Some thoughts following Georgetown's 17-0 win over Lafayette:
1. The Power of Turnovers: Georgetown's first shutout ever against a PL opponent and its first shutout on the road since 2004 was fueled by defensive intensity and four key turnovers.
It's been said that a turnover is a net 4 points in possible scoring and Lafayette gave up four of them with two offering serious scoring potential of its own:
1. First quarter: a pass picked off by Zeraun Daniel at the Georgetown 20;
2. Third quarter: A midfield INT from Cooper Blomstrom (with the assist from Kolubah Pewee) that set up a Georgetown touchdown;
3. Fourth quarter: an alert play from Zeraun Daniel picked off the pass in the Georgetown end zone;
4. Fourth quarter: a midfield pick that ended Lafayette's hopes to get this closer.
If Lafayette gets those two scores instead, a 17-14 score in the fourth quarter is a completely different ball game.
While the Lafayette TV announcers were a little down on QB Dean Dinobile for the throws, only the last one was particularly errant--the Georgetown run defense sufficiently closed the door on RB Jamar Curtis (14-53) and held a quarterback averaging 70 percent completions after five games a mere 10 for 38: outstanding.
Keeping the Leopards on zero also had a cumulative effect. When the scores are to and fro, such as they are in the SEC of late, no lead seems too large and nearly anyone can mount a comeback in the final five minutes. This never seemed to be the case with the Leopards, who seemed to wane early in the fourth quarter, having never entered the Georgetown red zone..
We are unlikely to see a repeat as such (Colgate's last shutout at home was to Villanova in 2001) but if the Hoyas can control the Red Raiders on the ground (where they are second in the PL to date), the secondary can go to work while the GU offense can test a Colgate secondary currently ranked last in the PL.
The prospects are encouraging.
2. Learning To Win: One of the meaningful by-products from a game such as this is the ability for a young team (and yes, it's young) to learn the time-tested adage in sports: one has to learn how to win before they can be a winner. For too long at 37th and O , that hasn't been possible.
The upperclassmen on this team didn't get that. The Hoyas lost more than a season when the University passed on the 2020 season, it lost continuity with the 2018 and 2019 teams that were making headway with the standings. Yes, many players returned in 2021, but it wasn't the same.
The 2024 Hoyas are learning the lessons: protecting the quarterback, third down conversions, defensive agility. It's allowed the team to play looser and not go into a box when behind, as was successful with Columbia, and to play with confidence with a lead, as was successful with Lafayette. It takes a certain confidence to have just one first down in the last 21 minutes of the game not go into a panic, because they know what they needed to do, and just as importantly, what not to.
Georgetown's not running the table, but the ability to put itself in a position to win late in the season where it traditionally does not (we spoke of this before) can be transformative.
3. The Reverse Curse Of Fisher Stadium: There's no good answer for why Georgetown plays as well as it does at Lafayette's Fisher Stadium, and I'm sure there are a few Leopard fans who ask themselves the same question.
Of the six Patriot League road locations, Lafayette is the only one where Georgetown has a winning record: 6-5, three consecutive, and five of the last seven. There's no magic there, inasmuch as the games are usually played in mid-October (where the Hoyas are stronger than at end of year), the games are almost always in good weather, and for the most part, the teams have been more competitive than, say, Georgetown and Holy Cross.
Still, it's a noticeable difference between a game in Easton (or Lewisburg, where GU is 5-7 versus Bucknell) versus Colgate, where colder weather and the long bus rode north tend to take their toll, as Georgetown is 0-9 versus the Red Raiders at Andy Kerr Stadium. Much as Georgetown finally broke through at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium, a win Saturday in Hamilton would be another significant step forward for this program.
4. Around The PL:
Holy Cross 19, Fordham 15: One of only three games in the Patriot League last week, Holy Cross' eighth consecutive win in the Ram-Crusader Cup series said a lot about both teams.
A Homecoming crowd of 10,223 at Fitton Field saw a much better game than those eyeing Fordham's winless record might suspect. The Rams (0-7, 0-2) had three first half possessions ending in Holy Cross territory but managed only a pair of field goals, controlling the first half with a 6-3 lead. The Rams led 13-6 midway in the third when Holy Cross quarterback Joe Pesansky led the Crusaders (3-4, 2-0) on drives of 65 and 75 yards to gain the lead with 6:14 to play, and close the Rams down in the final 1:03 for the win. The win elevates HC to the team with the momentum for the top of the league standings, while Fordham, off to its worst start since 2005, is seeking answers with an otherwise talented lineup. While Holy Cross travels to Harvard, Fordham enters the bye week.
Pennsylvania 31, Bucknell 21: Ralph Rucker continues to make his case as the top quarterback in the PL, going 13-13 to open the game and 26-34 overall, but the Quakers (2-2) put this game away after halftime with 21 unanswered on the Bison (3-3, 1-0) . Penn got 146 yards from RB Malachi Hosley while holding the Bison to just 115 yard on the ground. A crowd of just 2,054 ranks among the smallest in memory at stately Franklin Field for this one. Bucknell returns home to host Cornell this weekend,