Having spent the last five Saturdays in enemy territory, the Hoyas were ecstatic to return to a packed Homecoming crowd.
“I actually started to miss Multi-Sport Facility,” junior linebacker and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week Robert McCabe said, drawing laughs from Head Coach Kevin Kelly and his teammates.
With the way the Georgetown football team (6-2, 2-1) played in its 40-17 homecoming victory over Colgate after five straight road games, it’s hard to blame him.
McCabe iced the game in the fourth quarter with an interception return for his first career touchdown. Always modest, McCabe deferred to the strong play of his defensive front, saying that he was simply in the right place at the right time.
“We had them on the ropes,” he said. “I was just there to make the play and take it in.”
McCabe was certainly not the only Hoya making big plays in coverage. Junior cornerback Jeremy Moore had two interceptions on the day, and just like McCabe, deflected praise to Kelly.
“All I did was play my role,” Moore said. “Coach made a great play call.”
The Hoyas were grateful for the return of Moore, arguably their best playmaker, who had not played in two weeks. With a blocked punt and 38-yard kickoff return, Moore had a huge day, earning him the College Football Performance Awards National Defensive Back of the Week award.
Offensively, the Hoyas dominated the line of scrimmage, creating gaping lanes for the Hoyas quartet of talented running backs. Senior Chance Logan led the attack with 11 carries for 73 of the Hoyas 189 rushing yards, while sophomores Dalen Claytor, Nick Campanella, and Brandon Durham all pitched in to round out the Hoyas’ attack.
“They were doing the dirty work,” Logan said. “I wasn’t being touched till five yards down the field. Those holes were huge––it wasn’t me at all.”
But this win was not about personal accolades. After an afternoon of filling the stat sheet, the Hoyas clinched their first winning season in the Patriot League.
“It’s huge,” Kelly said, who also guaranteed his first winning campaign with the Hoyas. “I’m so proud of our players, especially the guys that have been around here. They’ve gone through some tough times but they’ve persevered. It was a cumulative effort from all phases. To me, this was a huge team win and I’m so happy and excited for our guys.”
The celebrations will not last long, however, as a winning season was just one of their goals this season. With the conference win against Colgate, the Patriot League title remains within the Hoyas’ grasp.
Whether they can reach it will hinge greatly on this weekend’s battle with Holy Cross in Massachusetts.
Holy Cross currently leads the Patriot League with a 2-0 record, while Hoyas are 2-1. A victory would move Georgetown to second place and set up a potential conference championship matchup against Lehigh on the last game of the season.
Yet, that match up seems ages away with two tough conference opponents before then. Regardless of where the Hoyas finish, they will be pleased with their success, recognizing how far the program has come in just a few years.
“We were all here when we didn’t do so well,” the tailback said, referring to the team’s 0-11 record. “Coming back from that, not stopping – coaches said this season would be different.”
But the Hoyas aren’t just satisfied with this season being different—they want a title.
“We still have our sights on the Patriot League,” Moore said. “Homecoming’s great, another win is excellent, but at the end of the day, the Patriot League is our main mission.”
