Football consists of four 15-minute quarters, with the game reaching its conclusion only when the clock hits zero. This past weekend, Georgetown learned this truth the hard way in what proved to be a rollercoaster ride of a game.

The Hoyas ended up on the wrong end of a nail-biter, losing at Marist on Saturday in gut-wrenching fashion. After a ferocious Georgetown comeback that gave the Blue and Gray the lead with just under a minute remaining, the Red Foxes rallied for a field goal with just five seconds remaining to beat the Hoyas 23-21.

“It was a heartbreaking loss for the kids,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said. “They played hard the whole game, and we just came up short.”

Though the offense had been moving the ball efficiently the entire game, turnovers and failed conversions prevented the Hoyas from running even with the Red Foxes, who outscored Georgetown 20-7 in the first three periods of play. Midway through the fourth quarter, however, sophomore quarterback Scott Darby and the offense decided to take charge.

After an interception by senior defensive lineman Dan Lenihan gave the Georgetown attack excellent field position, the Blue and Gray moved 40 yards in under three minutes to narrow the Marist lead to six. The seventh and final play of the drive was a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior slotback Robert Lane, his first touchdown grab of the season.

With just under two minutes left in the contest, Georgetown was given an opportunity to claim the lead. The outlook seemed extremely grim, however, as the Red Foxes had pinned the Hoyas at their own 5-yard line. Fortunately for the Hoya faithful, Darby and the offense proved to be extremely clutch.

After advancing the ball to the 32-yard line, Darby found freshman receiver Brandon Floyd for a 68-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds remaining, giving the Hoyas a 21-20 lead. It looked as if the Hoyas were finally going to earn their first victory of the year, as Marist needed a near miracle to pull off a comeback of their own with such little time remaining.

After regaining possession, Marist moved down the field quickly, using a 36-yard pass to move the ball into Hoya territory. An untimely facemask penalty further advanced the Red Foxes, as they entered into field goal territory. With five seconds remaining in the contest, Marist kicker Jason Myers booted a 37-yard field goal to give Marist the final advantage. The Red Foxes then stopped the Hoyas in their tracks on the ensuing kickoff, when Georgetown failed to achieve a miracle of its own after several laterals.

With the loss, the Hoyas dropped to 0-9 on the year. Dating back to last season, the Hoyas have lost 10 consecutive games.

Though the loss was crushing, Kelly had praise for his players, as he noted the resilient nature of his team. He attributed the late-game comeback to their work ethic, something he believes says a lot about the nature of his squad as a whole.

“The team has got a lot of character,” he said. “That’s the word you’ve got to use. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them. They play hard the whole football game, and that’s a testament to them.”

In his first start of the season, Darby impressed, with the Hoya offense tallying its highest scoring output of the year. The sophomore completed 31 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. In addition to his noteworthy stat line, Darby did an excellent job of distributing the ball, as he connected with seven different receivers throughout the course of the game. The receiving trio of Lane, Floyd and junior slotback Keerome Lawrence combined for 21 catches, 234 yards and two touchdowns.

On the defensive front, junior linebacker Patrick O’Donnell recorded eight tackles and a forced fumble. In his second start back from knee surgery, senior safety Chris Rau led the team with 11 tackles.

With only two games left in the season, the clock is ticking on the Hoyas, who have yet to record a win. Although this year could be characterized as one to forget for Georgetown, Kelly believes that the experience of losing might be applicable to his players’ post-football careers.

“It’s difficult when you don’t win football games, but these life lessons will show up in their professional lives,” Kelly said.

The road does not get easier for the Hoyas, who will match up against defending FCS national champion Richmond on Saturday. Despite the overwhelming odds facing Georgetown, Kelly seems to be approaching this game optimistically.

“It’s another opportunity to play football,” Kelly said. “Right now the score is 0-0. We understand we’re the underdog, but we’ll give it a shot and see what happens.”

