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Georgetown Football: 2004 Season Recaps

Complied from HoyaSaxa.com coverage.

Game #1: St. Francis (September 4)

Michael Gillman kicked a school record five field goals as the Georgetown Hoyas opened its 99th varsity season with a 36-7 win over St. Francis at Harbin Field Saturday. The score was the first season opening win for the Blue and Gray since 1999.

The two teams exchanged punts to begin the first quarter, whereupon Georgetown took its second drive seven plays and 39 yards to the St. Francis three, where it settled for a 20 yard Michael Gillman field goal, 3-0. As the defense held St. Francis without a first down for its first five offensive series, the offense was still adjusting to the change from a passing to an option offense. Without a go-to move in the red zone, the Hoyas' next drive stalled at the SFU 10 and settled for a Gillman FG, 6-0.

Each of the Hoyas' touchdowns were the result of special teams activity. With 12:16 in the first half, sophomore Derek Franks blocked a Red Flash punt that was recovered by GU's Craig Agnello and returned to the seven. On first down, backup QB Drew Crawford (in place of the injured Keith Allan) found TE Glenn Castergine open for the score, 13-0. A third field goal followed from 44 yards.

St. Francis' only drive of the game came in the second, a 5 play, 79 yard drive aided by a GU personal foul added to a 30 yard pass play. The Hoyas answered with a 10 play, 66 yard drive that stalled again in the red zone, with Gillman adding a fourth field goal to end the half, 19-7.

Georgetown's defense continued to keep SFU in check, even if the Hoya offense wasn't closing the deal. The Hoyas' first three possessions ended on downs at the St. Francis 18, followed by a 11 play drive to the 20 and a fifth field goal for Gillman, who had struggled in 2003 following a hip injury that caused him to miss 10 of 16 attempts last season. The Hoyas followed with a nine play drive to the 27 that ended with a missed field goal attempt.

What the offense could not do, the special teams could, however. Sophomore Brian Tandy returned a St. Francis punt 63 yards to set up a touchdown midway through the fourth, and two series later, lineman Dan Cordisco picked up a Anthony Doria fumble and took it back 58 yards for the final score, 36-7.

On the stat sheet, junior RB Kim Sarin finished with a career high 154 yards on 21 carries, leading the Hoyas to 247 yards on the ground versus only 100 yards in the air. The Hoya defense held St. Francis to only 13 yards on the ground and 198 total yards for the game, with most of St. Francis' first downs coming after the outcome had been decided.

Game statistics:


               St. Francis       Georgetown
First downs             12               17
Rushed-yards         28-13           47-247
Passing yards          185              100
Sacked-yards lost     4-36              0-0
Return yards             0              167
Passes             15-23-1          11-20-0
Punts                 7-30           2-34.5
Fumbles-lost           1-1              3-0
Penalties-yards       7-47             6-45
Time of possession   27:30            32:30

Here are links to post-game coverage:

Game #2: Lafayette (September 11)

Despite five Lafayette turnovers, Georgetown's offense failed to reach the end zone in a 17-6 Leopard win over the Hoyas at Harbin Field.

Both teams started out well on their initial drives, but key sacks led to punts--a familiar refrain as defense dominated the first half. Each of Georgetown's six first half possessions ended in punts, while Lafayette's first five possessions ended in three punts, a fumble, and an interception. Following a Georgetown punt to the Lafayette 20 with 1:41 left, the Leopards produced the only scoring drive of the half, a nine play drive that stalled at the Georgetown 31 following back to back sacks that forced the Leopards to settle for a 48 yard field goal with 0:12 to halftime, 3-0.

Georgetown's defense remained strong in the third, forcing a fumble at midfield on Lafayette's opening drive, but the offense went three and out. Following an exchange of punts, a Sheldon Epps interception set up the Hoyas at the Lafayette 35, where Georgetown settled for a 31 yard Michael Gillman field goal, 3-3.

The Hoya defense rose to the occasion on the next series with an interception return to the Lafayette 23. Again, the offense stalled, settling for a 25 yard field goal, 6-3.

