A week after its 27-24 loss to a mediocre Bucknell squad, Georgetown’s football team will need a superhuman effort to compete with the championship subdivision’s ninth-ranked team, Richmond University.
Despite the tough loss last week, the Hoyas seem surprisingly excited for the challenge.
Lynn Kirshbaum
“It’s going to be fun,” senior defensive linemen Nick Umar said. “We have a chance to go against the number nine team in the country for their homecoming. Everyone’s more fired up then I’ve seen them to go down there and play.”
Umar, a defensive captain, has four tackles for a loss and one sack so far this season. He has the versatility and football IQ to make him a chief asset for the Hoyas defensive front.
His main contribution, however, is leadership. Umar dons jersey number 35, the same number worn by former Hoya standout—both on and off the field—Joe Eacobacci. Eacobacci tragically passed away in the September 11th attacks, and each year the football program honors Eacobacci by granting one player who impacts both the Georgetown community and football program the privilege of wearing the 35 jersey. This year’s recipient is Umar.
“He’s one of those guys that everyone respects on the football team,” head coach Kevin Kelly explained. “He’s a great person. He works hard. He’s an overachiever. He gets the most out of his abilities. He’s just a pleasure to coach.”
Lynn Kirshbaum
Even with Umar’s skills and leadership, the Hoyas will need to improve drastically this week to have any shot of beating the talented Richmond team. Richmond’s highly efficient offense is led by reigning Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week, senior running back Josh Vaughan, and junior quarterback Eric Ward. Vaughan has rushed for 726 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Ward has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 1519 yards, ten touchdowns, and only two interceptions. Accuracy is Ward’s trademark—he has not thrown a pick in his last 132 attempts.
Georgetown’s offense has committed costly turnovers lately, including their minus-two effort last week against Bucknell. Unfortunately for the Hoyas, Richmond has forced 16 turnovers at a plus-eight ratio. Those 16 turnovers have led to 70 Richmond points, including four defensive touchdowns. Sophomore Justin Rogers already has one fumble return and two interception returns for a touchdown.
To add insult to injury, Richmond averages 40.0 points a game at home and is 8-1 over their last nine games at UR Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:00 pm on Saturday.
