Last season, Georgetown’s most pleasant surprise was the emergence of defensive end Michael Ononibaku. The junior led the team with eight sacks and 14 tackles for a loss last year. His presence gives the Hoyas’ their first bonafide sack artist in eight seasons, anchoring a defense characterized by its speed and athleticism. However question marks remain regarding depth.
Ononibaku, Georgetown’s only returning All Patriot League performer, heads the defensive line, which is unquestionably the Hoyas’ biggest defensive strength. Ononibaku and senior tackle Brandon Small are returning starters, while Head Coach Bob Benson is equally optimistic about sophomore end Alex Buzbee, who was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his efforts last November (against Towson).
“I wasn’t surprised last year about Michael,” Benson said. “We knew how good he was. This year, we feel the same about Busby. Busby is kind of an unknown going in, but he’s determined and we think he’s going to do just as well.”
The line is further bolstered by junior Jason Abrams, who recorded 31 tackles, good for sixth on the team amongst returning players.
That depth shown at defensive line, however, is conspicuously lacking at the other positions. Georgetown graduated its three leading tacklers from last season, linebackers William Skultety, Andrew Clarke and All League safety Matt Fronczke. Along with Ononibaku, the group formed one of the most accomplished, albeit difficult to pronounce, quartets in the conference. The pressure now falls on returning starters like senior linebacker Jason Carter and strong safety Mo Banks to lead their respective units.
“I don’t think we’re going to have a problem with leadership,” Carter said. “A lot of the people who are stepping into starting roles have been on the team for a while.”
Another leadership role should be filled by Small. The only defensive captain, Small has played in 31 games during his Hoyas’ career.
“I think it’s not all about stepping up to replace the leaders who have left just because it’s something that we have to do,” he said. “I don’t even think we look at it as having to fill someone else’s shoes. It’s just all a part of doing our jobs.”
Even if defensive leadership does not present a problem for the Hoyas, depth will continue to be an issue. While the Hoyas’ defense has been remarkably injury-free in the preseason, Georgetown only runs one or two deep at linebacker and in the secondary.
“We’re very solid in the middle,” Benson said. “We don’t have a lot of depth, but we’ll have some guys who can play. We’re going to be very active and we hope to make things happen.”
Injury concerns still plague the quarterback position, however. Leading contender for the starting role, sophomore Keith Allan, who had recently recovered from a hip injury, twisted his ankle late last week and has not practiced. While Benson would not confirm Allan’s status for Saturday’s opener against St. Francis, he did allow that one quarterback would be listed on the injury report published today. Either senior incumbent quarterback Andrew Crawford or sophomore North Carolina transfer Nick Cangelosi, will start if Allan is unable to play.
One of the few certainties on offense is junior running back Marcus Slayton, who will get the bulk of the carries.
Still, the defense is what should be most tested against St. Francis. The Red Flash feature a passing-oriented offense based on the talent of a trio of sophomores: quarterback Andrew Doria as well as receivers Luke Palko and Michael Caputo. The Red Flash’s weakness is on the offensive line, where the experienced Hoyas can outrun and overpower the undersized unit.
“We want to bring it to the other team and cause confusion,” Carter said. “Like Coach Benson says, it’s like an art. They’re not going to know where we’re coming from or who’s coming. We want to mix it up and bring different people from different places.”
While Georgetown has started slowly each of the past three seasons, this year presents an opportunity for the Hoyas to come out of the gate strongly. Three years ago, St. Francis was the holder of the longest losing streak in Division I-AA, and went 1-9 last year.
“Each year we try to get off the mat with an easy game,” St. Francis Head Coach Dave Opfar said. “But then you have to realize that you’re someone else’s easy game.”
Next week, Georgetown opens its Patriot League season at home against the only conference team it defeated last year, Lafayette. After several seasons of slow starts, Georgetown has arguably its best shot at beginning the season 2-0. The Hoyas ’ chances for success lie in their ability to adhere to the blueprint of an up-and-coming program: Gain confidence early and build on that success. It is why they are focusing on taking care of business before moving on to tougher tasks later on.
“All I’m concerned about is winning,” Ononibaku said. “This has to be the year we break through.”
Georgetown opens its season this Saturday at home at 1 p.m. on Harbin Field against St. Francis.
