After a torrid start to their season, the Hoyas (3-4, 2-2 Patriot League) are in the midst of a three-game slide that has devastated their Patriot League title hopes. They welcome a conference break this Saturday as they face NEC opponent Sacred Heart University in an attempt to get back to their winning ways.

After a humbling 34-3 loss to league rival Colgate, the Hoyas returned home for two heartbreaking losses at the hands of Wagner College and Bucknell University. Last Saturday, sophomore quarterback Isaiah Kempf led the Hoyas’ second-half surge to take the lead against the Bison, but a costly interception late in the game gave Bucknell the lead and eventually the 24-21 win.

As with last season, the quarterback position remains in flux. Junior Scott Darby has started, but as the offense stagnates, additional minutes have gone to Kempf. Against Bucknell, Kempf provided life to a standstill Hoya offense, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

The uncertainty remained, however, as Darby entered the game once and threw for a touchdown. Despite his solid drive, Darby was once again replaced, this time for the remainder of the game. Nonetheless, both quarterbacks were responsible for late interceptions that led to devastating losses for Georgetown on back-to-back Saturday afternoons.

Head Coach Kevin Kelly shared disappointing sentiments about the untimely picks thrown by his two quarterbacks.

“It’s unfortunate,” he said. “Take those two plays away and you might end up on the winning side of the ledger. . But that’s football, it happens. No one feels worse than those two guys [Darby and Kempf]. I can tell you that.”

As far as naming a quarterback for Saturday, Kelly says the Hoyas will probably keep Darby under center. He noted, however, that he would have no qualms about putting Kempf in the game, citing the Florida Gators’ success with two quarterbacks as proof of the potential scenario’s effectiveness.

“They both deserve to play,” he said. “Our attitude is you rotate guys in at other positions, why not the quarterback?”

Aside from the two quarterbacks, Georgetown’s last league battle also featured a great deal of junior Chance Logan and freshman Dalen Claytore. Kelly expects to go back to senior tailback Philip Oladeji this weekend, depending on how the game unfolds.

“We were throwing the ball a little bit more,” he said. “[Claytore and Logan] are more suited to the throwing game.”

The rest of the offense featured a number of new faces as well, as Kempf played mostly with the lesser-used wide receivers, including sophomore Max Waizenegger, who ended a drive with a 43-yard touchdown. Waizennger and sophomore Kenneth Furlough became Kempf’s favorite targets over the course of the day.

In the event of a quarterback switch this weekend, look for these two to see more action. Kelly sees the two wide receivers as part of a deep rotation with veterans such as senior slot Keerome Lawrence and junior wide receiver John O’Leary.

“We’re a spread system, so we use a lot of guys,” the coach said. “We’ve got pretty good depth at those [skill] positions.”

Though the Hoyas’ skid has been devastating, they will be facing a Pioneer team that has lost six straight games. Saturday marks the first meeting between the schools in their respective histories.

“They want to win as badly as our guys,” Kelly said. “Right now the score is 0-0, so you can’t overlook anybody.”

Though the Hoyas need a great number of positive scenarios to climb back into Patriot League contention, they can still play for their first winning season under Kelly, starting Saturday against the Pioneers. With three straight losses, the Hoyas are motivated and eager to get back to their early-season winning ways.

“Our guys are starving for another win,” Kelly said.

Kickoff is set for Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Campus Field in Fairfield, Conn.”