Week 6 Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Georgetown's 21-14 win over Bucknell:

1. Congratulations: The Patriot League named RB Clay Ash and DB Wedner Cadet as its offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively.  I cannot recall if two Georgetown players have ever been so honored in a single week, not even in 2011. Granted, the number of games was comparatively small this past week, but it's otherwise a notable and deserved honor.

2. Hoyas At The Half:  Assuming the Lafayette game cannot be rescheduled, and it seems ever more unlikely to do so, Georgetown stands at the halfway point of a ten game season. A ceiling for this team after five games probably would have taken it to 2-3 given its youth and inexperience (catching a break versus either Richmond or Columbia, though they missed on both), but Saturday's game got the Hoyas out of the 0-fer discussion. 

Bucknell has real problems on offense and Georgetown stopped them in the second half, holding the Bison to 67 yards after the break, despite more dumb penalties that cost the Hoyas a touchdown in the third.

The combination of a new offensive strategy and some real inexperience at receivers demands patience, but entering the gauntlet of the season to follow the Hoyas really need a few breaks in the passing game on both sides of the ball.  Georgetown is ninth in the league in passing yards and ninth in passing yards allowed. This figures to be especially relevant in a game like Colgate where the Red Raiders will go to work on the rush defense against Clay Ash and Georgetown needs downfield options.

Defensively, Georgetown is improving. Bucknell gave it an opportunity to excel and Fordham is likely to be a favorable matchup, but the next two weeks will be really, really  difficult to match up with Colgate and W&M. Four sophomores and a junior comprise five of the top six defensive tacklers so far this season, and that's a promising future.

Here's a look at Georgetown's ranking within the PL and nationally:

Scoring Offense: 8th in PL, 107th in FCS

Scoring Defense: 5th in PL, 59th in FCS

Rushing Yards: 5th in PL, 71st in FCS

Passing Yards: 9th in PL, 104th in FCS

Total Offense: 7th in PL, 99th in FCS

Rushing Yards Allowed: 7th in PL, 77th in FCS

Passing Yards Allowed: 9th in PL, 100th in FCS

Total Defense: 8th in PL, 100th in FCS

Red Zone Offense: 10th in PL, 114th in FCS

Red Zone Defense: 3rd in PL, 43rd in FCS

Third Down Conversion: 9th in PL, 118th in FCS

Fourth Down Conversion:  5th in PL, 60th in FCS

3. A Need To Address: Saturday's turnout, even with a "Military Appreciation Day" promotion, was the lowest turnout of the season and among the lowest in the PL era at Georgetown.  On a message board, I tried to explain why this is, and will repeat it here for effect:

"Georgetown does not promote football, has no staff in charge of promotions, offers no parking for tailgates, and projects a poor fan experience,: one concession stand, an inaudible band in the corner of the seats, no student section, no visitors section, no video board, and I could go on. The larger problem is that the fan base overall has been burned out by a decade of underachieving basketball that has led to a culture of non-interest across all sports. When you've got the #3 soccer team in the nation and are averaging less than 700 a game,  it's a problem."

The 2026 season is a lame duck--there is only one more home game and that's not enough time nor  priority to change was has been a decades-long lack of awareness and priority in attendance. A serious conversation needs to take place for 2027, when Richmond, William & Mary, and Villanova all come to town and Georgetown will not be ready for it. 

Institutionally, we need a plan to reintroduce football to its constituent groups-undergraduate students, professional students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local residents-- and to position football as an exercise worth the financial and time investment. This will take time, and it will take money; however, it is long past due that Georgetown cannot promote football like it's 1992 on Kehoe Field.

4. Whatever Happened To: A former Georgetown head coach has moved to the high school coaching ranks.

Bob Benson, who coached Georgetown from 1993 to 2005 and has spent the last ten seasons as the defensive coordinator at Penn, lost his job when the Quakers changed out head coaches after Ray Priore's departure last season. He resurfaced as the new head coach at the Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD), a high school of about 400 students amidst a K-12 population of nearly 1,200 in North Dallas.

"Coaching the student-athlete is important to me,” Benson told the high school paper. “Both my mother and father were Ivy League student-athletes, so I’ve always been drawn to places that have an impact, like Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and Penn.”

"Benson was familiar with ESD through [headmaster] David Baad, whom he met during his time at Georgetown," said the paper. "After being approached by several people about the position, Benson began seriously considering the opportunity. His wife’s career also played a role in the decision; Julie Benson is an Olympian who now trains Olympic athletes, and Dallas was an accessible location for their family."

This is Benson's first experience as a high school coach and his first head coaching assignment since Georgetown, but he's already turned around the ESD program in a big way, from a 2-6 finish in 2025 to a 7-0 record in mid-October and a #6 ranking in the state private school poll per TexasFootball.com. (With the exceptions of two Jesuit high schools who play in the UIL public school league, all private schools in Texas play in one of two leagues of their own, with ESD playing in the Southwest Preparatory Conference, a league of nonsectarian schools in Texas and Oklahoma.) Benson has long been a defensive-minded coach and the turnaround in ESD has been apparent, all the while in an area of the country where Benson has never coached before.

