Some thoughts following Richmond's 24-21 win over Georgetown this past Saturday:
1. Lessons Learn-ing: There are no moral victories out there and you can't help but credit kicker Kyle Bitsko for stepping up for the game winner, but this was a loss that Georgetown showed improvement in. Entering two weeks of nonconference play, there will be opportunities to focus on three areas of growth Georgetown will need to maximize into October.
This begins with the first half. Georgetown has managed one offensive touchdown in the first half over its last two games, and has allowed 45 points in return. Lehigh and Richmond combined for one punt between them over these two games by halftime, and the Hoya defense is just getting beaten up and ground down too early.
With only 110 first half yards versus the Spiders and 104 the week earlier versus Lehigh, Georgetown does not generate enough offense to give its defense a fighting chance. To its credit, the Hoyas did just that in the second half of this game, as UR's rushing game was contained and the Spiders earned just one red zone penetration after the break. All that said, Georgetown is simply not strong enough offensively to erase a 21-7 mark at the halftime against most teams.
A second area of growth must the the run. The Jack McDaniels offense is well suited to maximizing RPO opportunities but Georgetown doesn't have enough of the "R" and its quarterbacks can't run the "O". With opponents limiting touches for Clay Ash, the development of additional run options for Jayden Sumpter and, when he gets the opportunity, Bryce Cox, has merit. It may not be fashionable in modern college football to run two-back sets, but until such time as the offense can give Jack Johnson suitable time in the pocket, a rushing attack with two choices is a good first step. It's also an intriguing option for this week given that Columbia allowed 232 yards on the ground to Lafayette, where the Leopards earned 4.4 yards per carry.
The third area is in defensive stops. Georgetown ranks last in the nation in defensive third down conversion, allowing opponents 63 percent efficiency over two games. That's just too easy for teams to exploit. Numbers like this extend drives and push the Hoyas further to the bottom of FCS in time of possession, where only Houston Christian has fewer minutes on the field offensively than does Georgetown. A week's work of preparation does not add up when its defense is on the field 41 minutes a game.
Columbia put 40 points on the board versus Lafayette last week--sending a message to those in D.C. that Georgetown has to turn the clock around to its advantage, or it simply won't have enough possessions to contend.
2. About Those Ivies: These are changing times in the Patriot League, a given. While opponents such as Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, and Duke appear on other PL opponent schedules, Georgetown looks to the old verities. Some of it is necessity, and some of it may be a institutional ceiling.
With nine PL games now on the calendar, teams had to cut its non-conference schedules from five to three moving forward. Georgetown cut back even more, opting to play just two games, both against Ivy League opponents: Columbia and Cornell, neither of which are competing for the Ivy's playoff bid in 2026. The necessity is obvious, perhaps: Pitt is not calling Georgetown for a game and Coach Sgarlata is not signing up for a 73-0 blowout and a $400,000 check to do so.
For a university which seems institutionally uncomfortable to seek name opponents in football, an association with Ivy League teams appeals to its better angels, and no one is calling the virtual switchboard at 37th and O to complain to the athletic director or the president if Georgetown loses to an Ivy school. While Georgetown remains less competitive with the Ivies as a whole (a combined 8-36 since 2003), six of those eight wins come versus either Columbia or Cornell. Those schools see Georgetown as a game they can win, and vice versa. A native of Nyack, NY, Sgarlata has an affinity for New York schools given how the program positions NYC as a second home for the program.
However, it's no longer the days when Georgetown had as many as four road games a year to the Tri-State area, or when 48 players on the 1996 roster came either from New York or New Jersey alone. Today there are almost as many members of the Hoyas from Texas (nine) as the 10 currently coming from New York and New Jersey combined, and neither state is close to the 15 players coming from California. Yes, fans know that Sgarlata isn't calling Cal Poly or Tarleton State for a game to drive regional recruiting, but it's a question for this week's tailgate: is Columbia and Cornell the ceiling as far as Georgetown's non-league aspirations can go, or should it look beyond the Empire State, and to whom?
Holy Cross travels to play Northwestern next season. If Georgetown were to get such a call, would fans be excited, terrified, bewildered, or simply concerned that the University's image for football doesn't belong with such schools?
3. Around The PL:
Columbia 40, Lafayette 34 (OT): Despite being picked last in the Ivy League and coming off a 2-8 season with wins over Cornell and Georgetown, the Lions stung the Leopards before 3,728 at Wien Stadium. Chase Goodwin made his season debut for Columbia throwing for 369 yards and two touchdowns, including a wild finish where the Lions intercepted Lafayette QB Daniel Lipovsky on the first play of the overtime and Goodwin throwing a 25 yard touchdown pass to close the game on the next play. With CU headed to Washington, Lafayette hosts Holy Cross.
Lehigh 24, Dartmouth 20: The #7-ranked Engineers were tested all afternoon in a closely fought game with the Big Green, needing a D.J. Brown interception at its five yard line to preserve the win before 8,902 at Goodman Stadium. Luke Yoder rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns but Dartmouth's pass defense held the Engineers to just 73 yards after Lehigh had passed for 271 yards against Georgetown two weeks earlier. Lehigh will travel to Penn in its bid to remain undefeated.
Yale 38, Holy Cross 28: Dante Reno passed for 454 yards as the Bulldogs shredded the Crusaders ' defense before 17,623 at Fitton Field. After HC took the lead early in the fourth, Yale scored the final 17 points of the game for the win. A 0-4 record does not tell the story about these Crusaders, and Saturday's game at Fisher Stadium could be a real test for the Leopards as Holy Cross looks for a mid-season turnaround.
Pennsylvania 20, Bucknell 7: Penn scored on back to back touchdowns in the first quarter and kept its distance in a 20-7 win before 3,360 at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium. The Bison combined for just 124 yards of total offense and crossed midfield just twice all afternoon. Now, they must travel to 3-0 Pittsburgh next week.
Colgate 20, Cornell 7: The Red Raiders won going away before 5,287 at Andy Kerr Stadium. Colgate scored on each of its first four drives, including drives of 62, 78, and 90 yards, owing a 40:11 time of possession forcing three Cornell interceptions. The Red Raiders will be tested in a key early season matchup Saturday at Villanova.
Villanova 20, LIU 16: The near-upset-of-the-week needed an 85 yard Wildcat drive in the final two minutes for Villanova to prevail, 20-16, before 3,086 at Shark Stadium. LIU overcame three turnovers and stayed close all afternoon, holding Villanova to 1 of 8 on third down conversions.
Fordham 52, William & Mary 27: No one saw this coming--the winless Rams routed the #21-ranked Tribe before a home crowd of 11,784 at Zable Stadium. After an opening punt, Fordham scored on eight consecutive possessions, led by a career high 203 yards from RB Yohan Li-Louis and 569 yards overall. The Rams led 28-7 at halftime and never looked back, ending an 18 game road losing streak dating to the 2023 season. Fordham returns home for Homecoming versus Stony Brook, while W&M goes out of conference to face the 3-0 Duke Blue Devils in Durham.