The game is slated for 1 p.m. at MultiSport Facility. “

Football consists of four 15-minute quarters, with the game reaching its conclusion only when the clock hits zero. This past weekend, Georgetown learned this truth the hard way in what proved to be a rollercoaster ride of a game.

The Hoyas ended up on the wrong end of a nail-biter, losing at Marist on Saturday in gut-wrenching fashion. After a ferocious Georgetown comeback that gave the Blue and Gray the lead with just under a minute remaining, the Red Foxes rallied for a field goal with just five seconds remaining to beat the Hoyas 23-21.

“It was a heartbreaking loss for the kids,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said. “They played hard the whole game, and we just came up short.”

Though the offense had been moving the ball efficiently the entire game, turnovers and failed conversions prevented the Hoyas from running even with the Red Foxes, who outscored Georgetown 20-7 in the first three periods of play. Midway through the fourth quarter, however, sophomore quarterback Scott Darby and the offense decided to take charge.

After an interception by senior defensive lineman Dan Lenihan gave the Georgetown attack excellent field position, the Blue and Gray moved 40 yards in under three minutes to narrow the Marist lead to six. The seventh and final play of the drive was a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior slotback Robert Lane, his first touchdown grab of the season.

With just under two minutes left in the contest, Georgetown was given an opportunity to claim the lead. The outlook seemed extremely grim, however, as the Red Foxes had pinned the Hoyas at their own 5-yard line. Fortunately for the Hoya faithful, Darby and the offense proved to be extremely clutch.

After advancing the ball to the 32-yard line, Darby found freshman receiver Brandon Floyd for a 68-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds remaining, giving the Hoyas a 21-20 lead. It looked as if the Hoyas were finally going to earn their first victory of the year, as Marist needed a near miracle to pull off a comeback of their own with such little time remaining.

After regaining possession, Marist moved down the field quickly, using a 36-yard pass to move the ball into Hoya territory. An untimely facemask penalty further advanced the Red Foxes, as they entered into field goal territory. With five seconds remaining in the contest, Marist kicker Jason Myers booted a 37-yard field goal to give Marist the final advantage. The Red Foxes then stopped the Hoyas in their tracks on the ensuing kickoff, when Georgetown failed to achieve a miracle of its own after several laterals.

With the loss, the Hoyas dropped to 0-9 on the year. Dating back to last season, the Hoyas have lost 10 consecutive games.

Though the loss was crushing, Kelly had praise for his players, as he noted the resilient nature of his team. He attributed the late-game comeback to their work ethic, something he believes says a lot about the nature of his squad as a whole.

“The team has got a lot of character,” he said. “That’s the word you’ve got to use. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them. They play hard the whole football game, and that’s a testament to them.”

In his first start of the season, Darby impressed, with the Hoya offense tallying its highest scoring output of the year. The sophomore completed 31 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. In addition to his noteworthy stat line, Darby did an excellent job of distributing the ball, as he connected with seven different receivers throughout the course of the game. The receiving trio of Lane, Floyd and junior slotback Keerome Lawrence combined for 21 catches, 234 yards and two touchdowns.

On the defensive front, junior linebacker Patrick O’Donnell recorded eight tackles and a forced fumble. In his second start back from knee surgery, senior safety Chris Rau led the team with 11 tackles.

With only two games left in the season, the clock is ticking on the Hoyas, who have yet to record a win. Although this year could be characterized as one to forget for Georgetown, Kelly believes that the experience of losing might be applicable to his players’ post-football careers.

“It’s difficult when you don’t win football games, but these life lessons will show up in their professional lives,” Kelly said.

The road does not get easier for the Hoyas, who will match up against defending FCS national champion Richmond on Saturday. Despite the overwhelming odds facing Georgetown, Kelly seems to be approaching this game optimistically.

“It’s another opportunity to play football,” Kelly said. “Right now the score is 0-0. We understand we’re the underdog, but we’ll give it a shot and see what happens.”

The game is slated for 1 p.m. at MultiSport Facility. “