By The Numbers

There's been some lively debate on the HoyaTalk board in recent weeks about Georgetown's commitments to football, of which a special column later this season will discuss this in detail. But how does Georgetown fare against other schools?

For FY 2012, here were the football budgets per school in Division I-AA:

1	Montana State University	MT	$8,777,441
2	Liberty University	VA	$8,424,492
3	James Madison University	VA	$6,608,363
4	Old Dominion University	VA	$5,936,486
5	Fordham University	NY	$5,742,437
6	The University of Montana	MT	$5,656,889
7	University of Delaware	DE	$5,637,071
8	University of Richmond	VA	$5,563,301
9	Coastal Carolina University	SC	$5,420,560
10	Furman University	SC	$5,414,705
11	Villanova University	PA	$5,331,113
12	The University of Texas at San Antonio	TX	$5,140,135
13	Samford University	AL	$5,065,979
14	Colgate University	NY	$4,655,304
15	College of William and Mary	VA	$4,502,955
16	Lehigh University	PA	$4,486,823
17	Texas State University-San Marcos	TX	$4,400,906
18	Lafayette College	PA	$4,307,856
19	Presbyterian College	SC	$4,267,420
20	University of New Hampshire	NH	$4,064,025
21	Elon University	NC	$4,059,394
22	Bethune-Cookman University	FL	$3,950,538
23	Military College of S.C. (The Citadel)	SC	$3,915,023
24	Stony Brook University	NY	$3,909,564
25	College of the Holy Cross	MA	$3,900,385
26	University of Maine	ME	$3,864,144
27	Appalachian State University	NC	$3,769,377
28	Towson University	MD	$3,758,847
29	University of Rhode Island	RI	$3,736,644
30	Tennessee State University	TN	$3,698,630
31	North Dakota State University	ND	$3,663,103
32	Portland State University	OR	$3,639,220
33	Wofford College	SC	$3,629,852
34	Jacksonville State University	AL	$3,496,695
35	Youngstown State University	OH	$3,434,264
36	Eastern Kentucky University	KY	$3,386,349
37	Western Carolina University	NC	$3,372,801
38	University of Northern Iowa	IA	$3,329,150
39	Illinois State University	IL	$3,320,123
40	Virginia Military Institute	VA	$3,277,337
41	University of California-Davis	CA	$3,273,095
42	Yale University	CT	$3,269,637
43	Stephen F Austin State University	TX	$3,269,083
44	Georgia Southern University	GA	$3,204,295
45	Eastern Washington University	WA	$3,189,869
46	Indiana State University	IN	$3,166,886
47	Bucknell University	PA	$3,143,317
48	California State University-Sacramento	CA	$3,135,833
49	Lamar University	TX	$3,110,092
50	The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga	TN	$3,026,805
51	Southern Illinois University Carbondale	IL	$3,026,509
52	Cornell University	NY	$3,015,349
53	South Carolina State University	SC	$2,976,432
54	Gardner-Webb University	NC	$2,915,011
55	University of North Dakota	ND	$2,882,246
56	California Polytechnic-San Luis Obispo	CA	$2,877,772
57	Florida A&M University	FL	$2,839,529
58	Northern Arizona University	AZ	$2,838,620
59	Monmouth University	NJ	$2,830,733
60	Alabama State University	AL	$2,822,717
61	Idaho State University	ID	$2,816,722
62	Delaware State University	DE	$2,780,689
63	Tennessee Technological University	TN	$2,770,566
64	University of Northern Colorado	CO	$2,758,235
65	Eastern Illinois University	IL	$2,741,908
66	Columbia University	NY	$2,724,416
67	Sam Houston State University	TX	$2,702,057
68	University of South Dakota	SD	$2,687,140
69	Western Illinois University	IL	$2,681,347
70	Texas Southern University	TX	$2,625,065
71	Weber State University	UT	$2,613,189
72	The University of Tennessee-Martin	TN	$2,599,061
73	Northwestern State University of Louisiana	LA	$2,597,012
74	Murray State University	KY	$2,585,918
75	North Carolina Central University	NC	$2,585,474
76	Dartmouth College	NH	$2,533,590
77	Southeastern Louisiana University	LA	$2,455,666
78	South Dakota State University	SD	$2,435,000
79	Alabama A & M University	AL	$2,406,862
80	Charleston Southern University	SC	$2,397,756
81	Morgan State University	MD	$2,386,808
82	Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	$2,364,352
83	University of Central Arkansas	AR	$2,354,686
84	Norfolk State University	VA	$2,332,815
85	Harvard University	MA	$2,327,799
86	Southern Utah University	UT	$2,280,246
87	Princeton University	NJ	$2,234,537
88	Bryant University	RI	$2,232,225
89	North Carolina A & T State University	NC	$2,223,483
90	Duquesne University	PA	$2,197,308
91	Howard University	DC	$2,146,987
92	Southeast Missouri State University	MO	$2,107,096
93	University of Pennsylvania	PA	$2,104,207
94	Alcorn State University	MS	$2,046,026
95	Grambling State University	LA	$1,985,964
96	Robert Morris University	PA	$1,976,296
97	Austin Peay State University	TN	$1,894,229
98	Central Connecticut State University	CT	$1,890,549
99	Sacred Heart University	CT	$1,887,505
100	SUNY at Albany	NY	$1,863,369
101	Prairie View A & M University	TX	$1,824,275
102	Nicholls State University	LA	$1,808,339
103	Savannah State University	GA	$1,775,645
104	Saint Francis University	PA	$1,773,629
105	Brown University	RI	$1,729,613
106	University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff	AR	$1,712,726
107	Georgetown University	DC	$1,686,269
108	Southern University and A&M College	LA	$1,554,532
109	Jackson State University	MS	$1,504,899
110	University of San Diego	CA	$1,269,465
111	Campbell University	NC	$1,143,155
112	Jacksonville University	FL	$1,126,146
113	Mississippi Valley State University	MS	$1,088,097
114	University of Dayton	OH	$975,237
115	Morehead State University	KY	$928,306
116	Valparaiso University	IN	$879,762
117	Drake University	IA	$876,039
118	Marist College	NY	$870,416
119	Davidson College	NC	$790,295
120	Butler University	IN	$648,837

