A football game can often be decided by a team’s clock management, and Georgetown has certainly realized the importance of time this season.
The Hoyas badly lost the time of possession battle in their opening season losses against Holy Cross and Lafayette. In both games combined, the Hoya offense has been on the field for a mere 42:42 minutes, while its defense has struggled through 77:18 minutes against two of the most formidable opponents on the team’s schedule.
Still, it is time that is keeping the Hoyas’ heads up after their quick 0-2 start.
“We still have nine games left,” senior offensive lineman Dan Matheny said. “That’s all we keep talking about. In the grand scheme of the season, two games aren’t that big of a deal as long as we turn this thing around.”
The Hoyas have a chance to turn the season around at home against Yale this Saturday. One thing is certain: Georgetown’s running game needs to be effective this week if the team wants to keep the defense fresh and prevent it from tiring in the fourth quarter like it did against Holy Cross.
Last week against Lafayette, starting running back Charlie Houghton had a mere 35 yards on nine carries. The Hoyas’ trouble running the ball was most apparent in the first half, when the senior had only two carries. The team’s inability to run made it impossible to move the ball—the Hoyas recorded only one first down in the entire first half.
Head coach Kevin Kelly is looking to get the running game established earlier this week.
“The more that [Houghton] runs the football, the better off we’re going to be,” Kelly said. “He’s a dynamic player and we have to find him ways to get the football.”
Houghton cites the importance of getting the ground game off to a fast start.
“I think it really helps set the tone, especially the physicality of setting a tone and letting them know we’re on the field with them,” Houghton said. “It’s really going to be important, especially for opening up the long ball and everything in between.“
The Hoya defense will have its hands full either way. Last season, Yale crushed the Hoyas 47-7 at the Yale Bowl.
This season, Yale has a new coaching staff and scheme. The team also has yet to play this season, giving the Hoyas an edge.
“A big part of playing the college game is getting into the same speed and no matter how much we try to simulate it in practice, it’s not the same as going up against a different color jersey,” Matheny said. “The fact that we’ve had two cracks at it, and they’ve been hitting each other the whole time, it takes a little way in game speed to gel some things, especially offensively.”
The Hoyas are particularly fired up, because the team feels Yale ran up the score on them last season at the Yale Bowl.
“I think we’ve got a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” Matheny said.
When the Hoyas take the field on Saturday, they will not only be facing Yale, they will also be facing time. They can’t afford to let any more of it slip away.
Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. on Multi-Sport Field.
