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.

25 Years Of Patriot Football

On this date in 2001: Georgetown's first game in the Patriot League.

Before a sellout crowd of 2,512 at Kehoe Field, Georgetown opened the 2001 season with a 41-14 loss to Lehigh in its Patriot League debut.

"We realize what kind of team we were playing today," said head coach Bob Benson to the Allentown Morning Call, as Lehigh paid its first and only visit to the windswept Kehoe Field for a game. "If you're going to start something, you might as well as start at the top and that's where Lehigh is right now."

The game was a harbinger of things to come. Lehigh went undefeated in the regular season, was ranked as high as #5 nationally,  and lost in the NCAA quarterfinals, finishing 11-1. Georgetown was winless in the PL and finished 3-7.

Here's the HoyaSaxa.com game recap:

"The size and depth of #11-ranked Lehigh powered the Engineers past Georgetown, 41-14, in the Patriot League debut for the Hoyas. Despite the loss, and more tough competition around the corner, the game gave Hoyas fans a glimpse of some exciting times to come.

Lehigh made its statement early, returning the opening kickoff 50 yards to the Georgetown 41, and scoring three plays later. The Hoyas made a nice comeback, advancing to the Lehigh 19, but QB Sean Peterson's pass was intercepted in the end zone. Lehigh answered with a field goal to lead 10-0, and held Georgetown to frequent punts in the first half, extending the lead to 24-0 in the second.

A fourth TD in the half was narrowly was avoided when DB Byron Anderson stripped the ball from Lehigh's Josh Snyder at the one yard line, following a 62 yard pass completion headed straight to the end zone. However, the Hoyas offense stalled, and Lehigh took the punt and drove for a 35 yard field goal, which sailed wide.

With 3:35 to play, Peterson took the Hoyas on a 82 yard drive, culminating in an exciting TD pass from Peterson to Craig Agnello with no time outs and :02 remaining in the half.

The two teams traded field position in the the third quarter, with Dave Wilson scoring on a one yard run to increase the lead to 31-7 with 3:46 in the third. Following a field goal to lead 34-7, Lehigh took advantage of Georgetown's special teams to block a Dave Paulus punt at the Georgetown 18. Despite holding the Engineers in a goal line stand, Lehigh pushed through on fourth and goal to lead 41-7.

The Hoyas completed the last score, with Peterson finding sophomore Luke McArdle on a 38 yard touchdown strike with 5:28 to play. Overall, Peterson finished the game 23-33 for 288 yards.<br><br>

"There was still a positive attitude on the sideline and on the offensive side of the ball," Peterson said in the Washington Post. "It was good to score late in the game. That shows we still had a lot of pride."

To no one's surprise, Lehigh's size and depth dominated the statistics. Georgetown had an edge in time of possession, but Lehigh's passing tended to restrict its time of possession."

Here's a review of the statistics from the game:"

                LEHIGH GEORGETOWN

 First downs         18       16
 Rushes-yards        37-139   29-31
 Passing             306      288 
 Comp-Att-Int        17-30-0  23-33-1
 Return Yards        61       5
 Punts-Avg.          3-45     10-30
 Fumbles-Lost        2-1      2-0 
 Penalties-Yards     4-32     9-47 
 Time of Possession  26:32    33:28 
  

Week 0: Sounds Of Silence

 

1. Like It Never Even Happened: Georgetown's opener was... all wet. Well, not quite.

Thirty minutes of mostly promising football to open the 2026 season went for naught as two hours from lightning in suburban Maryland never amounted to a storm in the District, and a hastily called "no-contest" consigned this game to the round file in the Patriot League offices.

For those who missed it, a lightning delay was called at halftime of the season opener, with Georgetown leading Lafayette 13-7. Two hours later, with no updates in the interim, the game is called--not postponed, not rescheduled. Like it never even happened.

