The Lou Little Cup remained in New York after the Georgetown University football team struggled to overcome harsh weather conditions Saturday and facilitate any kind of offense against Columbia University, losing 30-0.
High stakes were set for the Sept. 23 matchup between the Hoyas (2-2) and the Lions (1-1), as each team was determined to leave with the trophy. The Lou Little Cup was established in 2015 and named after the Hall of Fame coach who spent six seasons with the Hoyas and 26 seasons with the Lions.
Columbia took this year’s title in their first home shutout since 2006. Georgetown has not gone scoreless since a 2019 matchup against Holy Cross.
Columbia set the tone of the game on the opening kick return as defensive back and kick returner Carter McFadden dashed 48 yards to the Georgetown 40-yard line. Immediately, Columbia running back Joey Giorgi proved he would be a problem with a 9-yard rush on the first play. Giorgi would go on to contribute 116 of Columbia’s 222 rushing yards on 21 carries. Yet Georgetown held their ground on defense, forcing the Lions to settle for a 43-yard field goal that Columbia kicker Hugo Merry missed off the left post.
With 17-mile-per-hour winds gusting through the stadium, the Hoyas would attempt to replicate the Columbia ground game to no avail. In a quick 4-and-out, fifth-year quarterback Tyler Knoop and graduate running back Joshua Stakely both found brick walls in subsequent attempts to break through the line of scrimmage. Amid conditions that significantly restricted passing play, Georgetown was incapable of moving the chains through the rush with only 32 yards on 24 carries.
On the Lions following possession, Columbia quarterback Caden Bell appeared unperturbed by the wind and rain, capping off the drive with an 11-yard rush into the endzone. Bell was able to work both land and air on Saturday, throwing for 189 yards and ending with three touchdowns, two of which he ran in.
Columbia’s defense displayed similar grit, relentlessly preventing Georgetown from finding their first 1st down — and their first completion — on another 4-and-out stamped with a Knoop sack. The first quarter drew to a close with offensive woes begging for a new strategy for Hoya attacks.
To kick off the second quarter, Giorgi also proved himself to be a receiving threat as Bell connected with him for 26 yards. With Columbia at the 4-yard line on 4th down, both teams took a timeout, one after the other, to plan their respective moves. Columbia’s strategy proved to be the dominant one as Columbia running back Ty’son Edwards powered over the goal line. A completed extra point by Merry put the Lions up 13-0.
The Hoyas finally secured their first 1st down of the game with 12:24 remaining in the second quarter when junior running back Naieem Kearney elusively gained 22 yards to galvanize a slow-to-start offense. Knoop seized this momentum to find his first completion on the day, a 23-yard toss to junior receiver Cam Pygatt. Though this amounted to the best look for the Hoyas thus far, a Columbia blitz forced a punt on 4th and 11.
Knoop decided to continue with deep targets on the next Hoya drive, hitting first-year tight end Isaiah Grimes, who acrobatically laid out for a 17-yard pickup. However, these flashes of hope continued to remain mere flashes as Georgetown registered -2 rushing yards, 2 incompletions and another punt on that drive.
Bell would also look long, marching the Lions downfield aided by a fierce set of runs by Giorgi. A series of defensive stops by Georgetown would prevent another touchdown, and Columbia settled for a field goal to extend the lead to 16-0.
In the second half, a 45-yard long bomb from Bell to Columbia wide receiver JJ Jenkins put the senior quarterback in position for his second rushing touchdown. Not three minutes after that score, Jenkins was again targeted deep for a 43-yard touchdown. Whatever weather conditions seemed to be giving Georgetown troubles were nonexistent for Bell. A completed extra point put Columbia up 30-0, which would be the prevailing score for the day.
The Hoyas are now 3-5 in Lou Little Cup games and will take their next crack at the Lions in 2024. Georgetown will host Fordham (3-1) at Cooper Field on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. where they will seek to revive their run game and stay over 0.500.
