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2008 Football Coverage
From HoyaSaxa.com game recaps. Links to other contemporary coverage may be out of date.
Howard still only needed a field goal to regain the lead, and seemed less urgent as the time might indicate. The Bison drove into Georgetown territory, but a key third down sack by DL Ataefiok Etukeren forced the Bison to punt the ball away with 9:22 in the fourth. Following the punt, Brady and Lawrence led the Hoyas on an eight play, 80 yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes of clock time, helped by a defensive penalty on 4th down which extended the drive. Georgetown drove to the Howard 12, where a 30 yard Dobyns field goal gave the Hoyas a slightly more comfortable 12-7 lead with under four minutes to play. The opportunistic Hoyas nearly socked away the game for good when it recovered the kickoff, as a Howard returner was late to the live ball at the Bison 24. Three plays later, however, Dobyns missed a 40 yard field goal that gave the Bison had one late hope at the 1:32 mark. A 35 yard pass from Flaigler rallied the home crowd and drove the Bison to midfield, but on a third down with 46 seconds to go, Flaigler fumbled the ball before setting his arm to throw, and the Hoyas recovered to put the game out of reach. The teams played evenly all afternoon. Both schools had identical 15:00 times of possession at halftime and by game's end, Howard had only a two second (30:01-29:59) advantage on the clock. The Bison outgained the Hoyas 281-233, led by Arlandus Hood's nine catches for 114 yards. Brady's debut was promising, throwing 12-20 for 131 yards. Lawrence's passing was limited (1-6, 6 yards), but he led the team with 38 yards on the ground. On the offensive side of the ball, freshmen Chancellor Logan, Keion Wade, and John O'Leary saw action, although a jersey change led the Howard TV announcers to erroneously report that O'Leary was in at quarterback when it was, in fact, Lawrence. The drive back home was brief (30 blocks) but well worth it. "I'm happy for these young men," said head coach Kevin Kelly in post-game comments. "They worked extremely hard in the off season, it was a long preseason and we had a one-day delay. They just kept scratching and clawing. It could have gone either way, but we're extremely happy." "It just helps us show D.C. that Georgetown does have a good team that can play a little football," senior Kenny Mitchell told the Washington Post. "I get those questions all the time, my whole career, and so it's just very special to finally show people." Game statistics:
GEORGETOWN HOWARD
First downs 11 15
Rushed-yards 40-96 41-98
Passing yards 137 183
Sacked-yards lost 1-10 4-24
Return yards 40 7
Passes 13-26-0 17-30-1
Punts 6-36.3 6-32.2
Fumbles-lost 3-2 3-3
Penalties-yards 7-45 7-61
Time of possession 29:59 30:01
Additional links follow below.
Game #2: Lafayette (Sept. 13) After a week of hope and renewed confidence after a season opening win over Howard, Georgetown's offense returned to familiar ways in a 24-6 loss at Lafayette Saturday before 10,134 at Fisher Stadium. The storyline of the game played out as too many Georgetown games have done over the last few years, right from the start, as Lafayette opened the game with a 10 play, 71 yard drive for the quick score, 7-0. Georgetown's offense made it to its 39 in the Hoyas' opening series, but the defense began to tighten on Lafayette's attack, forcing a punt late in the quarter. Georgetown did little in return, advancing 12 yards before punting. In the first quarter, every rushing play was made by quarterbacks Keerome Lawrence or James Brady. In the second quarter, the Leopards marched 64 yards in 12 plays, nine on the ground. The drive stalled at the Georgetown 13, where Lafayette dropped the snap on a field goal attempt. The teams exchanged punts before the Hoyas mounted its best drive of the game, a 68 yard drive capped by a 20 yard Lawrence run to the Lafayette 12 on a fourth down and two. The Hoyas could go no further on the next three plays, while casey Dobyns' field goal attempt from 29 yards was blocked.
