For two straight weeks, Georgetown (1-3, 0-1 Patriot League) has mixed one half of efficient football with a woefully disorganized other, and twice come away with a loss. Tomorrow at Colgate (1-2, 0-0 Patriot League), the Hoyas aim to play 60 minutes of error-free football and garner their second win of the season.
Two weeks ago against Brown, Georgetown sprinted to an early 7-0 lead only to watch the Bears take control in the second and third quarters. Last Saturday, the Hoyas stumbled out of the blocks, allowing the Lions to gain an early 20-0 advantage. The Columbia lead would prove insurmountable for Georgetown, despite a thrilling comeback effort led by backup junior quarterback Matt Bassuener, who came off the bench to throw for three touchdowns.
For most Hoya fans, such a display of refusal-to-quit mettle would be an encouraging sign. Not so for Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly, who is looking not for drama, but for victory.
“It shouldn’t have been a comeback,” Kelly said. “We shouldn’t have been down that much – that’s the whole point – you shouldn’t ever have to come back from that much.”
Kelly is likely growing weary of such half-hearted efforts and hopes for improvement this weekend as the Hoyas travel to Hamilton, N.Y., for their second Patriot League game. Signs that the first-year coach’s patience is running thin were visible at Tuesday afternoon’s practice, when he gave his troops a stern tongue-lashing after a set of lackluster drills and sprints.
“We need to pick up our intensity and stay motivated,” said senior linebacker Chris Paulus, who leads the team with 42 tackles. “It’s tough after a long day – you’re worried about your project due tomorrow, but we can’t just not focus for the two hours we are out here.”
Both coaches and players know that a lack of focus during the week will spell disaster come Saturday, for the Colgate Raiders are a formidable foe.
Coach Dick Biddle’s squad’s losing record is deceiving. The Raiders fell to a powerful Massachusetts team in their opener, bounced back the following week to steamroll Dartmouth 28-7, and lost 17-12 to Monmouth last week in a close contest.
Last year’s team also started 1-2, but heated up to finish 8-4, capping its season with a 34-7 scorching of the Hoyas on the Hilltop. Paulus remembers last year’s game as rock-bottom moment for Georgetown – not only did Raider then-freshman running back Jordan Scott ramble for 257 yards and two touches, but Colgate clinched the Patriot League Championship.
“It was very disappointing for us – we gave up 450 yards,” Paulus said. “We have to come out stronger and faster this time.”
The bad news for the Hoyas’ defense is that Scott is still enrolled at Colgate. Coach Biddle makes no qualms about who is the “x-factor” for his offense.
“[Scott] is the key,” the 2003 Division I-AA coach of the year said. “If he’s going well, it is going to pay off for us.”
Scott has been held under 100 yards in each of the Raiders’ two losses this season and busted loose for 169 yards in the win over Dartmouth.
Besides containing Scott, Georgetown’s defense must do a better job of creating turnovers. The Hoyas have intercepted one pass and forced only two fumbles on the year, numbers that Paulus knows must improve for his team to remain in contention.
“Whether it’s catching an interception or holding onto a fumble, we have to do a better job of capitalizing on opportunities,” Paulus said. “If we start winning the turnover ratio, there will be better outcomes in our games.”
The ratio to which Paulus eludes has been the thorn in Kelly’s side all week – and the cause of extra wind sprints and virulent pep talks after practice.
“We are minus five in the turnover ratio.” Kelly said, still red in the face after his spirited tirade following Tuesday’s practice. “In the games we’ve lost, we’ve be been in the minus category. The one game we’ve won, we’ve been in the positive. We must correct that.”
Turnovers are also the reason that sophomore Ben Hostetler’s day ended early against Columbia, as he was yanked in the second quarter after throwing three picks.
If there were doubts as to who would be taking the snaps for the Hoyas this Saturday, Kelly ended them Tuesday with a compliment.
“Matt [Bassuener] reminds me of Chad Pennington when I was at Marshall,” Kelly said, likening Bassuener to the current quarterback of the New York Jets. “He goes above and beyond – conditioning, weight room, film room, knowing his assignments – just like Pennington did at arshall.”
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the current Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week, all one must do is wander down to the ulti-Sport Facility at twilight to see No. 10 Bassuener lingering long after the end of practice, obsessively working with his receivers on timing. Such hard work is finally paying off for the quarterback and his wide outs, most notably junior Brent Craft, who plucked two passes from the air for scores against Columbia.
“All the extra work helps,” Craft said, a good half-hour after practice had ended Tuesday. “Just being on the same page with the quarterback changes everything.”
Bassuener remains modest despite his newfound fame, giving the credit to a revived running game and a solid offensive line. “Up front, we were moving the football, and that takes pressure off me,” he said.
Bassuener’s burden will be heavier this week against an eager Raiders defense that is difficult to beat at home. Led by junior linebacker Mike Gallihugh and senior strong safety Geoff Bean, the speedy Raiders have been victorious in all but three of their previous 25 games at 10,221-seat Andy Kerr Stadium.
After once calling a Dallas Cowboys game in Spanish for a exican radio station, obstacles such as swift linebackers and 10,221 screaming up-state New Yorkers don’t seem so daunting.
“I don’t play a whole lot into it,” Bassuener said, in his typically mid-western accent. “I treat every team the same. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Dallas Cowboys; every defense has their strengths and weaknesses.”
“I’ve received a lot of compliments so far, but we haven’t won yet,” Basseuner said. “The accolades I am looking for right now are `W’s.'”
Saturday’s affair kicks off at 1 p.m. at Colgate’s Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, N.Y. The game can be seen on tape-delay on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network at 3:30 p.m.
