A year after a stunning over then-No. 15 Fordham University, the Georgetown University football team sought to repeat history with another statement win on Homecoming Day Sept. 21.
However, the Hoyas (2-2) could not muster enough to overcome a strong start by the Brown Bears (1-0), eventually falling 26-14 at Cooper Field. Georgetown managed an impressive late defensive stand that limited Brown’s star quarterback Jake Willcox to 23 yards in the second half. Still, the offense could not pull together for a late comeback.
Head Coach Rob Sgarlata said he was nonetheless proud of the team’s effort.
“I thought today was a good, hard-fought football game,” Sgarlata told Georgetown Athletics. “At the end of the day, we need to take care of the football better and eliminate the explosive plays to have success.”
After stalling out on the opening drive, the Hoyas ran into early trouble on the Bears’ first offensive play. Bears wide receiver Solomon Miller immediately beat redshirt senior cornerback Kolubah Pewee Jr. off his release and darted past senior safety Diandre Harris for an 87-yard touchdown, earning an early 7-0 lead.
Georgetown responded with a steady march to the endzone, fueled by the strong connection between junior quarterback Danny Lauter and junior wide receiver Nicholas Dunneman. Lauter completed 4 passes to Dunneman, whose exceptional body control netted the Hoyas 41 yards and 2 first downs on the drive alone. Senior running back Naieem Kearney also had an explosive 30-yard run through the middle and eventually punched in the touchdown to tie up the game.
However, history would repeat itself as the Hoyas fell victim to yet another blown coverage, this time to wide receiver Mark Mahoney. After a few short gains by the Bears, Willcox dished a dime to Mahoney who, thanks to yet another Hoya defensive lapse, had 40 yards of open pastures greet him en route to another touchdown.
Unfortunately, the lightning of disaster struck twice. Following a short kickoff return, Lauter threw a tipped pass amidst intense defensive pressure, ultimately getting picked off by cornerback Nevaeh Gattis at Georgetown’s 24-yard line. In a merciful break for the Hoyas, Willcox returned the favor with another interception after sophomore cornerback Quincy Briggs made a stellar play along the sidelines.
Both offenses proceeded to slow down and trade unproductive drives. Conservative play calling severely hindered Georgetown’s chances of making major gains, but the defensive line held up especially strong. After shutting down Willcox with three consecutive sacks on one drive, the Hoyas limited the Bears to just a field goal on the next just 6 yards away from the endzone with 6:19 left in the half.
Finally, Georgetown found some magic on offense in the following possession, after what seemed to be another drive to nowhere. On 3rd-and-4 from the Hoyas’ 23, senior wide receiver Cam Pygatt hauled in a short dump-off and proceeded to part the secondary sea for an explosive 77-yard touchdown, shrinking the deficit to 17-14.
Although the Bears managed another field goal to close the half 20-14, the Hoya defense was in its element. Brown only accrued 41 yards on 22 carries, and aside from the two major defensive mistakes, Georgetown was just one score away from regaining the lead.
The defense held its end of the bargain. Throughout the entire second half, Brown only managed to score 6 points with a touchdown, in which the two-point conversion was unsuccessful. Furthermore, the Hoyas collected 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, a turnover on downs and 6 punts to prevent the game from spiraling out of control.
Yet, the uninspired offense did not score a single point throughout the latter half of the game. Brown’s defensive line put Lauter under constant pressure, eventually forcing 3 fumbles, completing 3 sacks and snagging 1 interception in the second half alone. Even when Georgetown found some room on offense, repeated third downs eventually became the downfall of the team as they slowly battled their way to a 26-14 close.
Still, the Hoyas saw some strong individual contributions against tough opposition. The defense shined as eight Hoyas accrued tackles for loss, with breakout sophomore defensive lineman Cooper Blomstrom pacing the team with 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss. Lauter’s 343 passing yards were also a season high as his young career continues to trend in a positive direction, and Pygatt’s 6 receptions for 116 yards earned him a Patriot League honor roll mention.
“Very proud of how our players responded to adversity, especially early in the game,” Sgarlata said. “There is no quit in this football team.”
The Hoyas look to get back on track against longtime rivals Columbia University (1-0) for the annual Lou Little Trophy at home on Sept. 28.
