Week 3 Thoughts

 

 

Some thoughts from Sacred Heart's 40-14 win over Georgetown this past Saturday... while wondering if Georgetown is the only Division I school without a video board in 2024: 

1. What We Learned. This was a surprise in all phases of the game: an offense that ground to a halt after two productive weeks, a defense that could not contain the run against an opponent that was held to 10 points by a winless Division II school, the most turnovers in any game in eight years. It had all the trappings of week three of the 2023 season, where the Hoyas stumbled against Division I newcomer Stonehill, 23-20.

Except this game wasn't as close.

Saturday's game was less a "trap" game than a "window" game, because it opened a window to the three issues that Georgetown must address, and soon, for it to make a serious run at that elusive winning season. 

First, the run defense remains a concern. Sacred Heart had just 146 yards against Division II St. Anselm the week before, and went for 264 yards, 125 yards more than Georgetown. Yes, it was warm. Yes, it was on the road. Yes, the early injury to VeRon Garrison hurt, but this was a team effort regardless. The next two Ivy opponents finished near the bottom of the Ivy League in rushing last season (Brown, 96.0 yards per game, Columbia 128.7), so any repeat of Saturday's ground game would be alarming heading into Patriot League play.  

Second, the Georgetown run game has a natural ceiling, and it arrived Saturday. Marist and Davidson are not I-AA quality rush defenses, and  Sacred Heart shone a light as to what other teams will due to what is a limited GU backfield. Again, Mason Gudger's injury didn't help, but the Hoyas need more out of its backfield to give the passing game time to develop. And while we're at it:

Third, this was a concerning game for QB Danny Lauter. He started 10 for 10, but  struggled down the stretch, with one of the Sacred Heart announcers openly wondering if he was playing through an injury. Brief appearances by Dez Thomas and Jacob Holtschlag in the fourth quarter did not give the early appearance that there is a Gunther Johnson ready to succeed Clay Norris out there (pardon the 2017-era reference), but Lauter needs to be ready for Brown on Saturday.

2. What They Learned: From two so-so games to open the season, Sacred Heart played their best football at the right time--before a season high crowd at a Homecoming game that looked more like Georgetown of the 18-drinking age 1980s. Sacred Heart will never be confused with Syracuse, but the beer garden, a busy marching band, and a general school spirit not always seen in Northwest Washington helped carry the Pioneers to the win.

These are uncertain times for the Pioneers in football. Moving to the MAAC consigned its football team to, for now, a nomadic existence as an independent--in fact, along with fellow NEC outcast Merrimack, they're the only two independents in the subdivision, making future scheduling, especially later in the season, a nightmare. The 2025 schedule, at least publicly, has only four schools on the Pioneers' platter: at Norfolk State, at Montana, a home game with Lafayette, and a likely game with Merrimack. The game this past week with Georgetown was the return game from last season and is not likely to return soon with the addition of Richmond to PL schedules next fall. 

3. Why Sacred Heart? It's probably a good time to remind readers why Georgetown was playing Sacred Heart in the first place. Simply put, supply and demand.

Let's start at the top. There are 262 Division I teams, of which roughly half (130) are FBS, the "B" standing for "bowl". A win over Georgetown does not count for bowl eligibility, so the big schools won't be calling. Of the 132 schools remaining,  as many as 115 of them are playing guarantee games in the first three weeks of the season against those FBS schools for a guarantee fee, so Georgetown isn't a choice when these schools can take a check from TCU (as LIU did) or Central Florida (as New Hampshire did) or even Rutgers (as Howard took advantage of.)  

Add to this that the Ivy League doesn't play in the first two weeks of the season, Georgetown doesn't travel beyond a 6-8 hour bus trip to schedule opponents, and wants a home and away series in lieu of a one-way road trip to Chesterton IL or Beaumont, TX. 

So who's left out of those constraints?  You guessed it: Marist, Davidson, the occasional NEC or MEAC schools without a guarantee opponent that week, or the independents. As much as some of us would like to see a Villanova, a Howard, a Towson, or even some distant opponent which could raise the collective eyebrow of the local sports community, it won't come unless and until Georgetown is an opponent worth scheduling, which they are not and in some ways chooses not to be.

4. New England Is Not Hoya Country: Saturday's game was the eighth game (and only the eighth) Georgetown has played in Connecticut: GU's record is 1-7. It's not much better in New Hampshire (0-1) or Rhode Island (0-3). Massachusetts has more wins (12-25-1) but many of those wins predate the modern era. Why is this? The short answer is distance. A 5-8 hour bus trip takes its toll. While there are FCS teams Georgetown have not played (Bryant, Central Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Merrimack), these seem like long shots in what will be a four game non-conference slate going forward. Remember, those first three weeks figure to be the majority of open dates and teams will be looking elsewhere. 

