Georgetown football (3-2, Patriot League) defeated Columbia (1-1, Ivy League) 20-17 on Saturday Sept. 28 to get their first win over the Lions since 2019 and bring the Lou Little Trophy back to D.C. Although Columbia entered the game as favorites after crushing Georgetown 30-0 last season, the Hoyas’ passing attack was too much for the Lions to handle on Saturday. Georgetown junior quarterback Danny Lauter found his favorite targets, junior wide receivers Nicholas Dunneman and Jimmy Kibble again and again, passing for 275 yards to the two alone.
Although the Hoyas did turn things around in the end, the start of Saturday’s game was eerily reminiscent of last year’s shutout loss. Columbia struck first with a 67-yard touchdown drive after Georgetown senior kicker Patrick Ryan missed a 50 yard field goal attempt. Midway through the second quarter, Columbia junior quarterback Cole Freeman threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Edan Stagg, giving the Lions a 14-0 lead.
However, the Hoyas refused to allow a repeat of last year’s scoreless offensive performance. Georgetown drove 76 yards down the field, with the bulk of that distance coming from a 43-yard catch by Kibble. Sophomore running back Bryce Cox found the endzone on a 4-yard touchdown rush that put the score at 14-7, where it would remain until halftime.
Columbia looked poised to score on the first drive of the second half until Freeman threw his second interception of the day to Hoya graduate safety Preston Murray. Georgetown made the most of the opportunity, as Lauter threw a pass to Dunneman, who juked three Lions on his way to a 32-yard touchdown. However, Ryan missed the extra point attempt, so the Hoyas still trailed 14-13 as the third quarter ended.
The Lions chewed 10 minutes off the clock driving down the field before kicking a field goal, leaving Georgetown with just under five minutes to erase the 17-13 deficit. To make it down the field before time expired, the Hoyas, perhaps predictably, called on Kibble and Dunneman. Kibble made back-to-back acrobatic catches to net Georgetown 41 yards. Then, after a few short gains from the Hoya offense, Lauter threaded the needle on a pass to Dunneman to give Georgetown their first lead of the game.
Columbia got the ball back twice after Dunneman’s score, but Freeman threw an interception on the first drive and Georgetown batted down his Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game to secure the Lou Little Trophy. The Hoyas didn’t win in a comfortable or dominant manner, but they got the job done against a strong Ivy League opponent. Kibble and Dunneman were essentially unstoppable, turning short passes into big gains on their way to 103 combined yards after the catch.
Georgetown football begins conference play on Saturday Oct. 12 in Easton, Pennsylvania against Lafayette (2-2, Patriot League) at 12:30 PM EST. For continued coverage and updates on Georgetown sports, follow @GUVoiceSports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