The teams traded field possession early in the 4th quarter, with the Hoyas pinned back on its one yard line with 11:57 to play. On third down at the one, QB Keith Allan's arm was hit as he attempted an end zone pass. With the ball in the air, Lafayette's Andrew Brown fell into the end zone with what was officially a one yard interception return, 10-6.

Georgetown drove to midfield on its next series, but punted back to the Leopards, who took five minutes off the clock in an 11 play, 73 yard drive for the finisher, 17-6.

The final spoiled a stellar defensive effort. Mehdi Hassan and Michael Ononibaku combined for 24 tackles, with Ononibaku picking up three sacks. Freshman Mikey Blainefield picked up an interception and a fumble in only his second game.

On the other side of the ball, the offense managed just four first downs in the final 35 minutes of the game. For the afternoon, the Hoyas were outgained 279-132 in total offense, with only 61 yards on 40 rushing carries. Keith Allan, in his first collegiate start at QB, passed for 71 yards, but the G-men converted only 2 of 15 third down opportunities.

Game statistics:


               Lafayette  Georgetown
                
First downs           16           8
Rushed-yards      46-129       40-61
Passing yards        150          71
Sacked-yards lost   5-35        5-24
Return yards         109         144
Passes           12-21-3     10-18-1
Punts               5-41      9-31.9
Fumbles-lost         4-2         2-0
Penalties-yards     3-24         1-5
Time of possession 28:18       31:42

Here are links to post-game coverage:

Game #3: Duquesne (September 18)

"I thought we outhit them. I thought we outhustled them." --Duquesne coach Greg Gattuso, in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review

There is no official statistic in the Georgetown record books for most turnovers in a game. There is one now.

A record eight turnovers embarrassed the Blue and Gray in a 45-7 drubbing at Duquesne before a smaller than expected 2,022 at 4,500 seat Rooney Field. It's the largest margin of defeat in a non-conference game in seven years, and left many fans exasperated as to the progress of the option offense to date.

The Dukes scored on its opening drive of the game, and doubled its score with a Georgetown turnover on its very first possession, a fumble at the DU 41. The Hoyas were able to add a touchdown off a Duquesne turnover, but gave up scores on two possessions late in the second half to trail 24-7 at the break. Georgetown did not complete a pass the entire first half.

The Hoyas proceeded to turn the ball over on its first four possessions of the second half, leading to three Duquesne touchdowns.

The game was a statistical whitewash. Duquesne outgained the Hoyas 24-10 on first downs, 206-24 in the air, and 410-138 in total offense. Duquesne QB Neil Loebig was 17 of 24 for 206 yards, while RB James Jacobs rushed for a career high 186 yards, as the Dukes controlled the ball nearly 37 minutes of the game.

Game statistics:


              Georgetown         Duquesne
First downs           10               24
Rushed-yards      36-114           50-204
Passing yards         24              206
Sacked-yards lost    2-5             4-21
Return yards          30               61
Passes            2-15-3          17-24-1
Punts             5-38.2           5-35.2
Fumbles-lost         6-5              2-1
Penalties-yards     9-64           11-100
Time of possession 23:50            36:10

Here are links to post-game coverage. The GUHoyas.com account is a reprint of the Associated Press account.

Game #4: Colgate (September 25)

Georgetown's offense flatlined for a third straight week, combining for five completions in 19 attempts, 10 punts, two interceptions, and 1 of 13 on third down conversions in a 33-0 loss at Colgate.

Both teams traded field position early in the first quarter. Georgetown's best field position was received early in the first, with a punt return that set up the Hoyas at Colgate's 30. In a sign of things to come, Georgetown could do no better than five plays for a combined -8 yards, and ended up punting the ball away.

The Georgetown defense held the [Red] Raiders on their longest drive of the day, a 13 play drive that ended with a blocked field goal. After the offense punted for a third straight possession, Colgate got on the board with an eight play, 50 yard drive, 6-0.

Following an exchange of punts, QB Keith Allan was intercepted at the 43, setting up a ten play Colgate drive that led to a TD score with :15 left in the half, 13-0.

Then third quarter was a microcosm of an offense in search of an answer. In 20 third quarter plays, the Hoyas managed a combined 14 yards, and a second Keith Allan interception provided the means for Colgate to increase its lead to 27-0 by quarter's end. A final score was unceremoniously dumped on the Hoyas when, on a 4th and 17 and the game out of reach, Colgate passed on a field goal and went long to the end zone for an unnecessary score, 33-0.