5. Around the Patriot League: A competitive week for the Soon-To-Be-Eight, with one exception. Let's start there.

Stony Brook 27, Fordham 21:  A half-empty Homecoming crowd of 3,112 at the former Jack Coffey Field saw the Rams drop its third straight, losing a fourth quarter lead with a pair of interceptions that led to the winning margin.  Starting quarterback C.J. Montes was lost to injury in the game and his status remains uncertain heading into what is likely a must win scenario at Dartmouth, where the Big Green were tri-champions in the Ivy last season.

Holy Cross 43, Bryant 22: A strong second half piloted the Crusaders (1-2) past Bryant (1-2) for its first win of the season.  Quarterback Joe Pesansky was an efficient 11 for 14 for 100 yards but the HC defense stepped up, holding the Bulldogs to 94 yards on the ground. Holy Cross hosts Yale in the Elis' season opener but without leading running back Jordan Fuller, who is out for the season following an injury in the Bryant game.

Lehigh 20, LIU 17: Another PL team that needed a win, the Engineers (1-2) held off the homestanding Sharks (0-3) before just 1,643 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium. A key third quarter interception by Lehigh resulted in a 27 yard touchdown pass and the winning points in a game that could provide some momentum for Lehigh as they host Princeton.

Merrimack 31, Bucknell 21: Much like Georgetown, the Bison (1-2) were tripped up by an FCS independent, as the Warriors (1-2) scored 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters for the win in Lewisburg,  Quarterback Ralph Rucker was held to just 141 yards for Bucknell and gave up two interceptions. A more reasonable opponent awaits as the Bison host Marist (0-2), who have been outscored 87-24 in two games versus PL opponents.

Lafayette 56, Marist 18: Smooth sailing for the Leopards in week three, putting up 528 yards in total offense and holding the Red Foxes to 43 yards on the ground. Lafayette travels to Columbia this Saturday.

Akron 31, Colgate 20:  A closer score than the final might indicate, the Red Raiders (0-3)  held a 17-0 first quarter lead before the Zips (1-2)( took control before 8,932 at  InfoCision Stadium. The teams traded turnovers late in the fourth quarter but Colgate could not pull closer at game's end. Winless after three weeks, this is usually the time the Raiders start to come together, and it might come this weekend hosting Cornell in its season opener.

Week 2 Thoughts

  Some thoughts following Georgetown's 31-10 win at Marist:

1. Expectations Met: A post at a FCS (I-AA) message board I visit asked this question: "When will we know if [the Hoyas] are really any good? It wasn't going to be answered Saturday at Marist, but we did pick up come clues.

Offensively, the line is doing great work in opening up holes for the backs and closing them on the rush. Through two games, Georgetown is averaging a healthy six yards per carry while QB Danny Lauter has not surrendered a sack. Entering Week Three, Georgetown is 26th nationally in rushing offense, an unusual place for the Hoyas to be when compared with prior years. By contrast, its 160 yards per game in passing is down from where it was at the end of the 2023 season, but that's a reflection of needs and opportunities. The defenses against the run among Ivy and Patriot teams will be a significant step up from what Pioneer teams offer, so Georgetown will be transitioning to more in the air as the season progresses.

Defensively, Georgetown settled down after the first Marist possession and held the Red Foxes to nine punts and a field goal thereafter, and four for 15 on third down possession. The rushing defense will be tested over the next three weeks, but they grade out well this far.

The return game have been very strong. The Hoyas started its first three drives of the second half at midfield, and that set the tone for a game which was still close at the half. In face, the last drive of the game, with the outcome certain, is the first drive all season where Georgetown started within its 20 yard line.

Yes, Georgetown was favored to win, and did, BUT let's give some well deserved credit to Marist. The Red Foxes opened its season Saturday with a new head coach, a new staff, and a largely new team, including 53 freshmen. Coach Mike Willis has the ingredients for a significantly improved Marist team in the Pioneer, and there were some encouraging signs in that first half. For forty minutes, the Red Foxes played the Hoyas close-- and with experience, will be a more formidable opponent going forward.

No rest for the weary, however-- Marist's next two games are at Lafayette and at Bucknell.  The Red Foxes won't be favored in either but its defensive line pressure against  LC's Dean DeNobile and BU's Ralph Rucker could makes these games reasonably competitive.

Georgetown met its expectations for Week Two, and take another step upward Saturday at Sacred Heart.

2. Getting It Right: When Georgetown next returns its game at Davidson, likely next year, it will do so at Davidson's new $54 million football facility, the 5,500 seat Davidson College Stadium on the northwest corner of that college's grounds. It's a world removed from the 100 year old Richardson Field, which was showing its age and wasn't going to last much longer.

