As Georgetown celebrates Homecoming this weekend, the Hoya football team will attempt to build on last week’s win against Wagner by clashing with Butler at 1 p.m. on Kehoe field. The task will not be an easy one, with Butler ranked 15th in total offense in division I-AA football. Last week alone, the Bulldogs recorded 327 yards of total offense in the first half alone against St. Francis.
Georgetown’s secondary will have to work especially hard since Butler’s passing attack is rated seventh among I-AA teams. The Bulldogs have averaged 40.3 points per game.
At last year’s Homecoming, the Hoyas suffered a painful 28-27 loss to Davidson. It was a game that saw Georgetown yield 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Although the Hoyas mounted a drive towards the goal line with under a minute to play, the offense stalled, and a missed field goal as time expired left the Georgetown football team with a loss on its 60th anniversary celebration day.
While Georgetown Head Coach Bob Benson would like to see his team play better than last year, he also feels that this year’s contest will be only loosely tied to last year’s match up.
“We want to play better; last year was not good. We let a team get back,” Benson said. “[Butler] is a worthy opponent, they’re coming in here with a high powered offense.”
The game with Butler will be the first meeting between the two teams. Like the Hoyas, the Bulldogs also won their first game of the season last week, a 41-7 victory over St. Francis. Butler, a member of the Pioneer League, lost its season opener to Morehead State, 46-43.
Georgetown will enter the contest coming off its first win, in a very close contest against Wagner, which saw the Hoya defense keep the Seahawks from scoring for four downs from the two-yard line to preserve the seven-point victory. The Georgetown defense will have to remain equally strong, particularly the secondary, in order to stop Butler’s aerial assault. Last week the Hoyas allowed 268 yards in the air.
After throwing three touchdowns passes, sophomore quarterback Dave Paulus, who took over last week for sophomore Sean Peterson, will again get the nod at quarterback. Last week, Paulus completed 14 of 27 passes for 176 yards.
This weekend will also reunite two brothers: Roman and Eric Speron. Roman is a sophomore running back for the Bulldogs, while junior Eric starts at defensive end for the Hoyas.
Tonight at 7 p.m. the Homecoming festivities will kick off with a pep-rally in Dahlgren Quad at 7:30 p.m. At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Lot T will be transformed into a mass of humanity as alums and students take part in some traditional tailgating.
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