“We’ve beaten Lafayette once since I have been here, and that was my freshman year, and that’s the one game I didn’t travel to,” Tandy said. “They recruited me. I almost went there, but it didn’t work out, so I really want to win this one.”
Tandy’s cautious word choice and demeanor spoke volumes about his recruiting visit to Easton, Pa., as a high school senior. But after another mouthful of marshmallows, a smile broke across his face. “It’s also my birthday Saturday,” Tandy said nodding his head. “Twenty-two, man.”
Hopefully, this week the Hoyas won’t have to rally from down double digits on the day Tandy turns the double-deuce. Georgetown (2-7, 0-4 Patriot League) came back from 14 down last weekend for an encouraging 24-21 win against Marist on homecoming Saturday and will look to continue its success against a Lafayette (4-5, 3-1) team in the thick of the conference title race. While happy to get his second win as head coach last Saturday, Kevin Kelly wasn’t so enthused about his team’s sloppy first half performance.
“You absolutely cannot play only one half of football against a team like Lafayette and hope to win a football game,” Kelly said. “We’re pressing [the players] harder than we did last week because we need to carry on that momentum that we had in the second half of the Marist game and into the Lafayette game.”
Georgetown can’t expect to catch the Leopards napping Saturday, but the stealthy cats may be too caught up in stalking next week’s prey to notice this week’s Georgetown, the league’s last-place team. Lafayette takes on Lehigh the week before Thanksgiving in a game that will likely decide the Patriot League title. It would be the third-straight league championship for Head Coach Frank Tavani and the Leopards, who have rebounded for two consecutive wins after dropping five in a row earlier in the season.
Lafayette senior standout running back Jonathan Hurt’s status remains murky after the league’s second leading rusher went down early with a concussion in last week’s 31-24 win over Fordham. Hurt has been a pain to opposing defenses all season, and the Leopard’s ground game is first in the league, averaging 215 yards a contest.
“They will look to establish the run against us, teams always do,” Hoya senior cornerback Derek Franks said after watching Hurt rumble in a film session. “I bet they will try and throw too, because they have some good receivers.”
Franks doesn’t lie, and with Hurt in a daze, senior quarterback Brad Maurer and sophomore wide out Shaun Adair may take to the skies whatever offensive game plan Tavani decides on, it will be achieved behind a brawny offensive line led by senior left tackle Mike Saint Germain, who was a first team all-league selection in 2005.
Georgetown’s defense rose to the challenge last week, as both Tandy and Franks picked off passes to reverse the Hoyas’ season-long turnover curse.
“I was pretty surprised they came after me last week,” said Franks, whose interception sealed the win for the Hoyas. “But I liked it.”
CIA headquarters may lie across the Potomac in Langley, Va., but Georgetown’s defensive game plan is being guarded with a cloak-and-dagger vigilance by the Hoya’s senior leaders.
“We have a secret weapon on defense,” senior linebacker Chris Paulus said. “We are going to unleash it on Saturday.”
But the key to victory is no enigma to Kelly – it can be found in the stat book.
“The previous ballgames, the turnover ratio has been the other way and we’ve been on the losing end,” Kelly said. “Had we been able to get some of those turnovers, we probably would have won the football game.”
The diligent work of the Hoya offensive line led the way for a revamped second-half attack on Saturday and for the first time this season the team scored at will. Mixing a consistent running game with well-timed throws, Offensive Coordinator Jim Miceli orchestrated a productive plan from the coaching booth. Although late in the season, consistency is good to finally get to know.
“It’s the 10th game of the season,” Basseuner said. “At this point we aren’t looking to implement anything too brand-new. They have a big line and they bring pressure, so we’re just going to play football.”
The Leopards do boast a bastion of brute strength up front, with junior defensive tackle Kyle Sprenkle leading a defense that allows the fewest rushing yards in the league and had nine tackles for a loss last week in the Bronx.
Even if the game bogs down to a stalemate between two accomplished lines, the special teams play should provide some fireworks.
Adair and Georgetown sophomore Kenny Mitchell, who both run track in the off season, may turn Fisher Field into a sprint relay returning kicks on Saturday. Mitchell padded his lead as the league’s top kickoff returner with his 68-yard second-half dash against the Red Foxes, and Adair has been adept at breaking the big return all season. Mitchell’s return sparked the Hoyas’ phenomenal comeback Saturday, and the brash Atlanta native wants the ball in his hands again.
“A tunnel [screen], a bubble [screen], and a deep ball,” Mitchell said, a reference to his favorite three plays in Miceli’s offensive repertoire. “That’s all I need, baby.”
Tandy probably won’t reveal his wish after blowing out his birthday candles Saturday, but it is obvious what he desires most on the big day.
“I believe we will win,” Tandy said. “I really believe we are going to win this one.”
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Lafayette’s Fisher Field.