 Davidson College Stadium is more than a football field, however, but the kind of true multi-sport facility that Georgetown once sought, but ultimately did not deliver on. Cooper Field is a monument of sorts to misplaced priorities and lost opportunities. At a glance, this facility puts Davidson right where it wants to be, and where it wants to be moving forward.

As its athletic director told the Charlotte Post, "We orient everything we do with facilities around the scholar athlete. This really was the culmination of looking at our previous facilities and create more enhancement and capacity around their wellness. This transforms everything we do; this transforms everything our scholar athletes are looking for and puts us on par with other bigger institutions in terms of the facilities they’re able to provide... There’s a lot of great things this space can do and accommodate. The concessions are fantastic, the food service we can provide. Beyond athletics, provides a really cool space for events and different opportunities. We wanted to create a space where we could bring people [together].”

If this harkens back to some of the hopes for the Multi-Sport Facility and its ill-fated partner, the McDonough Convocation Center, it does. But to its credit, Davidson got it right.

3. Around The Patriot League: After a rough open week for the other six schools, three schools picked up its first win of the season, while three others will seek that win this weekend.

Bucknell 35, VMI 28: Quarterback Ralph Rucker threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns as the Bison won on the road in Lexington. The Bison are making some real progress with Rucker at the helm and if the defense can hold its own, Bucknell will make a move up the standings. At 1-1 following the win, Bucknell hosts 0-2 Merrimack  following the Warriors' 63-14 loss at UConn.

Lehigh 49, Wagner 13: Good times returned to South Mountain, as the Engineers (1-1) routed the Seahawks 42-0 at the half en route to the five touchdown win. The halftime score was its most since 2001 (49-0 versus Georgetown) and the final score is largest since 2007. Wagner was held to just 22 yards at the break. Lehigh travels to LIU (0-2) following the Sharks' 45-0 loss at TCU,

Lafayette 40, Monmouth 35: The pre-season favorite for the Patriot League title continues to impress, as the Leopards (1-1) pulled off an improbable win at Kessler Stadium. As written at Monmouth's web site, "Monmouth took the lead with under two minutes remaining... to make it 35-28. Lafayette quickly answered by taking the ball 89 yards on four plays to pull within one. The Leopards opted to go for two and the lead, but Dean DeNobile's pass was knocked away by Deuce Lee at the goal line to keep Monmouth in front. With 53 seconds remaining, Lafayette needed an onside kick to keep its hopes alive and the Leopards were able to recover. A 42-yard connection from DeNobile to Elijah Steward with 36 seconds on the clock put the visitors ahead for good and capped a high-scoring fourth quarter." It's the kind of game that will pay dividends for the Leopards as they move forward. First up: 0-2 Marist.

New Hampshire 21, Holy Cross 20: No such luck for the Crusaders (0-2), who gave up a sack and an interception in the final minute to lose the upset bid versus the 2-1 Wildcats. Of particular pain: HC was 1 of 13 on third down. Next up for Holy Cross, a road game at Bryant (1-1).

Central Connecticut State 33, Fordham 3: This was a surprise: CCSU dominated this game, taking advantage of a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a safety en roure to a  19-0 halftime lead and the Blue Devils never looked back. The Rams (0-2) fumbled on three of its first five possessions and five turnovers overall in a rain-soaked game. Fordham hosts Stony Brook (1-1) in its Homecoming and home opener Saturday in the Bronx.

Villanova 28, Colgate 3: The Wildcats were too big and too fast, end of story. The usually strong rushing game of the Red Raiders (0-2) managed just 86 yards. Another tough assignment awaits Saturday as Colgate meets Akron (0-2), with the Zips coming off losses at Ohio State and at Rutgers.

Week 1 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Georgetown's 46-24 win over Davidson Saturday:

1. Controlling Davidson. To paraphrase its head coach, controllables were controlled in the Hoyas' opening week win.

The Wildcats are a unique team in FCS, and sufficiently difficult to prepare for in a meeting, that to the players, was its first ever, though Sgarlata and his staff had seen them in 2019. Much like Army, the ground game of Davidson is the best in its subdivision; but, also, like Army, it's not always enough to win, and Georgetown took advantage of this.  Yes, Davidson which led the nation in 2023 at over 300 yards a game and was ranked fifth in total offense. Yes, they were 5-4 versus Division I opponents last year because the ground game isn't always enough.