That's a low number by any measurement, but let's do some comparison. How does Georgetown rank among Patriot League schools, where five schools rank among the top 25 programs by budget?

5	Fordham University	NY	$5,742,437
14	Colgate University	NY	$4,655,304
16	Lehigh University	PA	$4,486,823
18	Lafayette College	PA	$4,307,856
25	College of the Holy Cross	MA	$3,900,385
47	Bucknell University	PA	$3,143,317
107	Georgetown University	DC	$1,686,269

Next, how would Georgetown rank among spending in the Ivy League? Better, but still on the bottom looking up:

42	Yale University	CT	$3,269,637
52	Cornell University	NY	$3,015,349
66	Columbia University	NY	$2,724,416
76	Dartmouth College	NH	$2,533,590
85	Harvard University	MA	$2,327,799
87	Princeton University	NJ	$2,234,537
93	University of Pennsylvania	PA	$2,104,207
105	Brown University	RI	$1,729,613
107	Georgetown University	DC	$1,686,269

And who are Georgetown's peers, financially speaking? A collection of historically black colleges and Pioneer schools.

106	University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff	AR	$1,712,726
107	Georgetown University	DC	$1,686,269
108	Southern University and A & M College	LA	$1,554,532
109	Jackson State University	MS	$1,504,899
110	University of San Diego	CA	$1,269,465
111	Campbell University	NC	$1,143,155
112	Jacksonville University	FL	$1,126,146
113	Mississippi Valley State University	MS	$1,088,097
114	University of Dayton	OH	$975,237
115	Morehead State University	KY	$928,306
116	Valparaiso University	IN	$879,762
117	Drake University	IA	$876,039
118	Marist College	NY	$870,416
119	Davidson College	NC	$790,295
120	Butler University	IN	$648,837

But let's take this same group and add their records to date this season. The numbers shouldn't surprise anyone.

106	University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff	SWAC	2-7
107	Georgetown University	Patriot	1-8
108	Southern University and A&M College	SWAC	6-4
109	Jackson State University	SWAC	7-2
110	University of San Diego	Pioneer	7-3
111	Campbell University	Pioneer	2-8
112	Jacksonville University	Pioneer	4-6
113	Mississippi Valley State University	SWAC	2-8
114	University of Dayton	Pioneer	6-4
115	Morehead State University	Pioneer	3-7
116	Valparaiso University	Pioneer	1-9
117	Drake University	Pioneer	6-4
118	Marist College	Pioneer	7-3
119	Davidson College	Pioneer	0-10
120	Butler University	Pioneer	8-3

If you've come to the conclusion that Georgetown should simply focus on playing black college opponents and underfunded midwestern colleges, you're missing the point. Money doesn't buy championships-- but there is causality between spending and success. It's no guarantee, of course: Columbia is slogging through its worst season in a generation and it outspends Brown by 45 percent. But it's hard to miss the names at the top with what they accomplish, versus those on the bottom. You are what your budget says you are.

For Georgetown, it needs to stop pleading poverty and chart a sustainable course for budget growth in football. The good news is that it's reasonable and realistic. The bad news is it needs to get some more people behind it.

Week 9 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Lafayette’s 45-27 win over Georgetown Saturday.

Saturday’s game in one word? Deflating.

