Georgetown football (0-4, 0-2 Patriot League) fell to Cornell (2-1, 1-0 Ivy League) 35-14 in the team’s annual homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 3. With the result, the team falls to 0-4 on the season.
From the outset, the Hoyas struggled to slow down Cornell’s high-powered offense, with Cornell putting 14 points on the board in the first two drives. The early offensive explosion did much to quiet down the large homecoming crowd on Cooper Field.
In particular, Cornell’s passing game stumped Georgetown’s defense. Cornell’s first touchdown came in the form of a trick play, with senior wide receiver Brenden Lee catching a screen pass, who then turned quickly to connect with sophomore running back Ty Doughty in the end zone.
Cornell’s subsequent four touchdowns were all generated by senior quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, who had two rushing and two throwing scores to go along with 279 yards of completions. He had a plethora of targets to choose from: five Cornell players had over 30 yards of receptions.
For the Hoyas, a theme of the season has been the search for an offensive identity. Georgetown continued to rotate between quarterbacks, with junior Jack Johnson playing the first three quarters, only to be replaced by freshman Gavin Beard in the fourth.
Johnson cut Cornell’s lead to seven in the middle of the second quarter with a brilliant 40-yard throw to junior wide receiver Jonathan Alexander. The two teams traded punts for the rest of the quarter, and the Hoyas went into halftime within striking distance.
However, Cornell came out of the locker room on fire, again finding the end zone on their first two drives of the second half. The Hoyas, on the other hand, seemed to lose their way, with their own first two drives resulting in quick punts.
Despite the final result, Georgetown actually had possession for longer than Cornell. The Hoyas struggled to take advantage of this fact, converting only once on their three trips into Cornell’s red zone.
Georgetown faithful should be bolstered by the fourth quarter’s offensive showing under Beard. Despite the relative lack of points, it was one of the only times of the day where Georgetown seemed to have figured out Cornell’s defense.The Hoyas drove far into Cornell’s territory twice in the quarter, turning the ball over on downs in their first drive. On Georgetown’s final possession of the day, junior running back Clay Ash managed to push through Cornell’s offensive line to secure a second touchdown for the Hoyas, a bright spot on an otherwise tough outing.
The Hoyas will look to rebound when they face Bucknell (1-4, 0-2 Patriot League) at home on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. EST.