At the age of 62, it remains to be seen if Benson will pursue future opportunities in college coaching or will choose to settle down and build the ESD program for the years to come, but the 2026 season has been a great success story to date.

4. Around The PL: With bye weeks for five of ten PL schools, Georgetown-Bucknell was one of just three games last week. 

Fordham 20, Richmond 14: The Rams upset the #15 ranked Spiders with a late touchdown and a 20-14 win before 1,825 at Moglia Stadium. Richmond was held to 82 yards on the ground and 208 yards overall. With the score tied at 14-14, the Rams marched 62 yards in a drive that consumed six minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring with 2:22 to play. An interception by the Rams at midfield ended Richmond's last minute hopes, and may have been a mortal blow to its at-large playoff hopes. The Spiders are on a bye week this Saturday, while Fordham remains home and hosts Villanova..

William & Mary 17, North Carolina Central 14: The Tribe escaped an upset bid by the homestanding Eagles, where 11,735 packed O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in Durham, NC. W&M was outgained 439 to 221 and was a meager 3 of 14 on third down, but a field goal early in the fourth gave W&M the lead and held on after NCCU missed a 32 yard field goal with 5:56 to play. At 3-4 to date this season, the Tribe enters a bye week in preparation for its Homecoming game Oct. 24 versus Georgetown.

Week 5 Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Cornell's 35-14 win over Georgetown Saturday:

1. A Slow Start: Expectations were certainly guarded entering this season with so many underclassmen in the starting lineup, but few had Georgetown staring at 0-4 heading into the Bucknell game Saturday. One number jumps out of the stat sheet, however.

35-0.

That's the combined score at the end of the first quarters of the previous four games. The Hoyas have spotted its opponents five touchdowns in four games without a single point in the first quarter. For a program which isn't well suited for comebacks, this is digging a hole to which it can't easily recover. By halftime, that number is 69-28.

Saturday's game was an early knockout of sort from a less likely suspect: the defense. Georgetown gave up consecutive touchdowns to open the first and the third quarter and never really recovered nor threatened. Subbing Gavin Beard for Jack Johnson at quarterback offered some variety but didn't move the needle as far as the offense goes, while the defense gave up 5.5 yards per rushing carry and nearly 15 yards on a pass completion. Following two games that could have swung to the win column, the Cornell game was a mixture of a letdown versus a team that wasn't quite ready for its opponent.

Cornell isn't Lehigh. The Big Red haven't posted a winning record since 2005 and even a 2-1 start in Ithaca could swing quickly: Cornell 's next four games are versus #20 Harvard (3-0), the aforementioned #5 Lehigh (5-0), and road games at Brown and Dartmouth. Entering the game, this looked like an opportunity for Georgetown to get a win or, at the very least, be competitive as it was with Columbia. It was not.

It may be presumptuous to say that Saturday's game with Bucknell is a must-win, but for a program facing only more home game for the remainder of the season, Georgetown has to step up.

2. National Rankings: How are the Hoyas favoring across FCS? With a slow start, perhaps, the numbers below (out of 124 schools) aren't surprising.

• Scoring: 109th
• Points Allowed: 72nd
• Rushing Offense: 100th
• Passing Offense: 95th
• Total Offense: 107th
• Rushing Defense: 97th
• Passing Defense:  117th
• Total Defense: 119th
• Time Of Possession: 122nd

3. Playing The Ivies: For two decades, it's been a mantra of sorts within Georgetown football that the Hoyas should be playing schools from the Ivy League. Should they?

The roots to this story date to the late 1990s. Head coach Bob Benson sold the University on the concept of playing peer institutions as the path forward; even if the MAAC-level Hoyas were a few steps below the Ivies, there was no such thing as peer institutions among the likes of Canisius, Iona, Fairfield, or St. Peter's. 

Georgetown's 42-20 win at Cornell in 2003 was the high water-mark for the Benson era and seemed to validate his confidence in the prospect, but GU caught the Big Red at a low point, finishing 1-9 for its worst record since 1977.  Since then, the matchups with the Ancient Eight have been largely one-sided:

• 1-7 versus Brown
• 4-8 versus Columbia
• 2-3 versus Cornell
• 0-2 versus Dartmouth
• 0-5 versus Harvard
• 0-4 versus Penn
• 1-3 versus Princeton
• 0-6 versus Yale

There are structural as well as competitive reasons for this imbalance. While Ivy League schools share the same philosophy with Georgetown over need-based non-scholarship football, the Ivies reach a larger pool of prospect with financial aid that is much more favorable than what Georgetown provides. A family with a household income of up to  $175,000 pays $0 to attend Dartmouth--Georgetown cannot match this, whether they play football or not. Competitively speaking, the upper tier Ivy schools have deeper institutional commitment in supporting football and their name value attracts a caliber of student-athlete who will, more often than not, choose a Harvard or a Yale over Georgetown (or any PL school) if given the choice.  It's no surprise, therefore, that Georgetown is a combined 0-11 versus Harvard and Yale and six of its eight total wins versus the Ancient Eight since 2003 have come against just two schools, the two schools it scheduled in 2026: Columbia and Cornell. 

Assuming Columbia and Cornell return to the schedule in 2027, but going forward, does Georgetown have options for that remaining game in the non-conference? Theoretically, yes, but practically, not so much. 

