After three weeks of thrilling football games, the Georgetown Hoyas (2-1, 1-0 Patriot League) returned to the Hilltop for their home opener, a matchup against Patriot League foe Holy Cross (1-2, 0-0 Patriot League) in the highlight of Georgetown’s Homecoming weekend.

The Hoyas have faced a gauntlet of strong opponents to start the season, defeating perennial Patriot League favorite Lafayette two weeks ago before nearly upsetting Ivy League power Yale last weekend.

Head Coach Kevin Kelly was disappointed by the team’s 40-35 last-second loss to the Bulldogs, but with Homecoming on the horizon, there is no room to dwell on last weekend.

“Our guys were resilient and we came back, but unfortunately we didn’t finish,” the fifth-year coach reflected. “That’s our motto for this week. We want to finish, and obviously we want to finish better. We wanted to come back 3-0. That’s the disappointing part.”

The schedule does not get any easier this Saturday when the Hoyas take on the defending Patriot League champions. Last season, Georgetown fell to Holy Cross 20-7 in a game highlighted by the Blue and Gray’s inability to put the ball in the end zone.

So far this season, that trend has changed for the better. The Hoyas have increased their scoring total over the first three weeks of the season, culminating in their 35-point outburst last weekend against Yale.

For Kelly and his team, this year is different, and the Hoyas are looking forward to putting forth a good showing for their home crowd on Saturday.

“We’ve been on the road for three weeks, done a lot of traveling,” Kelly said. “We’re very anxious to play at home, and it is Homecoming on top of that. That’s what these guys work for, playing games like this, and we’re excited about it.”

Last weekend, many new contributors emerged for the Hoyas, particularly from the sophomore class. Cornerback Jeremy Moore contributed seven tackles to go with his kickoff return for a touchdown to begin the second half, and for his efforts, the New Haven native was awarded the Patriot League special teams player of the week.

Kelly lauded Moore for his efforts and expects more of the same from the sophomore as the season progresses.

“Jeremy played an excellent game and he’s getting better every week. He made some big plays for us,” he said. “That kickoff really ignited us in the second half.”

On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore linebackers Jeremy Grasso and Robert McCabe – both of whom recently joined the starting squad – also had memorable games. Grasso contributed five tackles, including one to keep Yale out of the end zone late in the game. McCabe managed to block a Bulldog field goal attempt, setting up the Hoya offense.

“Guys like Jeremy and Rob have done a great job as well,” Kelly said. “We hope to see improvement from them week in and week out.”

Aside from the younger players, the Hoyas also received significant contributions from their veteran stars, none bigger than that from slot receiver Keerome Lawrence. The senior played a huge role in the Hoyas’ offense, making eight catches for 129 yards and rushing for a touchdown.

Despite the excitement of recording his first 100-yard-plus performance of the year, Lawrence kept the results in perspective.

“The system, that’s what I expect,” he said. “You’ve got to put yourself out there every time. I feel like I could have played way better. If I had like 200 yards and caught the other touchdown, it’d be a different story.”

The Patriot League has been keeping tabs on the Hoyas’ individual performances, as Lawrence was given the league’s offensive player of the week award.

“I’m excited. We are just trying to take it one week at a time. If I’m offensive player of the week or not, if we get the win, I’m happy,” Lawrence said.

The Hoyas are happy to be home to showcase themselves in front of the Blue and Gray faithful on Saturday afternoon. Lawrence serves as a perfect example of that sentiment, as he is preparing for his final homecoming game.

“We are really excited for this one,” he said. “I went on the Internet and saw that we haven’t beaten Holy Cross since [1999]. I guess that’s the wave they’re riding into this week, but that’s just motivation for us, because we know we’re a whole different team from years past. We’re looking forward to it.”

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday at MultiSport Facility. “