Duquesne Dukes It Out with GU

By Mike Hume • October 17, 2000

The Georgetown football team dropped its third straight game last Saturday, losing to Duquesne 44-20. The game was closer than the score indicates – the two teams battled neck and neck until the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, which saw the Dukes score three unanswered touchdowns.

Duquesne drew first blood, scoring on a 10-yard run by running back Donte Small, the first of three on the afternoon for Small. After Duquesne missed its extra point attempt, Georgetown rallied to pull ahead 10-6 on a 37-yard field goal by graduate student Marc Samuel and a 14-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Dave Paulus to sophomore wide receiver Trenton Hillier.

Duquesne would not stay down for long. Small broke through the Hoya defense just over a minute later to record a 68-yard touchdown, putting the Dukes back up, 13-10. Georgetown answered with 1:30 remaining in the half as Samuel blasted a 51-yard field goal, the longest field goal in the history of Arthur Rooney Field in Pittsburgh.

With time running down in the half, the Dukes capitalized on a Paulus interception, converting on a 19-yard chip shot for a three more points to take the 16-13 lead at the half.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Duquesne recorded its touchdown on a 31-yard pass reception by Reggie Harris from quarterback Tony Zimmerman. The Hoyas answered, scoring on a 65-yard drive, capped by a one-yard run by junior fullback Aaron Brown.

The Hoyas simply could not hold on in the fourth quarter, as the Dukes beat them for three touchdowns in the final four minutes of play, including a 58-yard interception return.

Turnovers plagued the Hoyas for the second straight week. Georgetown fumbled twice, and Paulus’ two interceptions both led to scores for Duquesne. The game marks the third consecutive game that Georgetown has turned the ball over three times or more.

In another recurring theme, the Hoyas again failed to establish a running game, scrounging for a mere 66 yards on the ground. This is miniscule compared to the 345 amassed by the Dukes, 290 by Small alone, who averaged 8.8 yards per carry. The Hoyas have only one back with over 100 yards total rushing this season, sophomore Jamarr Staples, with 162.

On the bright side for Georgetown, Paulus tallied 318 passing yards on the day, his second 300-plus yard performance this year. Of those, 167 yards came on 13 completions to Hillier, who set the Georgetown record for single-game receptions in his career-best performance. Senior wide receiver Gharun Hester also contributed, catching six passes for 86 yards. Hester did not score a touchdown, however, snapping his scoring streak at four games.

Paulus has had a solid debut year thus far, sporting an efficiency rating of 128.6 and totaling 1,252 yards in the air. However, his season total of nine interceptions looms large as the Hoyas have struggled to retain possession of the ball this year. In total Georgetown has turned the ball over 18 times versus nine for their opponents.

This is the second straight game in which late touchdowns by the opposition have led to a Hoya defeat. Last week, Bucknell scored 14 points in the second half to pull away from a dogged Georgetown effort.

With the loss, the Hoyas’ record drops to 2-4. Georgetown returns home Saturday to take on Marist, another former MAAC rival, at 1 p.m. on Kehoe Field.