Coach Sgarlata doesn't seek guarantee games, GU doesn't play one-off road games that involve travel outside the East, HBCU's aren't that interested in a series, and the number of non-conference opponents in the Northeast outside the Ivy League and without scholarships numbers just one: Marist, who signed a seven year deal with NEC newcomer New Haven for its traditional season openers and would more likely prefer playing local opponents than traveling to Washington DC. A pending series with VMI was bumped out to 2035-36, so that's one fewer candidate in the mix as well.

Unless and until Georgetown takes a more adventurous approach with scheduling that takes into account opponents where it does not get a return game back to Washington, its options are going to be limited. That type of scheduling often leads to losses, and that's not an attractive option when a team is staring at, say, 0-4. Amidst the strength of the PL schedule, GU needs wins in September, not body bag outcomes.

4. Around The PL:

Harvard 20, Colgate 17: In a game whose finish made it to ESPM and more than a few highlight shows over the weekend Harvard's 20-17 win before 9,100 at Harvard Stadium was a touch one for Colgate fans. Trailing 14-10 in a closely contested game,  Jake Stearney led the Red Raiders on a 13 play, 75 yard drive to take the lead with 27 seconds to play. On the final play of the game, Harvard QB let loose a 44 yard pass to the end zone that was about six yards short. Teigan Pelletier caught the pass at the six, but with no avenue to the goal line, lateraled it to a trailing Nathan Bailey for the score. The Crimson won despite just 93 yards rushing for the game. 

Richmond 40, Lafayette 31: Two teams heading in different directions saw the Spiders rally from a  24-7 deficit in the second quarter to stun the home standing Leopards before 4,123 at Fisher Stadium. Ashten Snelsire was 24 for 38 for 218 yards and three touchdowns as the Spiders improved to 5-1 while Lafayette dropped to 1-4.

Holy Cross 41, William & Mary 24: Another example of teams rising and falling, as Holy Cross won its second straight game with a flourish,  dominating the Tribe before 8.476 at Zable Stadium. HC led 24-7 at halftime and was never challenged, outrushing W&M 203 to 31 and forcing three Tribe turnovers.

Lehigh 34, Fordham 0: No upset plans in this one, as the #7 Engineers controlled the Rams throughout before 5,033 at Goodman Stadium. Luke Yoder rushed 20 times for 171 yards as Lehigh held Fordham to just 42 rushing yards and forced five turnovers.

Morgan State 38, Villanova 35: A back and forth game before 3,463 at Villanova Stadium saw Morgan QB Cameron Edge complete five of five passes in the final two minutes to  go ahead with 36 seconds to play. Villanova drove 37 yards in seven plays but a field goal try at game end veered right. At 2-4, Villanova is a surprising early out for playoff consideration.

A number of PL teams are on bye weeks this week.  Outside of GU-Bucknell, just two games are on the October 10 schedule, with William & Mary at North Carolina Central  and  Richmond at Fordham.

More Than Just A Game

 

A week ago, a student columnist at The HOYA posed a question worth examining. Here's a link to his article.

"Each time a Georgetown student goes to watch a game, they trade away four hours of their time," writes Michael Hassner. "This tradeoff is one thing for those who would watch anyway: students who have ties to players, an appreciation for the game of football or are part of the in-game experience, such as members of cheer or band. But what about the other 95% of the student population?"

It's a problem that Georgetown sees at every home football game: a disarming lack of turnout and sustained interest from its primary source of support: students. Causes are multiple, but effects are singular: a lack of interest brings down the atmosphere and the lack of support is felt as much on the field as in the stands.  Say what you will about "educated" students not showing interest in sports (those  students at Notre Dame, Duke, or Villanova do just fine), the sad fact is that  if you are a student at Georgetown, or even an alumnus, a football game at Cooper Field isn't very much fun. That's not just a team problem, it's a University problem.

Two generations ago, Homecoming games at Georgetown drew upwards of 9,000 fans on campus, most of whom were students or recent graduates. 

"The fanbase has changed quite a bit, because [in] that day it was 99.9 percent students and dates, and now it is, I would guess, 65 percent alumni and parents and 35 percent undergrads,” said former Georgetown quarterback Bruce Simmons (B'69) in a 2018 Georgetown Voice article. By contrast, last week's game versus Columbia may not have seen 10 percent students, band and cheerleaders included.

Times were admittedly different and Jesuits looked the other way when it came to alcohol over-consumption and various stunts, such as the time a group of  cheery (and perhaps beery) students bought their way upon the WMAL traffic helicopter and got them to land it on the 50 yard line at Kehoe Field minutes before kickoff. Try that today, and those students are likely to get a call from the Office Of Student Conduct and the FAA.

The Hoyas won a lot more games then, even against shoestring programs like Seton Hall, NYU, or Hartford, all since gone. Today's team enjoys no such cupcakes, and losing has consequences. Try as it might, students don't see much rah-rah spirit around a game with Columbia or Lehigh. However, even if Georgetown was 4-0 heading into its game with Cornell this week, a lot of students would not give it a second thought. Simply put, athletics is not part of an increasingly singular culture that values clicks over conversation, and relaxation over recreation.

"Simply, the trick to drawing students to football games lies in the quality of the experience," Hassner writes. 

