On a beautiful fall day for football, the Georgetown Hoyas (3-4, 0-1 Patriot League) lost to the powerhouse Lehigh Mountain Hawks (7-0, 1-0 Patriot League) 17-14.
The Hoya defense was the story of the day, forcing seven Lehigh turnovers, including four interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Senior cornerback Jeremy Moore led the effort with three interceptions and a fumble recovery, returning an interception 80 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter.
“The defense did a heck of a job against a very good offense,” said Head Coach Kevin Kelly following the game. “We just didn’t score when we had the opportunities.”
The Hoyas got off to a quick start, capitalizing on a Lehigh fumble early in the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Stephen Skon led the Hoyas on a four-play 31-yard drive that culminated with a Nick Campanella 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Hoyas a 7-0 lead with 9:51 remaining in the first quarter.
The Georgetown offense was able to move the ball effectively early in the first half but had nothing to show for it, as the players had a difficult time converting in critical third-down situations. Junior running back Dalen Claytor led the effort on the ground for the Hoyas with 10 rushes for 47 yards. However, early in the second quarter, Claytor was sidelined with a shoulder injury and did not return for the rest of the game.
After both teams exchanged a series of punts for the rest of the first quarter and early second quarter, Lehigh took advantage of a Hoya fumble on Georgetown’s own 31. Lehigh sophomore quarterback Michael Colvin then led the Mountain Hawks on an eight-play 31-yard drive ending in a 1-yard touchdown run by Lehigh running back Zach Barket, which tied the game at 7-7 with 6:17 remaining in the second quarter.
For the rest of the second quarter, it was the Jeremy Moore party on defense. He intercepted a Colvin pass in the flat and returned it untouched 80 yards for the Georgetown touchdown giving the Hoyas a 14-7 lead with 3:52 left in the second half.
“I just look to make plays for the team,” Moore said after the game. “I was just at the right place at the right time. I try to be a spark for the team.”
Lehigh came out of the gates rolling in the second half to tie the game at 14. Colvin, after throwing 4 interceptions in the first half, rebounded nicely as he led the Mountain Hawks on a nine-play 76-yard drive to start the half, which culminated in a 1-yard TD run from Lehigh running back Keith Sherman.
Lehigh kicker Jake Peery converted on a 29-yard field goal, giving the Mountain Hawks a 17-14 lead with 10:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Both teams battled to a stalemate until the Hoyas last chance came with the ball at their own 21 and 1:22 remaining in the game. Skon showed great poise in driving the Hoyas to the Lehigh 38-yard line.
“Stephen did a heck of a job,” Coach Kelly said. “He did exactly what we asked him to do.
After a pair of scrambles by Skon to the Lehigh 23 and a Campanella run to the 20, the Hoyas sent out MacZura to tie the game at 17 with 3 seconds remaining in the game. However, a bad snap caused MacZura to miss his potential game-tying 37-yard field goal wide left.
“Its frustrating for our players, our seniors, our coaches to lose a game like that,” Coach Kelly said. “It’s a five-game season now. The thing we have to do now is keep winning football games. We have to keep doing what we’re doing. I told our players it was a great effort today.
On Saturday Oct. 20 the Hoyas look to rebound from this disappointing loss in upstate New York against the Colgate Raiders.
