Some thoughts from Sacred Heart's 40-14 win over Georgetown this past Saturday... while wondering if Georgetown is the only Division I school without a video board in 2024:
1. What We Learned. This was a surprise in all phases of the game: an offense that ground to a halt after two productive weeks, a defense that could not contain the run against an opponent that was held to 10 points by a winless Division II school, the most turnovers in any game in eight years. It had all the trappings of week three of the 2023 season, where the Hoyas stumbled against Division I newcomer Stonehill, 23-20.
Except this game wasn't as close.
Saturday's game was less a "trap" game than a "window" game, because it opened a window to the three issues that Georgetown must address, and soon, for it to make a serious run at that elusive winning season.
First, the run defense remains a concern. Sacred Heart had just 146 yards against Division II St. Anselm the week before, and went for 264 yards, 125 yards more than Georgetown. Yes, it was warm. Yes, it was on the road. Yes, the early injury to VeRon Garrison hurt, but this was a team effort regardless. The next two Ivy opponents finished near the bottom of the Ivy League in rushing last season (Brown, 96.0 yards per game, Columbia 128.7), so any repeat of Saturday's ground game would be alarming heading into Patriot League play.
Second, the Georgetown run game has a natural ceiling, and it arrived Saturday. Marist and Davidson are not I-AA quality rush defenses, and Sacred Heart shone a light as to what other teams will due to what is a limited GU backfield. Again, Mason Gudger's injury didn't help, but the Hoyas need more out of its backfield to give the passing game time to develop. And while we're at it:
Third, this was a concerning game for QB Danny Lauter. He started 10 for 10, but struggled down the stretch, with one of the Sacred Heart announcers openly wondering if he was playing through an injury. Brief appearances by Dez Thomas and Jacob Holtschlag in the fourth quarter did not give the early appearance that there is a Gunther Johnson ready to succeed Clay Norris out there (pardon the 2017-era reference), but Lauter needs to be ready for Brown on Saturday.
2. What They Learned: From two so-so games to open the season, Sacred Heart played their best football at the right time--before a season high crowd at a Homecoming game that looked more like Georgetown of the 18-drinking age 1980s. Sacred Heart will never be confused with Syracuse, but the beer garden, a busy marching band, and a general school spirit not always seen in Northwest Washington helped carry the Pioneers to the win.
These are uncertain times for the Pioneers in football. Moving to the MAAC consigned its football team to, for now, a nomadic existence as an independent--in fact, along with fellow NEC outcast Merrimack, they're the only two independents in the subdivision, making future scheduling, especially later in the season, a nightmare. The 2025 schedule, at least publicly, has only four schools on the Pioneers' platter: at Norfolk State, at Montana, a home game with Lafayette, and a likely game with Merrimack. The game this past week with Georgetown was the return game from last season and is not likely to return soon with the addition of Richmond to PL schedules next fall.
3. Why Sacred Heart? It's probably a good time to remind readers why Georgetown was playing Sacred Heart in the first place. Simply put, supply and demand.
Let's start at the top. There are 262 Division I teams, of which roughly half (130) are FBS, the "B" standing for "bowl". A win over Georgetown does not count for bowl eligibility, so the big schools won't be calling. Of the 132 schools remaining, as many as 115 of them are playing guarantee games in the first three weeks of the season against those FBS schools for a guarantee fee, so Georgetown isn't a choice when these schools can take a check from TCU (as LIU did) or Central Florida (as New Hampshire did) or even Rutgers (as Howard took advantage of.)
Add to this that the Ivy League doesn't play in the first two weeks of the season, Georgetown doesn't travel beyond a 6-8 hour bus trip to schedule opponents, and wants a home and away series in lieu of a one-way road trip to Chesterton IL or Beaumont, TX.
So who's left out of those constraints? You guessed it: Marist, Davidson, the occasional NEC or MEAC schools without a guarantee opponent that week, or the independents. As much as some of us would like to see a Villanova, a Howard, a Towson, or even some distant opponent which could raise the collective eyebrow of the local sports community, it won't come unless and until Georgetown is an opponent worth scheduling, which they are not and in some ways chooses not to be.
4. New England Is Not Hoya Country: Saturday's game was the eighth game (and only the eighth) Georgetown has played in Connecticut: GU's record is 1-7. It's not much better in New Hampshire (0-1) or Rhode Island (0-3). Massachusetts has more wins (12-25-1) but many of those wins predate the modern era. Why is this? The short answer is distance. A 5-8 hour bus trip takes its toll. While there are FCS teams Georgetown have not played (Bryant, Central Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Merrimack), these seem like long shots in what will be a four game non-conference slate going forward. Remember, those first three weeks figure to be the majority of open dates and teams will be looking elsewhere.
5. Around the Patriot League: A competitive week for the Soon-To-Be-Eight, with one exception. Let's start there.
Stony Brook 27, Fordham 21: A half-empty Homecoming crowd of 3,112 at the former Jack Coffey Field saw the Rams drop its third straight, losing a fourth quarter lead with a pair of interceptions that led to the winning margin. Starting quarterback C.J. Montes was lost to injury in the game and his status remains uncertain heading into what is likely a must win scenario at Dartmouth, where the Big Green were tri-champions in the Ivy last season.
Holy Cross 43, Bryant 22: A strong second half piloted the Crusaders (1-2) past Bryant (1-2) for its first win of the season. Quarterback Joe Pesansky was an efficient 11 for 14 for 100 yards but the HC defense stepped up, holding the Bulldogs to 94 yards on the ground. Holy Cross hosts Yale in the Elis' season opener but without leading running back Jordan Fuller, who is out for the season following an injury in the Bryant game.
Lehigh 20, LIU 17: Another PL team that needed a win, the Engineers (1-2) held off the homestanding Sharks (0-3) before just 1,643 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium. A key third quarter interception by Lehigh resulted in a 27 yard touchdown pass and the winning points in a game that could provide some momentum for Lehigh as they host Princeton.
Merrimack 31, Bucknell 21: Much like Georgetown, the Bison (1-2) were tripped up by an FCS independent, as the Warriors (1-2) scored 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters for the win in Lewisburg, Quarterback Ralph Rucker was held to just 141 yards for Bucknell and gave up two interceptions. A more reasonable opponent awaits as the Bison host Marist (0-2), who have been outscored 87-24 in two games versus PL opponents.
Lafayette 56, Marist 18: Smooth sailing for the Leopards in week three, putting up 528 yards in total offense and holding the Red Foxes to 43 yards on the ground. Lafayette travels to Columbia this Saturday.
Akron 31, Colgate 20: A closer score than the final might indicate, the Red Raiders (0-3) held a 17-0 first quarter lead before the Zips (1-2)( took control before 8,932 at InfoCision Stadium. The teams traded turnovers late in the fourth quarter but Colgate could not pull closer at game's end. Winless after three weeks, this is usually the time the Raiders start to come together, and it might come this weekend hosting Cornell in its season opener.