Georgetown has lacked it for years, perhaps decades, because of one fact it can't ignore: no one is responsible for the fan experience: Athletics doesn't want it, Advancement doesn't want it, GUSA doesn't want it. No responsibility leads to little or no effort as a result.

When I attended high school in Dallas that regularly drew upwards of 6,000 a game, the game was just part of the package. We had an official student spirit group that handled in-game promotion and a very unofficial group that handled what was colloquially called the P-H-P: "pregame, halftime, and post-game". Alumni, parents, and friends showed up not just for the 60 minutes on the field but the camaraderie, the music, and dare I say it, the fun of being around people and enjoying a shared experience. None of this is in evidence at Cooper Field.

There is no pregame activity. Alumni and parents have one tailgate adjacent to Regents Hall, the opposing team may or may not have one at the McDonouigh bus turnaround. Students have neither: no music, no food choices, no socializing.  People wander in to unmarked seats, and that's about it. The band is tucked in the far corner of the one-sided field and can be inaudible at points of the game. Last week, the cheerleaders never strayed beyond the points in front of the band, and thus they were invisible to 80 percent of the crowd.

Georgetown's lack of parking and green space does it no favors, a given. However, the campus has enough room where people could gather alongside the field, whether adjacent to the Southwest Quad, along the road that passes by Harbin, or even the overlook from Hariri before games. Without effort, of course, no one is going to show up.

There is no halftime activity. Georgetown's band is undersized and makes no effort to compete at a level where it could march and provide a passable halftime show. Opponents don't send their band to perform. Fifteen years ago, despite being three miles from the Hilltop, Howard did not even send its band across town to play. Even third party bands could be part of the discussion (think: the Eastern High School Band or the NFL's Commanders marching band) but these come with planning and with a cost. There's no cost because no one presents them as an option.

If the single file line to the only concession stand on the grounds doesn't do much for halftime socializing, 20 minutes of an empty field does even less. The lack of a video board, a pet peeve of mine for years, gives guests nothing to see and even less to stay attuned to the sport. In-stand concession sales ("Hot dogs! Cold drinks here!") do not exist, much less 50.50 raffles or some of the promotional activities seen at Washington Nationals games. A Presidents Race, anyone?

There is no post-game activity. Many students hear from their fans about the "fifth quarter" at schools, where a game winds down and there are post-game gatherings and tailgates, often as the band serenades them with a show after the game. Not everyone has to get back home or catch a flight immediately thereafter; yet, people just wander away.

Georgetown doesn't have to be Notre Dame to enjoy a football game, and a little school spirit will not turn it suddenly into Auburn on the Potomac, either. "More pressingly, Georgetown’s 152-year football pedigree is tragically devoid of fan traditions," Hassner said. "At the start of the game, a live Jack the Bulldog could eat a cardboard cutout of the opposing mascot. Or, the Healy Hall bells could ring like crazy right before the game, as they do at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. “Hoya Saxa” was coined at a football game, but it isn’t part of the fabric of game day. And heaven forbid we have a halftime show."

He continues: 

"The fun police might argue that the athletics department has little incentive to add to the experience, since students don’t pay for tickets. But Georgetown football exists for a number of reasons,  paramount among those is to bring together the Hoya community. This investment can pay dividends, driving outsider attendance to games and creating students who will be fans for life."

Dividends don't appear overnight, but they only appear at all when someone is investing. The Athletic Department is invested in its constituents-- the players. They see the lack of fan turnout across all sports but do not see a need to deplete its budget for promotions that students won't take advantage of it. Cooper Field is a prime example--it's half the size (or less) of every other stadium in its conference but people don't show up anyway. That stretch of space behind the visitors bench once held 1,500 seats as late as 2019, but was torn down--no one is going to use it. The green space behind the north end zone is considered "lawn seating" for capacity purposes but its rarely considered by students as a place to sit.

What will it take for students to show support? In another era, entire freshman dorms showed up for game in no small part that we knew the people on the team, and there were five players on the team from my 2nd Darnall floor alone. The fraternity down the street arrived to games dressed in matching sweatshirts and led cheers from the stands, at least after the drinks kicked in. We weren't that excited to see the likes of St. Francis, St. John's, or Washington & Lee, but we were there because it was fun, and fun is in short supply at Georgetown. Waiting for the University to supply that fun may be a lost cause. Students have to step up and make it "football for fun" an experience in 2026 just as it was in 1966 or 1996.

As for 2026, it's too little, too late. Following Homecoming this weekend, just two home game remain on a football schedule: a Columbus Day Weekend game with Bucknell that is likely to draw few students and a Nov. 7 game with Holy Cross that may conflict with the GU-Maryland basketball game downtown. Basketball has many of the same "no fun" attributes that football has, but it's perceived as a "big game" and the small-c casual fan will give it a try. 

Next season's schedule will feature three games with three opponents that are less than two hours from the Hilltop: Richmond, William & Mary, and Villanova. (Yes, that Villanova.) All three have a legitimate football tradition and all three have fan bases that would fill Cooper Field with its own fans  in numbers that that Holy Cross or Colgate never could. They will come--will Georgetown be ready?