There was, and there is, no public statement as to the criteria used to call the game. The PL bylaws offer no great detail as to what triggers a "no-contest", and its bylaws suggest something else--it reads, in part, "if fewer than three quarters of the game have been completed, the game will be resumed as soon as possible on the same day, conditions permitting. Games postponed to another day will not start any later than the originally scheduled kickoff time, unless mutually agreed upon by both institutions." 

Also: "In the event that the game cannot be resumed on the next day, a decision to postpone the game to a weekday or cancel the game should be made by the Athletic Directors of both institutions and the Commissioner of the League. Every reasonable effort will be made to play the game on its scheduled day or the next day." These schools had no apparent conflict to play Friday or even Saturday, given their schedules. Yes, Easton is a three hour bus ride and there's a cost there, but D.C. isn't a trip to Montana, either.

If the decision was, per the bylaws, "made by the Athletic Directors of both institutions and the Commissioner of the League," why not say so? If not, did someone else make this decision? Did the  two hour delay trigger a decision of its own, given that it was announced just after the 2:00 mark?  Either way, a simple statement would have sufficed, and these schools chose not to address it. 

While, in the long run, the game isn't likely to change Georgetown's trajectory, the decision could conceivably cost Lafayette an at-large playoff bid if it were to finish 7-4 instead of 8-4.

As to rescheduling, this seemed to have been dismissed outright. Remember, these teams could have played Friday or Saturday, each under good weather conditions. FCS reporter Craig Haley reported on Twitter that "the Patriot League will look at options to try to conclude the Lafayette at Georgetown game", but after this past weekend, there really aren't any. Lafayette's only bye week is October 10, with Georgetown playing Cornell. Georgetown's first bye week is a week away (Lafayette is hosting Marist) and its second on October 31 (with Lafayette hosting Villanova). It's not giving up a home game to play for thirty more minutes on Cooper Field. 

Short of  a doubleheader following that game at Fisher Stadium, the Leopards and Hoyas won't see each other until 2027.  

2. Lessons From Halftime: Georgetown's 13-7 lead would have been a decision in a suspended baseball game, but this isn't baseball. So what did the Hoyas take out of this game?

Offensively, this team is going to struggle. Clay Ash had a nice opening series (four carries, 27 yards), as Lafayette had no real film on him as a walk-on at West Virginia., They adjusted somewhat thereafter and expect Lehigh to focus on him early this week. Jacob Holtschlag's 11 for 12 passing effort was encouraging, but it amounted for just 50 yards, or an average of 4.5 yards a catch. In the second quarter, Holtschlag was four for four... for eight yards. Yes, some of this is the product of a very new system and an equally new offensive line, but this is a recipe for trouble if Lehigh crowds the line and puts pressure early. Georgetown was just 2 of 8 on third down.

Defensively, Georgetown held its own, but Lafayette was not well positioned in this game, started tentatively, and did not attack the zone as some teams will. The Leopards had 202 total yards but just one red zone possession which ended in a fumble. Averaging 13.5 yards per reception, Lafayette had just seven points at the break and trailed due to a fumble deep in its possession and a special teams lapse off its only score of the evening. Had the game continued, the Leopards were the likely favorite if they adjusted at the break, but we'll never know to what extent those adjustments took place.

Neither team played convincingly in this one, and both figure to be in trouble this upcoming week, with Lafayette traveling to UConn and Georgetown hosting Lehigh.

3. This Week In The Patriot League: Opening the season with five league games was an innovative move and one which put the PL front and center to open the FCS race. Each of the other four games had its share of highlights:

William & Mary, Villanova 32: This game had all the excitement of an SEC court date in Baton Rouge, given the clouds of uncertainly around sixth year Villanova QB Patrick McQuaide , who was deemed eligible by a county judge in Cleveland, OH. (That's the state of college football, I guess.). Threatened with game forfeits by the PL, McQuaide started anyway, and this game had 60 minutes of action and intrigue, none more so than when the Tribe scored 13 points in the final 53 seconds, capped off by an interception of an errant McQuaide pass with 12 seconds left that set up W&M for the game winning field goal before 5,221 at Villanova Stadium. McQuaide is talented, no doubt, throwing 17 for 30 for 270 yards but with three interceptions. His status with the PL is by no means settled, and we'll see if the Saturday game at Bucknell rings up a forfeit from the league offices. As for the Tribe, they'll host Delaware State.

