Charles Nailen/The Hoya Junior wide receiver Luke McArdle and the Hoyas battle rival Fordham tomorrow.
Still looking for their first Patriot League win since joining the league, the 1-3 Hoyas will try to rebound from their loss to Division I-AA newcomer Florida International this Saturday when they face the 3-1 Fordham Rams on Harbin Field.
Fordham enters the game following an impressive non-conference win over Fairfield. The Rams decimated the Stags 51-6. Georgetown defeated Fairfield two weeks ago 21-3 largely because of sophomore running back John Sims’s two touchdowns and a strong defensive performance.
The Hoya defense will have to stand tall again to give Georgetown a chance against Fordham, which features one of the most explosive offenses in the Patriot League.
Junior running back Kirwin Watson leads the Patriot League in rushing, averaging over 100 yards per game, while junior quarterback Kevin Eakin leads the conference in passing yards. Georgetown’s defensive line will need to pressure Eakin into some bad passes and limit Watson’s success on the ground in order for the Hoya offense, which was shut out against FIU, to have a chance.
“Watson and [junior wide receiver] Javarus Dudley might be the two best players in the Patriot League,” Georgetown Head Coach Bob Benson said. “The key will be stopping the run. We have to be physical up front. And a key on offense will be to sustain our drives in order to keep those guys [Watson and Dudley] off the field.” Georgetown’s offense is averaging just over 26 minutes of possession per game.
Against Fairfield, Georgetown shut down the running game and limited the Stags to just 45 yards on the ground, but Holy Cross and Lehigh beat Georgetown for 182 and 256 yards respectively.
For the second straight game, sophomore Drew Crawford is expected to start at quarterback. Since assuming the quarterback duties from junior Morgan Booth just before halftime of the Fairfield game, Crawford has completed 13-31 passes for 199 yards. Crawford will likely have to inject some kind of spark into a stagnant Hoya offense that has scored an average of nine points a game and ranks last in Division I-AA in total yards.
“When you have an inconsistent offense it’s hard to pin the blame on any one thing,” Benson said. “It’s really a combination, and it’s not a simple equation. There are a lot of different factors.”
Crawford’s leadership may especially be necessary in light of injuries to sophomore running back John Sims and freshman running back Kim Sarin. After sustaining injuries in the Florida International game, Sims will miss this week’s match-up with a separated shoulder. Sarin returned to practice Thursday after recovering from an ankle injury. With Sims out and Sarin hurting, junior fullback William Huisking and freshmen backs Hanif Saluki and Marcus Slayton will have to shoulder the brunt of the running game.
Injuries have also benched senior Adam Rini, further depleting an already banged-up and somewhat suspect offensive line. Opponents have typically taken advantage of the lack of Georgetown’s size up front and have sacked the Hoya quarterback 14 times in four games this year, while limiting the Georgetown running game to just 261 rushing yards. Junior Ty Hollister will return to the lineup for the Fordham game.
Georgetown’s defensive backs are also a little bruised with junior Dawon Dicks slated to sit out this weekend while freshman Maurice Banks and sophomore Jason Carter are questionable with ankle injuries.
Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on Harbin Field.
Notes: Fordham is Georgetown’s oldest rival, with the series dating back to 1890. The Hoyas have squared off against the Rams 46 times, more than any other opponent in the history of the Georgetown program. Fordham leads the overall series 23-20-3. The Hoyas have not defeated the Rams since a 12-6 victory in 1983.