When Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly peers across the field at the Multi-Sport Facility this Saturday, he might be shocked at the near mirror-image staring back at him from the opposing sideline.
The weary countenance of Lehigh headman Andy Coen undoubtedly resembles – at least in a figurative sense – Kelly’s. The Patriot League coaching fraternity’s newest pledges know exactly how the other is feeling right now.
“[Kelly]’s trying to solve his problems, I’m trying to solve mine,” Coen said. “We’ve each got to keep working on the little things.”
Kelly looks to his family to remind him of his past successes when in need of reassurance. When asked what similarities he saw between his first year on the Hilltop and his inaugural tour of duty coaching at the Naval Academy in 2002, Kelly fondly recalled a conversation with his son.
“[My son] Patrick put it best this past Saturday,” Kelly said. “Unsolicited, he just told me, `Dad this is exactly like our first year at Navy.’ He’s right. It’s uncanny – the same types of things are happening, and hopefully the result will be the same.”
Kelly’s first year as a special teams coordinator for the idshipmen was no doubt a trying experience – the 2002 squad finished 2-9 – but the next three years saw steady improvement as Navy compiled a 26-11 record and went to three straight bowl games.
Georgetown (1-4, 0-1) and Lehigh (1-3, 0-0) enter Saturday’s contest with nearly identical records and in desperate need of a win to stop the bleeding. Which team will continue to spiral downward and which team emerges with a rejuvenated outlook will be dictated by who can capitalize on the other’s mistakes.
Both the Hoyas and the Mountain Hawks have shown flashes of greatness through the fog of turnover-marred losses. Lehigh has managed to outgain its opponents on the year but has also fumbled the ball away 11 times. Last weekend the Mountain Hawks were up 24-7 on a hard-hitting Harvard squad in the second quarter before the Crimson took advantage of three Lehigh turnovers and escaped with a 35-33 win.
Georgetown, meanwhile, has amassed 13 turnovers on the season, including five in last week’s 31-14 loss at Colgate.
“They’re 1-3, but they’re an excellent 1-3,” Kelly said of the Mountain Hawks. “They were up on Harvard 24-7, they let the lead slip away, and you can see on film that they are an excellent football team – they might be the best football team we have played thus far.”
Coen has seen signs of just how good – and how bad – the Hoya offense could be. “They did a great job of moving the football against Colgate,” Coen said. “They just had some untimely mistakes and it cost them.”
Those “untimely mistakes” have been the main focus of Georgetown’s offensive practice sessions this week.
“We have been doing a lot of drills to hold onto the football, so that will hopefully improve this weekend,” sophomore offensive lineman Jerry Batchelder said.
In order for the Hoyas to resurrect their season, the ball must be directed towards playmakers like sophomore wide receiver Kenny itchell and junior receiver Brent Craft. Junior receiver Kyle Van Fleet also showed off his sure hands on Saturday, snagging a pass from junior quarterback Matt Basseuener while streaking through the back of the end zone.
If the Hoyas can keep the ball in the hands of old reliables like Mitchell, Craft and Van Fleet and out of the hands of Lehigh defensive standouts such as senior nose guard Eric Rackus (4.5 tackles for a loss) and junior safety Ernest Moore (three interceptions on the season), Kelly’s squad could take its first big step towards getting back to .500.
Batchelder, who stays loose by listening to Bob Marley before each game, emphasized the importance of taking a methodical approach to success on offense. “We’re just going to take it one game at a time,” Batchelder said. “Just go week-by-week, and not get ahead of ourselves.”
Bassuener also noted the team’s self-destructive streak as the only thing standing in the way of triumph. “You could probably say it for me,” Bassuener said. “It’s just a matter of protecting the football”
Bassuener’s counterpart at signal-caller is arguably the best athlete that the Georgetown defense will seen all year. Junior quarterback Sedale Threatt is a freakish combination of arm strength and foot speed. On the season, he has thrown for 863 yards and five touchdowns, while his ground work has accounted for 79 yards and two scores.
“I have been coaching offense for 13 years, and he is the most athletic quarterback I’ve had,” Coen said. “He makes defenses very vulnerable with his ability to scramble.” Like Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher is doing for first-round draft pick Vince Young, Coen has molded his offense to better suit the slithery Threatt. Coen chuckled at the comparison to the Titan’s.
“Yeah, well, we have designed some run-specific plays for him,” Coen said. “I put some option stuff in to maximize his strengths.”
The Hoyas managed to contain Threatt on the ground in last year’s game, but the Mattapan, Mass. native unleashed his throwing arm, passing for four touchdowns in a 46-14 pasting in Bethlehem, Pa. Threatt seems to have sharpened his passing skills this season and has a growing rapport with senior wide receivers Frank Trovato and Lee Thomas, who are both approaching the 300-yard receiving mark on the season. Georgetown senior safety Derek Franks, who is second on the team in tackles with 38, says the defense will rise to Threatt’s challenge and force some turnovers of its own this weekend.
“He’s pretty good, I mean, he’s the spark for their offense,” Franks said. “But hey, I’m looking for big plays every time I touch the field man, so we’ll see how that goes.”
Franks says that, although the last few weeks have been hard for the Hoyas, team morale has been boosted by the thought of returning home to the Hilltop for the next two games. “It’s been tough times, but we’re still working hard,” Franks said. “Trying to get back, get a `W’ against Lehigh, and make that mark on Georgetown history”.
Kickoff at the Multi-Sport Facility is set for 1 p.m.