Before last Saturday’s football game, the all-time series between Georgetown and Holy Cross stood even at seven wins each. The Crusaders broke the tie by defeating the Hoyas 41-13 in front of a crowd of more than 1,200 for the first football game held on newly renovated Harbin Field.
Holy Cross took a 6-0 lead on its first possession by making two first downs and driving the ball 80 yards to the end zone, finishing with a one-yard run by sophomore running back Steve Silva. The Hoyas failed to capitalize on their first possession, but with about 10 minutes left in the first quarter, Georgetown first-year defensive back Rocco Milazzotto picked off a pass by Holy Cross senior quarterback Brian Hall and ran it 53 yards to the end zone. However, there was a flag on the play, a penalty was charged to Georgetown for roughing the passer, and the touchdown was negated.
The Hoyas’ first touchdown came later in the half, when junior quarterback Morgan Booth threw a bomb to junior wide receiver Luke McArdle, who battled through double coverage to come up with the 54-yard catch and tie the game. McArdle led the Hoyas in receiving with four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
On Georgetown’s next possession, diminutive first-year running back Kim Sarin, who led the team in rushing yards with 92 and was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his efforts, had two carries, the second being a 14-yard run for the Hoyas’ second touchdown. Georgetown converted the extra point and got up 13-6, their first lead of the year.
The Crusaders’ next drive was cut short when sophomore defensive back Jason Carter intercepted a long pass from Hall at the Georgetown one-yard line. Georgetown made a strong drive including a carry by Sarin for a first down and a pass from Booth to McArdle for a first down, but with third and eight on the 32-yard line, an incomplete pass intended for McArdle forced the Hoyas to punt.
The Crusaders closed out the first half by tying the score on a 13-yard pass from Hall to junior wide receiver Ari Confesor, but the Hoyas remained optimistic.
“We had such a good flow in the first half, we thought we were going to do it again,” said McArdle.
The Hoyas were unable to maintain their flow in the second half. Their offense was shut down and their defense went from persistent to penetrable. Holy Cross kicked a field goal and scored four touchdowns in the second half, soundly defeating Georgetown, who fell to 0-2 on the season.
“[Holy Cross] got a couple [of touchdowns] that made the score look different than how we played,” said Carter who finished with five tackles and an interception. “They got a couple of breaks in the second half.”
The sentiment among both players and coaches is that while the team has the talent and the desire to win, there are kinks that need to be worked out before they will be successful.
“Our defense is on the field a lot?the special teams, the gunners are tired,” said Head Coach Bob Benson. “We’re still struggling offensively to put it together. We have confidence, we got some confidence builders along the way, we just need to have more. We have good defense, I think they are just on the field too much.”
Despite their rocky start, the Hoyas are confident that they can turn the season around.
“Once we start clicking it’s going to be tough to stop us. We just have to keep going,” McArdle said.
The Hoyas next take the field this Saturday at 1 p.m. for Georgetown’s Homecoming game against Fairfield University.
