After a nine-month hiatus and an intense training camp, the Georgetown football squad took the field to face off against the Davidson Wildcats. While Georgetown managed to keep Davidson in check offensively, the Hoyas ultimately fell 27-20 after a late comeback came up short. This nonconference battle provided a solid early season test for the Hoyas, as Davidson’s prolific offense scored an average of nearly 45 points a game last year.
Davidson took control of the game right away after receiving the opening kickoff. The Hoyas appeared to have the Wildcats stopped on their opening possession, preventing Davidson from converting a third and one on the ground, but Davidson elected to go for it. On fourth down, Davidson slot receiver William Wicks took the handoff 25 yards down to the Georgetown 1-yard line before being knocked out of bounds. Just a play later, the Wildcats punched it in to jump out ahead 7-0, capping a 14-play, 87-yard drive.
Georgetown fought back, however, with a drive of its own. The Hoya offense found itself with a first and goal from the Davidson 9-yard line late in the opening quarter, but it was unable to capitalize on this opportunity due to a failed fourth down conversion attempt. Davidson again went the length of the field to score, but missed the extra point, leaving the Hoya deficit at 13. On the next series, Georgetown failed to get anything going and went three and out. To flip field position, Georgetown senior punter Brad Hurst marked a school record by booting a 76-yard punt, pinning the opposition at the 1-yard line.
With nearly 10 minutes remaining in the half, Davidson embarked on another long drive. The Wildcats methodically moved down the field on a drive that spanned 19 plays and nine minutes, capping it with another touchdown. Heading into the break, the Hoyas found themselves in a 20-0 hole.
Opening the second half with the ball, Georgetown responded with an impressive drive. Senior quarterback Gunther Johnson took the Hoyas into Wildcat territory with a 51-yard completion to sophomore wideout Joshua Tomas. A few plays later, the Hoyas cut the Wildcat lead down to two scores after sophomore running back Herman Moultrie III forced his way across the goal line from 5 yards out.
Both teams exchanged punts on the next few series, and the Wildcats regained possession after the sequence was complete. Georgetown would force the game’s first turnover, though, on this series as junior linebacker Owen Kessler recovered a fumble at the Davidson 32. Just a few plays later, Johnson found senior wide receiver Michael Dereus for the 12-yard touchdown that cut the Davidson lead to just a single score.
On Davidson’s next possession, the Hoya defense did its job yet again, forcing another fumble well within the opponents territory. Junior linebacker George Ikott managed to pick up the live ball at the 33-yard line and bring it all the way down to the Davidson 5. With the chance to tie the game, Johnson once again hit Dereus for the 1-yard score. As the clock ran out to end the third quarter, the score remained even at 20 apiece.
After both teams failed to find the end zone on their next possessions, Davidson took over with 10 minutes to go at its own 20. Over the course of 11 plays, the Wildcats rekindled the offensive success they had in the second quarter, finding the end zone to take a seven-point lead with under five minutes to play.
Looking to tie the game yet again, Georgetown took over at its own 29. The Hoyas ultimately made it midfield before the Wildcats stuffed a fourth down attempt. Davidson then ran out the remaining three minutes and 22 seconds and secured the win.
Standout performances for the Hoyas include Johnson, who threw for two touchdowns, and Dereus, who caught both of them. Thomas posted 64 reception yards, 16 rushing yards and 77 yards on special teams. On defense, Kessler recorded 13 tackles and a fumble recover, while junior defensive back Cameron Deen and junior linebacker Xavier Reddick added 13 and 11.
After the loss, the Hoyas look to score their first win of the 2019 campaign in the home opener against Marist on Sept. 7.
