Some thoughts from Georgetown's 27-17 win over Colgate:
1. Where It Stands: If following Hoya Football is a form of sports purgatory, Saturday's game was another step forward on a hopeful road. Georgetown's historic record against ranked opponents was (and is) a monument to insufficiency, in that in most instances it was facing a team with superior talent and resources, and the results showed it.
I am stumped to recall any game where Georgetown spotted an opponent a 17-0 lead and came back to win it. It sure wasn't a ranked one on the road.
Entering the game, Georgetown was 1-31 against ranked opponents dating back to the 1940 season and 0-16 outside Washington; yet this game was no fluke. Too many times, ranked opponent or not, a Georgetown team that gets knocked down 17-0 can't get off the canvas, and the scores become self-evident.
This Georgetown team got up, and not only gained a lead, but held it.
This Georgetown team, a traditional laggard on the run, not only met the #7-ranked rushing defense face to face, but outgained the Red Raiders 169 to 132 and became the first FCS team to rush for more than 100 yards on Colgate this season.
This Georgetown team, 2-20 all time versus Colgate and winless in 10 games at Andy Kerr Stadium... all by double digits, won this game...by double digits.
No one envisioned that kind of response. A nationally ranked Colgate offense, at home, is held to 34 yards in the third quarter and earned just one first down (aided by a Georgetown off-sides) in the first five drives of the second half. After having scored on three consecutive possessions in the first, here was the outcome of Colgate's remaining drives:
Seven plays, punt
Three and out, punt
Three and out, punt
Three and out, punt
Five plays, punt
Three and out, punt
Ten plays, stopped on 4th down at the 16 yard line
Five plays, turnover at midfield
In all three phases of the game, this was a master-class over 60 minutes. Special teams kept Colgate to an average starting field position of its 28 yard line, and just one, Gavin Beard's midfield interception, opened in Georgetown territory. Colgate's second half field position started at its 21.
As noted in the game recap, " Gavin Beard turned in a masterful game in his second start, going 24 for 33 for 175 yards and three touchdowns; he successfully brushed off the interception early in the second quarter and completed a run of completing 14 of 16 passes and 19 of his final 24 attempts.." He was not alone, however. The Hoyas out-gained the #2 offense in the Patriot League on the ground, out-gained them in the air, and were even in sacks. While certainly not perfect (Georgetown's proclivity for some stupid unsportsmanlike conduct and personal fouls continued unabated), the penalties were not a factor late. This was a team effort in every sense of the word, in the least likely place in the Northeast where one would expect it. Yes, Colgate was missing Jake Stearney at quarterback and Danny Shaban at running back; however, the way Georgetown played, it's no sure thing that Colgate was going to win even with them.
So...where does this rank among all-time Georgetown wins?
I'll fully admit that, in closely following this team since 1995 or so, I have not seen the depth and breadth of games of a Bruce Simmons or Rory Quirk, much less Rob Sgarlata, who has played or coached in 365 of Georgetown's 1,051 games all-time. I wasn't alive in the glory days nor would be too young (and too distant) to have ever seen a club football or Division II game. But among those wins I have seen in person or followed online (Holy Cross in 1998, Butler in 2000, Bucknell in 2002, Cornell in 2003, Princeton in 2012, Lehigh in 2018, Morgan State in 2025), Saturday's game may well rank above all of them, if for one overarching factor: each of these games were against teams that were not the equal of Colgate.
The Holy Cross team upset by Georgetown in 1998 finished 2-9. The Butler Bulldogs of 2000 finished 2-8 and one of its win was versus a Division II school that finished 1-9.
The Hoyas' first PL win came against a Bucknell team that finished winless in the 2002 PL and ended the season 2-9. The Hoyas' first modern era win over an Ivy League team was against a Cornell team winless in the Ivy League and headed towards 1-9 and a coaching change. The epic 2012 game at Princeton was no less exciting, but was admittedly against a Tiger team that had lost 19 of its previous 21 games. Even Jimmy Kibble's catch to win versus a Morgan State team that finished 4-8.
Colgate is not finishing 2-9. Its two previous losses were to an FBS team by a field goal and to a nationally ranked Harvard team on a freak play to end the game. It's a legitimate contender for the PL title and if it trips up Lehigh in two weeks, it could be more than a legitimate at-large selection. For Georgetown to have played as well as it did against one of the 10 best teams in 2026 eastern FCS football is worth the plaudits, even from this small corner of the world.
2. Wish I Was There: When the schedule was finalized, two games were circled on the calendar, but I will be unable to attend either, beginning with Saturday's game at William & Mary.
The game is not only Georgetown's first meeting with the Tribe in 92 years and its first visit ever to the stately Cary Field (aka Walter Zable Stadium), but the Hoyas and their fans can expect a sold out crowd approaching 13,000 as W&M celebrates the centennial of Homecoming at the College. On October 23, 1926, the Indians defeated George Washington 14-0 to begin that tradition, one where the Richmond Times-Dispatch called "the largest crowd to witness a football game in Williamsburg in many years."
Per its media notes for this week: "Traditionally, the squad has thrived on this special weekend, as the program sports a 57-39 all time record in homecoming games.
W&M has greeted its alumni with dominating performances in a number of its recent homecoming games, as the program has won 18 of its last 26 tilts, including 10 by double-digit margins."
Yes, William & Mary is favored Saturday. Then again, so was Colgate last week.
It seems unusual that for two of the oldest universities in the nation south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Georgetown and William & Mary have not played regularly in any sport. Its last football meeting was in 1934, and the teams have played once in basketball since 1972. Washington and Williamsburg are about the same distance as D.C. and Philadelphia, and that doesn't seem that far away. As both schools' teams took different football paths beginning in the 1930s, with W&M joining the Southern Conference in 1936 and Georgetown going down a different path, a potential rivalry was lost, but perhaps this is the beginning of a new opportunity.
In Georgetown's last game with W&M, the starting right end of the Indians was getting one of his first starts as a sophomore. His name was Walter Zable, the benefactor whose $10 million gift helped rebuild Cary Field in the 1990s and is the namesake for the College's 13,000 seat stadium, arguably the best in the PL. I'm hopeful to see the Hoyas there in person in 2028.
3. Around The PL:
Cornell 48, Lehigh 38: This was a shocker, where the Big Red dominated the undefeated Engineers from the start, going up 21-7 early in the second and never trailing before a season high 9,198 at Schoellkopf Field. Cornell rang up 600 yards of total offense versus a Lehigh team which had not allowed more than 342 in a game all season After rolling up the likes of 302 rushing yards against Georgetown and 366 versus William & Mary, Lehigh was held to just 183 yards on a season low 30 attempts. Still the team to beat in the PL, the Engineers (6-1, 4-0 PL) travel to Villanova (3-4, 2-2) in a must-win as the league race tightens.
Harvard 30, Holy Cross 7: From a 10-7 score early in the second quarter, the #17-ranked Crimson pulled away in a comfortable win before 6,581 at Harvard Stadium. Harvard quarterback Charlie Smith passed for 297 yards in the win, Harvard's fourth straight over HC. The Crusaders (2-5, 2-2) finish the non-conference winless at 0-3 and host Bucknell this weekend.
Lafayette 20, Bucknell 7: The Leopards (2-4, 1-2) picked up its first PL win of the season, defeating Bucknell (0-4, 1-6) before 1,580 at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg. Lafayette RB Jakyre Henley rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while the Bison fell victim to delivering two interceptions in the fourth quarter that they could not overcome. As the Bison travel to Holy Cross, Lafayette travels to Fordham.
Villanova 38, Fordham 17: After a rocky start to the 2026 season, the Wildcats put together its best effort of the PL season to date in a convincing 38-17 win before 2,369 at Moglia Stadium. Pat McQuaide threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns for Villanova which scored touchdowns on five of its six series, all from 55 yards or more.
Fordham (2-3, 2-6) was held to just 60 yards passing and was outgained 481 to 282. The Rams must sweep its remaining four games (Lafayette, at Bucknell, Georgetown, at Holy Cross) to avoid a third consecutive losing season, last seen from 2017 through 2019.
