Despite entering this past Saturday’s game as overwhelming favorites after a dominating 42-6 win against Davidson (0-2, 0-0 Pioneer), the Georgetown football team (1-2, 0-0 Patriot League) put in a feeble effort against Marist (1-2, Pioneer), losing 43-23 at Multi-Sport Field.
“It sure showed like it was a let-down game,” said Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly. “It was a poor performance from myself all the way down, and we’re just going to have to rally.”
Georgetown got off to a horrific start when, on the first play of the game, redshirt senior quarterback Isaiah Kempf’s deep passing attempt was intercepted by Marist senior safety Tyler Ramsey. The Red Foxes took advantage as senior quarterback Chuckie Looney connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Armani Martin to give Marist an early 6-0 lead. Following a Georgetown punt, Marist senior kicker Jesse Signa converted a 43-yard field goal attempt to extend their lead to 9-0 with 7:04 remaining in the first.
After the teams exchanged punts, the Hoyas appeared poised to score after moving the ball swiftly into Marist territory, despite starting the drive from their own 2-yard line. But it all proved fruitless, as the Red Foxes recovered a Kempf fumble at their own 25-yard line. Georgetown did bounce back, however, as sophomore running back Jo’el Kimpela rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to cut the Marist lead to 9-6, with 9:30 remaining in the second quarter. A few series later, Georgetown senior kicker Matt MacZura’s 44-yard field goal tied the game at 9 with 1:19 remaining in the half. The Red Foxes swiftly responded as they marched 79 yards on six plays, culminating in a 6-yard touchdown rush by Looney to give Marist a 16-9 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Red Foxes quickly put the Hoyas on their heels, scoring three unanswered touchdowns to go up 37-9 with 4:09 left in the third quarter. Looney completed 17-yard and 10-yard touchdown passes to junior wide receiver Matt Tralli and junior running back Wale Onakoya exploding for a 55-yard touchdown run.
Kempf connected on two touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Zack Wilke and sophomore wide receiver Jake DeCicco on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 37-23 with 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the Red Foxes wouldn’t go away. On the ensuing drive, Looney led Marist on a time-consuming 12-play, 81-yard drive that culminated in a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Bartley Leneghan to cap the scoring and seal the victory for the Red Foxes.
“You can’t make mistakes. You can’t turn the ball over,” said Kempf, who otherwise played well, completing 35 of 52 passes for 398 yards with two touchdowns. “I put the defense in really bad position… You just can’t do it with especially the injuries we’ve had. It’s inexcusable.”
The Hoyas played without two of their starting linebackers, senior Dustin Wharton and junior Nick Alfieri, due to injuries. Their absence certainly showed. The defense struggled to contain a balanced Red Foxes offensive attack that seemed to do as it pleased while amassing 505 total yards, including 230 yards rushing.
The Marist defensive line wreaked havoc on the Hoyas’ protection schemes, managing to sack Kempf seven times. Even when he wasn’t sacked, Kempf had to scramble frequently.
“A lot of it’s on me. I wouldn’t put all the blame on the lineman,” said Kempf. “I’m the one back there doing the protection checks. Sometimes, I made a few mistakes of sliding them the wrong way… I need to be protected to be successful, but it starts with me.”
One positive for the Hoyas is that the offense, barring turnovers, moved the ball effectively down the field, especially in the no huddle. In total, the Hoyas accumulated over 453 yards of total offense and 27 first downs. Wilke, who had 10 receptions for 108 yards, and DeCicco, who had seven receptions for 118 yards, seemed open all night.
“Overall, I think we did well [on offense], but we could do a lot better,” Wilke said. “We started off a little slow. We got to keep going, keep fighting, and play hard.”
The Hoyas return to action this Saturday when they travel up north to Providence, RI to face Brown (0-0, Ivy League). The Blue and Gray will look to avenge last year’s humiliating 37-10 homecoming loss at the hands of the Bears.
