Special teams can win or lose a football game. No truer statement could be made about the 2005 Georgetown football team, whose three victories this season have all been the result of timely field goal kicking.

“Before every game, [Head Coach Bob Benson] lets us all know that there are three parts of the game: offense, defense and special teams,” said senior kicker/punter Brad Scoffern. “He says that whoever wins the special teams side of things usually wins the game.”

If there is anyone who can attest to the importance of special teams, it is Scoffern. After an injury forced him to watch sophomore stand-in Eric Bjonerud drill a 33-yard game-winner in the season opener against Bucknell, Scoffern delivered some key kicks of his own upon his return to action. Two weeks after making a 19-yard kick that turned out to be the difference in Georgetown’s 10-7 victory over Stony Brook, Scoffern calmly nailed a 25-yarder through the rain in overtime to seal the Hoyas’ third win of the season over Duquesne.

Despite the heroics of Bjonerud and Scoffern, special teams play for the Hoyas in 2005 has been lackluster at best. While the two kickers have combined to produce three wins with their feet, the Hoyas rank fifth out of seven teams in the Patriot League in field goal percentage (.556) and last in the conference in PAT percentage (.800).

Other special teams woes for Georgetown can be found in the return game. The Hoyas rank sixth in the Patriot League in kickoff return average (17.7 yards per return) and fifth in punt return average (9.9 yards per return).

Poor production by the kick and punt return teams has led to poor field position for Georgetown’s already stagnant offense. This was clear in the Hoyas’ 12-7 loss to Lafayette on Oct. 1, when Georgetown’s average starting field position – at its own 18-yard line – stymied a potential second-half comeback.

Special teams miscues also doomed the Hoyas in their Sept. 17 loss to Brown. After allowing the Bears to increase their lead to 17-3 in the second half, sophomore kick-returner John Lancaster fumbled the ensuing kickoff, setting up another Brown score which put the game well out of reach.

Georgetown’s inability to manufacture wins with special teams play is nothing new. In the eighth game of the 2004 season against Fordham, Scoffern fumbled a snap on a punt which was recovered by the Rams, leading to the go-ahead touchdown. In the 2003 season-opener, a blocked extra point after a fourth-quarter Georgetown touchdown resulted in a 20-19 loss at the hands of Colgate.

Since the beginning of the 2003 season, Georgetown has scored only one special teams touchdown in 28 games and has made less than half of their field-goal attempts.

Despite Georgetown’s recent history of poor special teams production, Benson said he has seen signs that his squad is moving in the right direction. “I think we’ve improved,” Benson said. “Early on, special teams are behind the offense and the defense. We need them to get better as the season goes along, and I think they are getting better.”

By focusing on the Hoyas’ most recent victory over Duquesne, it appears that Benson is absolutely right. Georgetown exceeded its average output in every category of special teams in last Saturday’s contest, and Benson cited junior defensive back Brian Tandy’s 36-yard punt return in the second quarter as the key play that set up the Hoyas’ lone touchdown of the game.

Scoffern said that his improved performance has resulted from the fact that his teammates still have confidence in him and his fellow special-teamers. “Whenever something bad happens on our team, your teammates are always 100 percent confident in you on the next play,” he said.

Scoffern also gave the credit for the Hoyas’ victory over Duquesne to other special teams units. “It’s not just the kicking – the coverage [on kickoffs and punts] has been great, too,” he said. “Every punt that has been downed inside the five has been Derek Franks downing the ball. Our holders and long-snappers have been excellent. They make my job easy.”

In terms of goals for special teams play during the remainder of the season, Benson has emphasized continued improvement.

“If our special teams continue to improve, then our field position will continue to improve, our offense will continue to improve, we’ll score more points and we’ll win more games,” he said.

Georgetown will get its next chance to improve its special teams play on Saturday, Oct. 15, when they travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to take on Cornell.