Shortly after tossing a five-yard touchdown pass to senior fullback Kyle Van Fleet, Matt Bassuener glanced up at the scoreboard and felt something strange stir inside him. This was a new feeling, something the senior quarterback had not yet experienced this season: His team was ahead.

“It was sad in a way,” Bassuener said, recalling his team’s first lead of the 2007 season. “Finally, for once, we put together a drive in which everyone executed all the way down the field. But that’s what we have to do all the time.”

Last weekend was full of firsts for Georgetown. After being outscored 87-0 in the first quarter in their first six games, the Hoyas finally drew first blood with Van Fleet’s catch on the opening possession. For the first time, the offense opened up under Offensive Coordinator Jim Miceli’s spread-option game plan.

As a result, Bassuener – who had a school record 33 completions – and junior wide receiver Sidney Baker, whose 111 yards were the most by a Georgetown pass catcher since 2004, both broke open the record book.

But going into this Saturday’s contest with Bucknell at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, the Hoyas are still looking for the ever elusive first win.

“We have the bits and pieces, and that’s something we have to build on,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said of his team, which has nine of its original starters on the bench with injuries. “We have to be consistent throughout the game.”

The Bison have been shaky so far this season as well. Under second-year Head Coach Tim Landis’ spread option attack, Bucknell has steamrolled opponents for a league-leading 1164 rushing yards. But opponents have gone through Bison tacklers like buckshot all year, with the defense surrendering an average of 30 points per game.

“Our defense reflects our team,” Landis said. “There are times when we’re successful, and they are definitely getting better.”

Bassuener – who was named Patriot League offensive player of the week after his career day against Fordham – cannot wait for a shot at the vulnerable Bison secondary, ranked dead last in Patriot League pass defense.

“Last week, we felt that we had a game plan that they never really adjusted too,” said Bassuener, whose 368 passing yards were the most for Georgetown since David Paulus’ (MSB ’03) 350 in 2002. “We feel we have another good game plan coming into this week, because you can’t just bank on doing the same stuff. I think we are pretty versatile. I think we have a couple different ways to beat a team.”

In addition to Baker – who gained most of his 111 yards after the catch – Georgetown spread the ball around well last week. Senior wide receiver Brent Craft snagged a touchdown, Van Fleet had seven receptions, and freshman Alex Carroll added another six.

“We have a lot of respect for what Georgetown is doing offensively,” Landis said. “They have done some really good things.

Landis has seen nothing but good things from speedy sophomore slotback A.J. Kizekai, whose 1,144 all-purpose yards rank second in the conference. In a 28-24 loss to Colgate on Oct. 6, Kizekai bowled over the Raiders’ defensive front for a five-yard rushing touchdown, flashed past the Colgate secondary on a 19-yard passing score, and weaved his way through Colgate’s kickoff team for a 92-yard return.

“We are well aware of his productivity; he’s an explosive player and we’ll be aware of where he is on the field,” Kelly said.

“He is pretty fast, but I think our defense this year is the fastest it’s been all four years that I’ve been here,” senior cornerback Kevin Cherepski added.

Sophomore quarterback Marcello Trigg has fared well in running Landis’ option attack, an offensive scheme Cherepski recognizes all too well.

“Our offense runs something really similar to Bucknell’s double wing set, so we’ve been preparing for this offense all season, all summer,” Cherepski said. “Bucknell tries to use their speed to hit the corners, but as fast as we are on defense, we should be able to stop anything that they throw at us.”

With each passing week, another veteran on defense comes up lame with injury, and each game, a younger player rises to fill the void. When senior Mike Greene sprained his knee early in the season, sophomore Scott Coffman and freshman Nick Parrish stepped up at linebacker. After senior safety Nick Barbiasz’ shoulder gave out, sophomore Chris Rau made a name for himself in the secondary. And after a spirited practice Thursday morning, Kelly was quick to praise the gutsy play of freshman defensive back Sean cNally.

After coming closer than ever to capturing a win last weekend, Georgetown seems to have finally found a winning formula – a quick start, strong finish, with steady play between.

“We’ve played well in the first quarter, and in the second half,” Kelly said. “Now all we have to do is just play well in the second quarter and we’ll be good.”

Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Lewisburg, Pa.