Some thoughts following Columbia's 19-10 win over Georgetown Saturday:
1. Driving On Ice: It's just the first week of October and already there are some signs this season is starting to get away from the coaches and players. Some of it is beyond their control, but so is any accident. A setback at Homecoming sets this team on the skids heading into Patriot League play
The last two weeks have been both disappointing and concerning for an offense to whom Brown and Columbia will be the least of its comparison set entering the conference race. Danny Lauter is not Ralph Rucker or even Dean DeNobile, but Lauter was able to put Georgetown into contention when the ground game was sluggish. Yes, Lauter made his mistakes, but he elevated the game.
After avoiding it in the Brown pre-game, Georgetown finally admitted Lauter was out of action in the Columbia media notes, and the reported diagnosis of a shoulder injury puts a lot of question marks on the season going forward.
Georgetown being Georgetown, they won't speak as to the severity of Lauter's injury, whether a simple sprain or something as serious as a rotator cuff. In Thursday's media call with Jeremy Huber, head coach Rob Sgarlata, not one to look too far down a depth chart when it comes to quarterbacks, alluded to all five quarterbacks on the roster as needing to play at a high level to execute the offense. This is a team which rarely discusses below the second string, but the strings may be played out if things continue to wither with offensive execution.
Dez Thomas' last two games have been rough: 16 for 48, 161 yards passing, five INT's. His running talent surprised Davidson and Wagner, absent game film to the contrary, but teams have now adjusted and they have put pressure on him to settle for the run or make bad decisions in the pocket. It doesn't help that options like Savion Hart, Bryce Cox, and Nick Dunneman are banged up, but in the end, it's up to the quarterback to make good decisions.
Thomas needs a good game Saturday or the coaching staff may be forced to do something that GU has avoided since the awkward quarterback rotations of the 2008 and 2009 seasons; namely, use the bye week to open the door to elevate one of three untested players (Jacob Holtschlag, Jack Johnson, and Aiden Krause) to take over the reigns, especially if Lauter's downtime remains an issue. With both Lauter and Thomas as seniors, it could be a season-defining decision.
Depth is an issue all over the offense and it won't end well if people don't get healthy. Jayden Sumpter was another player with limited game film for Columbia to study but expect Morgan State and especially Columbia to adjust. If Georgetown gets further down the two-deep at running back, there's nothing in the passing game that can compensate for it.
2. A Name From The Past: Earlier this year, we discussed the return of former Georgetown coach Kevin Kelly to the college coaching ranks, taking over a new program debuting this season at New England College in Henniker, NH. A recent article in the Concord Monitor introduced its readers to the 65 year old coach, who was head coach at Georgetown from 2005 through 2013.
Since leaving Georgetown for a job with Pete Lembo at Ball State in 2014 that lasted only two seasons, Kelly returned to the wandering life of an assistant coach: a brief stay at Wyoming Seminary (PA), then Bryant, then a assistant coach's role with the New York Guardians XFL franchise before COVID folded the league for two seasons. An assistant's job at Division III Salve Regina (RI) in 2022 appeared to be his last stop until he read about the new program an hour north and applied for the head coach at NEC. It's the 20th stop on a career which began in 1981.
After four weeks, the results are what Kelly probably expected: the Pilgrims are 0-4, and one statistical service ranked NEC 767th out of 768 NCAA schools across all three divisions. A 55-0 loss to MIT was a low point, and last week's 34-21 loss to Nichols College (coached by former Kelly assistant Vinny Marino) proved an example of the hill any first time program must climb, even in Division III.
"I talk to them ahead of time, tell them that we’re going to have adversity, and then look at the positives, not always the negatives,” he said.
"We’re playing older teams, so it will be a challenge every week. The positive is that they’re going to be juniors and seniors in three or four years, and that will be the barometer of the program at that time.”
Some of Kelly's nomenclature follows that of Georgetown. What Rob Sgarlata calls the "Four for 40" mantra, Kelly calls the "Four for 44". He's built a leadership council among the players to build team unity. He lists four outcomes for his program: academic success, professional development, football experience and an investment in education. And, like his old Hilltop home, he is recruiting on the promise of a better facility.
"Kelly wants his fans, players and his staff invested in the program’s roots that will only continue to grow," writes the Monitor. " The team, which currently plays on a converted rugby field, will have a new multi-sports turf field with a stadium by next season. A new addition to the athletic center will include football locker rooms, new office spaces, classroom facilities and a modernized weight room."
Kevin Kelly famously did not get his Multi-Sport Facility at Georgetown, and here's hoping that New England College can give him the tools there to succeed.
3. Around The PL:
Lehigh 44, Penn 30: Since its opening week win over Richmond, Lehigh is cooking, and its win over Penn before 8,430 at Goodman Stadium puts the Engineers at the top of the PL race heading into October. Despite a wild 31 point fourth quarter between the teams, Lehigh's 539 yards of total offense allowed it to address very Penn drive and maintain its distance on the scoreboard. Luke Yoder led all rushers with 173 yards, as the Engineers held the Quakers to just 29 yards on the ground for the afternoon.
Bucknell 30, St. Francis 23: The farewell tour of Division I football at St. Francis moves on from the PL, as the Bison needed a late touchdown and an interception at the goal line at the conclusion of the game to win before an astonishing low 887 at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium. Ralph Rucker passed for only 168 yards as the Bison won the game on the ground, led by a 10 carry, 95 yard effort from RB Tariq Thomas. The Bucknell defense gave up 377 yards in the air and that will be a point of emphasis as league play dawns.
Richmond 13, Howard 12: Despite the Bison holding over 42 minutes in time of possession, a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns carried the Spiders to the win before 6,293 at Robins Stadium. A pair of interceptions late in the third and early in the fourth quarter opened the door to Richmond to fight back for the win.
Fordham 26, Holy Cross 21: The Crusaders dropped to 0-5 for the first time since the 2004 season despite a 21-20 halftime lead. A pair of Fordham field goals were the only points scored after halftime as the Rams won its first game versus HC since 2016 before 2,039 at Moglia Stadium in New York. Fordham was just 1 for 10 on third down conversions in the game.
Princeton 38, Lafayette 28: The Leopards fell behind early and never caught back up in the loss at Fisher Stadium, its 46th loss in 54 meetings versus the Tigers dating to 1883. Princeton scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and never trailed.
This week's games:
Richmond at Bucknell, 12 noon
Yale at Lehigh, 12:00
Fordham at Lafayette, 12:30 pm
Morgan St. at Georgetown, 1:00
Colgate at Cornell, 2:00
Harvard at Holy Cross, 2:00
