward with 36 seconds on the clock put the visitors ahead for good and capped a high-scoring fourth quarter." It's the kind of game that will pay dividends for the Leopards as they move forward. First up: 0-2 Marist.
New Hampshire 21, Holy Cross 20: No such luck for the Crusaders (0-2), who gave up a sack and an interception in the final minute to lose the upset bid versus the 2-1 Wildcats. Of particular pain: HC was 1 of 13 on third down. Next up for Holy Cross, a road game at Bryant (1-1).
Central Connecticut State 33, Fordham 3: This was a surprise: CCSU dominated this game, taking advantage of a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a safety en roure to a 19-0 halftime lead and the Blue Devils never looked back. The Rams (0-2) fumbled on three of its first five possessions and five turnovers overall in a rain-soaked game. Fordham hosts Stony Brook (1-1) in its Homecoming and home opener Saturday in the Bronx.
Villanova 28, Colgate 3: The Wildcats were too big and too fast, end of story. The usually strong rushing game of the Red Raiders (0-2) managed just 86 yards. Another tough assignment awaits Saturday as Colgate meets Akron (0-2), with the Zips coming off losses at Ohio State and at Rutgers.