Allan finished the day 5 for 15 for 48 yards and two interceptions. Andrew Crawford played in the fourth quarter, going 0 for 4. The [Red] Raiders had averaged giving up 268 yards a game in the air, and surrendered only 48.

Freshman Emir Davis (13-49) led the rushing effort, which had suffered injuries to Kim Sarin and Marcus Slayton during the game. Colgate outpointed the G-men on total yards, 385-149, the third straight game under 150 total yards.

Game statistics:


              Georgetown         Colgate
First downs         12               21
Rushed-yards    38-101           48-166
Passing yards       48              219
Sacked-yards lost 3-31              1-7
Return yards        35               35
Passes          5-19-2          16-27-0
Punts          10-34.6           7-38.9
Fumbles-lost       0-0              0-0
Penalties-yards   5-40             7-71
Time of poss.    25:28            34:32

Here are links to post-game coverage.

Game #5: Bucknell (October 2)

When the Georgetown offense finally catches up to the defense, this will be a very good team. Until then, it's going to be a struggle.

A Georgetown defense that forced Bucknell into six turnovers and set up three touchdowns watched the Hoya offense stall for a fourth straight week, a 35-19 loss to Bucknell before a season-low crowd at Harbin Field Saturday.

A three touchdown underdog, the Hoyas shocked the Bison early by forcing a fumble on its opening series, recovered at the two. Kim Sarin scored only the second GU rushing TD in the last four games, 7-0. Bucknell stormed right back with an eight play, 45 yard drive to tie the score, 7-7.

After a 5 play, 7 yard GU drive, Bucknell drove the ball down to the GU 5. An apparent touchdown pass was picked off by Georgetown's Matt Barbiasz at the one, who flew down the sidelines 99 yards for the score. The INT broke a Georgetown record that stood for 73 years, set versus Western Maryland in 1931.

But like so much this season, the hard luck Hoyas let the good times slip away. Michael Gillman missed the extra point, 13-7, then saw Bucknell's Dante Ross end the Hoya euphoria with a 97 yard kickoff return, 14-13.

Bucknell opened the second half with an encore for Ross, this time an 85 yard return, the first time a PL player has returned not only two kicks for TD in a game, but in a season. As Ross raced down the field, kicker Michael Gillman stood in Ross' way, but, owing to an arm injury suffered in the second quarter, Gillman stood still at the 30 and made no effort to obstruct Ross' run to the end zone. Gillman was replaced by punter Brad Scoffern on remaining kicks.

The option offense was again ineffective. Following the Hoyas' five play, 1 yard drive, the Bison set up at the GU 22, where the the defense nonetheless held and blocked a Bison field goal attempt. The offense returned for a four yard drive, which the defense responded by forcing a Bucknell fumble at midfield. The offense takes that gift and proceeds to go four plays, minus-7 yards.

The defense responds yet again, forcing a Bucknell fumble near midfield, but the offense can go no further than the Bucknell 38. Scoffern's punt pinned back the Bison at its 8, where Maurice Banks picked off a Daris Wilson pass for the TD. A two point conversion failed, 21-19.

At the end of three, Georgetown was right there, but the defense simply began to tire. Bucknell went on a grueling 14 play drive that took almost seven minutes for the clinching score, 28-19. The Georgetown offense could do no better than a five yard drive that sent the defense back on the field after only 1:08 of rest, whereupon Chris Paulus stopped a Bucknell drive with a fumble recovery at the GU 24. The offense took yet another gift and proceeded for only two yards in 0:49, and the defense was back yet again with the Bison at the GU 26. Wilson's 20 yard run was the final score of the game.

The heroic efforts of the defense should not be overlooked in this game. Mehdi Hassan (14 tackles), Chris Paulus (10 tackles, 2 fumble returns) and Alex Buzbee (5 tackles, 1 sack) led a gutty effort by the defense all day long.

Offensively, the Hoyas are flatlining. Excepting the opening and ending drives of each half, the offense never built a drive of more than 21 yards, with seven drives of less than five yards. Those two drives accounted for 6 first downs--the remaining 14 drives earned four first downs.

