Georgetown continued its poor start to the 2003 football season with a 42-34 loss at Holy Cross on Saturday. The Crusaders held off a late Hoyas surge in a contest which showcased the offensive abilities of both teams.
Georgetown was led by the “big three” of senior quarterback Andrew Crawford, first-year quarterback Alondzo Turner and senior wide receiver Luke McArdle. Crawford and Turner combined to throw for 308 yards, while wide-out senior Luke McArdle caught five balls for 190 yards and four touchdowns.
The excitement started on the first possession of the game, when Holy Cross took only six plays to take the early 7-0 lead. The lead didn’t last long. Georgetown senior quarterback Andrew Crawford threw a spectacular 68-yard touchdown pass to Luke McArdle, which tied the score and gave the Hoyas momentum going into the second quarter.
Both defenses intensified their play in the second, and scoring was limited until the final minutes of the half. With less than three minutes to play in the half, Holy Cross struck again, this time with a 10-yard touchdown pass. Down 14-7, the Hoyas responded quickly as Crawford found McArdle in the end zone again. The 40-yard touchdown pass tied the score again and gave the Hoyas confidence with seconds left on the first-half clock.
The celebration was short-lived. Holy Cross set up a few running plays and had possession on the Hoyas 47 with 20 seconds left in the half. The Crusaders scored on the ensuing play, perfectly executing a deep pass route, taking the lead, 21-14, into the half.
The Hoyas started the third quarter with the ball, but failed to play with the same intensity seen in the first half. The Hoyas managed only 25 yards of total offense in the third quarter, and committed two turnovers. The Crusaders capitalized on Georgetown’s mistakes and scored three unanswered touchdowns, two on deep passes, and the score was suddenly 42-14.
The Hoyas defense knew that Holy Cross’ passing game had to be stopped if they were to stage a comeback in the fourth. With the defense holding the Crusaders scoreless in the final period, Crawford led the offense on a remarkable charge. Scoring 20 straight points in less than ten minutes, Georgetown was in the midst of a huge comeback. It started when freshman Alondzo Turner subbed in for Crawford at quarterback. Turner lit up the Holy Cross defense, and capped off the drive with his first career touchdown on a one-yard run three minutes into the fourth quarter.
When Crawford returned, he hit McArdle for an 11-yard score followed by a 55-yard touchdown pass on the following drive. It was the fourth touchdown Crawford threw to McArdle in the game, and the fifth time the pair has hooked up this year.
The Hoyas defense made another tough stand and Holy Cross was forced to punt with less than three minutes to play. Starting from their 22, the offense had a tough drive ahead against a defense that did not want to waste its big lead. Georgetown eventually turned the ball over on downs, and Holy Cross ran out the clock to preserve the win.
The Hoyas, now 0-2 overall, will try to reverse their luck against Monmouth at home on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
