With a minute left in the first half and the score at 0-3, Georgetown and Columbia appeared to be locked in a scrappy, low-scoring dogfight. From then to the end of the game, however, the Hoyas were outscored by the Lions 39 to 6, eventually falling 42-6 on Sept. 24 and losing the Lou Little Cup for the second year in a row. 

On a brisk Saturday afternoon, both teams struggled in the first quarter to put points on the board. On the first drive of the game, Georgetown (1-3, 0-1 Patriot League) marched down to the Columbia (2-0, 0-0 Ivy League) 25-yard line before the Lions defense forced a fourth down. On a 42-yard field goal attempt, sophomore kicker Patrick Ryan missed Georgetown’s first and only field goal attempt of the game. 

Georgetown’s rushing game, or rather, Columbia’s lockdown defense, would become a major theme in this game. The Hoyas rushed for a net total of 0 yards on 14 attempts, compared to 206 yards on 48 attempts by the Lions. Despite outstripping Columbia in passing yards 317 to 263, Georgetown simply had trouble recovering from such a severe deficit on the ground. 

Georgetown had no answer for Columbia’s defense, and if this trend continues from last week’s disappointing rushing performance against Monmouth, it could be a potential issue to monitor for the Hoyas this season. 

Columbia racked up an interception and a missed field goal of its own during the first quarter, before picking off Georgetown senior quarterback Pierce Holley’s pass in triple coverage right before the end of the period to thwart a Hoyas touchdown. On the first drive of the second quarter, the Lions scored their first field goal. 

After a Georgetown punt, Columbia finally scored the first touchdown of the game with 59 seconds left in the second quarter. Then, in a forgettable final minute, Holley threw an interception at the Georgetown 39-yard line. A subsequent 23-yard reception by the Lions gave them time to score another field goal to put them up 13-0 at halftime, giving them momentum heading into the locker room. 

Despite the score, Georgetown played Columbia evenly for most of the first half. The major difference throughout the game were both teams’ conversions on third down. While the Hoyas went 5-12, the Lions had a remarkably efficient 14-18 conversion rate on third downs throughout the game, including a clutch 20-yard reception on third down in the first half that resulted in their only touchdown of the half. 

The third quarter was similarly even-matched, with the Lions scoring on the first drive of the half. Then the Hoyas scored their first touchdown on the next play. Senior wide receiver Dorrian Moultrie returned a Columbia kickoff 70 yards to put the Hoyas at Columbia’s 25-yard line. Later on the same drive, on 4th and 18, Holley found junior wide receiver Asante Das for an 18-yard touchdown to put Georgetown on the board, 20-6, and give the Hoyas hope heading into the fourth quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, Columbia started to pull away from Georgetown to secure the victory. The Lions scored a touchdown 50 seconds into the quarter, and quickly scored another courtesy of a 40-yard rushing touchdown by Columbia running back Malcolm Terry II. Then, after Georgetown drove to within 8 yards of the Columbia endzone, Holley saw his pass picked off by Columbia linebacker Rocco Milia and then returned 93 yards for a touchdown to make the score 42-6. 

Head Coach Rob Sgarlata remained optimistic despite the team’s loss, highlighting the Hoyas’ receivers as a cause for hope.

“I thought our guys played and battled hard, especially coming out of the half and scoring when we did,” Sgarlata told Georgetown Athletics. “Joshua Tomas, Cameron Crayton and Asante Das played extremely well, and Dorrian Moultrie gave us a spark on his kick return to set us up for our touchdown.”

Georgetown will look to recover from this loss as it travels to the Bronx to take on Patriot League foe Fordham (3-1). The Fordham-Georgetown rivalry dates back to 1889, with Fordham leading the all-time series 41-23-3 and winning 8 of the last 9 games, including a 41-20 victory last November. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Jack Coffey Field on Oct. 1.