Tonwin this game, the Hoyas needed a big game from its quarterback to win and simply did not get it. QB Keith Allan finished 1 for 6 for -1 yard passing and 13 rushes for a net of zero yards. Andrew Crawford saw action at QB late in the 4th--his last two drives nearly matched the entire offense of 3+ quarters under Allan. Georgetown was outgained 330-162 in the game, and the Hoyas connected on only 3 of 15 3rd down attempts.

Game statistics:


                 BUCKNELL       GEORGETOWN
First downs            18               10
Rushed-yards       59-233            41-74
Passing yards          97               88
Sacked-yards lost     2-5             4-24
Return yards           69              110
Passes             6-10-2           6-19-0
Punts              3-36.7          10-35.8
Fumbles-lost          8-4              3-0
Penalties-yards      6-40             5-30
Time of possession  32:34            27:26

Here are links to post-game coverage:

Game #6: Virginia Military Institute (October 9)

Georgetown scored on three of its first four possessions in a convincing 21-0 win over VMI in the 64th Homecoming Game, the first shutout in five years and the first shutout on Homecoming since 1997.

Like the aforementioned 1997 game, a 24-0 win over Duquesne, the Hoyas roared out of the gate and never let its opponents establish momentum. Against VMI, the Hoyas opened the game with a crisp nine play drive, covering 65 yards in just over four minutes, with QB Andrew Crawford rushing the final seven yards to the end zone, 7-0. After the defense held VMI to three and out on its first series, Georgetown moved quickly down the field, opting for a 28 yard halfback pass from RB Kim Sarin to WR Janiero Wooten for a second score, 14-0.

After the Hoyas held VMI on its next series, the Hoyas marched to the VMI 31, where Crawford fumbled a pitch and set up the Keydets for its best scoring opportunity of the half, whereupon Jason Carter intercepted a pass deep in GU territory. The Hoyas answered with a methodical seven play, 76 yard drive, topped by a touchdown as unusual as Hoya fans could imagine. On a 3rd and 16, Crawford fumbled the snap, found the ball in the backfield, and just heaved it long as he could, just as WR Glenn Castergine got away from his defender. Castergine was wide open when the ball landed, collecting a 59 yard TD pass, 21-0. A final Georgetown drive ate the last 3:13 of the half, but a 40 yard field goal was ruled to have been snapped just after the half ended. For the half, the once anemic Georgetown offense had outgained VMI 323-44, with 21:03 of time of possession versus only 8:57 for the visitors.

The Hoyas stumbled early in the second half with a Crawford interception at the VMI 25, but the defense forced VMI to nothing more than a punt. GU's next two drives ended in missed field goal attempts, but the Keydets could not move the ball. VMI's attempt at a fake punt deep in the third quarter was obliterated by the special teams, and its most serious possession of the game drove to the GU 12 but no further, a 14 play drive that ended on downs. With only one punt all afternoon, the Hoyas took over with 6:36 in the 4th and simply ran clock the out before the large and appreciative Homecoming crowd.

Kim Sarin led all rushers with 180 yards, eighth best from a Hoya back since 1970. Crawford opened up with 10 straight completions en route to a 12 for 16 game for 188 yards. VMI back Sean Mizzer was held to just 43 total yards (25 rushing, 18 receiving) compared to 204 yards in last season's game (110 rushing, 94 receiving).

The Georgetown stats were impressive across the board today, but two stand out: third down conversion and time of possession. In five previous games, Georgetown was only 14 for 70 (20%) on third downs, where against VMI they were 10 for 16 (63%). Its time of possession (41:13) was the best of any game in almost seven years.

Congratulations to the entire team for a great effort.

Game statistics:


                      VMI       GEORGETOWN
First downs             9               29
Rushed-yards        23-30           62-274
Passing yards         126              216
Sacked-yards lost    3-12             3-13
Return yards            0               36
Passes            14-28-1          13-18-1
Punts              6-40.7             1-30
Fumbles-lost          1-0              5-2
Penalties-yards      4-20             8-62
Time of possession  18:47            41:13

Here are links to post-game coverage:

Game #7: Monmouth University (October 23)

Two weeks of preparation did very little for Georgetown's weakened offense, giving its defense no help in a troubling 27-10 loss at Monmouth.