With Brady at QB for the fourth quarter, Georgetown began to move the ball through the air. A 53 yard pass to Colin Meador keyed a 5 for 6, 90 yard passing effort from Brady, ended with a two yard Lawrence run to close to 17-6, as Georgetown missed an extra point for the second time in as many attempts this season. After the teams exchanged punts with the outcome in hand, Lafayette drove to the GU one in the final minute of play, but instead of taking a knee to run out the clock, Lafayette coach Frank Tavani called time out, then sent in a running play for a meaningless and unnecessary touchdown, 24-6. The Hoyas were outgained 373-278, with 90 of its yards came in the only scoring series of the game. The Georgetown QB's combined for 206 passing and 53 rushing yards. For Lafayette, Maurice White was held to half of the 212 yards he gained against Marist, but the Leopards still managed 51 rushing attempts for 198 yards. The Leopards had six red zone chances versus only two for Georgetown, and scored on four of them. Game statistics:
GEORGETOWN LAFAYETTE
First downs 13 23
Rushed-yards 26-70 51-198
Passing yards 206 175
Sacked-yards lost 0-0 4-25
Return yards 0 43
Passes 21-40-1 14-24-0
Punts 6-36.7 5-38.8
Fumbles-lost 3-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 6-40 4-30
Time of possession 25:03 34:57
Additional links follow below.
Game #3: Yale (Sept. 20) A 61 yard pass on the Bulldogs' opening play heralded a day long aerial attack that overwhelmed the smaller Hoyas, 47-7, before 12,771 at the Yale Bowl Saturday. The Hoyas opened up play behind hometown star Keerome Lawrence, who brought a large and exuberant cheering section to the game. Georgetown's first three plays netted 27 yards, but Yale's defense tightened and forced a punt. On the Bulldogs' first series, quarterback Ryan Fodor found receiver Jordan Forney alone down the sideline for 61 yards to the Georgetown 24, and two plays later Fodor went back to Forney for 21 yards and a touchdown, 7-0. It appears Yale anticipated the Georgetown strategy all in stride. "We had that planned all week," said Fodor. "They had a lot of trouble with that [61 yard play], especially coming out of the bootleg. You know they were going to be prepared to stop Mike [McLeod] first and foremost."
The second half continued to put GU in a hole from which it could not recover. Yale enjoyed over 25 yards, on average, in starting field position, and good Yale punting often socked Georgetown deep in its territory, forcing punts that gave Yale excellent midfield position. Yale's first series was stopped at midfield, punting to the Georgetown 3, where the Hoyas went three and out and punted for the seventh straight series. Yale took the punt at midfield and drove to the 13, only to see Nick Umar force a fumble for the Hoya defense. The Hoyas took over with 6:41 to play and drove to midfield, where Lawrence was intercepted by Steve Santoro, who raced down to the 13. On the first play, Hart found Forney for the score, 27-0. Lawrence's heartbreak returned in short order. On first down at the 40, Lawrence was picked off by Adam Money, who went uncontested for 60 yards to score. Lawrence was benched thereafter, with Yale having gone up 33-0 in just 16 seconds. Yale had gone deep into the bench in the third, allowing the Hoyas to make some movement. James Brady led the hoyas on its best series of the game, a six play 60 yard drive that was capped by a 26 yard pass to Kenny Mitchell, 33-7. Mitchell, who injured his shoulder in the second quarter and was seen on the bench without a jersey entering the third, nonetheless returned to action and collected 154 total yards in the game. Brady's success was short-lived, however. After a 71 yard Yale punt early in the fourth, Brady was picked off at the Georgetown 20 and Yale returned it to the Georgetown 5, only to fumble it away. Georgetown could no better than three and out, and a 29 yard punt gave Yale a short field for a two play drive, capped by McLeod's game high 21 yard run, 40-7. Yet another three and out midway in the fourth set up yale for a seven play, 75 yard drive, 47-7. Reserve QB Tucker Stafford entered the game with 4:44 to play, and the 6-5 freshman looked strong in three plays before injuring his hand and leaving the game. back in the game, Brady led the Hoyas to the Yale 10, only its second red zone appearance of the day, but the Yale defense held in the final minute. Yale's passing numbers were impressive: Hart was 14-18 for 176, Fodor 10-15 for 185. For the Hoyas, Brady was 15-25, Lawrence 4-6. McLeod led all Yale rushers with 78 yards but this was a day for the passing game. After three weeks the Georgetown running game is, well, non-existent. Lawrence led all rushers with 10 carries and 18 yards, with the leading RB being Keion Wade's four yards on five carries. Charlie Houghton had no carries in the game No less discouraging for the Hoyas is not that the margin of victory could have been even severe. Six more series went into scoring range, resulting in two field goals, two fumbles inside the 10, and a short missed field goal. Yale enjoyed nearly seven minutes on time of possession, outgaining Georgetown 498-230. The 498 yards is the most allowed by the Hoyas in almost a year, dating to the Holy Cross game. For its part, Holy Cross put up 476 yards on Ivy champ Harvard on Friday night, losing late 25-24. HC arrives in Washington this week seeking its ninth straight win over Georgetown in as many games. Game statistics:
GEORGETOWN YALE
First downs 13 24
Rushed-yards 31-46 39-137
Passing yards 184 361
Sacked-yards lost 3-23 1-7
Return yards 10 112
Passes 20-32-3 24-34-0
Punts 9-29.8 3-52
Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-2
Penalties-yards 3-39 6-54
Time of possession 26:38 33:22
Additional links follow below.
