Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Football: Optimistic GU Awaits Canisius

By Sean Gormley Hoya Staff Writer

Coming off of a loss is never easy, but Football Head Coach Bob Benson prefers to look forward and focus on the positive, rather than dwell on negatives.

“I’m a positive motivational guy. I’m not into the chicken little attitude – the sky is falling. We play hard and our seniors have a chance to win more games than any other class in history.

“No one else has ever had back-to-back nine win seasons,” he added. “We are building a good tradition here.”

The last graduating class with as many victories as the class of 2000 has the opportunity to win was the class of 1928, a class that beat teams such as Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Boston College. Although Georgetown’s football program has gone in a different direction since those days, the Hoyas still have an opportunity to make history.

The two teams the Hoyas will have to defeat are Canisius and LaSalle, with the Golden Griffins first up for Georgetown. Tomorrow, the Hoyas travel to Buffalo, N.Y., to take on Canisius, a team that is struggling mightily. After starting last year 3-0, the Griffins have lost 15 of 16 games, their only victory coming in September against Division III Rochester.

As the 7-2 Hoyas prepare to take on Canisius, the major obstacle they must overcome in avoiding what would be a catastrophic upset is last week’s loss.

“The biggest challenge we have is picking the team up after a tough loss,” Benson said.

Benson is concerned with travelling to Buffalo to take on the Golden Griffins.

“Canisius is difficult because it is a long ride,” Benson said. “We’ve only won once up there. Buffalo is a weird place.”

These concerns have led Benson to focus extra hard on preparations for tomorrow’s game. Here is a look at the day-by-day work the team will undergo heading to Buffalo.

Sunday: After losing to Duquesne, the players have the day off to rest the bumps and bruises that have accumulated by this point in the long season. The coaches, however, do not have that luxury, as they hit the tapes early to get a jump on preparing the team for Canisius.

According to Benson, “Sundays and Mondays are the longest days for the staff because we have to get all the film broken down to present to the players.”

Benson’s staff spends the day reviewing Saturday’s game tape and preparing a game plan for the upcoming week which the players will receive on Monday. The staff is led by offensive coordinator Tim Breslin who, along with running backs coach Michael Johnson, has been at Georgetown since Benson’s arrival in 1993.

Monday: Bleary-eyed players trudge into the team room at 7:30 a.m. to look at video of last week’s game-in this case Duquesne-that the coaches prepared the day before. After reviewing their most recent game in the morning, all the focus shifts to looking forward at the next game.

The players spend their days much like the rest of the campus, attending classes here and there and catching up on sleep, which there can never be enough in their busy schedules. They return to cDonough in the afternoon, but have another day without contact. Lifting weights and running is the limit of their physical activities, complemented by an early look at Canisius.

Tuesday: Today the team re-familiarizes itself with the more physical aspects of football, putting its pads back on for the first time since the long walk down from Kehoe Field after last week’s loss. Although not as physical as early season practices, it is important to keep the energy level up. The orientation of practice has also changed, no longer focusing on the fundamentals that need to be hammered in early in the year but emphasizing the details that can be the difference between victory and loss.

“We’re not practicing things we should know by now. Practices are shortened and switched up. We have do things like passing earlier, which have to get done in the daylight,” Benson said.

Wednesday: Another early day for the players, with a second 7:30 a.m. film session which is not the team’s favorite part of representing the university on the gridiron. This is a necessary evil, however, because preparation is the key to success in college football and even if your team doesn’t take the extra step, you can be sure your opponent does.

“You have to be a student of the game to be successful,” Benson said. “We watch a lot of film. We want to know our opponents.”

Finishing off Hump Day is weightlifting and another contact practice in pads, which concludes the biggest workday of the week for the team.

Thursday: Able to sleep in, the players don’t have to attend a film session until 3:30 p.m., hopefully able to return the favor to the coaches by staying awake in the darkened film room. After the film, it is up to Kehoe for the final full practice before game day.

Although a light practice that finishes up before 6 p.m., Thursday’s practice is the important final tune-up of Saturday’s game plan. At this point, it is up to the players to be ready to take on Canisius. The coaches can only show the team the way to get there; it is the players who have to make it to the promised land.

Friday: It’s a road game, so Friday is travel day, but before the team hits the road there is time for one last quick practice in Hoyaland. At 10 a.m., its onto the buses for the long eight-hour trek up to Buffalo.

Upon arrival in Buffalo, there is not much to do, which is good since everyone will be tired from the long trip, allowing the team to focus on the battle that lies ahead of them. The players will hit the pillows early, with visions of Golden Griffins dancing in their heads.

Summing up the week, Benson said “We’re focused.I’m proud of how we handled the week.”

Saturday: This is what all the work is for, from two-a-day practices in August to early morning film sessions, it all comes down to 11 autumn Saturdays. Tomorrow it will be Canisius for the Hoyas, a team that has struggled all season long but has never quit fighting.

Victory for Georgetown is dependent upon looking forward, not forgetting Duquesne, but keeping it in the back of their minds. Even though the team’s preseason goal of winning the conference title is out of the Hoyas’ hands, there is still plenty to fight for.

“Keeping focused is the key,” Benson said. “We’ll see if we can get win No. 8. That is what’s important.”

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