Colgate 23, Fordham 14: Traditionally a slow-starting group, the Red Raiders were up to the challenge in a convincing win at Fordham before 2,521 at Moglia Stadium. Colgate rushed 46 times for 275 yards and held the Rams to just 189 yards of offense all evening. The Red Raiders host Holy Cross on Saturday, while Fordham travels for a guarantee game at North Dakota State, now a member of the Mountain West Conference. 

Lehigh 35, Holy Cross 10: Scoring on the fourth play of the game, the Engineers served notice in the season opener before an announced 11,572 at Fitton Field, leading 21-0 early and never looking back. HC played better in this game and trailed by just seven yards in total offense when all was said and done (398-391) but failed to capitalize in key stretches of the game. It's the fifth consecutive loss at Fitton for the Crusaders dating to the 2025 season, who will travel to Colgate in another early test.

Richmond 35, Bucknell 14: A 21-0 start by the Spiders put this one away early before 5,717 at Robins Stadium, Freshman WR Bryce Allen made his UR debut with 108 yards on seven catches, while the Spiders' defense held the Bison to 32 yards on 29 carries. Richmond travels to Howard this weekend, while Bucknell hosts Villanova.

Five Questions: The Schedule

 In the third of our three part pre-season preview, some questions about the upcoming 2026 schedule.

1. What's The Biggest Change For The 2026 Schedule? Quality.

Georgetown's 6-6 finish in 2025, despite its usual November slide, was an accomplishment for one of the East's least productive programs. The record comes with a confluence of events which won't be easily repeated in 2026, however. Only three of its 2025 opponents had better than a .500 record last season, an unusual number in any season. 

Among the most significant changes heading into 2026 is the non-conference schedule-- Georgetown was 3-1 in games versus teams below .500, and that accounted for half its win total. Wins against Davidson (2-10), Morgan State (4-8) and Wagner (5-7)  gave Georgetown hope it could meet a .500 plateau in a down PL for 2025, but none will be around to play in 2026. The arrival of Villanova (12-3 in 2025) and William & Mary (7-5) has changed the calculus for Georgetown in the non-conference. Where once GU played five non-conference games a year against a mix of low-tier northeastern FCS programs, the Hoyas will now play 9 of 12 (or in GU's case, 9 of 11) games in-league. There is no room for error, and its two-non-conference opponents are not automatic in any scenario. Columbia (2-10) easily handled the Hoyas last season, while Cornell, a doppelganger for GU in the lower half of the Ivy standings, arrives at Cooper Field picked 5th in the Ivy standings.  

Despite Coach Sgarlata's continuing interest in playing Ivy opponents,  the Hoyas still cannot compete beyond Cornell and Columbia, which account for six of the seven Georgetown wins in 41 games against Ivy schools since 2003.

Trading wins with Davidson, Wagner, and Morgan State for likely losses to Villanova and W&M isn't a promising development for the schedule in 2026.

2. Can The Hoyas Get Off To A Good Start? It won't be easy.

Georgetown opens the season with four home games in its first five, but won't be favored in any of them. We should learn a lot more about this team in the opener versus Lafayette, which like Georgetown lost key offensive pieces to the transfer portal. If the Hoyas can play this game tough, they've got a chance to build something, but an early loss could set them down a slippery slope with Lehigh and Richmond to follow. Both Lafayette and Lehigh feature the run-heavy offenses that GU simply can't match defensively, especially with the losses of Cooper Blomstrom and Giancarlo Rufo. 

There's a big difference between approaching mid-October at 2-3 versus 0-5. The Lafayette and Columbia games, both at home, offer the younger Hoyas an opportunity, but no sure thing, against programs it has shown it can compete among.  

