In the mid-September sun this Saturday, the 13th, the Georgetown Hoyas (2-1, 0-1 Patriot League) faced off against the Lafayette College Leopards (2-1, 1-0 Patriot League). After a low-scoring first quarter, the game turned into a track meet, full of drives down the field, fumbles, interceptions, and a shocking Georgetown comeback that came close but fell short of turning the game around. After three quarters of continuous back-and-forth scoring drives, the Hoyas lost 37-42 to the Leopards.
A relative calm before the storm of the following quarters, the first quarter put Georgetown up early. Junior tight end Isaiah Grimes caught a 19-yard pass from senior quarterback Danny Lauter with 9:18 left in the first. Lafayette quickly answered with a touchdown at 8:48. With both teams making the extra point, the game was tied 7-7 and would remain so for the rest of the quarter. After their initial score, the Hoyas struggled to complete passes and stop the Leopards’ offense. While Lafayette did not score, they remained dominant.
The second quarter started with much of the same for the Hoyas. The Leopards stormed out in the first thirty seconds with a touchdown, making the score 14-7. On the other side of the ball, the Hoya offense tried a repeated number of failed run plays. The defense echoed their lack of success, allowing another Lafayette touchdown, 21-7.
It seemed like the Leopards were about to run away with the quarter when they were in scoring position with 2:30 left in the half. However, the Hoyas defense crowded the quarterback, Lafayette senior Dean DeNobile, causing him to fall and lose his grip on the ball. Senior linebacker Naiteitei Mose miraculously grabbed the ball in midair and ran the ball all the way down to the Georgetown end zone for a touchdown.
Now trailing just 14-21, the Hoyas continued their run by stopping the Lafayette drive. Sophomore running back Savion Hart pushed a one-yard rush through the Lafayette defense to score a touchdown with only 41 seconds left in the half, earning a 21-21 tie going into halftime.
Georgetown’s offensive energy initially carried over into the third quarter. A field goal added three points to the Hoyas’ total at 6:42. Lafayette tried sneaking back, notching a touchdown to take back the lead, 28-24. But, once more, the Hoyas slid right under the wire with a touchdown before the buzzer. With just 34 seconds remaining in the third, Hart added another seven points.
The Hoyas’ momentum felt as though it would carry them through the fourth, but it only lasted another six minutes. The Leopards scored two touchdowns on rushes, one at 9:55 to put Lafayette up 35-31, and another off of a sixty-yard rush. Behind 42-31, the Hoyas had just received a kickoff when senior defensive linemen Matthew Plunkett got tangled up and threw a punch towards a Lafayette player. Georgetown received a one-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, yet started a march down the field.
Lauter completed two first downs with a handful of passes to sophomore wide receiver Hassan Mahasin before throwing into a near interception. This close call was a warning, as his next throw ended up in the hands of a Lafayette Leopard. With only three minutes left in the game, the Leopards bench celebrated this interception heartily.
Georgetown regained possession backed up near their own endzone, where Lauter’s intended passes hit their marks at a painstakingly slow rate. The Hoyas’ last-ditch effort brought them to the ten-yard line with only forty-six seconds left. Lauter finished the job with a touchdown pass to Grimes, making the score 37-42, yet Lafayette stymied a two-point conversion.
Lafayette kept possession for the last forty seconds of the game, and as the clock ran out, they cemented their victory.
Overall, the game showed a lot of potential for the Hoyas, but also laid bare some costly weaknesses. Most glaringly, as evidenced by the score, the Georgetown defense struggled for the entire game to successfully tackle. The Leopards frequently gained several yards after contact as multiple Hoyas tried to tackle one player. While the defense did have some crucial stops, the tackling game needs some work.
Additionally, the Hoyas did a great job with their passing game, when they used it. Much of their trepidation in the beginning quarters came from overly rushing the ball. These attempted run plays rarely amounted to a first down, much less a score. However, when the Hoyas did pass the ball, they consistently gained yards. This was especially true for Hart, who shined throughout the game especially considering his underclassman status.
In the end, a lot came down to energy. The Leopards, both on the field and sideline, outpaced the Hoyas on energy the entire game. In low and high moments, they were cheering on the sideline and waiting in clear anticipation. This translated into their game play and marked a clear difference over the Hoyas. So while the Hoyas played well, showing why they have two wins under their belt, there are a few key places where Georgetown fell through the cracks to get their first loss of the season.