Game #4: Holy Cross (Sept. 27) In its home opener, Georgetown had no answers as Holy Cross took a 38-14 win before 2,233 at Multi-Sport Field Saturday. it was the third straight loss in as many games, among which Georgetown's offense has scored just twice in its last 41 possessions. It also marked the third straight game where an opponent scored on its opening possession, which came for Holy Cross (1-2) a little sooner than anticipated. Two plays into its own opening drive, Georgetown's James Brady was picked off at the Hoya 23, where Holy Cross converted in a six play drive, 7-0. The Hoyas went three and out on its next series, whereupon the Crusaders returned to the end zone in a 12 play, 89 yard drive that ate up almost seven minutes of the first quarter, 14-0. After a strong kick return to midfield, Georgetown could not advance the drive, losing four yards on a fourth and two at the Holy Cross 46. The Crusaders were stopped near midfield, but pinned the Hoyas deep in its end for the Hoyas' next series, where Brady was intercepted at the GU 25 only to see Georgetown recover a fumble that prevented a likely third touchdown. The gift was short in duration, as Georgetown punted three plays later.
Inexplicably, the Georgetown coaches called for an onside kick down 17, the failure of which set up Holy Cross at midfield. The Crusaders ended only four plays to set up Randolph for his third TD of the afternoon, 38-14. Georgetown's final two drives of the game ended at midfield, turned over on downs. For a third week, Georgetown's running game stayed on the playbook and did not see the field. Despite playing in only 13 plays, QB Keerome Lawrence led the team in rushing with 4 carries and 27 yards. Its running back corps of Mychal Harrison and Keion Wade combined for seven carries for minus-1 yard. Wade,a freshman, led the team with 49 yards passing while freshman LB Wayne Heimuli led the team in tackles for a seconds straight week, with seven in the home opener. The statistics reinforce a consistently poor performance. For a team built on the rushing game, georgetown gained just one first down by rushing all afternoon. As a team, it gave up five turnovers, averaged less than 29 net yards per punt, and gave up 473 total yards in offense by Holy Cross. The Hoyas were 2-11 on third downs and 1-4 on fourth. A quick check of the Web Saturday night cited only one NCAA Division I game in the last 20 years that exceeded Holy Cross' 40:32 time of possession, the 1993 Alamo Bowl between California and Iowa. By any measurement, it is another sign that Georgetown's offensive execution continues to be left behind by its competitive peers. "We are going to have to evaluate everything," said coach Kevin Kelly in post-game comments. "I didn't have them ready to play, and we will have to look at the program from top to bottom and then we will go over it this week." If not, fans should expect more of the same at Colgate's Homecoming game next week. Game statistics:
HOLY CROSS GEORGETOWN
First downs 26 10
Rushed-yards 46-193 15-32
Passing yards 280 167
Sacked-yards lost 2-10 0-0
Return yards 25 149
Passes 25-40-2 20-40-4
Punts 3-46 4-32.3
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1
Penalties-yards 8-85 9-60
Time of possession 40:32 19:28
Additional links follow below.