3. Any Hope Entering November? There's always hope, but...

Georgetown's cumulative record in November is lacking in many respects and downright deflating in others. Much of it is a function of depth--the team lacks the talent below the two-deep when called upon later in the season and they wither, as was the case in the 2025 finale versus Holy Cross. In contrast to the front-loaded home schedule, four of its final five games are on the road, including Colgate (where the Hoyas are 0-10 at Andy Kerr Stadium), the homecoming opponent to William & Mary (before an expected 13,000 at Zable Field), a Senior Day game at Fordham (GU is 1-11 all time vs. the Rams at the former Jack Coffey Field) and the beginning of a new tradition in the season finale at Villanova. 

That game may not be close, but it's a start. As noted earlier at this blog: "In the last ten years, Georgetown has lost every single season finale, and by an average of  25 points. Only two of these have been by less than three touchdowns." In fact, Georgetown is 3-21 in the PL era in its league finales. Neither of these marks seem in jeopardy - this year, anyway --  against a Villanova team which enters the season ranked #8 nationally.

The lone home game in that stretch offers some hope at some revenge after some bad feelings following the loss at Fenway Park. Holy Cross opens with a four game gauntlet to open the season and will need some inspired play through a four game run in October where it will play at William & Mary, at Harvard, and home with Bucknell and Richmond. The Nov. 7 game will be the Crusaders' final road game of the season and it's a chance for the Hoyas to steal one late.

4. Why Isn't Georgetown Playing a 12th Game? Georgetown is not a place for candor, and neither Sgarlata nor athletic director Lee Reed are the kind of men who would be excessively glib about where Georgetown sits as a marquee opponent. 

Absent a daily newspaper in Washington that could cover such things, it's complete guesswork on my part, but there are three suspects as to why Georgetown plays 11 games and its other nine PL schools play 12:

1. Expanded Schedule: The nine game PL schedule wreaked havoc with longer term plans, especially in the early weeks of the schedule and the needs of other PL schools (but not Georgetown) to maintain guarantee games. Georgetown hasn't opened the season with three consecutive PL games since 2001, another season where the league had to add a new school to the schedule matrix. It's not clear outside the coaching ranks what the relationships Georgetown has with the likes of Marist and Davidson under their new coaching regimes, but as these lower teams need to fill their schedules, the availability of Georgetown in weeks 2,4,5, and 10 didn't work.

2. Timing: A week two date (November 12) is an early bye for any team and not many schools have an open date this early, either due to guarantee games or, in the case of the Ivy League, its season has not yet started. Here's a remarkable stat: of 120 Division I-AA/FCS schools (less the Ivy League, who doesn't play in week two), 119 of the 120 are playing in week two. The only one that doesn't is... Georgetown.

Similarly, on its bye week of October 31, just seven other FCS teams have an open date. Who are they? Fordham (well, they play the Hoyas two weeks later), Jackson State, Long Island, New Hampshire, Northern Colorado, Prairie View A&M, and Valparaiso. The budget isn't set to travel to Greeley, Colorado or Jackson, Mississippi, and if GU wanted to avoid five road games in its final six, it needs a home game--and who is coming to Cooper Field? No one.

3. R&R: A thin team doesn't need an extra week on the field to get beaten up. If the bye week(s) give players time to heal up, it will be worth more than another game on the schedule.

5. What's The "Go-To" Game in 2026?  Believe it or not, it's a game where Georgetown has the least chance to win: November 21 at #8 Villanova. 

Georgetown has, as of August, a 4% chance in this one per the Massey ratings site, but playing the Wildcats for the first time on the gridiron in 76 years (yes, you read that correct) means something more.  Short of a game with UConn,  this game is likely to get more attention than Colgate or Lafayette or Columbia. 

It also might lead to some discussions about how to better promote this game when Villanova returns to Washington in 2027. Institutionally, Georgetown University seems catatonic about promoting sports that do not involve a game in spacious Capital One Arena; yet, every other PL school seems to know know how to do so. Check out this link from Villanova announcing its promotions built around home games and ask yourself two questions:1) how will this atmosphere be to welcome Georgetown in November, and 2) why, why, WHY can't Georgetown do likewise?

