Some thoughts following Georgetown's 20-17 win over Columbia:
1. Mr. Little Has Returned To The Building: We'll talk about the key points of the game below, but it's no small accomplishment that Georgetown was able to get a win against an opponent, and a conference, where it has been noncompetitive in recent years. Sometimes fans hear that if Georgetown is non-scholarship and the Ivy League is non-scholarship, there must be some sort of competitive parity at play. Such is not the case.
For any number of reasons, from admissions to financial aid to program support, Georgetown trails every Ivy League school and the results are on the field. At 8-34, that's not competitive, and it's a future discussion to what end Georgetown seeks in playing these teams versus others. What was a solid takeaway from Saturday's game is that while Columbia isn't Harvard, it was an opponent that Georgetown could play at a competitive level and prevail in.
The series itself, well, that's to be determined. Nether side said as much, but the Lou Little Trophy appears to be suspended for a while. Georgetown's schedule gets tighter with the addition of Richmond to the Patriot League and with new leadership at Columbia, they may seek other opponents as well. When these teams return to the gridiron, this can be a series worth considering, but it needs to be one which Georgetown can compete in.
As for Georgetown's Ivy League opponent going forward, Brown, the Hoyas are 1-6. There's more work to be done.
2. Three Keys: In the Pre-Game Report for this game, we identified three areas where the Hoyas needed to excel to maker this game, and they did all three:
Turnovers: Columbia beat Lafayette on the strength of a +2 margin on turnovers. Georgetown won this game on the turnover line: two interceptions in the Columbia red zone, a fumble driving for a score late in the first half, and the key interception late in the fourth. Any +4 mark on turnovers is a big, big deal in close games like this, and it's both a credit to the Georgetown defensive effort in this game as well as the ball control exhibited by an offense that had given up four interceptions in the last two games an none Saturday versus Columbia. Well done.Defensive Penetration: One of the underrated stories of 2024 has been the ability of Georgetown's offensive line to protect its quarterback. It did not allow a sack on Danny Lauter in Saturday's game. Georgetown is ranked 13th in the nation in this statistic. To its credit, Columbia is right alongside Georgetown. With a less productive rushing game, the Hoyas go as far as its passing game will take them, and this protection is essential for Georgetown moving forward.Field Position: Georgetown's average field position was at its 32, and no possession inside its 20. Columbia started, on average from its 20, but with five possessions inside its 20 and two inside its 10. The field position gave Georgetown a chance to compete, and it delivered.
And can we salute the Georgetown secondary? Columbia's All-Ivy receiver Bryson Canty had 39 yards in the air on the Lions' opening possession, and 21 in the opening possession of the second half. The rest of the game? None.
3. Goals For The Bye Week: There are three: 1) rest. 2) revisit the run game, and 3) drill down on special teams. More on each in next week's column.
4. Around The PL:
Bucknell 38, Lehigh 35 (OT). Did anyone have this upset on their calendar? In a game that had a little of everything, including a 100 yard kickoff reception and a 79 yard interception returned for a touchdown, the Bison (3-2, 1-0) gave up 500 total yards on the road and nearly 37 minutes of time of possession but battled back to force overtime on the Engineers (3-2, 0-1) and picked up the game winning fumble in the second. It's arguably one of the biggest Bucknell wins over the last decade and even though this is not the Lehigh team of old, it's done something that relatively few Bucknell teams have had entering October: they're in the conversation. Both schools have the week ahead off.
Syracuse 42, Holy Cross 14: No surprise here as the Orangemen at home were too much for HC to overcome. However, Holy Cross (1-4) is improving every week and, despite so much loss from last season's team, is going to contend. Its game at Colgate next week is a must-win for both teams.
Pennsylvania 27, Colgate 14: lat week, I said that Colgate might be one of the best 1-3 teams in the nation, and now that they're 1-4, it still applies. Penn was strong throughout but Colgate was never pout of action, thanks to a PL record-tying 16 catches from WR Treyvhon Saunders. The Red Raiders ' game tying drive fell short by one yard with 2:43 to play, and the Quakers ran out the clock. Saturday's game with Holy Cross will be telling for both teams.
Monmouth 63, Fordham 21: If the wheels aren't off the bus on the 2024 Rams (0-5), they're wobbling. Injuries have decimated its offense, but the Hawks (3-2) hung 49 points on the Kessler Stadium scoreboard by halftime and never looked back. Fordham was outgained 571-278 and allowed 407 yards on the ground and 14.5 yards per completion. A home matchup with Lafayette, coming off its bye week at 2-2, is make or break for the Rams.