Excerpted from the January 1997 Gridiron Club newsletter.
The Georgetown football team had an impressive 1996
season as the squad posted a 7-3 overall record
and set 25 school records and tied four others. In
addition, the Hoyas led all 116 Division I-AA
schools in total defense and rushing defense. It
marked the second-consecutive season
Georgetown led I-AA in total defense.
Under fourth-year Head Coach Bob Benson,
the Hoyas tied the modern day (since 1964) record for wins in
a season and Georgetown's 7-3 overall record was
the team's best since the 1988 squad was 6-2. The
last time a Hoya football team won seven games
in a season was back in 1978 when it was 7-1.
Georgetown was also 7-1 in the Metro Athletic
Conference (MAAC), finishing in second place.
The Hoyas began the 1996 campaign with four-consecutive
wins, and combining those four victories
with three wins at the conclusion of the 1995
season, Georgetown tied the school record for the
longest unbeaten and longest winning streak in
the modern era.
Georgetown led all of I-AA in total defense
and rushing defense, allowing 218.2 and 53.2
yards per game, respectively. The Hoyas led I-AA
in total defense in 1995, giving up 216.4 yards
per contest. The 53.2 yards allowed per game is
a Georgetown record. The Hoyas held their
opponents to a total of 532 rushing yards on the
season for an average of 1.6 yards per carry, which
are both records. Georgetown also posted a pair
of shutouts on the season to tie the school mark
set in 1987. As a team, the Hoyas registered 40
sacks and made 96 tackles behind the line of scrim-mage
for losses totaling 523 yards.
The Hoyas have been known for their defensive
prowess over the past several years, but
Georgetown's offense was also a major factor in
the team's success in 1996. The offense was
ranked 15th in I-AA, averaging a school-record
411.1 yards per game, including 222.9 yards rush-ing,
good for 18th in the country. Both are new
school records in terms of average per game and
total yards. Georgetown gained 2,229 yards rush-ing
on 484 attempts, a record for rushing attempts.
The Hoyas were also 18th in the nation in scoring
at 30.3 points per game, establishing a school mark
for points scored in a season (303). In addition,
Georgetown gained 215 first downs for
another record.
Georgetown broke eight single game
records during the season as well. In the
season-opener against Fairfield and then
against St. Peter's later in the year, the
Hoyas set a school record with 27 first
downs. Georgetown also established
school records for total offense (607),
rushing yards (430) and rushing touch-downs
(8) in a game against St. Peter's.
Against St. John's, the Hoyas set a record
for most offensive plays in a game with
92. Defensively, Georgetown set a pair
of records in their win over Marist.
Georgetown held the Red Foxes to 12
yards of total offense and -58 yards rush-ing.
The Hoyas established a new record
for fewest first downs allowed in a game
as well, as they held Siena to just five.
The Hoyas began the season with
four-consecutive wins and dating back
to the 1995 campaign, Georgetown won
seven-straight contests to tie the school
record for the longest winning streak.
The original record was set back in the
1987 and 1988 seasons.
In the season-opening 59-14 win at
Fairfield, Georgetown set a school record
for first downs and a then school mark
for total offense. The Hoyas racked up
568 yards of offense
and totaled 27 first
downs, while holding
the Stags to -16 yards
rushing.
Georgetown then
defeated Siena 43-6,
holding the Saints to
five first downs. The
Hoyas gained 507
yards of total offense
with 334 coming on
the ground.
cluding -7 yards rushing.
Georgetown improved to 3-0 with a
31-14 win over Marist in the home-opener.
The Hoya defense was the key
as they held Marist to 12 yards of total
offense and -58 yards rushing, both of
which are school records. The Homecoming game with
Iona also added to Georgetown's winning streak, 20-0.
The Hoyas fell to 4-1 on the year
with a 15-0 loss at Duquesne on Octo-ber
19 and to Patriot League foe
Fordham 46-6; for the first time in
1996 an opponented gain more than
100 yards rushing.
Georgetown snapped its two-game
losing streak with a 24-0 win over
Canisius. It marked the first time since
1987 that the Hoyas posted two shutouts
in a season. The Hoya defense limited
Canisius to 86 yards of total offense.
Georgetown defeated St. John's 23-
13 to improve to 6-2. The Hoyas held
St. John's to -7 yards rushing and 119
yards of total offense. GU ran 92 plays
on offense, including 67 rushing, to set a
record for total plays in a game.
The Hoyas then recorded a 61-14
win over St. Peter's as the Hoyas racked
up school records of 430 yards rushing
and 607 yards of total offense. They
averaged 8.4 yards per carry and 9.6
yards per play in the game. Georgetown
scored eight rushing touchdowns to es-tablish
another school record.
In the season finale against Holy
Cross, the Hoyas fell 45-36 in a game
that featured 1,008 yards of total offense.