In the game, Davidson carried the ball 57 times for 245 yards, but it was not enough. Georgetown was able to control four of five key statistical trends in the game:

1. Total Yards: Georgetown. 369 to 345

2. Yards Per Play: Georgetown, 8.4 to 4.6

3. Red Zone Efficiency:  Georgetown  200% to Davidson's 75%

4. Net Turnovers Gained: Georgetown +2

5. Net Time of Possession: Davidson,  +17:52

That last statistic is an anomaly given Davidson's ruin game, and it's fair to say in all the Georgetown games I've followed over the years I'm hard pressed to remember any of them where the Hoyas gave up nearly 39 minutes of time of possession and won handily: it's not a common occurrence with any other common opponent.

Georgetown also took advantage of any number of potential turning points in this game and swung it to its collective advantage: the interception to end the second half with Davidson marching to a halftime lead, the first drive of the third quarter,  even the muffed punt that the defense was able to hold the Wildcats without a first down at midfield. Throughout the game, the Georgetown staff took note of a trend seen in Davidson's game all last season: its secondary is porous, and can give up big plays, and the Hoyas took full advantage.

Yes, it's Davidson and no one is confusing this opener with the opponents met by other Patriot League schools, which we'll discuss below. The Wildcats have a ceiling in the Pioneer and while this is the weakest of Georgetown's opponents at Cooper Field, it's a win a team needs to build its record. For a Georgetown teams which now needs to go .500 the rest of 2024 for that elusive winning season, it's one game at a time and this challenge can now be put on the shelf as Marist awaits.

2. Danny Lauter: The debut of junior quarterback Danny Lauter seemed a mixed one, given his record setting performance in his only game to date, namely, his 427 yards against Lafayette last season.

Lauter finished the afternoon 9 of 16 for 107 yards, with passes to six receivers. Seven of the nine receptions were eight yards or more, but none more than 20. No sacks, no interceptions, but no touchdowns either.

Call this a conservative game plan to open the season. Lauter was not given many long ball opportunities and given the success of the ground game, it wasn't needed. Fans could see much the same in the upcoming game at Marist, but the run game will grind down as the opponent level increases and Lauter needs the confidence upstairs in the coaching booth as well as on the field of apply to exert a more active passing attack. The need is obvious: Georgetown does not have a running game that can take over games.

It's one of the unfortunate byproducts of Georgetown's nonscholarship status: its backfield wears down as the season progresses. The stat sheets of the last two decades are filled with names which dominated its the early games of the season and struggled by November: Charlie Houghton, Nick Campanella, Joel Kimpela. It's not a knock on the current crew, but that the Hoyas tend to struggle as injuries mount and teams know that Georgetown is not deep in the backfield. This is where veteran quarterbacks step up and while Lauter is not there yet, his ability to get there is a story to watch in this first month of the season.

Georgetown has the talent to compete in the air game. We may not see it this week, but we'll need to see it soon.

3. Special Teams:  The goal of any opener for the special teams start with "do no harm" and the Hoyas met that standard Saturday. However, the issue with kickoffs still has some work ahead of it.

Two kickers were brought in to challenge for a role where punter Patrick Ryan has been less than effective: kickoffs. 

The Hoyas had nine kickoffs Saturday that resulted in no touchbacks, a trend seen last season as well.  Georgetown averaged 18.6 yards allowed on kickoff returns and an average starting field position at the opponent's 30 yard line. Much the same could be expected at Marist, where the Red Foxes aren't much better on kickoffs (the difference in last year's game was an average of one yard between them) but it's a point off concern as the season progresses. 

4. Around the Patriot League: Not a great week for the league, but to be fair, no one else was playing Davidson.

The PL was 1-6 overall in its opening week games, with Georgetown being the only win of the weekend. Much of this was expected with four schools (Bucknell, Fordham, Lafayette, Lehigh) playing FBS opponents. Overall, FCS was a combined  2-47 versus its major college opponents in week one, with wins form only Montana State and Villanova.

Perhaps the most interesting game came in Saturday's finale, where Holy Cross came back from 10 down in the fourth to take the lead at Rhode Island with 1:47 to play, only to see the Rams march 75 yards in 12 plays for the winning score. URI quarterback completed his final there passes of the evening for 61 yards for the win. There are going to be growing pains for a Holy Cross team which lost so many leaders following the 2023 season, but they sent a message that the Crusaders aren't going away. 

Other games for this week include the following:

Wagner (1-0) at Lehigh (0-1), 12:00 pm, ESPN+

Lafayette (0-1) at Monmouth (0-1), 1:00 pm, FloSports

Bucknell (0-1) at VMI (0-1), 1:30, ESPN+

New Hampshire (0-1) at Holy Cross (0-1), 2:00 pm, ESPN+

Villanova (1-0) at Colgate (0-1), 6:00 pm. ESPN+

Fordham (0-1) at Central Connecticut St. (0-1), 6:00 pm, NEC Front Row