Some thoughts following Lafayette's 35-25 win over Georgetown last week:
1. Opportunities Lost: Much like the Colgate game a week earlier, the Hoyas let this game get away from them early and did not sufficiently recover. The first quarter drives of Lafayette netted 14 points and a field goal opportunity, all of which began in Georgetown's side of the field. Little can be done at this point of the season regarding special teams, but it needs to be addressed in the off-season.
Injuries are common across many teams in October, but they are hitting Georgetown harder than most, primarily in the offensive line. It's neutralized the running game and giving defenses better success in stopping third down conversions. Scholarships provide depth and that's verboten on the Hilltop, so the depth that they have is going to fall behind the curve from the start.
Credit must be paid to the line for protecting QB Danny Lauter en route to a career afternoon in his first collegiate start of any kind, but should Lauter play in any capacity the remainder of the season the combination of a weaker line and opponent access to game films of Lauter will take its toll.
Yes, the turnovers hurt; so too, the fourth down conversions that fell short at critical moments of the game: one early that led to the second Lafayette touchdown, and one late that kept the margin too far to make a serious run. As much as many, the cumulative opportunities ran into a chronic issue hat has dogged the Hoyas for 20 years -- the lack of a go-to player on offense who can drive the play no matter what. Whether at quarterback or running back (think Holy Cross' Matthew Sluka and Jacob Dobbs) Georgetown hasn't been able to recruit that go-to leader in the backfield, and as much as anything it's why the Hoyas are 4-5 this season and not 6-3.
And yet, the Hoyas are still mathematically eligible for the PL title with a win over Bucknell on Saturday and a significant upset of Holy Cross in the regular season finale. The former appears more realistic than the latter, but the fact that GU is even in this scenario speaks to the team and the staff's ability to stay in games and compete until the end. It worked with Fordham and at Lehigh (imagine that) but its last two home games fell short.
On to Bucknell.
2. Whatever Happened To... While wandering across the Internet trying to find out what will happen to NEC football after it is losing Merrimack and Sacred Heart, I located an article about an unfamiliar name in college football with a familiar name leading it forward.
The school is New England College, which, unless you were at Georgetown in the 1970s and saw their one and only basketball game against the Hoyas in 1978 (final score: 80-30), it's probably unknown to most, and certainly in football. NEC (no relation to the conference) is a Division III school in central New Hampshire which is adding football next year. At the helm of the effort is former Georgetown head coach Kevin Kelly.
As someone who grew up in New England, played collegiately at Springfield College, and returned there after his coaching career had ended circa 2020, it's full circle for Kelly, now 64. Since leaving Georgetown in 2014, he was an assistant at Bal State for two seasons, a high school coach for two seasons, a defensive coordinator at Bryant for two seasons and less than a year with the New York Guardians of the XFL before the onset of COVID. In a career that goes back over 40 years, Georgetown was the only stop where Kelly stayed more than three seasons.
A new opportunity at New England starts from scratch: no equipment, no stadium, and, as for now, no players.
"Starting any endeavor from the ground up is an enormous challenge," Kelly said in August of this year. "But working within the visions of President Lesperance and Athletic Director DeCew makes this challenge a very exciting one—as we build a program that NEC, the NEC Alumni and the Henniker community will be proud of."
Schools of NEC's size don't add football for fun, so to speak. Per D3Fooball.com, "The sport is being touted as "a strategic investment, that we have high confidence will pay dividends in enrollment, in enhancing campus culture, and in expanding the college's football in New Hampshire and beyond," said a college trustee. Enrollment has declined from about 1,700 to just 1,163, so this is an enrollment play.
The Pilgrims don't have a conference affiliation in football (It recently joined the GNAC but that league does not play football), but a number of Division III programs are available in that area. Whatever the configuration, coach Kelly will have the players ready for the challenge.
3. Around The PL: From last weekend, three key scores set the table for the pivotal weekend to come:
Colgate 37, Lafayette 34 (OT): The Leopards' path to its first PL title since 2013 hit turbulence Saturday, as the resurgent Red Raiders battled back from 17 down at halftime to force overtime, hold LC to a field goal, and score on a 13 yard touchdown pass for the win before 4,418 at Fisher Stadium. The teams were a combined 10 for 11 in the red zone but Colgate had the advantage late and cashed in. The Leopards need to defeat Fordham and Lehigh to close out the season as champions.
Holy Cross 28, Lehigh 24: Despite injuries to Matthew Sluka and Jacob Dobbs, the Crusaders took a step back into the PL title race behind 228 yards from RB Jordan Fuller, before 3,528 at Murray Goodman Stadium. The Engineers held a 14-0 lead after but were not able to maintain the lead, falling to 2-7 and ensuring its seventh consecutive losing season. Following a game at Army this week, the Crusaders could claim the title with a win over Georgetown and losses by Lafayette to Fordham and Lehigh.
Fordham 27, Bucknell 21: Despite a personal record 358 yards passing from Bucknell QB Ralph Rucker, the Rams held on late before just 1,950 at Moglia Stadium. Fordham QB C.J. Montes was 18 of 33 for 328 yards and there touchdowns, including passes of 64 and 91 yards.
