Maurice White

White, the Leopards’ primary running back, had just 249 yards rushing last season. The low mark, however, was not due to his inability to run the ball; it was because he battled injuries the entire season and only appeared in four games. The senior out of Cleveland, Ohio, averaged over 60 yards and a touchdown per game in his limited action in 2007.

This season, White is already well on his way to eclipsing his rushing total from last year. In fact, after running all over Marist for 212 yards in week one, White is poised to pass last season’s yardage total against the Hoyas.

While the Georgetown defense will have a tough time preventing him from crossing the 249-yard threshold, it must focus on lowering White’s yards per carry — he averaged 7.3 against Marist. At 5-foot-8, 205 pounds, White is a handful around the line of scrimmage. In 29 carries against Marist, the Red Foxes could not bring him down for a loss once. In the fourth quarter, White broke off touchdown runs of 38 and three yards.

Georgetown’s defense, which held Howard under 100 yards rushing, will have to make White black and blue to keep the Leopards off the scoreboard.

Andy Romans

Romans, a preseason all-American, has picked up where he left off last year. In Lafayette’s season opener against Marist, he led the Leopards defense in holding the Red Foxes to 95 total yards of offense. The linebacker recorded 10 tackles, including a sack, and he added a fumble recovery deep in Leopards’ territory that ended one of Marist’s best scoring chances.

Last year, Romans led the team in almost every defensive category — 113 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

For a team that relies on running and quick passing routes like Georgetown, Romans looming in the middle of the field could present a big problem. Romans and the Leopards held the Red Foxes to 37 rushing yards on 29 attempts — a meager 1.3 yards per carry.

— Compiled by Kevin Wessel