After a disappointing 36-57 loss against Colgate (4-3, 2-0 Patriot League) where they allowed 707 total yards of offense, the Georgetown football team (3-5, 0-2 Patriot League) looks to bounce back in this Saturday’s game on the road against the Lafayette Leopards (5-2, 1-1 Patriot League) in Easton, Pa. at 6 p.m.
“By no means are we pleased with the final result against Colgate,” said Head Coach Kevin Kelly. “Defensively we had a poor performance. We did some real nice things on offense and we hope to build on that going into another tough opponent against Lafayette.”
The Hoyas will look to focus all their energy now on the Leopards, who have won their last two games against Yale and Holy Cross, 20-10 and 30-13 respectively. Lafayette will have vengeance on their minds this Saturday as Georgetown has won the last two meetings between these two teams by a combined seven points.
“Lafayette is a very a talented, well-coached football team,” said Kelly. “I’m sure a lot of the guys on their team have a big red circle on this date since we’ve come out on top in our last two meetings. This will be a big game for us and our guys will be excited to play up there on Saturday.”
On the offensive side of the ball, the Leopards are led by senior quarterback Andrew Shoop, who has completed 63.3 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and two interceptions heading into Saturday’s matchup against the Hoyas. Shoop’s favorite receiving target is junior wide receiver Mark Ross who has a team-leading 46 receptions.
Whoever starts at quarterback for the Hoyas will face a Lafayette defense that is ranked third in total offense allowed and second in total points allowed in the Patriot League. Junior linebacker Mike Boles, who leads the Leopards defense in tackles with 53, will look to stifle the Hoyas’ running attack.
Kelly sees this a big test for the Hoyas, as they look to get their first Patriot League win of the year after three straight losses to Brown, Fordham, and Lehigh. “We have a team full of competitors who are antsy to get back on the field and rebound from that loss. It’s like what we have been saying to the guys all year, what will define their character as a football team is how they respond to adversity.”
Photo: Andres Rengifo