Game #5: Colgate (Oct. 4) The game with Colgate was cancelled due to an outbreak of norovirus on the Georgetown campus the preceding week. The Patriot League voted 7-0 that the game will not be rescheduled. "It was agreed that the game will be listed as an unplayed game in the League standings and overall school records for the 2008 season," reads the release. Game #6: Pennsylvania (Oct. 11) The Pennsylvania Quakers returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back in a 27-7 win over Georgetown before an sold out crowd at the 69th Homecoming Game Saturday. Georgetown's special teams suffered mightily at the start. Penn's Chris Wynn took the opening kickoff 88 yards with relative ease, giving the Red and Blue a 7-0 lead. One first down and five plays later, Georgetown punted back to the Quakers, who converted a 46 yard pass play to set up a 36 yard field goal with 9:01 to play, 10-0. With Georgetown ranked 116th in the nation on total scoring, ten points may have been all the Quakers needed. Georgetown's next drive stalled at midfield, forcing a punt to the Penn 16. UP quarterback Robert Irvin began to go to work on the Georgetown pass defense, going 3-3 for 54 yards in a drive that advanced to the GU 26, whereupon on a 3rd and 6 Irvin connected on a 16 yard pass to the four, setting up a third Penn score, 17-0, early in the second quarter. Georgetown's best drive of the half was emblematic of its efforts Saturday. The Hoyas' drive had stalled at midfield, when the Hoyas ran a fake punt that sent reserve RB Dean Duchak down the field to the Quakers' 28. A 13 yard pass to Colin Meador and an eight yard gain by RB Keion Wade advanced the Hoyas to the Quakers' eight, but QB Keerome Lawrence fumbled the snap and turned it over on the five. The trams traded punts through the end of the half. Penn outgained Georgetown 172-108 and forced the Hoyas into three punts and a fumble for its first half efforts.
Quarterback Keerome Lawrence accounted for 155 of Georgetown's 229 yards of total offense, passing for 57 yards and rushing for 98 more. Excepting Duchak's fake punt, the rest of the team rushed for just 45 yards on 16 carries, and were frequent targets of the Penn defensive line. Penn was led by freshman running back Matt Hamscher, who took over for the injured Mike DiMaggio to rush 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. "There are obviously mistakes we have to correct. I told them we have to stop that," said coach Kevin Kelly in post-game comments. "We will watch the film on Monday and get ready for Bucknell." Game statistics:
PENN GEORGETOWN
First downs 15 14
Rushed-yards 35-112 40-168
Passing yards 176 61
Sacked-yards lost 2-15 0-0
Return yards 10 17
Passes 16-26-0 11-22-1
Punts 4-39.8 5-31.8
Fumbles-lost 2-1 4-2
Penalties-yards 3-19 4-16
Time of possession 32:12 27:48
Additional links follow below.
Game #7: Bucknell (Oct. 18) An early defensive lapse and a pair of second half fumbles on consecutive series allowed Bucknell to escape Washington with a 27-24 win at Multi-Sport Field Saturday. Were it not for the aforementioned plays, Georgetown stood ready and able to capture its first PL win of the season. Georgetown has been particularly poor in stopping opponents early, none moreso than when Penn ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown last week. Against Bucknell, it didn't take one play, but two. After an eight yard run to open play, RB Andrew Lair went right down the sideline in a 58 yard touchdown run, 7-0. To its credit, however, the Hoyas did not back down. For the first time this season, Georgetown answered the early score, thanks in part to a 28 yard rush by Keion Wade and a 39 yard run by Keerome Lawrence to tie the score, 7-7. The six play, 82 yard drive was the first points scored all season in the first quarter. Defense settled in for both teams as the next five series between the opponents were traded by punts. Early in the second, the Hoyas took over at its 33, where QB James Brady opened the drive by finding WR Rick Cosgrove for 33 yards. The Hoyas drove to the Bucknell 15 and settled for a 32 yard field goal by Jose-Pablo Buerba, 10-7. Another first: the first lead in the first half all season. Georgetown's defense continued to bend but not break, stalling a Bucknell drive at the Georgetown 37 and forcing the Bison into its fourth consecutive punt. Brady led the Hoyas on a 7 play, 80 yard drive keyed by Lawrence's second rushing touchdown, this time from 37 yards, 17-7. A very short kickoff set up the Bison at its 42 yard line with with 2:34 in the half and Bucknell repaid the favor. Focusing on the passing attack which had distinguished its offense in past weeks. QB Marcello Trigg went to the air seven of his next eight plays, marching to the Georgetown 8 in just over a minute and a half. With 40 seconds to go, the defense could not hold Trigg from an eight yard run up the middle, 17-14.
