After suffering a 52-7 defeat to the Patriot League-champion Fordham Rams (10-1, 6-0 Patriot League) last week, the Georgetown football team (2-8, 1-5 Patriot League) hosts the Holy Cross Crusaders (4-7, 2-5 Patriot League) on Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 22, in the last Georgetown football game of the 2014 season.

The Hoyas will look to salvage one final win in what has been a dismal season in which the team has lost six straight games by an average margin of 19 points. The Crusaders hope to end their season on a positive note after suffering a 31-24 overtime loss to the Bucknell Bison last week.

Junior running back Jo’el Kimpela noted the importance of getting one last win to send off the senior class on a high note.

“I look up to these guys, [senior defensive back] Javan [Robinson], [senior linebacker] Nick [Alfieri], [senior defensive end] Alec May. They’re really good role models on and off the field, and to go out on the field and to get this last win for them, it means a lot. So we’re going to give it our all for those guys because we love those guys,” Kimpela said.

The team was in a similar position last year, with a 1-9 record heading into the final week. They travelled to Holy Cross for the last game of the season and ended up defeating the Crusaders, 28-21.

Holy Cross Head Coach Tom Gilmore’s team is led by dual-threat sophomore quarterback Peter Pujals, the 2013 Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Pujals started at quarterback for the Crusaders as a freshman and has not looked back since. He is fourth in the Patriot League in rushing with six rushing touchdowns, averaging 64.5 yards per game on the ground, and third in the conference in both passing scores with 10 touchdowns and average yards per game with 209.4.

“We played against him last year so we have some experience against him, but on film he is definitely a great quarterback,” May said. “We’ve been working on our reads. When they run the read-option, [we need to] be able to set and make sure he gives it to the running back, trying to take his running away from him and make him throw one-dimensional.”

Georgetown Head Coach Rob Sgarlata said that stopping Pujals will be his team’s top priority.

“He’s a really talented kid. He came in the league last year as a freshman and was an impact player, and he’s had a great season,” Sgarlata said.“He’s a tough football player. They’ve decided to run him a bit more in the last four games, which is tough because he’s a really talented kid, and he can beat you running or throwing the ball.”

Holy Cross boasts the fourth-highest scoring offense in the conference at 21.2 points per game. Besides having Pujals at quarterback, Holy Cross also features offensive weapons in sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieczorek, who leads the team in receptions and yards, and junior wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who is third in the Patriot League in punt returning.

On defense, the Crusaders are led by junior linebacker John Zakrzewski, who is fourth in the Patriot League in tackles with 89. Junior strong safety Matt Bhaya leads a Holy Cross secondary that is last in the conference pass defense and fourth in the conference in interceptions.

If the Hoyas are to defeat the Crusaders in the last game of the year, just as they did last season, they will need to do much better on offense than last week’s showing against the Rams, in which they scored only seven points.

Sgarlata emphasized that effort will be key in coming out on the winning end of the game on Saturday.

“Our kids don’t stop playing. We had a touchdown to [junior wide receiver] Jake DeCicco late in the game from [junior quarterback] Kyle Nolan, and I can tell you that our kids played four quarters,” Sgarlata said. “The scoreboard wasn’t what we wanted it to be, but our effort throughout the season has been excellent. Offensively, I think we need to be a little more consistent. Defensively, we had a couple of breakdowns in coverage, and a couple of third [down] and long coverages that we need to correct.”

Kimpela agreed with Sgarlata, noting that the Hoyas need to focus on not beating themselves with unforced errors.

“I think we had mental mistakes, a lot of penalties and missed assignments. And the way to fix that is get into our playbooks more and keep trusting one another, and it will all come together,” Kimpela said.

Saturday will be an emotional day for the senior class, as it will be their last game on their home field as well as their last game in their collegiate careers. It is especially significant for May, one of the most decorated players in this team’s senior class.

“It’s huge. It really hasn’t hit me yet, but it’s definitely big to go out. I’d love to go out with a win. Playing with all these guys I’ve spent four years with, it’s kind of too much to think about right now, but I’m sure I’ll think about it when it’s done,” May said.

Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at the MultiSport Facility.