If students like Michael Hassner, The HOYA, and GUSA want to start planning for 2027, now is the time to do so, to figure out what will attract students to football games next fall and, more importantly, what will keep them invested in it: food trucks, bands, contests, you name it. 

But it starts with dialogue, and it must start with students. 

Week 4 Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Columbia's 20-17 win over Georgetown Saturday:

1. Inexperience Is Lethal: It's been nearly a decade since Rob Sgarlata and his staff has fielded an offense with so little game experience. With inexperience comes ineffectiveness, and this can be measured across a number of statistics to which, after just four weeks, Georgetown has settled among the bottom of Division I.

• Among schools outside the Ivy League, Georgetown is last in scoring offense, with no rushing touchdowns to date.
• After three games, the Hoyas average just 113.3 rushing yards per game. Among schools outside the Ivy League playing more than two games to date, only one school (Central Connecticut State) has fewer.
• For passing yards, Georgetown's 145.6 yards per game ranks 106th out of 124 schools. Only two non-Ivy schools (Central Connecticut and The Citadel) have fewer passing yards than Georgetown at this point of the season.
• Georgetown's third down conversion ranks 115th nationally, and only one school has a lower number of first downs from that conversion rate: Cornell, Saturday's opponent.
• The Hoyas' 34 first downs are the fewest of any FCS school outside the Ivy League.

Yes, Georgetown has fewer games under its belt than most FCS teams, but it's just not an offensive output that is making its case in September. The offense has generated just five touchdowns in three games, and that's putting a lot of pressure on its defense to keep the Hoyas close. 

To its credit, Georgetown stayed close to Richmond and Columbia, but GU's fourth quarter offense was resolutely weak Saturday, managing just 13 total yards. Chunk plays have their place in the game, but the short yardage game is vital, too, and to date Georgetown cannot move the sticks, as befits is 22:24 average time of possession. Despite the poor results, there is a lot of promise on this roster. It will take time, a precious commodity as it turns the corner to a more competitive October schedule.

2. Sgarlata At 125: Saturday's game marks a coaching milestone for Rob Sgarlata: his 125th game as head coach. Among Georgetown coaches, just two others (Scott Glacken, 194 games; Bob Benson, 136 games) have ever reached it. 

With 36 years within the program as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, no one knows more about the state of Hoya Football as does Sgarlata--in 2015 he told the Georgetown Voice that "I knew the score when I took this job." Everyone connected to the Georgetown program knows that Sgarlata's record would be much improved if the program was better funded, and everyone connected to an opponent knows that Georgetown is a tougher out because he's on the sideline.

3. Homecoming 2026: Georgetown's 101st Homecoming game arrives Saturday versus Cornell, which has not played in Washington since 2007--also a Homecoming game. With an overall record of  51-29-3 (.632) and 19-12-0 (.612) since 1993, it should be better attended and better supported, but that's another topic for discussion. 

Saturday's game will also honor members of the 1981, 1987, and 1988 teams, with the latter two teams combining for a two-year record of 12-4-1 (.735) and a 6-1-1 record at home atop the wind-tunnel that was Kehoe Field.

In an an editorial preceding the 1987 Homecoming game, The HOYA asked: "Georgetown’s most pressing need as it approaches its bicentennial has nothing to do with science libraries, new student centers or finding a small forward to replace Reggie [Williams]. The university is faced with a glaring void that cries out to be filled. We need a legitimate rival.

"Anyone who has ever seen a Nebraska-Oklahoma or an Army-Navy football game can see what a real blood feud between universities does for school spirit. A healthy rivalry between comparable colleges unites the student bodies in a contagious way, and certainly lends importance and excitement to otherwise mundane campus athletic events. More importantly, a rival should breed competition at all levels of college life. As much as the traditional Harvard-Yale rivalry is manifest in their annual gridiron clash, the schools compete intellectually as well. A real rival should breed ill will from college bowl teams as well as football squads."

Owing to its Division III orbit at the time, the newspaper nominated Johns Hopkins as the suggested rival, but that would not be appropriate in 2026. With a nine game PL schedule, maybe a future game each year with Richmond or William & Mary would be appropriate. Maybe it's Cornell. Maybe it's someone we wouldn't even think of. 

The case from the editorial in 1987 bears repeating today: "Georgetown must try to find a worthy rival, both athletically and intellectually. A well-hyped Homecoming game against our arch-enemy would draw the kind of student enthusiasm worthy of the event."

4. Around The PL:

Colgate 28, Villanova 21: In an early test for the 2026 Patriot League race, the Red Raiders stepped up in a 28-21 win before 6,753 at Villanova Stadium. A pair of touchdown passes form Jake Stearney gave Colgate a third quarter lead, but it was the Colgate defense that shut down the Wildcats in their final drive of the game--a 14 play drive that netted just 25 yards and preserved the Colgate win. Both teams go out of league play this week, with Colgate traveling to Harvard and Villanova hosting Morgan State.

Holy Cross 38, Lafayette 30: A season of near-misses finally went the Crusaders' way, as the Purple picked up its first win of the 2026 season before 3,394 at Fisher Stadium. Just 15 total yards separated both teams on the afternoon but Holy Cross controlled time of possession and three first quarter touchdowns gave it momentum that carried it to the win. The Crusader win came despite a season's best 152 yards and three touchdowns from Lafayette WR Mason Kuehner. HC moves on to play at William & Mary while Lafayette hosts Richmond.