Next week, Georgetown faces its toughest road opponent in many years, as the #9-ranked Richmond Spiders welcome GU to its Homecoming game. The Spiders defeated Massachusetts 30-15 this week. Game statistics:
BUCKNELL GEORGETOWN
First downs 19 17
Rushed-yards 47-219 30-164
Passing yards 137 200
Sacked-yards lost 1-9 1-4
Return yards 2 5
Passes 13-22-0 22-35-0
Punts 7-34.9 4-34.5
Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-2
Penalties-yards 6-40 3-15
Time of possession 32:45 27:15
Additional links follow below.
Game #8: Richmond (Oct. 25) It was no secret that Georgetown entered Saturday's game at Richmond as an underdog: if Georgetown could execute its game plan, it need not hang its head against the #9-ranked Spiders. Instead, a series of mistakes enveloped the Hoyas, in a 48-0 loss before 5,168 at UR (City) Stadium. From its first possession, mistakes would soon be the order of the day. Georgetown opened with a two yard pass play; ironically, GU would have only one pass of greater distance all afternoon. But on second down, QB James Brady was picked off deep in Georgetown territory and Richmond returned the pick to the GU four yard line. The Spiders converted in two plays, 7-0, becoming the sixth consecutive opponent to score on its first possession this season. Georgetown's record in such situations? 0-6.
In came James Brady in place of Lawrence, who promptly suffered the exact same fate, a fumble at his 23 that set up the Spiders for a short field goal, 41-0. By its third play of the half, Georgetown had already surrendered 17 points. Georgetown's first down with 4:43 to play was its first of the afternoon. UR emptied its bench, and fans made their way to the exits. At this point, the Richmond radio announcers actually gave up its play by play coverage and spent the rest of the game interviewing former players about their plans for UR's Homecoming weekend, adding a measure of insult to injury. With the two-deep safely secured on the Spiders' bench, Georgetown managed a nine play, 37 yard drive from Lawrence that drove to the Richmond 25, but on a 4th and 1, a pass play lost a yard. The Georgetown defense came up big again, forcing a fumble at the Richmond 30, but the offense could do no better than six yards in four plays, turning the ball again over on downs with 8:14 to play. More poor execution followed. Off a punt by the Spiders at the GU 10, the Hoyas fumbled on first down for the third time in the half, setting up an easy UR score, 48-0. The #9-ranked Spiders dominated the stat sheet, outrushing the Hoyas 300-80, a 12:00 advantage in time of possession, and an averaging starting field position at midfield, with seven of its drives starting on the Georgetown side of the field. Josh Vaughan led all Richmond rushers with 24 carries and 157 yards, while Georgetown's Philip Oladeji, who had one rushing attempt to date prior to Saturday, rushed eight times for 35 yards to lead the Hoyas. Game statistics:
GEORGETOWN RICHMOND
First downs 4 22
Rushed-yards 38-80 54-300
Passing yards 8 127
Sacked-yards lost 2-16 0-0
Return yards 0 30
Passes 4-11-1 8-17-1
Punts 7-32.6 2-46.5
Fumbles-lost 4-3 2-2
Penalties-yards 4-25 7-50
Time of possession 24:00 36:00
Additional links follow below.
Game #9: Lehigh (Nov. 1) Despite holding a lead for the first time in eight games against the Lehigh Engineers, Georgetown gave up four unanswered touchdowns in a 33-13 loss at Multi-Sport Field Saturday. Lehigh started out crisply, aided by a 42 yard kickoff return, to score in its opening possession, the seventh straight week Georgetown defense has allowed an opening score. The Engineers drove 54 yards on 11 plays, including a 16 yard pass conversion on 4th and nine at the Georgetown 22. On a third and goal, Lehigh quarterback found WR Mike Fitzgerald for a seven yard pass, 7-0.
