With a 24-10 victory over Columbia, the Hoyas’ football squad reclaimed the Lou Little Trophy and improved to 3-1 this past Saturday. 

The team began the day with a sluggish first quarter, with the offense only managing 28 total yards in the first quarter and staying within their own territory for its duration. 

Sophomore wide receiver Joshua Tomas attributed the offense’s initial struggles to a lack of overall execution.

“We weren’t on the same page quarterback and receiver wise,” he explained. “The linemen were doing their jobs [but] we had certain routes where we had the option to do certain things, and we didn’t execute as receivers. I can say for myself there was a route when I went out when I should have gone in, and that could’ve been a first down.” 

Tomas does not believe that these route-running gaffes will be a recurring problem. 

“I think that was just a one-time thing,” he says. “This is the only game this year that we started off slow and I really don’t know why. But after we talked to the coaches after halftime, we figured it out and got to executing plays.”

Head Coach Rob Sgarlata shared Tomas’ faith that this will not be an ongoing issue for the team. He attributes much of the team’s early issues to the fact that they were just coming off a bye week. 

“I don’t think anything went wrong,” Sgarlata said. “I think we were coming off a bye week and play against good football teams and that’s what happens.” 

Despite the slow start, the players, particularly on the defensive side, were unphased.  Junior linebacker Xavier Reddick summed up the team’s attitude nicely.

“Coach [Kevin] Doherty’s mantra is ‘Bring it on,’ so regardless of the situation, we are ready to go. I’m not going to lie, we enjoy trouble on the defensive side. It’s just who we are. He always says we are an attack defense with relentless effort.” 

The Hoyas were able to stay in the game in large part due to the outstanding play of their defense. It began with a sack by senior defensive lineman Khristian Tate for a loss of 12 yards at the beginning of the second quarter. That very same drive, on a fourth and one at the Georgetown 47, Reddick tackled Columbia running back Dante Miller, for a loss of one to force a turnover on downs at a pivotal moment in the game.

Reddick credits Doherty’s emphasis on accountability and preparation for that play. Having watched game film, Reddick was able to anticipate what the offense was going to do. 

“I just knew that [based on] the way they blocked it on film, [the lineman’s] goal was to try to cut me off from getting inside,” he said. “And I realized, ‘Okay, I’m not going to continuously fight a pointless fight,’ so I waited. I let him go in front of me and then I just tackled the running back.” 

One interception and 17 points later, Georgetown entered the fourth quarter with a 17-10 lead. In the fourth, they extended their lead to 24-10 by moving 90 yards down the field and rushing for a touchdown. 

The defense held Columbia scoreless in the fourth quarter with an interception by sophomore linebacker Justin Forteneaux and Tate, forcing the fifth Columbia turnover of the game. 

“It’s one of the best fourth-quarter performances we’ve had on both sides of the ball since I’ve been here,” Sgarlata said. 

Sgarlata was particularly happy with the defense’s situational ability to keep the offense short of the first-down sticks and force turnovers. He was also quick to praise the team’s resilience in all three phases.

“I was really impressed with how the defense accepted every situation they were put in over the course of the entire game. They answered the bell after three sudden changes and came up with turnovers of our own and stops, which really kept us in the game.” 

Winning the Lou Little Trophy holds significant meaning for the Hoyas. It is a symbol of the program’s rich history and the commitment of alums to preserving that history. This trophy is given annually to the winner of the Georgetown-Columbia game, a tradition which has lasted years with the program being tied together for even longer. Coach Sgarlata was extremely proud to win this trophy knowing how much it meant to the school.

“Our program has a history that goes back to the late 1800s,” Sgarlata said. “The tradition was started by four of our alums and has been with the program since I got here in 1990, so it’s really special for us to play in front of [our] New York family. We had an incredible event on Thursday night with over 100 alums in New York City.”

Sgarlata also expressed respect for the competitive relationship that tradition has fostered between Columbia and Georgetown.

“Columbia is a quality opponent. Coach [Al] Bagnoli does a great job up there,” Sgarlata said. “They have always been close, one-score games between the two ball clubs, so for us, it’s a great tradition. I think we play Columbia in the foreseeable future another six times in the contract now.”

While he is happy with Saturday’s victory, Reddick emphasized his desire to build on Saturday’s success. 

“Two years ago, we were 1-10 and that was my freshman year and I do not think a single person wants to go back to that,” Reddick said. “Especially defensively, Coach D always harps on [the fact that] it’s the next week, so our mindset is that we are 0-0 and it’s one play, so how can we do our jobs? We don’t think about the big picture, about [how] our record is now, or who we are playing this week.” 

For now, the Lou Little trophy has found a home in the team offices until the teams meet again. The team will return to the field to compete against another Ivy League opponent, Cornell, in Ithaca, N.Y., this upcoming Saturday, Oct. 5.