Charles Nailen/The Hoya The Hoyas were tied at the half with Patriot League rival Holy Cross before falling 41-13 Saturday.
In the first half, Georgetown looked like a team that absolutely belonged in the Patriot League. In the second half, repeated errors turned the once-even game into a 41-13 Holy Cross rout of Georgetown.
Tied 13-13 at the half, Georgetown had established a ground game behind freshman Kim Sarin, who ran for 85 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and junior wide receiver Luke McArdle’s leaping receptions, including a 54-yard touchdown catch in double coverage. Sarin’s touchdown on Georgetown’s next drive gave the Hoyas their first-ever lead against a conference opponent since joining the Patriot League last year.
“We had such a good flow going in the first half and thought we’d have it in the second half,” McArdle said. “We didn’t have it in the second half.”
The Hoya defense also showed its strength in the first half. After the 69-0 massacre last weekend against Lehigh, the Georgetown defense held firm against the Crusaders for much of the game, coming up with two turnovers in the first half. A fumble recovered by junior linebacker Andrew Clarke set up Georgetown junior quarterback Morgan Booth’s 54-yard touchdown strike to cArdle, the first score of the year for the Hoyas. Another interception, returned for a touchdown by freshman defensive back Rocco Milazzotto, was negated after the referee flagged Georgetown for roughing the passer on the play.
“That was a little rough,” Georgetown sophomore defensive back Jason Carter said. “But we kept our heads up and kept going. You can’t let the little things get in the way.”
With Georgetown holding a 13-6 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Holy Cross countered with a tying touchdown and extra point on three plays to steal some of Georgetown’s momentum heading into the locker room.
After the first half, any momentum Georgetown had quickly ebbed. The Crusaders forced the Hoyas to go three and out on their first possession of the half, but a high snap on the punt attempt gave Holy Cross possession on the Georgetown 32-yard line. While the defense stopped the Crusaders short of the endzone on three tries from the Georgetown 6-yard line and held them to a field goal, more Georgetown mistakes turned the once-close game into a lopsided Holy Cross victory.
On Georgetown’s next punt attempt, Holy Cross return man Ari Confessor returned senior Dave Paulus’s kick to the Georgetown 2-yard line, setting up the first of four unanswered Holy Cross touchdowns.
“[Confessor’s] return in the third quarter was the one that killed us,” Head Coach Bob Benson said. “I think our defense was on the field a lot. And I think some of our kids on special teams were tired. You can’t do those things.”
“We gotta work out the kinks,” Carter said. “But we’re a hard team and we can do it with this group.”
Junior quarterback Morgan Booth showed positive signs when he had time to set up in the pocket. Booth passed for 143 yards on 10-24 passing, but was sacked five times as Holy Cross frequently beat the smaller, slower Georgetown offensive line.
McArdle and Sarin provided the biggest bright spots for Georgetown. McArdle finished the day with 96 yards receiving on four receptions.
Sarin, who took his first ever handoff and broke open a 57-yard run that later set up his first collegiate touchdown, finished the day with a game-high 95 yards on the ground. For his efforts, Sarin was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week.
“We knew when we recruited him that he was big time,” Benson said. “He’s probably the fastest kid on the team.”
Georgetown will next face Fairfield University in its Homecoming game this Saturday at 1 p.m. on Harbin Field. The Stags, a member of Georgetown’s former Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference, enter the game with a record of 1-1 and are coming off a win against La Salle last weekend.