Baby steps.
For Georgetown football to continue moving up in the ranks of Division I-AA football while simultaneously continuing to limit its scholarships, it will inevitably require a series of small improvements.
At 4-5 and with two games remaining, Georgetown has the opportunity to have its best season in the Patriot League and continue its gradual climb from Division III mediocrity to what may develop into continued success at the Division I level, albeit Division I-AA.
To make this happen, its next baby step must come this Saturday against the Davidson Wildcats (3-6, 1-2 Pioneer).
The Hoyas (4-5, 2-3 Patriot) will take to the field formerly known as Harbin coming off a 46-14 loss to then-No. 13 Lehigh. Georgetown trailed just 12-7 with five minutes remaining in the first half, and it looked like the Hoyas might just be able to hang with the Patriot League’s top dog.
With 5:35 remaining, however, the Mountain Hawks decided that there was no way they should be winning by only a mere five points, and scored twice before half time. Already, it was 22-7.
After the break, Georgetown looked equally lost, allowing Lehigh to score 24 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Hoyas did find the end zone once more in the fourth quarter, but by then everyone and their mother knew that Georgetown would return home with a loss.
No matter how you spin them, the numbers weren’t pretty. Lehigh fought for 22 first downs, while Georgetown managed just nine. The Hoyas – without the services of starting senior tailback Marcus Slayton – amassed a decidedly underwhelming 44 yards on the ground. Lehigh, amazingly, rushed for more than seven times as many yards, finishing the day with 332.
The Hoyas did hold a slight advantage in passing yards, 115 to 105.
Somehow the Hoyas managed to control the ball for just a minute less than the Mountain Hawks, and Georgetown was still outgained by almost 300 yards.
“There weren’t many bright spots, to be perfectly candid,” Georgetown Head Coach Bob Benson said. “We had some shots in the first half and didn’t [convert]. We had a horrible third quarter. Lehigh is a great team, but if we play like that, we aren’t going to beat anyone.”
Indeed, to win this Saturday, the Hoyas will need to improve. But, the competition will not be as stiff. The Wildcats, coming off of a bye week, have lost three games in a row, only one of them particularly close. Two weeks ago, Davidson fell 45-15 to Dayton.
To trace the driving force behind the Davidson offense, one needn’t look further than the Hubbard household in Charlotte, N.C. Mrs. Hubbard, either in child birth or child rearing, worked some wonders, producing the Wildcats’ leading rusher and receiver.
A pass-first team, Davidson has hit sophomore wide receiver Ryan Hubbard for 561 yards and five scores. Not to be outdone, his brother Jonathan, a junior running back, has accumulated 463 yards on the ground. He has scored two touchdowns.
The Hubbards are not Davidson’s only threats. Freshman running back Chad Barnes is just a step behind Jonathan Hubbard with 442 rushing yards. Junior Brett Dioguardi has caught a team-best 29 balls for 439 yards a pair of scores.
Of course, someone must deliver the ball to Davidson’s standout receivers. The Wildcats are catalyzed by sophomore quarterback Ryan Alexander, who has thrown 14 touchdown passes on the year. Though always a threat to throw deep (he has an 88-yard pass to his name), Alexander has been intercepted 12 times.
Of Davidson’s offensive weapons, Benson said, “They have very good receivers and their quarterback is excellent. I like their skill guys.”
To deliver a win in their final home game, the Hoyas will need to find the running game that has served them so well in their victories but utterly abandoned them in their defeats. In their four wins, Georgetown has rushed for 748 yards. In comparison, in the five losses they have a total of 508 rushing yards.
“We need to be more consistent [with the run],” Benson said. “We have to establish the run early.”
A week ago, Slayton, the team’s leading rusher, sat out with an injury. To be successful on the ground this week, the Hoyas will almost definitely need the services of Slayton, who was unable to practice as of Tuesday. Of course, “injuries are just part of the game,” Benson said.
A year ago, the Hoyas downed the Wildcats 23-0 on Davidson’s home field. Still, Benson said, “Historically, they’ve played us tough. They beat us the first two years.”
Once again, stopping the run and simply executing will be the keys for the Hoyas. Despite injuries to Slayton and a handful of offensive linemen, if Georgetown can make plays when they need to, Benson’s squad should move to .500.
Since moving to the Patriot League for the 2001 season, the best Georgetown has faired was a 5-6 campaign in 2002. This year, the Hoyas have a chance to go 6-5 and 3-3 in league play. Their final game, against league-leading Colgate, will be their biggest challenge, but the chances of finishing over .500 won’t even exist if they don’t beat Davidson.
When Georgetown made the jump from Division III to Division I-AA 13 years ago, it took the team three years to finish with a record over .500. The Hoyas moved up to the more competitive Patriot League from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference five years ago. Since the move, Georgetown has met with less success than it had hoped. Still, the 2005 season offers the chance to clear another hurdle and finish over .500 for the first time since 1999.
A win on Saturday, at 12:30 p.m. at the Multi-Sport Facility, would get the Hoyas going in the right direction.
Baby steps.