Mitch Fox/The Hoya Junior linebacker William Skultety and the Hoyas look to break their skid tomorrow.
Injuries may once again hinder the Georgetown football team as the Hoyas travel to North Carolina this week to resume a recent competitive rivalry against non-conference foe Davidson.
After replacing sophomore quarterback Andrew Crawford last week against Fordham, senior David Paulus will likely take over the starting role again this weekend. Georgetown Head Coach Bob Benson said that the only thing that would prevent Paulus from starting this weekend would be if the injury to his forefoot that he sustained during last week’s loss to the Rams keeps him from being ready.
Should Paulus, who has yet to practice this week, be unable to start, junior Morgan Booth, who opened the season as Georgetown’s starter will inherit the role.
In his half-game performance against Fordham, Paulus threw for 109 yards on 8 for 11 passing. Booth completed 25 of his 62 passes for 304 yards, but has not taken a snap in a game since being pulled just before halftime of the Fairfield game Sept. 21.
Whoever winds up in the starting role this weekend will face the daunting task of getting the Georgetown offense moving in the right direction. Coming into the game, opponents have outscored Georgetown 68-12 in the last two games, while out-gaining the Hoyas 982-422.
Though the quarterback question remains up in the air, Georgetown will be emboldened by the return of freshman running back Kim Sarin and sophomore running back John Sims. Both missed the Fordham game last weekend, Sarin because of an ankle injury and Sims due to a shoulder problem. Both sustained the injuries in the Hoyas’ 27-2 loss to Florida International two weekends ago.
Sims leads the Hoyas in rushing with 113 yards, while Sarin is second with 94.
Injuries have dampened the Hoyas’ efforts lately, though Benson feels that the problems caused by injuries account for only a fraction of his team’s poor play thus far, particularly in the defensive backfield.
“Injuries are not the issue,” he said. “We’ve got to put it all together. Our defensive backfield will be a question mark throughout the season. These guys are young. They’re learning on the job.”
With his team standing at 1-4, Benson sees this weekend’s game as a potential turning point for the season.
“In 1994 we were 1-4,” Benson said. “Then we were facing the challenge of moving from Division III to Division I-AA. That team put a string of four wins together to finish 5-4. There are about 24 NCAA football teams with 1-4 records on Oct. 10. What’s important is where those teams will be on Nov. 10. We have a chance to salvage our season and it begins with Davidson.”
While the game will be a welcome reprieve from Georgetown’s brutal Patriot League schedule, the contest should by no means be an easy one.
Senior quarterback Paul Nichols will be the focal point of the Wildcats’ offense. Nichols has passed for an average of 170 yards per game so far this season in guiding Davidson to a 3-2 overall record. Receivers Mike Chase and Barrett Johnson should see a good deal of action as Nichols’s primary targets this season, with 282 and 262 receiving yards respectively.
The series between the two teams dates back to 1999, when the Wildcats stormed into Georgetown and upset the Hoyas in a 28-27 Homecoming thriller. That loss was one of only two that season for Georgetown. Davidson took another victory from Georgetown in 2000 before the Hoyas rebounded last season with their first-ever victory over the Wildcats.
In two of the past three match-ups a combined three points have decided the outcome. Most recently, the Hoyas bested the Wildcats last year on Kehoe Field by a final score of 26-24, with Davidson dropping the potential tying two point conversion pass on the final play.