In the meantime, here comes Lafayette.

Five Questions: The Defense

 

In part two of our pre-season series, five questions for the defense heading into the 2026 season:

1. How Deep Is The Defensive Rebuilding Effort? Very.

Georgetown returns just one starter, senior Chigozie Oge-Evans, from the 2025 defensive line and none of its starting linebackers. While not as potentially dire as the gaps on offense, it's something the staff needs to address at the start of the season.

The loss of lineman Cooper Blomstrom (47 tackles, 7.5 sacks) to Arizona is one setback, but the loss of linebacker Giancarlo Rufo in the transfer portal to USC may be even more impactful. Rufo anchored a Georgetown linebacker corps that was vital to keeping the Hoyas close in games last season and led the defense with 103 tackles, 57 solo, and that won't be easily replaced.

Only two underclassmen were on the two-deep at season's end on the defensive line: sophomores Jack Casey (eight games, 11 tackles) and Dean Mangiocavallo (12 games, 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks), with sophomore Folu Shobowale (six games, six tackles) and senior Mohammed Sow (seven games, four tackles) likely to compete for a starting role. Junior Isaac Saffold returns from an injury in 2025, appearing in all 11 games in 2024 with 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks.  

Experience counts, however, and the Hoyas need some game experience. Five of the 16 linemen on the roster are freshmen and another four had no prior game stats in 2025. 

Ten linebackers are competing for two starting positions, with senior Cody Pham (11 games, 40 tackles), senior Raden Waweru (nine games, seven tackles) and junior Joel Mireles (eight games, 13 tackles) as major contenders. After a strong start, the Hoya defense limped to a sixth place finish in rushing defense in 2025, and open the 2026 season with opponents that represented the top two PL rushing offenses from last year. Lafayette put up 289 yards on the ground against Georgetown last season, Lehigh 193 yards.  We'll see how the new lineup will fare early in the season.

Injuries notwithstanding, this figures to be a better defense at the end of the season than at the beginning, and the development of Casey and Mangiocavallo could be key in that growth. The first three or four weeks will feel some growing pains, however.

2. How Good Is The Georgetown Secondary? As PL teams go, very.

The Hoyas return all five secondary starters from 2025, including one perhaps less expected but no less valuable: senior safety Quincy Briggs. The honorable mention All-America selection (12 games, 33 tackles; five INT) entered the transfer portal at season's end, but found no home and resurfaced on the training camp roster in early August. He will provide leadership and impact speed on the corner and allow sophomore Chris Martin (12 games, 46 tackles), sophomore Damon Narcisse (11 games, 19 tackles), senior Braylon Wise (11 games, 32 tackles, two INT) and sophomore Bryan Lloyd (12 games, 28 tackles) to excel as the deepest starting five in the Patriot League. 

There are 11 defensive backs and safeties on the pre-season roster and three upperclassmen seeking that  run in the lineup: grad student Wedner Cadet, who lost eight games in the 2025 season to injury but  had 55 tackles over his first two seasons, junior Michael Bonsu (11 games, 11 tackles) and junior transfer Benjamin Bruce, a two year preferred walk-on at Texas A&M, Seven of the 16 secondary members are freshmen and theirs is a learning year in 2026, but the key returnees should be Georgetown's best path to improving upon its ranked fifth in the PL and fifth in defensive pass efficiency. 

3. What's An Area To Build Upon? Georgetown ranked 21st nationally in time of possession, and led the Patriot League. The defense generally did a good job limiting opponents on long drives and gave its offense a net of  61 more plays over the course of the season.

4. What's The Single Greatest Area For Improvement? Depth aside, the Hoyas ranked just 108th nationally in red zone defense, allowing points in 32 of 36 defensive possessions last season. Fifteen of those 32 possessions ended in a rushing touchdown, and  this illustrates the pressure the defensive line will face early this season.

