The Georgetown University football team (2-1, 0-1 Patriot League) fell short in a 37-42 shootout thriller against a fiery offense performance from the Lafayette College Leopards (2-1, 1-0 Patriot League) Saturday, Sept. 13.
The Hoyas came into Saturday’s game with a 2-0 start to the season, dominating Davidson College and beating Wagner College in an unusual home game. The team opened Patriot League conference play against Lafayette, looking to build on their perfect start to the season.
The Hoyas set the tone early with a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Danny Lauter to find junior tight end Isaiah Grimes in the end zone, driving 74 yards in 5 minutes and 38 seconds in the first drive of the game. Lafayette running back Kente Edwards, who had a phenomenal game Sept. 6 at Stonehill College with 127 yards and 3 touchdowns in only 12 carries, picked up where he left off, scoring a 70-yard rushing touchdown down the left side as Lafayette spared no time to tie the game.
On the following drive, the Hoyas ultimately failed to convert a crucial 3rd and 16, and sophomore kicker Thomas Anderson missed a field goal to give the Leopards another drive. Lafayette quickly marched down the field with a 44-yard pass from quarterback Dean DeNobile to wide receiver Mason Kuehner, ending their second drive with a second touchdown and taking their first lead of the game at 14-7.
Georgetown’s offense then failed to respond and ended their second drive in a row with no score. Soon after, DeNobile aired out a deep pass to a wide-open wide receiver Elijah Steward for yet another touchdown to increase their lead to 14.
The Hoyas had to answer, but still found themselves unable to cut into the Leopards’ lead. The tide of the game quickly changed; as the Leopards were knocking on the door of the end zone, Hoyas senior linebacker Naiteitei Mose stripped the ball from DeNobile and ran 99 yards to the house for a huge boost from the Georgetown defense to keep the game close.
Immediately following, the Hoyas were able to stop Lafayette’s offense and force a punt. The Hoyas quickly capitalized in the two-minute drill with an incredible one-handed catch from senior wide receiver Jimmy Kibble through pass interference. They followed up with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore running back Savion Hart, capping off the drive with a score to tie the game 21-21 under a minute to go in the half.
Lafayette was not ready to head into the break tied and started marching down the field quickly, but their drive ended quickly with a sharp interception by Georgetown junior safety Bijay Boldin.
The Leopards started the second half looking to reclaim their form from the early snaps of the game, but the Hoyas had other plans as junior linebacker Cody Pham recovered a fumble lost by DeNobile while he was attempting to escape a sack.
The Hoyas were able to retake the lead on a 32-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Thomas Anderson, making the score 24-21. Edwards quickly answered, plowing through the Hoyas’ defense and into the endzone for a 28-yard touchdown run, taking a 28-24 lead. The Hoyas then drove 65 yards down the field, ending with a Savion Hart punch-in rushing touchdown, Georgetown taking the lead 31-28.
Lafayette’s offense continued stepping up as they paraded down the field to get to the Hoyas’ goal line, but they were met by a Georgetown defense ready to stop them. The Hoyas forced the Leopards into a 4th and goal from the 1-yard line, where Edwards was able to sneak in for the touchdown, taking back the lead at 35-31. With the ball and less than 10 minutes left, The Hoyas could not convert on a make-or-break drive.
Lafayette took advantage of the opportunity for insurance as Edwards broke away for another long 51-yard touchdown run to increase Lafayette’s lead to 42-31 with about six minutes to go.
The game was coming to an end, and a win was still within reach for the Hoyas. The Hoyas’ offense felt pressure to stay alive, and it got to them with an interception by Leopard defensive back Jalen Edwards. The Hoyas were able to get the ball back with 1:55 to go. Georgetown was struggling to make moves, but with a near-perfect screen pass to Hart, the Hoyas were close to getting into the endzone to put the game back within reach.
Georgetown’s final hopes rested on an onside kick. The ball bounced around, but it ultimately ended up in the hands of a Lafayette player. With that, the game was over.
Edwards continued his spectacular form, finishing the game with 255 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns in just under 20 carries. The Georgetown offense was also quite relentless and versatile in their attack — Lauter threw at a 60% completion rate to 10 different players and 2 touchdowns, both to Isaiah Grimes. Likewise, Hart punched in 2 touchdown runs, all of which combined for 37 total points. It was a thriller with an unfortunate result, but this game should leave fans with hope for the season outlook due to a powerful offense, and as long as they can solidify the defense, there’s no telling what this team can accomplish.
