Everyone knew Lehigh was the big time, odds on, can’t miss, sure thing favorite to win last Saturday. But to absolutely decimate Georgetown in every way imaginable to the tune of a 69-0 final score was relatively unthinkable.
Coming into the game, Georgetown Head Coach Bob Benson knew what Lehigh was capable of.
He knew about the team that had dismantled Division I-A Buffalo a week earlier, the team that was ranked in the top five in the nation, the team that had won 43 of its last 44 games coming into last Saturday.
When remarking on the game during preseason practices he commented, “Batten down the hatches.”
What he didn’t account for were his own team’s miscues.
Coming into the game, Benson said his team needed to control the clock, win special teams and not take penalties.
The Hoyas failed to do any of the three. Georgetown fumbled the ball four times, managed only four first downs and punted nine times compared to Lehigh’s one. For the game, Georgetown managed only 98 yards of total offense. The running game literally was backward, netting negative eight yards on the day. Even on special teams the Hoyas faltered, with two botched punt attempts. And don’t forget about the 56 yards worth of penalties.
For its part, Lehigh certainly showed why it is ranked third in the nation in Division I-AA. Junior Quarterback Chad Schwenk picked apart the Georgetown defense for 288 yards and four touchdowns on 15-20 passing. Junior Jermaine Pugh ate up the Hoyas on the ground, scoring three touchdowns of his own while averaging 8.1 yards on nine carries. When all was said and done, the Mountain Hawks pounded out 609 yards of total offense, more than six times the Hoyas’ offensive output.
I think the worst part for those not on the field was the Lehigh radio announcers openly mocking Georgetown and talking about how pathetic they looked compared to Lehigh.
So to sum up, this team was outclassed, tripped over itself and was openly ridiculed on the airwaves. So now what?
When you think about it, yes, it was a bad game, but that could be all it was. According to Benson, the team never got down on itself, or bickered or complained during their methodical annihilation. And that’s the attitude that the Hoyas have to sustain throughout the season. Yes, the competition in the Patriot League far exceeds that of the former Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference, but Lehigh is a very large exception to the rule.
Georgetown next faces down Holy Cross in its home opener this Saturday on newly remodeled Harbin Field. This is a game that Georgetown can do something with. While Lehigh very well may be unbeatable, the rest of the league is not head and shoulders above Georgetown.
“This is a different story,” Benson said of the upcoming matchup with Holy Cross. “This is a team that we’ve competed with before and a team we’ve beaten before.”
Benson remains confident and his optimism is not foolhardy. Last week Duquesne, Georgetown’s former rival from the MAAC, beat Patriot League member Bucknell 35-14. Last season, Georgetown defeated Duquesne in a thrilling homecoming game, and as Benson mentioned, Georgetown beat Holy Cross in 1999.
There is no reason to panic or lament. The football team will not replace Duke as the laughing stock of the country with an unbearable losing streak. Losses happen, even big ones.
To make a comparison, UConn recently upped their football program to Division I-A and last week was royally pounded by Georgia Tech and now sports an eight-game losing streak. The week before, however, the Huskies narrowly lost to Boston College. Later this season they play Miami. Think the Huskies won’t get shown a thing or two about big time football courtesy of Ken Dorsey and Company?
There will be plenty of games that the Hoyas will have a shot to win this season, and fans should give the team time to grow and develop to meet its Patriot League foes on an even playing field. But when all is said and done, it still comes down to the guys wearing the blue and gray on Saturday. As Benson says, they have to take care of Georgetown. The Hoyas can’t fumble when they finally complete a big play, or negate 37-yard runs with holding penalties or botch punts on special teams; the Patriot League does not afford them that luxury. Benson knows this, the team knows this and they have the poise and character to reduce, if not altogether eliminate, those mistakes. If they do, the Hoyas will surprise some teams this season, possibly starting with Holy Cross this Saturday. If they can’t cut back on their miscues . batten down the hatches.