Watching the end of the game was, to me, a feeling not unlike the end of the 2005 season, a 34-7 loss to Colgate that marked Georgetown’s third straight loss and, unknown to everyone at the time, Bob Benson’s final game as Georgetown coach. The 2005 season was known for some big losses (Holy Cross, 48-6, Brown, 34-3, Cornell 57-7), but maybe more importantly, close losses. The Hoyas lost three games by a total of 11 points—a 4-7 record could just as easily been 7-4.What might have been.

Such is not the case in 2013. Since the first week of the season, the Hoyas have not lost a game by less than 18 points, and too many games have been out of reach by halftime, with unseemly margins closed only by late quarter scores. Georgetown trailed Lafayette 35-7 when the reserves went in. Whatever “momentum” was gained with a well planned drive was flushed when Lafayette took the return kickoff largely untouched, up the middle, for 99 yards.

So where’s the outrage? Where’s the voices demanding responsibility? Well, they were probably at home. Saturday’s crowd at unfinished Multi-Sport Field was generously billed at 1,789 but it seems a lot of folks attended as unadorned aluminum bleachers. The losing streak and the lack of any public direction on where this square peg of a Patriot League program is headed has too many fans simply not interested. "Is it November yet?" they ask, and that's not a query about football.

Others ask, if Georgetown is getting thumped by 15-scholarship Patriot teams, what happens when it’s 30 scholarships next year? Then 45? Then 60?

Last week, coach Kevin Kelly spoke up about the elephant in the room, Georgetown’s lack of football scholarships. That no one from The HOYA or the Washington Post or WRC-TV has raised this all season is one thing, but other than The HOYA, who else is asking? Kelly’s comments follow below:

“It’s not my choice, but I am seeing this, it is affecting our recruiting. People, the first question they ask is, Are you giving scholarships? And I have to be honest and say that we’re not. And you’re starting to see in the league this year that some of these scholarship athletes are starting to make an impact on the league right away. In fact, just look at the two quarterbacks from Holy Cross and Lafayette last week. There are two great examples right there. Actually, we’re going to have to make a decision what we’re doing here.”

A follow-up from this weekend from veteran PL writer Paul Reinhard:

“Georgetown lost for the seventh straight week. The administration at the university declined to go along with the rest of the league in instituting merit-based scholarships beginning with the [2013] recruiting class. Things are not going to get any better for the Hoyas [if] there is no change of mind from above. I will not be at all surprised if this is the last season at Georgetown for Coach Kelly. He told us [earlier] in the week that the university had to make a decision about scholarships for the future. I’m afraid that decision has already been made.”

The University is not a place that supports out of turn quotes, especially from coaches. A generation of track coaches never publicly complained when their facilities went away, when coaches were left borrowing vans for a nationally ranked program to train off-hours at Washington & lee HS because that was as good as they could get. In fact, for some number of years there was no public comment about track facilities, save for a frank discussion by Ron Helmer at an athletic awards dinner one year. Helmer was later hired away by Indiana, which could offer him full-sized facilities for both indoor and outdoor track which would dwarf anything imaginable at Georgetown.

John Thompson or Craig Esherick didn’t choose to complain about how bad McDonough Gymnasium was for recruiting, though they well could have, and even now JT III is very measured in what he will say about the ongoing delays with the IAC. Georgetown has a field hockey team that practices at American and plays at College Park because Georgetown never fixed Kehoe Field. As a result, the team is 2-16 and struggles to be of interest to any serious recruit in the sport. Even Kevin Kelly has steered clear of any substantive thoughts on the MSF dilemma, even as Benson made no secret about the mess in his last months as coach—and that was after a delay of 30 or 40 days, not 2,972.

Scholarships are different, however. Parents ask. Recruits ask. Reporters north of the Mason-Dixon line ask. But Georgetown seems to have no good answer on what to say. Yes, there are discussions, I’m convinced of that. But institutionally, it’s not the priority to the University as it is for the coaches, because the University isn’t losing credibility over a 1-8 season. But coaches are.

And consider this: Of the 24 seniors graduating next year, 21 were on the two-deep at some point this season. That’s a lot of gaps to fill, and if the results of the last recruiting class is any trend, the talent gap is going to widen even more in 2014. Kelly and his staff are facing a two pronged problem—the opponents are getting stronger and the replacements are getting weaker.

The last sustained statement from Georgetown on this issue? February 2012.

“Georgetown will continue its membership in the Patriot League in the sport of football and explore all of its options, including our ability to compete as a need-based aid program.  We remain committed to our goal of providing our student athletes with an unparalleled academic experience and an athletically competitive football program.”

