Inexperienced running backs. Defensive lapses. Close losses to Yale and Fordham, but a blowout at the hands of Holy Cross. Some late season grumbling about a second year coach below .500 in October.
And no, that's not Georgetown.
For a decade, Lehigh has been the Patriot League's flagship program, with six titles in the last nine years. 2007 offers no such title hopes, as a transition in style and personnel has seen an uncharacteristic 3-4 record follow the Engineers into late October. Following a bruising 59-10 rout at the hands of Holy Cross, Lehigh fans hope to see a turnaround and a big win that will propel them towards a winning season by the time Lafayette comes to town on Nov. 17. Fortunately, week 9 features an opponent that seems to fit the bill.
Lehigh fans have traditionally dismissed the Hoyas, and not without reason--among all the PL schools this decade, Georgetown has yet to give Lehigh a competitive game. Lehigh fans still recall Georgetown's 2002 debut at Murray Goodman Stadium, as the undersized Hoyas rushed 25 times for -8 yards in a 69-0 rout. Three years later, GU had 32 total yards midway through the third quarter in a 46-14 loss. In these and other games, Lehigh brought a veteran team with experience and confidence to put the Hoyas away. This year's Lehigh team has struggled with both, and thus gives the Hoyas a chance,
but just a chance, to take advantage.
The Engineers' struggles have begun at QB, where senior Sedale Threatt has passed for 4,000 yards in his career, but has struggled down the stretch, with five INT's and only three TD's in his two PL games to date. Threatt, widely considered a candidate for all-PL honors at the start of 2007, is listed at first string, but the Lehigh game notes contain an "OR" by his name, strongly suggesting that sophomore Chris Bokosky (1-5-0, two games) will see action of Threatt begins to falter. For Threatt to reassert himself, he will call upon a stout Lehigh offensive line to give him time
and avoid throwing into coverage, which has hurt him of late. He remains a formidable threat to run, which gives him an edge over Bokosky as a rushing threat. But at 3-4, the pressure to start looking for an heir apparent to Threatt may be an issue in a game that Lehigh is not expecting much resistance. Or are they?
The Engineers have traditionally ground up the Hoyas on the ground, and this is an area of concern to Lehigh fans in 2007. LU's leading rusher, freshman Kwesi Kankam, is averaging only 35 yards a game. Two freshman are in the depth chart at tailback following injuries to sophomore Josh Pastore, who figured to be the answer to the departing Marques Thompson, who rushed for 239 yards in his last two games against the Hoyas. Fullback Adam Watson has seen few carries, with six yards in seven games to date.
Lehigh's receivers have fared better, if by necessity. Mike Fitzgerald (29-363-1) and Sekou Yansane (25-382-2) figure to test Georgetown's speed in the secondary, if Threatt uses the pocket to his advantage. But the Engineers have scored only four TD's in its last three games, with poor red zone conversion and a negative turnover margin. Georgetown's ability to force a grinding style of football could, for once, be to Lehigh's detriment.
The Holy Cross game was an anomaly, as Lehigh's defense is a good one, at least against the run. Seven seniors start on defense, with junior Tim Diamond as the one to watch. Diamond, who collected 22 tackles in the Harvard game, averages nearly 11 a game and is the center of attention as Lehigh works to shut down the run. When teams pass, however, Lehigh has not been as effective, despite an all-senior starting secondary. With only one player taller than 5-11 in the secondary, Lehigh has given up 14 passing TD's against only four interceptions. One break for Lehigh might be the
Georgetown passing attack rarely targets passes well into the secondary, preferring the short pass which plays to Diamond's strength off the line and the somewhat smaller but quick Lehigh LB's.
That Georgetown was able to avoid falling behind to Bucknell was the story of that game, and falling behind to Lehigh is something GU simply cannot afford to do. The big question for the Hoyas in Week 9 is injuries and just who will fill out the backfield. RB's Michael Harrison and Charlie Houghton have not played in two weeks, while TB Kyle Van Fleet was said to have played with a broken hand against Bucknell. Freshman RB Alex Carroll could see a lot of action in Saturday's game, but QB Matt Bassuener must look again to names like Brent Craft and Sidney Baker to use the passing game to set up short yardage gains. Yes, the Hoyas have fared poorly at Lehigh on the ground--in DC, Georgetown averages 120 yards a game versus LU, at South Mountain, just 18 yards. Bassuener has built an impressive run in his last two games with safe but effective passing patterns, and may be called upon for more of the same Saturday.
Defensively, the Hoyas gained some confidence in stopping Bucknell at critical points of last week's game. Trouble is, Lehigh is not Bucknell. Lehigh's offensive line owns a 44 pound edge across the line from Georgetown on defense and the last game where there was that disparity was at Penn, where the Quaker line punched holes up and down the field. Though the Engineers are a capable passing team, GU must still stop the run and get pressure in the backfield, something it has largely failed to do this season.
Keys to the game:
1. The Short Field. Georgetown was able to hold Bucknell to an average starting field position of its own 31. Lehigh will push to force more series starting at midfield as opposed to 70 and 75 yards away, where its longer drives have stalled. Both teams have fared poorly on punt returns, but a break on either side on return yardage could be huge.
2. Long Passing. Both teams appear to have the chance to get a step on the opponent's secondary. The two projected starting QB's have each thrown just one pass over 50 yards all season, but may be tempted to test the skies in this one.
3. Lehigh's O-Line. To get the Engineers on track, the offensive line needs to shut down the GU defensive sets. LU averaged less than four yards a carry against Holy Cross and it was not enough. Its size and experience could prove to be a big edge in this one.
If Georgetown can force turnovers, hold in the red zone, and work the short passing game, GU might be able to hang with the Hawks, but the margin of error is considerably tighter than it was in Lewisburg. But it bears remembering that this is a team with one league win in over two seasons, so to suggest that a narrow win over Bucknell has put Georgetown on an even field with the Engineers is still a little presumptuous.
The Lehigh fan base expects success and 2007 has not met this standard, but the expectation remains for the Brown & White to take it out on Georgetown. Saturday's game may provide the best test in the remainder of 2007 of just how far Georgetown needs to grow for teams like Lehigh to respect them moving forward. For the home team, it's a test of a different kind, the first step to reestablish the winning ways that define the Lehigh program.