Lehigh 20, Pennsylvania 7: A pair of third quarter drives opened up a 3-0 halftime lead as the Engineers won convincingly before just 1,839 at a windy Franklin Field. Weather conditions limited Lehigh to just 217 yards on the afternoon but they converted on three red zone possessions and limited Penn to just one drive inside the 20. Lehigh returns home to host Fordham oin Saturday, with Penn traveling to face Dartmouth.

Richmond 13, Furman 9: Aziz-Foster -Powell rushed for 125 yards as the Spiders held off the Paladins before 6,558 at Robins Stadium. The teams combined for six turnovers and neither team scored in the final 20 minutes of play as the defenses took over. Furman advanced to the Richmond 31 in the final 11 seconds of play but two passes to the end zone fell incomplete. The Spiders travel to Lafayette this week while Furman hosts Wofford.

Stony Brook 31, Fordham 16: C.J. Hester ran for three touchdowns as the visiting Seahawks traveled to the Bronx and picked up its third straight win over the Rams before 2,237 at Moglia Stadium. The Rams trailed 21-13 at halftime but struggled to put together drives, managing just 32 yards in its first seven dries of the second half.  Fordham travels to Lehigh on Saturday, while Stony Brook travels to Towson.

Pittsburgh 59, Bucknell 0: The Bison entered its bye week from a mauling before 43,920 at Acrisure Stadium, allowing the Panthers 377 yards in the first half and touchdowns on each of its five drives before the break. Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel set a career record with 403 yards and six touchdowns, as the Panthers put up 766 yards total offense and held the Bison to just 31 yards rushing and 166 yards overall. The win marked the Panthers' first shutout win since the opening game of the 2020 season. Pitt travels to Virginia Tech next week.

Duke 62, William & Mary 7: The last "guarantee game" on the consolidated PL calendar met its expected outcome, as the Blue Devils walked out of  Wallace Wade Stadium with a 62-7 win before 23,003 in attendance. Duke held W&M to a net of 17 yards on 29 carries on the afternoon. The Tribe had closed the score to 14-7 late in the first quarter but Duke scored on its next nine possessions before taking its only punt of the afternoon with two minutes to play. Duke returns to ACC play Saturday at Georgia Tech, while William & Mary returns to PL play to host Holy Cross.

Week 3 Thoughts

 

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.

Week Two Thoughts

 

Some thoughts coming off Georgetown's early bye week:

1. Relax, Recover, or Reboot? As one of only four FCS schools without an opponent last week, Georgetown was in an unusual position of sitting out the second week of September. The previous week's loss to Lehigh was neither unusual or unexpected, but highlighted three areas of longer-term concern with the trajectory of the 2026 Hoyas. 

As any cook would say, you can only go as far as the ingredients will take you, and such is the case with the coaches. The depth of this team is less than any other Patriot League team, and to "do more with less" is a concept baked within the program, so to speak. The challenge facing the staff, both last week and in the weeks to come, is what they can do to reverse some of the trends. 

1. Total Offense: Through two weeks, Georgetown ranks 107th among 116 schools in total offense, with just 239 yards offense in the Lehigh loss. Seven punts, an interception, and a turnover on downs marked Georgetown's first nine complete series of the game until it managed a touchdown against Lehigh's reserves to close the game. The running game wasn't there, nor the passing game. Much of this was a reflection of a superior Lehigh defense, of course, but the Hoyas need better execution. Its 3 for 12 on third down ranks 104th nationally; its 4.9 yards per passing attempt is 109th.

2. Progress At Quarterback: Whether it's one game (or a game and half, depending on your view), the quarterback situation represents an area of focus. Neither Jacob Holtschlag nor Jack Johnson has made a case to push the Hoyas forward. Holtschlag's passing efficiency of 73.0 is just 105th of 107 quarterbacks tracked by the NCAA. The play calling has been conservative and the offensive line isn't giving either man enough time to set up for extended pass plays. Saturday's game against a Richmond defense that has allowed 385 yards a game over its first three opponents offers at least an opportunity to gain some offensive momentum.

3. Time Of Possession: One game does not mark a trend, but to have run 11 drives which consume just 19:41 off the clock is a bad way to start off the season. Georgetown needs to build drive and convert them in order to place any fear into the hearts of a Richmond team which beat Bucknell by three touchdowns and sailed past Howard before an epic 73-0 wipeout at North Carolina State.

In a moment of trivia, it was noted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Friday's loss was the most points surrendered by a Richmond team since an 84-0 loss on October 31, 1900. 

The opponent in 1900? Georgetown University.

2. News From the Ivies: Saturday marks the opening of the Ivy League season, which always starts three weeks later than everyone else. Some surprising news today opens the door to some changes in that regard. Per an Ivy release:

"For the 2027 season, the league games originally scheduled for Oct. 23 -- the first weekend featuring exclusively Ivy vs. Ivy competition -- will instead be played in Week 1 on Sept. 11. The league-wide bye week will take place the weekend of Oct. 23... Options for the implementation of the bye week beyond the 2027 season will continue to be discussed throughout the upcoming year."