Meanwhile, the coaches have to go out and recruit, perhaps with a 1-10 season under its belt, four years removed from 0-11 but more importantly, two years removed from an 8-3 season. They have to tell a parent why Lehigh can offer a $60,000 check but Georgetown can’t. Or tell another parent why Lafayette shows lots of pictures of their stadium and field house but Georgetown can't. Or, just as likely, they have to concede that five, 10, or 20 good prospects who were so interested at Georgetown a year ago will end up going somewhere else and there’s nothing they can do about it.

That’s deflating.

Week 8 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Colgate’s 34-14 win over Georgetown Saturday:

Not much that needs to be said after this game that wasn’t said after the Lehigh game.

Or The Fordham game. Or the Princeton game. Or the Brown game. Maybe even the Marist game.

A beaten up defense, little depth, and some bad luck. Sometimes there is a fine line between a five win team and a one-win team, but not this season. Many of the five points discussed each week could apply to this one as well

This isn’t a team losing games on last second field goals or turnovers. Georgetown has been outscored 103-33 in the first quarter this season. In its seven losses, the average margin at the half is more than two touchdowns. When it gets to the red zone, the Hoyas are pretty good. Problem is, they’ve been there 24 times this season. Its opponents? 44 times.

There will be plenty of times to discuss the state of the program entering 2014, and with an unusually early Senior Day this Saturday versus Lafayette, this question: is it time to honor—and then sit—much the senior class in the remaining three weeks of the season?

With few exceptions, it’s a credit to this class – and a cautionary tale for 2014 – that the Class of 2014 has some of the best players by position on this team. From quarterback to the offensive line, receivers linebackers, secondary, special teams, and more, the seniors are the backbone of this team. The names are familiar to Hoya fans: Kempf, Campanella, Durham, Campbell, Wharton, Caldwell-Meeks. Saturday, the class will be honored for a remarkable four years where they arrived from a 0-11 team, rose to an 8-3 season, then saw it sink under .500 once again.

That having been said, and every senior knows this, the end is in sight. Every one of these young men wants to play every remaining down of football, which may be among the last competitive games they will play going forward. But it’s also a nod to the schedule that it may be time to at least consider a changing of the guard after the Lafayette game, and here’s why.

Senior Day versus Lafayette introduces a late bye week on Nov. 9, followed by two road games which the Hoyas will again be significant underdogs. Yes, Georgetown could go one a roll and finish 4-7, but it could just as easily finish 1-10. Regardless of the record, replacing 26 seniors will be no small task. Is it worth a two week head start on 2014?

The torch has been passed at quarterback, where Kyle Nolan is getting starts that, in any competitive season, might have still gone to Isaiah Kempf. And while many other positions have seen the loss of seniors by injury, the staff has to learn which of the upperclassmen are going to take the mantle of leadership and responsibility. Who is the next Duston Wharton? The next Stephen Atwater? The next Matt MacZura?

That doesn’t mean benching the entire class, far from it. They deserve better. As time allows, they need ton contribute. But as opportunities arise, it may now be time to get some more reps from a Leo Loughery, a Myles Braxton-Johnson, a Ben Priddy. The impact of game experience isn’t reached in spring practice or August two-a-days, but many teams can’t afford the loss of talent to give freshmen enhanced playing time down the stretch of a season. As it stands right now, Georgetown can and whether it’s 3-8 or 2-9 or 1-10, the need doesn’t go away when the sting of the season does.

So what is being lost heading into next season? A lot.

After 2013, Georgetown loses one of the top five or six quarterbacks of the modern era, who fought back from a potentially career-ending injury for one more season for his school. It graduates three of its top four running backs, its starting wide receiver, its starting tight end, and much of its offensive line.

Defensively, Senior Day salutes the transition of its top two linebackers, three of its top four in the secondary, its punter, place kicker, and leading kick returner. And that’s no comfort for what follows.  Next year’s rising senior class is almost exclusively defensive players (16 of 21), putting added pressure on the  freshmen and sophomores on the offense to get up to speed in a big way to prepare for 2014.

Playing a young lineup isn’t “tanking” games or “mailing it in.” Rome wasn’t built in a  day and neither was this season. The Davidson win was nice, but face facts: Davidson is arguably the weakest team in the subdivision this year, having not scored more than 14 points against any Division I team and giving up 98 in its last two games to Marist and Jacksonville. Georgetown’s loss to Marist was far more telling, and it’s been one long first half every week since.

Day by day, practice by practice, game by game, injuries helped expose a team too lean in some positions, too small in others, and ill-prepared to mount the level of defensive intensity to facilitate comebacks. So what now?

Senior Day ought to be the opportunity for Georgetown to put together its best 60 minutes of the season, and extend an unusual three game win streak against Lafayette, where the three games were decided by late game Leopard mistakes in each. Despite its meager non-conference slate, Lafayette is still a contender in a year where the PL race looks a lot like the NFC East. A fourth loss to Georgetown would (almost) be as upsetting as a sixth straight loss to Lehigh. OK, maybe not quite that upsetting, but a deflating setback nonetheless.

