Facing a fourth down with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Isaiah Kempf dropped back to pass and completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Michael Cimilluca. This touchdown, however, was no game-winner — it was Georgetown’s first score of the game.
The Georgetown football team (1-3, 0-0 Patriot League) hoped Saturday’s game against Brown (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) would be a return to form after an unexpected loss to Marist. But the Hoyas struggled on both offense and defense, leading to a 45-7 mauling at the hands of the Bears.
“Brown is a very good football team,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said. “They might be one of the better teams we play all year. They took it to us pretty good. The only thing you can do after a loss like this is rally the troops, keep working harder and improve for the next week.”
Brown was in command from the beginning. On their opening possession, the Bears marched 92 yards down the field to the end zone. The touchdown gave Brown a 7-0 advantage — a lead it would not relinquish.
The Bears continued to dominate throughout the first half. Brown amassed 476 yards of total offense and 31 first-half points, a pace with which the Georgetown offense wasn’t able to keep up.
While the Bears were stringing together long drives and scoring touchdowns, the Blue and Gray were searching for a first down, which wouldn’t come until midway through the second quarter. The drive, which started on the Hoyas’ 20-yard line, ended when Kempf fumbled the ball on fourth down.
On the Hoyas’ next possession, Georgetown turned the ball over again. After putting together a 15-play, 56-yard drive, Kempf threw an interception at the Brown 20. These two turnovers deep inside Brown territory ended promising drives and left Georgetown scoreless entering halftime.
“[Turnovers] are something we have to keep working at, keep practicing,” Kelly said. “We have specific red zone periods that we have during the course of the week. We have to keep working at [it] and talk about ball security and not turn the ball over.”
After the Blue and Gray offense had three three-and-outs in the third quarter, sophomore quarterback Kyle Nolan took over the offense in the fourth. Although Nolan completed 7-of-11 passes for 49 yards, he, too, was unable to get that elusive score. In the Blue and Gray’s final drive of the game, Nolan advanced the ball to the Brown 14 before Kempf returned to the game to throw a touchdown pass for Georgetown’s only score of the game.
“We played poorly in all three phases of the game,” Kelly said. “We just aren’t making plays when we should. We have had some injuries to some key players, and that has hurt us as well. It is a combination of things.”
On the game, the Hoyas totaled 235 yards of total offense, including 180 passing yards. But for the second consecutive week, the Blue and Gray only mustered 55 rushing yards. Kempf threw for 131 yards on 14-of-33 passing.
The Hoyas were without four defensive starters, including senior linebacker Dustin Wharton and junior linebacker Nick Alfieri, who were out with injuries. The Blue and Gray are 0-2 in these two games and have allowed an average of 44 points to opponents.
The Bears were led by senior running back John Spooney. In his first game since his sophomore year, Spooney ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Patrick Donnelly threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-27 passing.
The Blue and Gray’s defense allowed 476 yards of total offense and once again, it especially struggled in the red zone; Brown scored five touchdowns and a field goal on eight trips.
“We have to keep working on the [red zone defense]. That’s all you can do. There is not a real, hardcore answer to it,” Kelly said.
Georgetown returns to the Hilltop Saturday, when the team will welcome Princeton for homecoming. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at MultiSport Facility.