The short answer to the news above is that the Ivies will open their schedule a week earlier, which may open the doors to its non-conference schedule. It's no secret that the Ivies' access to Patriot opponents has been constricted, following the PL's move to a nine game league schedule. By Week 3, a number of Northeastern conferences are already into their league schedules. 

In 2026, the Ivy and Patriot will play just 11 games between them. Four PL schools (Fordham, Richmond, W&M, Villanova) have no Ivy opponents, while two Ivies (Dartmouth, Princeton) have no Patriot opponents. Whether these leagues necessarily need to play more games is a topic of its own, which we'll discuss next week. 

3. Around The PL: Some great games last week. Let's start with one that got lost among the FBS blowouts.

Central Michigan 13, Colgate 10: The Red Raiders put together a great game plan on the road and led  with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter, but succumbed late, 13-10, before 19,005 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Colgate forced three turnovers on the homestanding Chippewas but gave up two interceptions of its own in CMU territory for its final two drives of the game.  "I am so happy and proud of our kids for battling and battling in all three phases, and I am so, so thankful for our fans," said CMU coach Matt Drinkall. "We had an incredible crowd today and it made a huge difference, especially in the second half when we started playing better in all three phases." Even in defeat, Colgate sent a message that it is ready co compete at the highest levels of the PL, and the Red Raiders return home this weekend to play Cornell.

Lehigh 44, William & Mary 20: The #9-ranked Engineers opened with a 30-0 run and never looked back before a home crowd of 5,240 at Goodman Stadium. W&M is going to be a contender this season but were no match for Lehigh, which rang up 366 rushing yards, led by 169 yards from RB Luke Yoder. Lehigh scored on four of its first five possessions with drives of 58, 65, 69,  and 85 yards and hosts Dartmouth this weekend, while the Tribe hosts Fordham.

Bucknell 14, VMI 3: This was all of a 3-0 game entering the final eight minutes before the Bison scored on a 66 yard drive and converted on a midfield interception on the next series for the second touchdown. Chris Dietrich was 22 of 30 for 221 yards to lead the Bison, who host Penn this weekend.

Lafayette 13, Marist 9: A struggle win for the Leopards at Fisher Stadium averted its first loss to Marist since the series began in 1999. An underrated Marist team was halted on four drives inside Lafayette territory, including a pair of fourth quarter opportunities at the Lafayette 20 and its 13. Neither team committed a turnover on the afternoon, but Lafayette's defensive intensity proved the difference. Lafayette concludes its non-conference slate Saturday at Columbia.

Louisville 59, Villanova 13: The first of four FBS blowouts thumped the Wildcats before 46,385 at L&N Stadium. Villanova trailed 31-10 at the half and never contended, giving up 635 total yards and spotted the Cardinals points on five of their first six drives of the evening. A return to FCS awaits the Wildcats in a road game at LIU.

North Carolina State 73, Richmond 0: "We’re down. We’re banged up, man. I understand that,” said Richmond coach Russ Huesman after the Spiders were routed before 56,919 at Carter-Finley Stadium . “They were just going through us so easily, making plays... [but] 73-0, I mean, that’s ridiculous." The Wolfpack averaged 10.6 yards per play and 734 yards total offense en route to its largest margin of victory since an 90-7 win over Wofford in 1920, when State was known as the North Carolina A&M Aggies.

Miami (OH) 45, Holy Cross 7: The struggles continue for the Crusaders with its third consecutive blowout, this one a 45-7 loss before 11,126 at Yager Stadium. The Red Hawks scored on each of its first six drives of the game and led 42-0 at halftime, holding Holy Cross to a net of 16 yards in its first five drives. Miami quarterback David McComb was 13 for 13 for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The Crusaders host Yale Saturday before beginning a run on the road that won't have them back to Fitton Field until October 24.

Coastal Carolina 45, Fordham 7: The Chanticleers broke open an early 7-7 deadlock and scored 38 unanswered points before 18,113 at Brooks Stadium. The Rams were held to just 210 yards and six of its drives netted three of fewer yards. Winless in its first three games, the Rams travel to #21-ranked William & Mary on Saturday.

Week One Thoughts

 

Some thoughts following Lehigh's 45-14 win over Georgetown Saturday:

1. Disappointing: There wasn't much of an expectation Georgetown would be able to go toe-to-toe with Lehigh when it counted, but the performance of its offense raised more questions than it should for an opening game.

Of course, that opening game should have been Lafayette, where the Hoyas showed early promise on offense and held its own in the first half, now since negated. None of this was on display Saturday. Georgetown combined for three first downs on each of its first four drives, all ending with a punt.  It crossed the 50 yard line just twice all afternoon, and held the ball for just 19:41. No defense is going to survive long versus Lehigh by being on the field for 41 minutes as a result.

Lehigh made the adjustments and Georgetown did not. Clay Ash rushed for 15 yards on the opening two series and a combined seven yards thereafter. Excepting Jack Johnson's unexpected run of 38 yards and some late carries by Bryce Cox in the final two minutes, the Hoyas had no ground game to speak of. Its inexperienced offensive line cannot open up holes for the backs and must assume a defensive position for its equally inexperienced quarterbacks. 