After that, it’s time to figure out what November holds for this team and who needs to step up—if not now, then next season. For this year’s senior class, they’ve done their part.

Week 7 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Lehigh’s 45-24 win over Georgetown:

A Program, Not  A Team:  Lehigh won again. No surprise, right? After all, it’s become an annual occurrence. But Isaiah Kempf or Kyle Nolan weren’t around when it was Sean Peterson or Morgan Booth or Ben Hostetler or Matt Bassuener. The names may change but the results remain the same. What gives?

In college football, moreso than may collegiate or even pro sports, successful schools follow the acronym WBAP: We Build A Program. Whether it‘s Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan or, yes, even Lehigh, sustained excellence is no accident. It is a commitment at all levels of the enterprise, from the school’s leadership to its coaches, its players, and the recruits which are drawn to attend.  Lehigh isn’t the biggest program in the Patriot League, nor spends the most, not even has the best and brightest stadium. What it does have, and has nurtured for many years now, is a broad-based commitment to provide the best atmosphere for coaches and players not only to succeed, but to excel. Success is transitory, excellence endures.

This is an issue many alumni and parents ask: what is Georgetown’s commitment to football? Realistically, that can be asked of any GU sport other than men’s basketball. Yes, a commitment is there, but the tools to excel are not always in place: the facility, the coach, the recruiting, the player development, or the schedule could all be hurdles a team may not overcome. But programs do.

And programs win championships.

Stat of The Week: Or maybe the season. Georgetown has 5 sacks in seven games. Five. But it has allowed 20, for a gap of -15. In 2012, it earned 23 sacks and allowed 34 (-11) , in 2011, earned 23 and allowed just 20 (+3).

First Half Blues: In the last two games, Georgetown has been outscored 66-3 in the first half of its last two games and 175-76 all season. That’s no accident. The Hoyas have been, and continue to be susceptible to opponents with a strong offensive line that can dictate the flow of the game, whether with the pass (Fordham) or on the ground (Lehigh). If Georgetown can’t force the game defensively, teams can chip away with a broad level of success, which is what Princeton and brown were able to do but Fordham and Lehigh even more so.

This is less the case over Georgetown’s final four games, featuring teams with a combined record of 8-19. Obviously,a  1-6 team can take nothing for granted, but its prospects figure to be better than against teams like Lehigh and Fordham, a combined 14-1 this season.

Patriot League Network: Saturday’s game marked the first of three games broadcast over the Patriot League Network, which provides free live broadcast of PL games among five of the seven schools—Lafayette maintains its own network and Georgetown, well, maintains its pay service at GUHoyas.com.

Saturday’s game featured the broadcast team from Service Electric’s channel 2 in the Lehigh Valley—professional, informative and very courteous to its Georgetown guests. Nary a word questioning the Hoyas, or casting ill will to its 1-5 record, much less noting the scholarship imbalance. Like its brethren down the road, residents of the Lehigh Valley enjoy solid college football programming which can only help but build bridges with its local community, and the crowd of 9,866 (or which 9,800 were probably supporting Lehigh) can relate.

But as noted before, charging $9.95 for a Georgetown game, even one with upgraded coverage, is a tall order for a DC and/or alumni community with limited awareness in the program to begin with. And while it’s fine for out of town parents and alumni that can be coerced away from the TV set to watch these games, it doesn’t do much for local coverage.

Reaching Records: Nick Campanella continues his climb up the career record charts, with three TD’s against Lehigh. His days are numbered, of course, as he is a graduating senior.

But at what point do the seniors begin to sit in favor of the underclassmen? 1-6 isn’t the end of the road but at some point that has to be a consideration, if not an outright issue, among the coaches. With so many seniors departing, this stands a chance of being an even weaker team in 2014, particularly in skill positions. There is no substitute for game time experience, but not at the expense of being non-competitive.

Georgetown needs a competitive showing down the road—you can’t sell a 1-10 season under the line of rebuilding, because the real rebuilding is a year away. The Hoyas played 45 in last week's game and there were plenty of underclassmen in that group. It wasn't enough, of course, but remember, the heights of 2011 were built on some of the beatdowns suffered two years earlier. This is the balancing act facing the coaches over the next four weeks, and especially at home.

Either way, win the day, but play to win.

Week 6 Thoughts

Some thoughts following Fordham’s 34-12 win over Georgetown:

Extra Credit. So, 34-12, what did you think? Some figured closer to 56-12 and if Fordham had converted its red zone opportunities, it would have been a lot closer to 56 than the 13 points it scored after the first . Credit was earned and due the Georgetown defense, battered most of the season, for giving Fordham’s 1st (and admittedly, 2nd) string units  a competitive game, even if the outcome was decided.

