The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.
The constellations twinkled high above the Hilltop last week when the Patriot League announced its annual postseason awards, honoring three members of the Georgetown football team for their contributions to the Hoyas’ otherwise disappointing 2006 campaign.
Freshman running back Charlie Houghton was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year, senior defensive end Alex Buzbee earned a spot on the all-league first team and senior safety Brian Tandy claimed a spot on the league’s second team of all-stars.
The honors may offer a consolation prize for the league’s last-place team, which finished winless in league play with a 2-9 overall record. Houghton’s distinction marks the first time a Georgetown player has ever received a major (player of the year, rookie of the year, etc.) Patriot League postseason award since the school joined the league in 2000.
Buzbee, who served as the team’s co-captain along with senior offensive lineman Liam Grubb, has been a mainstay on the all-conference team; the 2006 selection is the third consecutive all-league honor for the New Jersey native. “It’s a real honor to be recognized as one of the better players in the league,” Buzbee said. “I would have liked to have won more as a team, but this is great.”
Buzbee was a terror for opposing offensive lines all season, registering 13 tackles for a loss in addition to his overall tally of 75 total tackles. He was also second in the league in sacks in 2006 with 5.5 and finished his career on the Hilltop in third place on the Hoyas’ all-time career sacks list with 27.5.
The second team honor should serve as a salve for the wounded Tandy, who was struck with a leg injury in Georgetown’s second-to-last game of the season against Lafayette.
Tandy paired with fellow senior safety Derek Franks to lead an otherwise green Hoya secondary. The Virginia Beach native provided much-needed sustenance for a turnover-starved defense, with two forced fumbles and an interception on the year. Tandy also notched 54 tackles on the season and provided a spark as the team’s punt returner for much of the season.
“Brian is a great guy both on and off the field,” Buzbee said of his classmate and fellow defensive standout. “He led the secondary for us and always got us fired up.”
Senior Hoya linebacker Chris Paulus’ name was noticeably absent from the list of defensive players honored by the league, and his omission makes Buzbee boil worse than a missed tackle.
“I think he’s one of the top guys in the league for sure,” Buzbee said of Paulus, who led the team in tackles with 89. “I definitely think he deserved some more recognition.”
Paulus refused to bash the selection committee, brushing off suggestions that he was unfairly passed over while heaping praise on Tandy and Buzbee.
“I would have loved an honor, but I did my best and that’s all you can do,” Paulus said Tuesday. “[Tandy and Buzbee] really deserve it. They are both great guys.”
Houghton’s promising 2006 performance may not alleviate the loss of three defensive studs in Paulus, Buzbee and Tandy, but it is a sign that while the defense may slip, the offense should improve next year. As the Hoyas’ top playmaker late in the season, Houghton sprinted to the finish, being named Patriot League rookie of the week three out of the last four weeks of the season. Drawing comparisons to past Georgetown offensive studs such as Luke cCardle (COL ’04), who holds a number of Georgetown receiving records, Houghton proved to be a threat not only between the tackles, but as a sure-handed receiver and a shifty kick returner. Fresh out of Phillips Academy (Mass.), Houghton finished the year with 403 rushing yards, four receiving touchdowns and second on the team in all-purpose yardage with 798.
“He has a chance to be an all-American,” Buzbee said of Houghton. “He could be the best player this program has known.”
Houghton’s scintillating score off a screen pass against Lafayette displayed the rookie back’s devious moves and breakneck speed that could be the future of Hoya football.
After a dismal fall, Georgetown fans can only hope that Houghton’s honor will be only the first in a line of many for Kelly’s first recruiting class.
“He is a tremendous player, he has his head screwed on straight, and he will go as far as he wants to,” Buzbee said of the Hoya’s budding star. “He is a sign of what is to come in the future.”