5. How Will Special Teams Fare In 2026? It's difficult to say, but likely more of the same. The Hoyas hold up well on kick and punt returns, enjoyed a sterling 17 for 17 in PAT's in conference play last season on the foot of junior Thomas Anderson, but just 6 for 13 in field goals across the season overall, with misses in five of eight attempts beyond 40 yards. Three newcomers will join the team at kicker, but this is still a role for Anderson and  punter Josh Leff until further notice.

Coming next Friday: Expectations for the 2026 season.

 

Five Questions: The Offense

Nine months removed from its best season in 15 years, the 2026 Georgetown Hoyas should have a sense of momentum about it, having won a total of 16 games since 2023, the most in a three season run in 27 years. 

It doesn't seem that  way, and with good reason: the loss of 30 players to graduation and a half-dozen to the transfer portal, the arrival of Villanova and William & Mary to the  Patriot League, and a schedule that leaves nothing to chance, all seem to be land mines on the 2026 calendar for a Georgetown team which lacks the depth of its Patriot League brethren. 

Depth, or lack of it, is most visible on an offense that finished sixth of eight teams in the PL, but lost eight starters. That depth forms the basis for five questions heading into the season:

1. How Will A New Offensive Coordinator Meet The Challenge? Jack McDaniels takes over as offensive coordinator, just the third OC in the Rob Sgarlata era and is only third OC since 2003 who takes over the job without prior experience as a coordinator.

The career outlook for McDaniels is a bright one, and his succession of the retired Rob Spence brings both a sense of innovation as well as his awareness of the Georgetown system, having served as an assistant offensive coach for three seasons from 2022 through 2024 before a season at Central Michigan. 

For his part, Spence was best suited to the pass as reflected from his days working as the OC at Clemson under Terry Bowden from 2005-2008, but the Georgetown rushing game in 2025 exceeded expectations and allowed the Hoyas to remain in contention, at least until the all too familiar end-of-season slump sent their 5-3 midseason record into a tailspin. Still, the Hoyas led all PL teams in time of possession, and that may be a difficult number to repeat given the new names (and new games) which await. 

McDaniels is well suited to the two ingredients most needed for an OC this season: adjust and adapt. Some former OC's were slow in adjustments (Elliot Uzelac, for those that remember, or Jim Miceli, another) and that can only come with experience. The longer term changes, or adapting to the new PL, is a task he will address, and ride with it. Unlike seasons where Georgetown started off strong against the likes of a Davidson, Wagner, or Marist and then struggled to the finish, the Hoyas figure to be down early, with Lafayette, Lehigh, and Richmond forming the first three weeks of competition-- three teams that defeated the Hoyas last season. Adapting will be critical as the Hoyas face a grim October and November where four of its final five will be on the road, and provide the means to end the season with more than they entered with.

The first two games should provide a window into McDaniels' strategy for the season to come.

2. How Inexperienced Is The Offensive Line? Very.

Mosiah Talanoa returns for his fourth season having played in all 12 games last season. The remainder of the line must be rebuilt, having lost graduating seniors Trevor Swan, Josh Sauickie, Losini Maka, and Kaysen Mahuka-Kaawa. Even that experience wasn't enough to keep the Hoyas' quarterbacks safe (Georgetown was last in the PL in yardage lost to sacks, with 30 sacks and 201 yards lost over seven games), so McDaniels must seek to build a line over the next few weeks.

Only one returnee, second string guard Tyler Barrett, played in more than three games last year, so it's a group effort seeking to win the job. An army moves on its stomach, an offense moves on its line and this figures to be a group with a lot of changes early in the season. Juniors Rylan Filipe and Case Pickelman, and sophomore William Evans finished the season in the two-deep but played relatively little behind the nearly all-senior line in 2025. Their ability to come together as a team against veteran defensive outfits at Lafayette and Lehigh will be evident at the start, and with 19 offensive lineman on the roster, there's a lot of competition that won't necessarily end in late August.

3. Who Leads As Quarterback? Going back the last 15 years or so, Georgetown has followed a tried and true approach: it names a starting quarterback and unless injuries get in the way, more often than not it runs that quarterback to the end of the season. There have been exceptions (Clay Norris was benched for Gunther Johnson in 2017, for one) but these are outliers. 