It took one play in the second half to help put this one away. On Georgetown's opening play of the third quarter, QB Keerome Lawrence threw a pass intercepted by Lehigh's Al Pierce at the Georgetown 37, who returned it for the score, 26-13. After teams exchanged punts, Georgetown stalled at the Lehigh 23, and the Engineers drove 11 plays and 79 yards to go up 33-13. Two more Georgetown drives died in enemy territory, with one falling via a fumble at the Lehigh 40 and a second that drove to the Lehigh 16, pushed back by a Georgetown personal foul call at the Lehigh six. Georgetown actually outgained Lehigh in this one 330-326, but the missed opportunities were again too much to overcome. Keion Wade rushed for 69 yards to lead all Georgetown runners. Keerome Lawrence was 11-23 for 106 yards passing. Game statistics:
LEHIGH GEORGETOWN
First downs 18 18
Rushed-yards 36-127 40-170
Passing yards 199 160
Sacked-yards lost 1-8 2-16
Return yards 32 -3
Passes 21-30-1 14-29-2
Punts 4-34.8 4-36
Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 6-44 3-25
Time of possession 31:39 28:21
Additional links follow below.
Game #10: Marist (Nov. 8) Georgetown maneuvered past Marist, 13-12 Saturday, ending a seven game losing streak and a nine game home losing streak overall. But if Marist had not committed a host of mistakes, the streaks might still be in effect. Georgetown started off promising against the 3-7 Red Foxes, holding Marist out of the end zone in its first possession, as opposed to each of the prior seven GU opponents that had scored in their first possession. The Red Foxes committed its first blunder when Marist punter Kevin Pauly's first kick shanked off his foot, resulting in a rare zero yard punt and setting up Georgetown at the Marist 33. Seven plays later, quarterback Keerome Lawrence found WR Collin Meador for the score, 7-0. Marist got back into the game on the strength of running back Bo Ehikioya, who rushed eight times in an 11 play Marist drive, accounting for 48 of the 68 yards to the score. The Red Foxes rushed in 10 of 11 plays and probably wished they'd rushed for two more--Pauly's PAT missed and the Hoyas led 7-6. After Georgetown went three and out early in the second, Marist returned to the run, running 13 times in a grinding 14 play series, with eight carries by Ehikioya. On a 3rd and 11 at the Georgetown 40, the Hoyas keyed on Ehikioya, but receiver Will Brown went wild on a 34 yard reverse, setting up a second Ehikioya touchdown two plays later. But for the third time in as many series, Pauly's foot cost the Red Foxes, as his PAT was low and blocked by Georgetown's Jayah Kaisamba, 12-7.
No one will accuse Marist of being at the same competitive footing as a Yale or Richmond, but the improvement in the Hoyas' offensive numbers was worthy of comment. Sophomore Philip Oladeji, called into service with numerous injuries in the Georgetown backfield, became the first GU running back to reach 100 yards in a game since last season. Keerome Lawrence was 11-17 for 119 yards, without an interception. The Hoyas still have troubles on third down, however. Georgetown entered November averaging just 28% conversion on third down, and connected on just 5 of 14 opportunities today. Still, a Marist fan couldn't help but wonder what might have been. Any combination of avoiding the bad punt, two missed PAT's and a touchdown called back on an offsides call could have given Marist the win, but for at least once this season, the Hoyas played well enough to win. Close finishes are nothing new in the series: the home team has won five straight, each by less than ten points or less. The pre-game ceremonies honored 14 seniors upon their last home game, ten of which saw time in the game. Statistics follow below. Game statistics:
MARIST GEORGETOWN
First downs 18 17
Rushed-yards 41-200 47-186
Passing yards 86 119
Sacked-yards lost 1-5 1-8
Return yards 0 19
Passes 8-18-2 11-17-0
Punts 3-24 3-46.3
Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-1
Penalties-yards 3-34 7-71
Time of possession 24:38 35:22
Additional links follow below.
