Much like the weather in Connecticut this past Saturday, Sacred Heart University (2-1) was scorching hot in their homecoming triumph over Georgetown University. The Hoyas (2-1) exhibited promise with a 14-13 lead toward the beginning of the second quarter, only to allow 27 unanswered points for a final score of 40-14 in favor of the Pioneers.
The Hoyas entered the matchup as the only undefeated team remaining in the Patriot League, fresh off of beatdowns on Davidson College (2-1) and Marist College (0-2) in the previous two weeks. Last year, Georgetown handled Sacred Heart 27-10 despite severe thunderstorm conditions forcing the match to end early.
This year’s theme was not rumbles, but rather fumbles (and interceptions), much to the delight of Pioneers fans, who enthusiastically cheered for Georgetown’s 5 turnovers. On the third play of the opening drive, senior running back Naieem Kearney, who typically carries the football in a vise grip, turned the ball over for the first time since the Hoyas; last matchup against Sacred Heart in 2023.
Capitalizing on the turnover, Sacred Heart quarterback John Michalski capped off a 37-yard drive with a 9-yard rushing touchdown to put the Pioneers up 6-0.
On the next drive, junior quarterback Danny Lauter launched a strong response, starting with a 14-yard swing pass to sophomore running back Bryce Cox. Cox would gain another 12 yards on the following rush to set junior wide receiver Jimmy Kibble up for an artful 22-yard reception. Kearney found redemption in the end zone after he punched through the middle to give Georgetown the 7-6 advantage.
Not to be outdone, Michalski responded with the longest throw of his career, finding wide receiver Kevin McGuire in double coverage for a 49-yard gain. The Hail Mary-style throw was followed by a short bullet pass to tight end Logan Lyson to reclaim the lead, 13-7.
Even so, the Lauter show was a spectacle in itself — the junior quarterback started with a remarkable 10 completed passes on 10 attempts. Following a 28-yard blaze by Kearney, Lauter found sophomore wide receiver Coen Sutton for 17 yards to set the Hoyas up for first-and-goal. Lauter promptly threw a touchdown pass to Kibble on the first play of the second quarter.
With Georgetown at 14 and Sacred Heart at 13, the defensive units traded stops for nearly the entire remainder of the half, neither budging until Sacred Heart came alive to score a gut-wrenching 10 points in 35 seconds.
After being targeted short at the 50-yard line with under 50 seconds to play, wide receiver Ethan Hilliman maneuvered downfield for a 44-yard gain, immediately followed by an all-time career highlight — Hilliman leaped above two defenders, snagged the pigskin with his back arching out of bounds, and somehow managed to slam one foot in between the pylons for 6 points.
To the delight of the students and alumni packing the Pioneers’ stadium for their homecoming game, Sacred Heart linebacker Myles Talley picked off a duck of a pass by Lauter on the ensuing Georgetown drive, regaining possession at the 25-yard line with 15 seconds to score. The crowd continued to roar as a 21-yard kick from Matt Kling soared through the uprights as time expired, setting up a strong Pioneers halftime lead at 23-14.
The third quarter saw running back Xavier Leigh take the reins for Sacred Heart. He clocked a 20-yard rush, then followed it up with an eruption through the Georgetown offensive line for a 37-yard touchdown and a 30-14 advantage. Leigh’s game-high 112 rushing yards was also a career-high for the senior.
Lauter appeared to finally recover his rhythm when he launched a 39-yard rocket to Pygatt, but Pygatt fumbled the ball. The fumble was Georgetown’s third in a troubling string of turnovers. Lauter tossed another interception with under two minutes remaining in the third, and Pygatt fumbled for the second time of the day at the beginning of the fourth.
Building on the momentum that 5 turnovers give a team, Leigh parted the Georgetown defensive line for a monstrous 40-yard dash to the 13-yard line. Three downs later, Sacred Heart settled for a field goal to extend the lead to 19 with 11 minutes left to play.
Leigh was not the only Pioneer to dominate the turf, as running back Jalen Madison took one snap 84 yards midway through the fourth. Madison concluded the two-play, 32-second drive by barrelling into the endzone and capping off scoring at 40-14.
“We did not perform at a high level today,” Head Coach Rob Sgarlata told Georgetown Athletics. “We will work to take care of the football offensively and eliminate the big plays on defense this week.”
Georgetown will face off against Brown University (0-0) Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. for a Homecoming weekend of their own at Cooper Field.