Whatever hopes that the Georgetown offense had been rejuvenated in the Oct. 9 win at VMI disappeared for good Saturday. The offense managed only three first downs in the first half, and went three and out on four of its first five possessions.

After both teams traded punts in the first, Monmouth took advantage of good field position at its 45 yard line and connected on consecutive pass plays of 31 and 24 yards for a quick TD, 7-0. On its next series, the Hawks drove in ten plays to the GU 27, and connected on a 44 yard field goal to lead 10-0.

The Hoyas needed to respond and they did. Just as Monmouth scored on a pair of lightning quick passes, the Hoyas responded on the ground, with consecutive runs of 47 yards by Emir Davis and 24 yards by jasper Ehezie to narrow the lead to 10-7. The defense came up big, too, stopping Monmouth drives of 13 and 14 and not yielding any points. In the Hawks last drive, Monmouth drove to the one, where the Hoyas held the Hawks out of the end zone for three straight plays as time expired.

The offense opened the second half with its fourth three and out series of the game, and Monmouth took advantage. After being held by the GU defense, Monmouth punter Sean Dennis took off for 28 yards on fourth down, whereupon Monmouth QB Brian Boland through a 40 yard TD pass on a 3rd and 18 for the score, 17-7.

Two series later, the Hoya offense sealed its fate. Backed up on its four yard line, RB Emir Davis fumbled the handoff on first down, whereupon Monmouth needed only one play to seal the deal, 24-7. Each team added a field goal to close the scoring.

Monmouth held the ball 35:46, connecting on 5 of 16 third downs and 3 for 3 on fourth. Georgetown managed only 3 of 13 on third downs, and had no possessions inside the Monmouth 20. The Hoyas have scored only two touchdowns on the road all season.

Davis led all Georgetown rushers with 69 yards. Kim Sarin's drive for 1,000 yards this season took a major setback, gaining only 34 yards on 10 carries.

Game statistics:


                 GEORGETOWN      MONMOUTH 
First downs              10            21
Rushed-yards         29-156        50-182
Passing yards           130           200
Sacked-yards lost       0-0          6-41
Return yards              1            10
Passes              13-25-0       16-25-0
Punts                7-34.6          5-44
Fumbles-lost            3-1           0-0
Penalties-yards        7-67          6-35
Time of possession    24:14         35:46

Here are links to post-game coverage:

Game #8: Fordham University (October 30)

Two key special teams mistakes and 132 yards in penalties grounded the Hoyas in a 36-6 loss at Fordham today, its 10th straight loss to Fordham and fourth straight in Patriot League play this season. In all, 24 of Fordham's 36 points came in series following Georgetown turnovers.

Things started off well for the Hoyas. On the first play of the game, a Michael Ononibaku interception gave the Hoyas a 6-0 lead, but Michael Gillman promptly missed the extra point. Following Ononibaku's TD, the Hoyas held Fordham three and out, and on its next series drove to the Fordham 34. The offense stalled with two one yard running plays and an incompletion, bringing on Gillman for a field goal. Gillman's kick was blocked, but the Rams could not advance past midfield. As the Hoyas advanced into Fordham territory, QB Drew Crawford was sacked and fumbled the ball, giving the Rams the ball at midfield. Five plays later, the Rams added a field goal, 6-3.

The Hoyas marched a second time into Fordham territory and lost it a second time, this time on a Brad Scoffern fumble on the punt. The Rams answered with a 6 play, 40 yard drive to score the touchdown, 10-6.

The game turned in the final three minutes of the half. After a GU drive stalled at midfield, the Hoyas punted the ball back to Fordham at its 15. RB Jamaal Hunte burst through the D-line for 35 yards, and QB Derric Daniels completed three straight passes to score in a seven play drive that took only 1:58, 19-6. On the kickoff, the ball bounced off a Georgetown player's shin right back to Fordham, who drove back to the Georgetown 10, settling for a field goal at the end of the half. What was a one touchdown game at the 3:00 mark was essentially out of reach by halftime, 22-6.

