When the Hoyas squared off against the Big Red of Cornell in front of 11,000 Ivy-leaguers, no one was expecting the shellacking the Blue and Grey were about to take. Coming off an overtime win against Duquesne, the Hoyas had plenty of momentum. But, for their homecoming, the Big Red was seeing just that, upending the Hoyas 57-7, dropping Georgetown below .500 for the third time this season.
In the first quarter last Saturday, there was a play that seemed to foreshadow the rest of the game. First-year quarterback Ben Hostetler, making his first start for the Hoyas (3-4 overall, 1-2 PL), rolled out of the pocket looking for a receiver on third down during their second drive.
“I just couldn’t find a receiver, so I took off,” said Hostetler. “It was third down so I knew I had to get the first [down], so I just saw a dude and jumped over him.”
The athletic daredevil of a quarterback got high, but not high enough to totally carry him over the Cornell (3-2 overall, 1-1 Ivy) defender. In mid-flight, Hostetler’s legs were hit, sending him head-over-heels, completing a maneuver Kerri Strug would have been proud of, but bringing him down short of the first down.
The Hoya offense came up short on their efforts for most of the day, only making five first downs and gaining 86 yards of total offense.
The inconsistency that has plagued the the team this season haunted them again against Cornell. The defense, which has been stellar in each of Georgetown’s wins, allowed Cornell’s senior quarterback Ryan Kuhn to rush for just one yard less than the entire Hoya offense gained, as well as three touchdowns. He also passed for a touchdown, completing eight passes for 79 yards.
Three fumbles and two turnovers on downs by the Hoyas helped Cornell to their 411 yards of total offense, and their first 50-point victory since they beat Columbia 54-0 in 1949.
One bright spot for the padded G-men was the play of their young quarterback. He passed well in his first start (5-13, 63 yards) and, though it was somewhat anti-climatic, completed his first career touchdown pass.
“I was a little nervous at first, but then once things started to get going, I got used to it,” he said. “On the touchdown play, the offensive line did a great job blocking. It’s always nice to throw a touchdown pass.”
With junior quarterback Nick Cangelosi just returning to practice from an ankle injury this Wednesday, it is unclear who will be the starter for Georgetown’s homecoming game Saturday. Whoever is under center at 2:00 p.m. will try to get the Hoyas back to .500 heading into November.
