After a fourth quarter comeback by the Bucknell Bison, the Georgetown football team suffered a 17-20 defeat Saturday, Nov. 16, in Lewisburg, Pa.

Georgetown freshman running back Joshua Stakely, rushed for a career-high 139 yards on 28 carries. This tally included a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Senior quarterback Gunther Johnson passed for 118 yards and a touchdown on 14-24 passing, while junior quarterback Joseph Brunell threw 6-10 for 81 yards.

Georgetown’s first touchdown came with five minutes left in the first quarter off of a 3-yard pass from Johnson to sophomore wide receiver Joshua Tomas, who had 83 yards on the day and led the Hoyas in receiving. This play capped off a six-play, 39-yard drive that lasted two minutes and 23 seconds. Off of this play, Georgetown successfully executed an onside kick directly following their opening touchdown. Senior kicker Brad Hurst kicked off for just 12 yards before recovering the ball himself off of an opportune bounce. 

The Hoyas fumbled just three plays into their extra possession, however, losing whatever momentum they had built. Junior running back Jackson Saffold fumbled after a 3-yard loss and the ball was scooped up by Bucknell freshman cornerback Gavin Pringle, who returned the ball 55 yards for a touchdown. The Bucknell extra point was blocked by sophomore defensive end Quincy Chinwuko, ending the first quarter with Georgetown up on the scoreboard, 7-6.

The second quarter started with Georgetown in a scoring position, first and goal at the Bucknell 9-yard line. Brunell threw incompletions on first and third down while Stakely ran for just three yards on second down. The Hoyas then conceded for a 23-yard field goal, which Hurst slotted home. The rest of the half went scoreless and the Hoyas went into halftime winning, 10-6.

The third quarter featured sustained defensive dominance, with Bucknell unable to score any offensive points. Georgetown successfully turned their defense into offense as junior defensive back Jonothan Honore intercepted junior quarterback Logan Bitikofer’s pass. He returned the ball 15 yards before being taken down at the Bucknell 39-yard line, setting up some of the Hoyas’ best field positions for the day, with Georgetown ultimately unable to capitalize on the short field. Georgetown travelled the 39 yards in six plays and in just under 2½  minutes. The drive was finished by a Stakely 15-yard run. This touchdown put Georgetown ahead, 17-6, but marked their last scoring play of the game, forcing the defense to make clutch plays in maintaining the two-score lead.

The Hoya defense had held the Bison to just 90 offensive yards in the first three quarters. Going into the fourth, the Hoyas maintained a 17-6 advantage. Bucknell scored two unanswered touchdowns, however, in the fourth quarter to secure the victory on their senior day.

The fourth quarter began with a rapid backward slide for the Hoyas. They started the quarter at third and 11 on their own 38-yard line. In the first play of the quarter, Johnson was sacked for a loss of 13 yards. The Hoyas then went to punt, but it was blocked and recovered at the Georgetown 18-yard line. Bucknell senior running back Chad Freshnock finished off the short drive with a 3-yard run into the endzone. The Bison went for the two-point conversion but were unable to convert, making the score 17-12. The very next drive was a quick three and out for Georgetown, and Hurst completed the drive with a solid punt, putting the Bison on their own 27. 

Bucknell then took the ball 73 yards in just 1:37, scoring a touchdown. Bitikofer completed a 45-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver, Dominic Lyles, who scored in tight coverage. Bucknell was able to capitalize on their touchdown this time, converting for two points. This conversion brought the score to 17-20, ensuring that a field goal would only tie. This score remained as Georgetown was incapable of scoring for the remaining 10 minutes of the game. While they had two drives in which to score, both ended in punts with only a few minutes remaining as the Bison managed to kill the clock.

Georgetown has one more game in the season, which will determine whether or not the Hoyas finish with a winning record, with any championship aspirations long out of sight. They currently sit at 5-5 (1-4 Patriot League) going into this Saturday’s game at the College of the Holy Cross, which will make or break the season.