This coming Saturday, Georgetown football (0-1, 0-1 Patriot League) will host the first night game ever played on Multi-Sport Field against Lafayette at 6:00 p.m.
The Hoyas are excited about their opportunity to make a little Georgetown history; junior slot receiver Keerome Lawrence practically smiled from ear-to-ear when he discussed the game.
“That’s all anybody keeps talking about,” Lawrence said. “Everybody’s going to be out there happy.”
Lawrence split time as the team’s starting quarterback last season with current starter sophomore James Brady; this season, however, Lawrence has returned to slot receiver, a position he played as a freshman.
Even though he’s returning to his old position, Lawrence’s transition has not been easy—he says he has had trouble learning his routes.
But Lawrence’s trials haven’t been evident on game-day. In last Saturday’s season opening loss at Holy Cross, he had four receptions for 62 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown reception on the Hoyas’ opening drive. Brady faked out the cornerback and subsequently hit an open Lawrence with room to run in front of him. Lawrence trotted into the end zone for the Hoyas first, and only, score of the game.
“It was a sign of relief knowing that all the hard work I have been putting in over the summer while I was here is finally paying off,” Lawrence said about the touchdown catch. “It showed that slot is kind of a better fit for me.”
Lawrence’s presence on the field has also helped Brady.
“He’s one of the best athletes we have, and we developed a great relationship last year, so it’s cool to work together instead of being on the field and off the field at different times,” Brady said.
Head coach Kevin Kelly agrees, saying that Lawrence is the quintessential “team player,” since he never complained about the change in position when it happened.
Lawrence’s team-first attitude has become a microcosm for the entire team this year. The air around the team is different than last season, and the Hoyas have a refreshing hop in their step.
“It’s just the attitude is 100 percent different,” Brady said. “We’re confident that we can win. Last year, I think some of the guys just weren’t as confident and weren’t going into the games expecting to win. We weren’t playing to win the game; we were just playing not to lose. Now we’re ready to go out there and give it all we got. We’re ready to win the game.”
The team’s performance has improved as well. Simply looking at the score in last week’s 20-7 loss against Patriot League favorite Holy Cross does not do the team justice. The Hoyas led the game for the first three quarters, and held last season’s Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Dominic Randolph to six points for three quarters. The defense played well, boosted by great performances from sophomore defensive back Rick Rattay (with two interceptions), sophomore defensive back Wayne Heimuli (three tackles for a loss and a sack) senior defensive lineman Chudi Obianwu (two tackles for a loss and a sack), and sophomore defensive back George Quintero (6.5 total tackles).
Still, the Hoyas were not able to close the deal. In the fourth quarter, Randolph and Holy Cross threw two touchdown passes to take the lead and eventually the game.
A key factor in the loss was time of possession, which the Hoyas lost 39:37 to 20:23. Kelly acknowledged that the defense was worn out by the fourth quarter, but more importantly, the offense was not able to produce a great possession after its first series of the game. Brady—who left the game in the third quarter because of cramps to be replaced by sophomore Scott Darby—and the rest of the Hoyas need to improve on their paltry two out of sixteen conversion rate on third down.
“We’ve got to convert on third,” Brady said. “We’ve had third-and-2, third-and-1, I think three or four times last week, and we just couldn’t complete the pass or get that one yard, whatever it was. We just have to cut the little mistakes and execute like we know how.”
Nevertheless, the Hoyas had one of their most positive Patriot League games in a while, and there is a buzz in the air on the Hilltop.
“The coaches said we make our biggest jump from the first game to the second game,” Lawrence said. “Everybody’s excited for this next game to see where we’re at.”
When night falls on Saturday, the Blue and Gray will be making Hilltop history. Brady, Lawrence, and the rest of the Hoyas hope that the dim lights that shone on them in the past will finally turn bright.
Great article about a good team by a great writer