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
