There were no fireworks scheduled for Georgetown’s homecoming on Saturday, but the Hoyas football team provided their own in a 49-21 romp against the overwhelmed Stony Brook Seawolves. With an offensive attack spearheaded by junior quarterback Andrew Crawford and senior wideout Luke McArdle, the Hoyas improved to 2-4 overall.
By halftime, the Hoyas had a 100-yard rusher and receiver, two interceptions off of Stony Brook quarterback T.J. Moriarty, and a blocked extra-point attempt which they returned for two. With the demolition at full throttle and the outcome all but sealed at the intermission, many of a packed Harbin Field’s inebriated revelers headed home for more celebration.
What they had witnessed, and what those who remained would see in the rest of the game, was near-complete domination by a thriving football team. Scoring on four of their first five drives and converting seven of 14 third downs, the Hoyas offense was more potent and efficient than it has been all year. Junior quarterback Andrew Crawford had a productive game for the second week in a row, completing 10 of 18 passes for 260 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns were completed to senior wideout Luke McArdle, who finished with 147 yards receiving. McArdle continues to post tremendous numbers and leads the national Division I-AA in total all-purpose yards.
“The win is huge,” McArdle said. “We’re on a roll now. Hopefully we can keep it going.”
Sophomore Marcus Slayton, Georgetown’s leading rusher on the year, had 100 yards by halftime and finished with 130 yards, the most by a back since 1999. The other backs were effective as well; Junior John Sims gained 46 yards, and sophomore Kim Sarin added 45.
First-year quarterback Alondzo Turner entered the game for a first quarter change of pace, and scored a touchdown of his own on a 16-yard run ten minutes into the first quarter. Turner was named the Patriot League freshman player of the week on Monday and has participated in 13 of the Hoyas’ 20 scoring drives this season. His tenacious scrambling has elevated him to third on the team in total rushing yards, and his three rushing touchdowns lead the team’s ground scorers.
Stony Brook was unable to mount any kind of response to the Georgetown attack. The Hoyas’defense applied pressure on Seawolves quarterback T.J. Moriarty by raising their arms at the line of scrimmage and backfield to alter his passes. The strategy was extremely effective, resulting in six deflected passes and two of the Hoyas’ three interceptions. The defense had a balanced attack all game, with a variety of players notching multiple tackles. Sophomore nose guard Jason Abrams had a particularly noteworthy day with a deflected pass, an interception of a deflected pass, and a forced fumble. Abrams praised the Hoyas’ offense for getting the team pumped up early and often.
“We just feed off the offense,” Abrams said. “They just get us hyped up. Three touchdowns in the first quarter was huge.”
The Seawolves didn’t lie down when trailing 34-7 with four minutes left in the first half. Stony Brook capitalized on some Hoyas mistakes just before halftime. On a third-and-ten from the Stony Brook 24-yard line, Crawford was sacked and coughed up the football, which the Seawolves returned to the Georgetown 17. A personal foul penalty moved the ball to Georgetown’s nine-yard line, setting up a Stony Brook first-and-goal. The Hoyas went on to record nine other penalties as well, though this may have been the most costly. Stony Brook scored four plays later, but the Hoyas were able to regain the momentum going into halftime when first-year Derrick Deese blocked the extra-point attempt and senior co-captain Matt Fronczke returned the block for a two-point conversion. Coach Bob Benson said the play was one of the game’s most important.
“It’s all about momentum,” Benson said. “It’s all about sudden change and feeding on it. We were able to take that block and head into halftime with the momentum.”
The Hoyas now have two straight wins to build on.
“When we go out and play balanced and make some plays, we’ve got a good football team.” Benson said.
Georgetown will take to the road in hopes of continuing their recent streak on Saturday with a showdown against the Ivy League’s Cornell. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Ithaca, N.Y.