Stopping opponents in the red zone, forcing turnovers, stopping third down conversions, learning to play under pressure—it might not mean much for this season, but it’s a valuable lesson for those Hoya teams of the future, particularly when facing deeper opponents as future schedules appear to foretell.

Now Playing, Number 14: Yet another name to add to the long list of Georgetown quarterbacks in the PL era: Tim Barnes, though he probably made it to the field two years early.

Barnes’ opening appearance for the Hoyas was neither remarkable nor awful, but it speaks to the level of injuries and turnovers that the quarterback position has faced over the past two years. Five quarterbacks played last season (Kempf, Aiken, Skon, Nolan, MacPherson) and more names could see action this season should injuries continue to be a problem. Experience is great but it’s doubly difficult to plan an offense around a quarterback that isn’t there. As a result, fans are seeing an initial burst by the Georgetown offense, then a much more repelled attack as defenses adjust.

It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff plays the position going forward. Isaiah Kempf still represents the most likely option, but there will be no sixth year for the Glendale, CA senior. What will be left for 2014 will be numerous and, across the board, inexperienced.

3. Talk About It. Some interesting commentary over at the HoyaTalk about  a subject near and dear to this blog: Multi-Sport Field. Presented without comment:

Eb59: “I wanted to get people’s thoughts on the concept of putting a “Locker Room Building” in the End Zone where the ugly retaining wall currently stands. In my personal opinion, this could be done it a relatively low cost, its basically just two large open rooms with some bathrooms and electrical. My thought it that it could be cut into the current slope of grass and dirt in front of the retaining wall, providing a HUGE functional upgrade by providing a locker room area for two teams; as well, as a really significant visual upgrade to an area that I don’t think will ever look quite right as a grass seating area b/c of the differences in levels all the way across that back area.”

P.S. - Why can't the "Stadium" be built in segments? Take on an improvement every 1-2 years, make the goal, project plan and timeline known to people upfront and collect towards that improvement. The simple fact is that in the past 3k days that nothing has been done (aside from new turf - absolutely needed), we could have been chipping away at improvements like I have suggested above. My guess is that this addition would cost between $250k and $500k, which could have been built and done at this point without needing to gain the approval of the Neighborhood Board more than likely. Why can't we do a little each year (Locker Room Building & Move the Electric Boxes on the Home Side preventing Growth, Added Stands Home, Build Press Box, Concession & Restroom facility, Added Stands Visitor, Etc....) We could have a pretty nice facility in my opinion if the past 10 years were not wasted waiting for the Big Bang improvement - lets eat this Baby Elephant in annual improvements.....Thoughts?

Well, there are many, but add them to the message board. I’m sure someone at Georgetown has considered this any plenty of other scenarios, but they remain just that, scenarios. No one seems comfortable stepping forward and saying: “this is important to us.” It’s IAC or bust, and raising money for a woebegone field is a distraction, because, um, you know, IAC or bust. It doesn’t have to be, of course, but it is.

Meanwhile, try selling that to football and lacrosse recruits.

A Real Disappointment: I came across this link the other day from the online issue of the Duke magazine titled “Why Football Matters”. At last, I thought, a spirited defense of why schools like Duke (and by extension, Georgetown) consider football within the course of a college experience, rewarding and worth its time and treasure.

Instead, the article was a half-hearted defense of the need to go big time to avoid becoming, well, Georgetown.

“They saw what the Big 12’s near-death experience might have meant to a kindred college basketball powerhouse,” writes Jon Scher.  “Kansas almost wound up in Conference USA,” [deputy director of athletics Chris] Kennedy says. “We were looking at that and thinking, ‘That can’t be us.’ We need to anticipate. We don’t want to wind up in Conference USA. I don’t want to insult Conference USA, but we want to be in the in crowd.”

The “in crowd”? An administrator really said that at Duke?

“There are two questions here,” says Charles Clotfelter ’69, a public policy professor and the author of Big-Time Sports in American Universities. “The bigger question is: How necessary is it for Duke University to have big-time basketball? If you assume it is necessary, then you have to start talking about how important is football for the basketball. I don’t think anybody’s asking the first question.”

Adds Kennedy: “When all this stuff started, we were looking at each other saying, ‘Boy, the Georgetowns and the Providences and the Villanovas are screwed.’ ”

Law professor Paul Haagen poses this question: “Why do you want to be one of the sixty-four [BCS] teams? If you are competing with the sixty-four, and you are at least moderately successful, then this becomes a proposition that actually pays for itself. Risks are high—you’re putting money into facilities, you’re running the risk of scandal—the risks are not trivial. But trying to compete at a level other than the top is extremely expensive, because people don’t watch, there is no national media attention, and then we get beyond that to the practical question: Is there another group of like-minded schools that wants to operate [a football team] at this reduced, controlled-competition level, and is the controlled competition stable?”