Much of the second half was garbage time. The Hoyas lost 35 yards in penalties in its opening series, facing a 3rd and 47 to open the half. Getting the ball at midfield, Fordham drove six plays for the TD, 29-6. Crawford was replaced midway in the third by Keith Allan, who through a gaping interception late in the quarter for an easy Fordham score, 36-6. Much of the rest of the game was marred by penalties from both sides, including six personal foul calls on Georgetown players which accounted for 87 of the Hoyas' 132 penalty yards.

Fordham's radio broadcast spoke well of the Hoya defense. The Hoyas held Fordham to 5 of 17 on third downs, and Georgetown was led in tackles by Jim Goranson, Chris Paulus, and Mehdi Hassan with six each. All that could be said about the offense was the word "struggling", which was polite. Georgetown was 4 for 15 on third downs, 0 for 6 in the second and fourth quarters. Crawford finished 5-12 for 46 yards, while Allen fared little better with 4-9 for 47 yards and the INT for the touchdown. Of the 93 yards passing, 39 yards came on two plays,a nd the average yards per attempt was only 4.2 yards.

Kim Sarin led another anemic GU rushing effort, gaining 51 of Georgetown's 90 yards on 44 attempts, a 1.8 yard per attempt average.

Derric Daniels threw for three Fordham scores, which matches the number of passing touchdowns Georgetown has thrown in eight games. That's right, three, down from 18 at this time in 2003. If anyone's wondering why Georgetown isn't winning, well, start right there.

Game statistics:


                  GEORGETOWN          FORDHAM
First downs               14               19
Rushed-yards           44-90           36-175
Passing yards             93              155
Sacked-yards lost       4-20              1-6
Return yards              54               67
Passes                9-22-1          17-37-1
Punts                 9-31.4           6-39.8
Fumbles-lost             3-3              1-0
Penalties-yards       14-132           13-109
Time of possession     31:12            28:48

Here are links to post-game coverage:

Game #9: Lehigh University (November 6)

Special teams miscues kept the Hoyas out of contention time and time again against the #9-ranked Engineers (aka Mountain Hawks), in a 49-18 loss where the Georgetown offense showed some of its best efforts all season. Time and time again, when momentum seemed to be turning Georgetown's way, the special teams turned it right back.

Special teams were visible at the start, as Lehigh's Gerran Walker returned the opening kickoff 89 yards, untouched, for the score, 7-0. The Hoyas responded with the offense's longest scoring drive since the season opener: a 7 play, 65 yard effort ending in an eight yard run by Emir Davis for the score. But once again, special teams spoiled the result, this time a missed extra point, 7-6.

After Lehigh punted on its next series, Georgetown drove to the Lehigh 27 and set up for a field goal to take the lead. Instead, another miscue--Keith Allan attempted a pass off a fake field goal attempt that was incomplete, and Lehigh dodged a bullet. The Engineers promptly responded with drives of 10 and 11 plays in their next two series, widening what could have potentially been a 10-7 Hoya lead to a 21-6 deficit.

Crawford answered the call on the next series, a seven play, 71 yard drive that was highlighted by a 45 yard run by RB Kim Sarin and Davis' second TD of the day. But the extra point was missed again, leaving the G-man down nine, 21-12. After a 20 yard Crawford pass had brought the Hoyas to midfield with less than three minutes remaining, a Rob Smith punt traveled only 13 yards, giving Lehigh the ball back at its 37 with 2:04 to play. With consecutive passes of 9, 11, and 43 yards, Lehigh extended the lead to 28-12 lead and never looked back. Nonetheless, the Hoyas drove quickly down the field for a field goal in the final seconds of the half, but the result was almost predictable: the attempt missed wide left.

Lehigh drove 97 yards on its opening series for a 35-12 lead, and the game was no longer in question. But the Hoyas didn't give up, as Jasper Ihezie thrilled the Harbin Field crowd with a 90 yard kickoff return. Again, the Hoyas failed on the point after, with a errant two point conversion, 35-18.

Where the offense had kept Lehigh guessing in the first half, it suddenly reverted to its conservative, low-wattage offense in the third quarter. After 11 first downs in the first half, the GU offense accounted for just one first down in the entire third quarter and had four series in the half with five or less yards gained. Regular runs up the middle were easily stuffed by the Lehigh defense, but the strategy continued. Emblematic of this conservatism was a run early in the fourth quarter where, on a fourth and eight at the Lehigh 32, Georgetown ran the ball inside rather than air it towards the end zone and narrow the lead to 10. That call netted one yard, and thus ended Georgetown's last deep drive of the game.

