Against a steady drizzle, the Blue topped the Gray 10-7 in a game that marked the end of a long off-season in the weight room and two weeks of early-morning spring practices on the field.

Starting quarterback Matt Bassuener, a rising senior and the incumbent starter, began the scrimmage directing the Blue, but after leading the squad to a field goal late in the first quarter, he swapped his jersey with sophomore Robert Lane, who had been leading the Gray.

It was Lane’s first appearance under center, as the 5-foot-11, 205-pound former high school signal caller spent his freshman season toting the pigskin as a running back.

Since junior Ben Hostetler – who began the 2006 campaign as a starter before being spelled by Bassuener – is scoring goals for the lacrosse team at the moment, Kelly was forced to get creative with the backup position.

“We scoured our board to find a good guy, and Robert fit in,” Kelly said. “He really exceeded our expectations, and we are going to give him a shot at the starting job in the fall.”

Bassuener and Lane lead a new run-oriented attack, a change in philosophy from the spread attack featured in Kelly’s first season. Senior Kyle Van Fleet, who lined up as a wideout during his junior year, manned Kelly’s featured “B-back” position in the backfield Saturday and carried the brunt of the offensive duties, including a one-yard scoring plunge that settled the score for the blue late in the game.

“Kyle’s a big strong kid, he’s a natural,” Kelly said. “We have to find a way to run the football. That was our main focus in the spring, and he’s real tough, he runs real well, and he has been consistent – I think we have found a home for him there.”

Senior Emir Davis and sophomore Dean Duchak, a former linebacker, also looked strong running the ball, while Charlie Houghton, the reigning Patriot League rookie of the year, sat out the spring game due to a sore groin. Junior defensive tackle Nmamdi Obiako spent the day in the opposing backfield, and sophomore Anthony DiTomasso, the defense’s most improved player, wreaked havoc as well. Kelly believes that with veteran sack master Obiako, a beefed-up DiTommaso and junior defensive end Stephen Smith, the defensive line should be the team’s strongest component come autumn.

“I would say that is the strength of our defense right now – those guys up front,” Kelly said. “If you have a good defensive line, that will help us support the second level, where we have a lot of young players.”

At halftime of Saturday’s game, Kelly gathered his charges at midfield to announce the captains for the 2007 season. Minutes before the team takes the field on Sept. 1 against Stony Brook, Van Fleet, Basseneur, Obiako and Smith will line up at midfield to represent their teammates. While the second-year head coach is happy with the improvement, he said his young team has serious chinks in its armor, holes that could be filled with another infusion of youth.

“There are a lot of young players that will help us in the fall,” Kelly said. “A lot of those guys were at the spring game, and I told them they would have every opportunity to help us win. The best players are going to play.”

The class is headlined by quicksilver scat back Mychal Harrison, a 5-foot-6, 170-pound three-sport athlete out of Atlanta’s Westlake High. Harrison, who follows former Lions standout and current Hoyas wide receiver Kenny Mitchell, has considerable game-breaking potential.

“He was rated one of the top players in the state of Georgia,” Kelly said. “He’s a very dynamic type of runner, and a lot of people wanted that kid. He will plug right into what we are doing offensively.”

Joining Harrison on the Hilltop next year will be Arius and Anthony Ford, a cornerback-wideout combo from football juggernaut Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas. The speedy twin brothers bring a win-at-all-costs attitude to Georgetown after capturing three Texas 5A state championships in four years for the Dragons.

“I told them we were recruiting them, `You guys know what it takes, and I want you to bring that with you,'” Kelly said. “I hope that rubs off on our players.”

While it may be another four months until the Fords and the rest of the freshmen report for two-a-days in August, Kelly cracked a rare smile in describing the progress he witnessed over the course of the spring.

“Overall I am real pleased. The guys are playing harder than they were a year ago, and the expectation level is higher than it was a year ago,” said Kelly, who emphasized hitting and more physical play during spring workouts. “We are much further along than we were at this point last year. They are learning how to play.”