Oh, there is…but they’re “screwed”, right?

At some point in the next two weeks, I’ll sharpen up the spell check for an article worthy of the name: “Why Football Matters”. And it does.

I’ll post it here.

Recommended Reading: With the Lehigh game approaching, an unsolicited endorsement for the dean of online I-AA columnists: Chuck Burton, host of Lehigh Football Nation. With equal doses of detail, context, and fairness when covering the Engineers, it’s always a must-read for Patriot fans but this week as well, when he reviews the visiting Hoyas. Check it out.

Week 5 Thoughts

Some brief thoughts following Georgetown’s 50-22 loss to Princeton last Saturday:

1. Depth. When a team is losing games by a touchdown or less every week, blame the coach. When a team is losing by two touchdowns every week, blame the players on the field. When a team is losing by four touchdowns, blame the players off the field.

Why?

If a team is consistently getting clocked in games, it speaks to the fact that the best players on the team are likely on the field, and they aren’t doing well enough to win. There’s no bench (injured or otherwise) to make a substantive difference in games. For a variety of reasons, scholarships being one piece (but not the entire puzzle), Georgetown has not been able to recruit effectively for depth in key positions and the results on the field are evident. Consecutive routs by Marist, Brown, and Princeton speak to a team where any significant injury cannot be easily replaced.

Take Marist out of the equation for now…please. Brown and Princeton are likely middle tier Ivy teams in 2013. How would this Georgetown defense fare against Penn or Harvard? Or how about a undefeated full scholarship team or an undefeated Patriot team? As to the latter two, this is what faces the Hoyas after the break. Fordham is a bad matchup for Georgetown and Lehigh has always been a bad matchup. There’s plenty of football left to be played, but a potential 1-6 record after these next two weeks may have the staff refocusing to 2014.

2. Home Means Blue: I’m not sure why the road jerseys came out for this game, but they need to stay in the locker room. Home teams wear home colors, esp. at Home-coming. Has anyone said where are the new Nike home jerseys with the piping seen on the road unis?

3. The Hoyas’ Number. So, Georgetown lost to Princeton. Not much surprise, given the ongoing lack of competitiveness the Hoyas have shown against Ivy foes. Georgetown has one win in its last 12 against Ivy teams. Is it as simple a case that the Ivies simply outrecruit the Hoyas at every turn, or is there something else involved?

4. Quarterback Injury. Coach Kelly’s comments in Tuesday’s HOYA on Isaiah Kempf’s apparent injury in the third quarter versus Princeton can’t be good news. Georgetown has lots of quarterbacks in waiting, but Kempf has been a stalwart in the backfield and the 2013 offense is built with him in mind. At some point this fall, the staff has to start looking at Kyle Nolan and Cameron MacPherson as potential starters, but as long as the Hoyas can compete in the PL race, Kempf figures to be front and center.

5. Around The Patriot League: A tale of two races: Fordham and Lehigh are a combined 9-0, the rest of the league 3-16. The Rams and Engineers meet this week and while the league title isn’t up for grabs due to Fordham’s penalty for getting to the front of the scholarship line, it could play a factor if the PL hopes to have a second playoff entrant. But one can’t help but wonder if Georgetown can get healthy and otherwise ready for these teams over the next three weeks.

As noted before, Fordham is a bad matchup—Georgetown is 2-14 in its last 16 games with Fordham, both wins at the MSF, so the Hoyas have that going for them. Not so with Lehigh, where the Engineers are 12-0 versus Georgetown, and dominate the head to head meetings at Goodman Stadium.  Georgetown has been outscored 221-26 at Lehigh since 2002. At least there’s a week's more time to plan…worry…or both.

6. The Larger Question: Yes, Georgetown’s been in this early October rut before, and it survived. But with all the changes going on in the Patriot League, and all the inertia the program faces in the usual suspects: facilities, recruiting, budget, and performance, are there storm clouds on the horizon? Of course there are. Is something being done to address this, or should we merely invest in umbrellas and rain boots? If Kelly's teams can't compete with opponents at 15 scholarships, what happens when they're playing teams with 60 every week?

Slowly, some of these questions are being asked in the Georgetown community. Later this week, some thoughts on a possible course of action. 

Week 4 Thoughts

Some brief thoughts following Georgetown’s 45-7 loss to Brown on Saturday:

1. Perspective. A lot of grumbling in Georgetown circles following Saturday’s loss –grumbling about the head coach, or what people see as the University's ongoing non-commitment to winning football. But while people want to win, was anyone surprised by this outcome?

Brown has won each of the prior three games over the Hoyas by an average of 23 points. In fact, last year’s last minute win over Princeton was the only win Georgetown has collected over any Ivy League school in the Kelly era—we tend to forget the more egregious losses, like the two week period in 2007 where Cornell and Penn outscored the Hoyas 77-20, or the six straight losses to Yale.

Why is this? Many factors, among them recruiting, the Ivies’ generous financial aid packages, or just plain old tradition (Franklin Field > MSF), but in many cases it comes down to talent on the field. Any team with 11 seniors on the starting offense is going to be formidable. Kevin Kelly knew that, and those that followed the game knew that. Brown was experienced and prepared. Georgetown, minus Wharton and Alfieri, were not. Yes, it would have been great if Brandon Durham’s kick return would have been a touchdown to close to 10-7, but the Georgetown offense was still not prepared for the relentless defensive surge by Brown’s senior-laden defense.

And don’t discount Brown, either. Phil Estes has built a program in Providence, right alongside that of Murphy and Bagnoli. Its assistants reflect a program of longevity and consistency:

• Abbott Burrell, 18th season 
• Frank Sheehan, 16th season 
• Paul Frisone, 13th season 
• Michael Kelleher, 12th season 
• Neil McGrath, 11th season 
• Joe Leslie, 8th season 
• Chris Nappi, 5th season 
• Liam Coen, 2nd season 

Maybe the question isn’t why Brown beat Georgetown badly, but what Georgetown can learn from Brown and its program going forward, a Brown program which spends less on football than any Ivy school but has been in the top half of the league in 14 of the last 16 seasons.

2. Ivy League Network: Thumbs up to the presentation of Saturday’s game on the Ivy League network, the digital subscription that made its football debut Saturday with the Georgetown-Brown game. A few technical issues delayed the start, and the graphics package didn’t arrive until the second half, but the presentation was first rate and has the opportunity to be a fine addition to Ivy games going forward.

 By contrast, the Patriot League’s Network is a free service, even though no Georgetown home games are offered. Fans wishing to see the Princeton game will have to pay for the privilege through GUHoyas.com. 

3. Stat Of The Game: Zero, as in zero sacks for the second consecutive games. No pressure on a quarterback, no pressure for a quarterback. With Princeton’s up-tempo, no huddle approach, the lack of significant pressure on the line is tailor-made to a high scoring game, at least where the Tigers are concerned.

4. Stat Of the Game, Part Two: 1.5, as in Georgetown’s rushing yards per carry versus Brown. The Hoyas rushed for 3.6 yards per carry last season at Princeton, six more than the homestanding Tigers. Anything less than three yards a carry Saturday is a red flag in game like this.

5. Princeton’s Other Streak: The Tiger varsity lost in the late moments to Lehigh, 29-28. Its other varsity football team was not as fortunate.

The Princeton sprint football team had to forfeit its game with Navy last week because of “a limited number of active players available.” This was the 87th consecutive loss for the Tigers dating to the 1999 season, a dizzying number. (A 2005 win over a club team from VMI has been discounted as not being a valid varsity game.) Over that same period, the Hoyas have won 48 times.

Sprint football, formerly known as lightweight football, restricts players to 172 pounds or less in order to compete (a change when it was once 150 pounds or less.). Founded in 1934, membership declined to a point where just five schools sponsored the sport--Princeton, Penn, Cornell, Army, and Navy, before a trio of small colleges that do not sponsor NCAA-level football recently added the sport: Mansfield (PA), Post (CT) and Franklin Pierce. Nothing has helped the Tigers, however.

 “Most recently, the Tigers were forced to forfeit their Sept. 20 game against Navy due to a lack of available active players on the roster, one that at the time of publication included only five freshmen — some who had never played football before,” wrote the Daily Princetonian. “We had some guys this year who we had to teach how to get into a three-point stance. We had to teach them the positions, so you lose a lot of time with that,” said coach Stephen Everett said. “Even teaching them the rules — guys may play ‘Madden,’ or even watch football, but they might not actually know the rules. We need to do a lot of educating in just the basics of football. We call it ‘Football 100.’ ”

So why does Princeton keep playing sprint football? Said Everett: “Because of our small numbers, athletes realize that, ‘Hey, I’m going to have an opportunity to play right away, I’m not going to be sitting on the bench; I’m going to get a chance to play right away. If I’m playing, then I have an opportunity to be on that team that makes history.’”

While the heavyweight Tigers travel to Washington, the lightweights travel to Waterbury, CT, home of Post University (not to be confused with C.W. Post of New York), whom the Tigers fell short 32-28 in overtime last season, as close as Princeton’s come to anyone in recent years. Post is 1-1 in 2013, having defeated Cornell and lost to Army.

 A win over Georgetown would be one thing. A win over Post would be history.