Game #11: Fordham (Nov. 15) It's not often a 17-0 college football game is called a "rout" by the Associated Press. In the case of Georgetown at Fordham, the description was accurate. In one of the poorest offensive efforts of the season, Georgetown proved to be no match for an equally winless PL club in Fordham, which ended the Hoyas' 2008 season in a 17-0 win before a small crowd of 2,758 at Fordham's Jack Coffey Field. The shutout loss was the fourth in Kevin Kelly's three seasons as coach and the second in three weeks. The Rams made no secret of its intent in this game--they would run, run, and run until Georgetown stopped them. As such, they ran a very long time. The Rams opened the game with six consecutive handoffs to RB Xavier Martin for 33 yards, part of a 186 yard day for the Fordham back who became the sixth player in that school's august football history to reach 1,000 yards in a single season. Fordham drove deep in Georgetown territory but failed on a series of pass plays to drive the ball into the red zone, whereupon the defense held at its 31. As has been the case so often this season, a great defensive stand was met with a punchless offense. On its first series, Georgetown went three and out. Fordham again drive down the field. Five more Martin rushes advanced the ball to the Georgetown 21, where the defense held strongly again, forcing the Rams to release the ball on downs at the edge of the red zone. A second opportunity to establish momentum for the Hoyas was squandered, when Keerome Lawrence was intercepted at the GU 39. For a third time, the Rams marched deep in Georgetown territory, and on a second and five at the Georgetown 9, Chudi Obianwu recovered a Fordham fumble that staved off a potentially third touchdown drive. How was the defense rewarded? Three and out. As if to test fate once more, Fordham was stopped on downs for a third time in four series, a defensive stand as good as any this season. The offense took over at its 33, completed its first first down of the half, and then promptly went three and out. After a Casey Dobyns punt, the Rams began it its 22 and began its longest drive of the day. Martin rushed eight times in a 16 play drive that saw Georgetown hold three times inside the 10, including a pair of plays at the goal line. On fourth and goal at the one, Martin reached the end zone, 7-0. Next Georgetown series: three and out. From its next series, Fordham took over with 2:32 in the half and drove to the GU 17, where the defense held again. The Rams opted for points over yardage, with a 35 yard Adam Danko field goal to lead 10-0 with 40 seconds left. With 33 seconds and two time outs remaining, Georgetown took over at its 30 yard line. Whatever confidence the staff had left in its offense, it showed in the first down call: taking a knee to end the half, one which saw the Hoyas outgained 252-31, with 16 first downs to Georgetown's one. Three weeks ago against Richmond, the Hoyas were outgained 279-20, but that was a top 10 opponent and this was an 0-4 Patriot team. Georgetown opened the half continuing the quarterback shuffle between Keerome Lawrence and John Darby with little outward success. Both teams traded punts before the Hoyas began on its 19 with 11:16 to play. On the first play of the drive, Lawrence was intercepted at the GU 30, whereupon the Rams scored three plays later, 17-0. Lawrence finished the day 0-3 for no yards and two interceptions, and Darby played QB the rest of the game. There was still a game after this, but it was mostly a series of punts--eight straight series ended in kicks between the teams into the fourth quarter, where the Hoyas embarked on a series that accounted for nearly 40 percent of the team's offense in the game. A 13 yard run by Kenny Mitchell keyed a eight play drive that drove to the Ram 25, the first time Georgetown had crossed the 50 all day. On a key third and ten at the Fordham 25, Darby was sacked for seven yards, and on 4th and 17 Darby threw a seven yard pass. A final Georgetown series went four plays before turning the ball over on downs at its 38. The Hoyas managed only 99 total yards on the day, the 12th lowest total in the modern era. Philip Oladeji led all Georgetown rushers with 28 yards, 20 on one play. Scott Darby finished 12-27 for 70 yards. Fordham's Xavier Martin, who rushed for 144 yards in the first half alone, ended with 40 carries for 186 yards while QB John Skelton was 19-33 for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Fordham outgained Georgetown 391-99, with 93 plays to Georgetown's 47. Fordham's 42:04 time of possession was not only an opponent record against Georgetown, it may approach an NCAA record. Georgetown finishes the 2008 season 2-8 and winless in the Patriot League (0-5) for the second time in three seasons. Over the last three years, Georgetown is 1-16 in PL play. Game statistics:
GEORGETOWN FORDHAM
First downs 7 23
Rushed-yards 17-29 60-247
Passing yards 70 144
Sacked-yards lost 3-19 2-12
Return yards 16 34
Passes 12-30-2 19-33-0
Punts 9-38.6 6-39.5
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 0-0 7-103
Time of possession 17:56 42:04
Additional links follow below.
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