Lehigh's final scores came off turnovers. Late in the third, Kim Sarin ran the ball into Lehigh territory but coughed up the ball at the Lehigh 30, to which the Engineers promptly converted in a six play, 70 yard drive, 42-18. Midway in the fourth, Sarin dropped a lateral and made no effort to retrieve it, so Lehigh picked it up and returned it 40 yards for a TD.

Statistically, the Hoyas held their own with Lehigh, but suffered mightily in doing the little things that are needed to win.

"For a team playing its ninth game of the season, the Hoyas appeared remarkably confused at times," wrote the Washington Post. "They burned three timeouts because the play clock was about to expire. Twice on their two-point conversion attempts, players were grabbing helmets and rushing onto the field at the last moment."

As such, it's Lehigh who is undefeated in PL play, while Georgetown sits one game away from a winless season in the league.

Game statistics:


                    LEHIGH       GEORGETOWN
First downs             18               19
Rushed-yards        32-135           44-197
Passing yards          288              187
Sacked-yards lost     2-12             2-10
Return yards            78               16
Passes             15-31-1          17-31-0
Punts                 4-30           5-37.2
Fumbles-lost           1-0              3-2
Penalties-yards       5-43             5-53
Time of possession   25:07            34:53

Here are links to post-game coverage:

Game #10: Davidson College (November 13)

Georgetown's defense forced five turnovers in an 23-0 shutout of Davidson, held on a picture-perfect Saturday at Davidson's Richardson Stadium.

Davidson's best moment of the day came on its first play, where RB John Leverett set the school's career rushing mark and finished with 83 yards for the day and 3,165 for the season. From then, the Wildcats struggled under reserve quarterback Beaux Jones, who focused on the pass instead of the rushing game where most of Davidson's yards this season had originated. Jones, son of former Baltimore Colts star Bert Jones, drove the Wildcats to the Georgetown 37 on the game's first possession, but was intercepted by Georgetown's Michael Ononibaku at the 40. Both teams exchanged punts until GU drove to the Davidson 17, where freshman place kicker Eric Bjonerud connected on a 36 yard FG, 3-0. Following Davidson's next punt, the Hoyas connected on two pass plays and a 27 yard run by Kim Sarin to the Davidson 1, where Emir davis scored to lead 10-0 late in the first quarter.

The next two and a half quarters were a chess game of sorts. Between the early second and mid 4th quarter, 13 of the next 15 series ended in punts, with neither team approaching the opponent's red zone. The tide turned with 9:24 to play, when Jones was intercepted by GU's Chris Paulus deep in Wildcats territory. Georgetown QB Andrew Crawford went 17 yards on a keeper and Emir Davis scored from two yards out for the score, 17-0. Jones finished 8-25 for 65 yards and three INT's.

Following a change in quarterbacks, Davidson's Damion White took the 'Cats to its deepest penetration of the afternoon, crossing the Georgetown 40 and advancing to the 32 before the Georgetown defense held Davidson on downs with 7:35 to play. A 54 yard run by Marcus Slayton set up the Hoyas for their final score, an eight yard run by Crawford. Davidson's last two drives ended in interceptions, including a pick by Matt Cooper to save the shutout on the final play of the game.

All three elements of the Hoyas showed improvement Saturday. The offense, though bothered by five fumbles (all recovered), held the Davidson line to just one sack as the running game wore out the Wildcat defenses. The Hoya defense shut down Davidson the entire game, while special teams showed marked improvement, allowing only one return yard on kicks.

Game statistics:


                 GEORGETOWN         DAVIDSON
First downs            14               16
Rushed-yards       44-178            43-90
Passing yards          63              135
Sacked-yards lost     1-6             5-39
Return yards           96                1
Passes             7-17-1          15-43-5
Punts              8-34.9           9-34.8
Fumbles-lost          5-0              1-0
Penalties-yards      6-40             5-50
Time of possession  28:31            31:29

Here are links to post-game coverage. The Washington Post did not send a reporter and relied on the AP wire story.