Jacob Holtschlag and Jack Johnson completed 12 passes for just 124 yards. The Engineers held senior Hassan Mahasin in check (one catch. -1 yards)  and while  relative newcomers Jayvin Pyle-Thompson and Jonathan Alexander picked up some good catches, there was no real game film on them before... but  there is now. With Nick Dunneman sidelined, the Hoyas just don't have many options offensively, and opponents will take advantage.

Defensively, well, Lehigh did what good teams do. It speaks for the velocity of the Engineers that Georgetown forced three red zone fumbles and still gave up 45 points. This isn't the high-octane offenses of the Pete Lembo era than once rang up 49 points on the 2002 Hoyas by halftime, but if Lehigh can address its defensive gaps they figure to be the favorite this season over a still-erratic Villanova team.

Overall, Lehigh had 11 drives in the game, Take away the three fumbles, and they were:

Touchdown

Touchdown

Touchdown

Field goal

Touchdown

Missed field goal

Touchdown

Touchdown

Such results dropped the Hoyas to 113th of 116 FCS schools in total defense and 115th or 116 in pass efficiency defense--an early sample, of course, but two areas to watch as the season progresses.

The Hoyas didn't help themselves with some inopportune penalties, but penalties didn't lose this game. The better Lehigh team won, again, and now Georgetown must adapt and adjust for the games to come.

2. Past As Prologue: The loss was Georgetown's 23rd in the past 25 meeting dating to 2001, and the 13th by three touchdowns or more, including three straight. Look no further than the offensive line. 

A total of 33 different Lehigh players have received first team All-PL commendation on its offensive line; by contrast, Georgetown has not earned a single first team All-PL selection since joining the league and just nine second team selections.

Granted, the PL tends to hand out lots of first team awards to the top teams, and Lehigh has had its share in that category. But as an army marches on its stomach, and offense marches on its O-line and Georgetown's  record in this category has been incomplete. It's a narrow door when a school is trying to recruit impact lineman without football scholarships, a given. Going forward, a healthy and experienced line opens opportunity for the right QB and the right backs to excel.

3. Why A Bye? How many FCS schools have a bye after one week? There's only one.

Georgetown is notoriously close-mouthed about its scheduling habits but the changes in the 2026 PL schedule to accommodate a nine game rotation turned this week into a anomaly--Georgetown is the only FCS school nationwide without a game this week. It's not known if any of the usual non-conference, non-Ivy opponents sought a game with the Hoyas but each of them was previously booked for September 12: Marist at Lafayette, Davidson hosting Division III Dickinson,  Wagner and Sacred Heart picking up guarantee games at James Madison and UMass, respectively. With Georgetown as one of just six FCS schools in a FCS scholarship conference that has no guarantee game this season, filling that schedule is no easy task, especially this season, and the NC with Lafayette has reduced it to a 10 game schedule.

Bye weeks are a chance to recover from the schedule and set a course for the remaining games, and both are limited with a break so early. With Georgetown due for games over the next six Saturdays thereafter, it will be interesting to see if it produce something productive out of the early schedule mess.

And about next season's schedule? No comment, of course, but those two non-conference Ivy games, if they continue, will both be on the road and put pressure on GU to schedule a 12th game. Who and when, stay tuned.

4. Last Week's Results:

Colgate 35, Holy Cross 10. The Red Raiders are off to a good start, one which the Crusaders were unable to match before 3,059 at Andy Kerr Stadium. Colgate scored touchdowns on five of its first six possessions and never looked back. Both schools head to the Mid-American Conference for guarantee games this Saturday: Colgate at Central Michigan, Holy Cross at Miami (OH).

Connecticut 56, Lafayette 7: The Leopards' re-opener was a rough one, giving up three touchdowns in the first 11 minutes and trailing 35-0 at the half before 31,381 at Rentschler Field. The Huskies rang up 671 yards in total offense en route to their season opening win. Lafayette returns to Easton for its home opener versus Marist.

Villanova 17, Bucknell 14: An unexpectedly close game for the Wildcats, which needed a blocked field goal in the final two minutes to escape Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium with the win. Both teams finished with 305 yards apiece, with Bucknell WR Sam Milligan catching 13 passes for 135 yards. Villanova travels to Louisville for a Friday night game, while Bucknell will be at VMI on Saturday.

William & Mary 22, Delaware State 15: Six Del State turnovers powered the Tribe to the win before 8,410 at Zable Stadium. W&M led comfortably in this game, 22-0, but survived a late fourth quarter run.  A final drive by the Hornets was halted at midfield as time expired. W&M travels Saturday to Lehigh in a key early season PL matchup.

Richmond 28, Howard 21: The Spiders led 20-0 at halftime before battling past the homestanding Bison before 3,674 at Greene Stadium. Down seven in the fourth quarter, the Bison were held in each of their three drives of the quarter without crossing midfield. UR travels Friday to North Carolina State.

North Dakota State 38, Fordham 0: All gas, no brakes for the Bison, now playing in the Mountain West Conference, who shut down the Rams before 15,212 at the Fargodome. The Rams were held to 19 yards rushing and crossed midfield just twice, turning the ball over each time. Fordham returns to action Saturday with a guarantee game at Coastal Carolina.