The portal departures of Syracuse-bound Danny Lauter and Prairie View A&M newcomer Dez Thomas leave Georgetown without an true incumbent QB since Norris was named to the starting lineup in 2016.  Just two backups have any prior experience, and both on a very limited basis: senior Jacob Holtzschlag passed for 337 yards as a backup to Lauter as a sophomore in 2024 but no time at QB a year later. Junior Jack Johnson passed for 152 yards over the final four games of 2025. As with many of their predecessors, Georgetown has long favored drop-back passers and without a strong offensive line to protect them, that's a warning for both men.

Sophomore Aiden Krause has not cracked the lineup and 2026 may be his make or break year, with freshman Gavin Beard looking to move into contention. Beard threw for 2,629 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only five interceptions in 2024, and led Ft. Worth All Saints to an undefeared 14-0 record in 2025.

The final decision, though, rests on what kind of offense McDaniels aims to execute, and which man fits the bill. It's possible that as many as three of these QB's will rotate through the lineup in 2026, but it's dependent on how quickly the offense comes together. Georgetown last played three quarterbacks in 2017, losing 10 straight to end the season, so stability is vital.

4. Is There A Running Game? Georgetown has never been much of a running team, but Savion Hart's 852 yards in 2025 was sixth best for a runner in school history, and his 10 rushing touchdowns was fifth best all-time for a Georgetown back. Thanks to the portal, Hart will play at Georgia State this fall, but Georgetown does have a number of options to build back in 2026.

Junior Jayden Sumpter finished second on the team in rushing last fall with 352 yards, with a season's best 65 yards versus Morgan State. If Georgetown runs a one-back set, he figures to get his share of carries, along with returning senior Bryce Cox, who was injured mid-season but led the Hoyas in rushing in 2024.  Senior Udechukwu Enyerlbe saw action in 10 games in backup roles last season and could be a wide option if the play calls favor it. Junior transfer Clay Ash was well regarded for his efforts as a two year walk-on at West Virginia and rushed for over 2,000 yards as a senior in high school, so the potential is there at Georgetown.

Contrary to what you see in the Big 10 and SEC, the Patriot League still values the run. The Hoyas' first two opponents of 2026 each averaged more than 200 yards per game on the ground and ranked among the top 15 teams nationally in the category. Villanova (175.4 yards/game) and William & Mary (152.2 ypg) will also challenge on the ground this season, and it's dependent on the Hoyas to establish a ground game to prevent defenses from sitting back and daring a pair of inexperienced QB's in the passing game.  Rushing drives time of possession, where Georgetown's average of 31:21 was 21st best nationally in 2025.

If each can stay healthy, Cox and Ash form a interesting pair of options for the Hoyas in ground sets.

5. Who Is the Next Impact Receiver?  Since 2021, two men have owned the Georgetown receiver stats: Joshua Tomas (2021-2022) and Jimmy Kibble (2023-2025). Kibble's graduation opens up opportunities for two returnees to take over the mantle.

Senior Hassan Mahasin was second to Kibble in receiving yards in his first season at Georgetown, with 295 yards receiving and two touchdowns in a 2025 season dominated by Kibble. Mahasin took over the role that senior Nicholas Dunneman held in 2024, where he was third to Kibble with 447 yards and four touchdowns, but was limited by injuries in 2025. Beyond Mahasin, Dunneman,  and TE Isaiah Grimes (22-195-3 TD), no returning receiver had more than four catches all last season.

Mahasin and Dunneman are similarly sized at around 5-11 and played complementary roles over the past two seasons. The WR group for 2026 is very inexperienced and the Hoyas need a third option to provide options, but will rely on these two to carry the passing game. Injuries to one or both could be more than the Hoyas can absorb, however. In a preseason of question marks on offense, Georgetown needs a go-to receiver early and often this season, and one of these two must step forward.

Five questions, and no easy answers for a new coordinator.

Coming next Friday: five questions for the defense.