Game #11: College of the Holy Cross (November 20)

A bad snap cost the Hoyas a potential tying field goal in overtime, leaving Holy Cross a 35 yard kick to win 31-28 in the season finale at Harbin Field.

The season finale started poorly for the Hoyas, giving up a kickoff to its 32 to start the game. The Crusaders answered with a seven play drive and a quick 7-0 lead. Georgetown's first two series were three and out, but the Hoyas evened the score midway in the first quarter when QB Andrew Crawford found Craig Agnello open for a 30 yard TD pass, 7-7, the first pass for a touchdown all season by the Hoya offense.

Late in the quarter came a series of unfortunate plays for the Hoyas. After forcing a Holy Cross fumble at its 34, the Hoyas drove to the three yard line. On a fourth and one, RB Emir Davis drove for the end zone but was judged to have fumbled the ball before he entered the end zone, and Holy Cross took over at the one. On its next play, Holy Cross' John O'Neil was intercepted at the Georgetown 45. On its next play, however, RB Kim Sarin fumbled it right back at the Georgetown 49. The fumbles essentially advanced the ball 50 yards for HC, who took the ball in eight plays for the score, 14-7, erasing what should have been a go-ahead TD by the Hoyas. In all, Georgetown suffered through four fumbles in the first half which prevented the team from building a lead that could have put the Crusaders out of reach early.

The Hoyas answered with perhaps their best drive of the season, a 14 play, 70 yard drive that ended with a Crawford TD pass to TE Jordan Jarry, 14-14, which was the score at halftime.

Midway through the third, Georgetown scored on two of opening three possessions of the half, extending the lead to 28-14. With the defense seeming in control, Holy Cross engineered a 2:45 second drive that went 65 yards ins even plays. O'Neil was 4-4 on the drive, with a 16 yard TD pass to narrow the count to 28-21.

Georgetown's offense suddenly reversed course. Int he next 18 minutes the Hoyas managed three first downs and punted the ball on its last five possessions. Drew Crawford, with what was looking to be one of his best days ever as a QB, failed to complete a pass and was sacked twice. Kim Sarin seemed to be the only offense left, none more so than when he broke the 1,000 yard park early in the fourth quarter. But for all his efforts, the offense was out of gas.

The defense held off the Crusaders on two more series, but was losing the field position game. The Hoyas were pinned deep in HC territory and a 17 yard return from a 40 yard punt gave the Crusaders the ball at Georgetown's 40, where HC took only three plays for the tying TD, 28-28, with 6:30 to play. Neither team could advance the ball into scoring position for the rest of the quarter.

In overtime, Holy Cross won the toss and elected for Georgetown to start on offense, which was a bad sign. The Hoyas went for no gain on first, lost five on second, and gained only six on third down, settling for 4th and nine and forcing a 41 yard field goal try. The snap sailed over kicker Michael Gillman's head, giving Holy Cross an easy task for the win, accomplished by a 35 yard field goal.

Sarin ended the day with 33 carries and 169 yards, ending the season with a record breaking 1051 yards. His efforts were not enough against a pattern of miscues which have hurt the Blue and Gray all season: clock mismanagement, penalties, turnovers, and defensive lapses. Like many setbacks for the 2004 Hoyas, the game was lost not solely on the special teams or on the offense--but across all three phases of the game.

Stat of the game? Holy Cross was only 2 of 16 on third down conversion, but 4 of 4 on fourth down conversions.

A Holy Cross team which had lost 11 straight PL games headed back to Worcester with its first PL win since September 13, 2003, a 42-34 win over Georgetown. Georgetown ends its 99th varsity season as the eighth team in Patriot League history to go winless in league play.

Game statistics:


               HOLY CROSS       GEORGETOWN
First downs            18               20
Rushed-yards       35-149           54-228
Passing yards         229              211
Sacked-yards lost    3-16             4-21
Return yards           46                0
Passes            20-38-2          13-22-0
Punts              8-37.1           8-42.4
Fumbles-lost          1-1              5-3
Penalties-yards      6-40             8-75
Time of possession  27:15            32:45

Here are links to post-game coverage: