This past Saturday, the Georgetown football team (1-5, 0-1 Patriot League) took on the undefeated No.9 Fordham Rams (7-0, 2-0 Patriot League), falling 34-12 despite a strong second half. The scoreboard made the game look like a one-sided affair, with Fordham scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter. But as the game went on, both Georgetown’s offense and defense grew more confident. Fordham came into the game fresh off blowouts of Lehigh and Columbia, as well as a tough victory over Temple, whereas Georgetown has had an unfortunate slow start to the year.
Fordham for the most part relied on its passing attack, even though senior running back Carlton Koonce came in averaging over 120 yards rushing. For most of the first quarter, Fordham junior quarterback Michael Nebrich had his way with Georgetown’s defense, repeatedly targeting junior wide receiver Sam Ajala, who finished with 90 yards receiving. Part of this success came because the Georgetown defense was worried about the threat of the deep ball, and allowed Fordham’s receivers to remain open on comeback routes. Another factor in Fordham’s early offensive success was its use of the hurry-up offense, a strategy that caught Georgetown unaware. After the first quarter, however, Georgetown’s defense, while not making any drastic changes, was more disciplined, and limited the powerful Fordham offense.
The biggest change for Georgetown came at the end of the first quarter when senior starting quarterback Isiah Kempf was pulled after a pick-six and freshman Tim Barnes was inserted into a game for the first time this year, due to the fact that the regular backup, sophomore Kyle Nolan, was injured. Despite being placed into a difficult situation and faced with Fordham’s aggressive pass rush, Barnes performed well, and led several quality drives. Even as Fordham’s defense constantly collapsed the pocket, he kept his cool and had several well-timed deep balls and runs. Georgetown’s lone touchdown came late in the game, but the quality throws showed that Barnes is more than ready for the collegiate level.
When asked about how he approached the high pressure situation, Barnes said, “I knew I had to be confident and just relax, and know that everybody trusted me.”
Early in the game, he played carefully, but as the game progressed he took more and more risks as he became more comfortable with the offense. His offensive line protected him well throughout the game which is impressive, considering the quality of Fordham’s pass rush. Luckily for the Hoyas, Barnes has been practicing regularly with the team because of Kempf’s injury, so he was able to feel comfortable without a long adjustment period.
Another bright spot in the game was the performance of senior tight end Daniel Sprotte, who had five catches for a career-high 92 yards. Georgetown also outscored Fordham in the second half, a remarkable performance in light of the fact that Fordham is undefeated and coming off three straight games of scoring at least 50 points. The quality of defensive play as well as special teamwork was a good sign, with junior Jordan Richardson leading the way with six tackles, a blocked extra point, and a safety. In fact, the 25 points that the Hoyas allowed to Fordham was the lowest point total that Fordham has been held to this season. Senior kicker Matt MacZura converted an impressive 49-yard field goal, which is a good sign for the Hoyas’ offense, which needs to score more for the team to be competitive against powerful offenses.
While the loss is disappointing, Head Coach Kevin Kelly said that he “liked the way [the team] played in the second half, and that’s something that we can build on.” He also emphasized that Patriot League play starts next week and that it was important that the team maintained the level of play that they demonstrated in the second half of this match. The Hoyas’ quarterback situation remains a mystery, and the coaching staff will have to make a difficult decision between Kempf, Nolan, and Barnes in the future.
This Saturday, the team travels to play No. 16 Lehigh (5-1, 0-1 Patriot League), the Hoyas’ second consecutive ranked opponent. Nevertheless, Lehigh’s defense allowed the same Fordham team to score 52 points, which means that it could be a chance for the Hoya offense to score enough points to give the team a chance for its second win.
Following their game against Lehigh, the Hoyas will return home to play Colgate on October 26th.
