Browning stared as Ginn, with a gazelle’s speed, took the pitch from Smith and let loose a majestic, arching spiral. As the ball landed safely in the hands of a receiver streaking through the end zone, the cheers of 105,000 raucous Ohio State fans filled Browning’s ears and left the Georgetown senior offensive lineman smiling broadly, while visions of touchdowns danced in his head.
After his weekend trip to Columbus, Ohio to see his little brother Bryant and former high school teammates Smith and Ginn light up the field for the Buckeyes, Browning showed off his cell phone highlight reel and regaled his fellow Hoya offensive mates with tales of the Buckeyes’ explosive firepower.
“Watching them and seeing how they do things, listening to my brother telling me about how their coaches do things, it was pretty good,” Browning said of his excursion to the Horseshoe during Georgetown’s bye week. “I was really impressed with the o-line.”
The Hoya offense seemed to take Browning’s testimony to heart last Saturday against Charleston Southern. Despite falling 24-10 to the Buccaneers, Georgetown (1-7, 0-4 Patriot League) showed marked improvement on offense, upping its output to 331 total yards, well above the previous season average of 280. It is an encouraging sign for Head Coach Kevin Kelly as he steers his charges into a homecoming matchup with the Marist Red Foxes (3-6, 2-1 MAAC), looking for Georgetown’s first victory since Sept. 9.
“The offense did a good job running the football,” Kelly said. “We have to keep fighting, scratching and clawing. I see positives, but we got to translate those into wins.”
Browning’s line blazed a trail for freshman running back Charlie Houghton, who looked impressive in his first start in the Blue and Gray, finishing with 171 all-purpose yards and a receiving touchdown. Houghton, generously listed at 6-foot, 190 lbs, has emerged as a potent weapon in the mold of former Oklahoma scatback Quentin Griffin and is a threat when barreling between the tackles as well as catching the short pass out of the backfield.
Houghton was named Patriot League rookie of the week on Tuesday, but the suits at the league office aren’t the only ones singing the Toronto native’s praises.
“He’s a stud,” Browning said of his teammate. “Big stud.”
The soft-spoken Houghton was pleased with his performance as well.
“It feels really good, you know, my first start, just getting in there,” Houghton said. “It felt great making an impact, getting that honor.”
Houghton’s move to the starting 11 is indicative of a growing trend of youth in the starting lineup. Eighteen freshmen made the trip to Charleston last weekend, and both the leading rusher (Houghton) and leading tackler (defensive back Travis Mack) were first-years. Despite the old Joe Paterno axiom that you lose a game for each freshman you start, Kelly says he doesn’t hesitate to throw the best talent, however raw, into the fire.
“I told the players in the first meeting, we are going to play the best players,” Kelly said. “The younger kids are starting to understand the schemes and some are real good athletes, so we got to get them on the field.”
For veteran leadership, Houghton and the Hoyas look to wide out Brent Craft, who, as a junior, is a graying old-timer in Georgetown football years. Craft, the team’s leading receiver, has been keeping Marist Head Coach Jim Parady awake at night.
“Craft creates problems for us,” Parady, who coached with Kelly at Syracuse and Northeastern, said. “He is part of that great option attack they have – he can run.”
Marist will try and outfox Georgetown’s offensive scheme with senior safety Huck Correia, the team’s interception leader, and junior linebacker Dan Smith, who, as a Reston, Va., native, will be making somewhat of a homecoming himself.
Georgetown’s Mack led a defense that looked suspect at times on Saturday, frequently gouged by an older, more experienced Buccaneer offense. In order to stop Marist junior running back Adam Hansen and the rest of the Red Foxes’ tailback-by-committee, the Hoyas must rely on the sturdy play of senior defensive end Alex Buzbee, who picked off his first career pass last Saturday and will be making his last appearance on the Hilltop this weekend.
“Buzbee’s about as good as we’ve seen,” Parady said. “He has a lot of speed and athleticism.”
Buzbee and senior defensive backs Brian Tandy and Derek Franks would like nothing more than to pitch a shut out for their final home appearance.
“It’s my last game, and it means a lot, so we really want to get a win,” Buzbee said. “We have been having fun this week, working hard, especially us seniors; We have been really busting it.”
Kelly understands the significance of seeing his first senior class’s home career end well.
“After the ballgame Saturday, I told everyone to work for the seniors because they have put their heart and soul in this,” Kelly said. “They deserve to go out as winners.”
Saturday’s 1 p.m. kickoff has added meaning for Kelly, who looks forward to seeing his long-time friends on the opposite sideline.
“I’ve been great friends with Jim for a long time – we got fired together at Northeastern,” Kelly said with a laugh. “He’s a great person. I enjoyed my time coaching with him.”
Parady echoed Kelly’s sentiments and voiced his belief that a bright future lies ahead for the rookie head coach.
“We’ve been friends for 20 years, and I know that he is going to turn that program around,” Parady said. “I just hope he waits until after we play to start.”