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

Running Game Gets in Gear, Defense Steps Up Late in Win

Georgetown (4-7) overcame Marist (3-8) in a gritty defensive battle, making several key stops in the fourth quarter and riding a revived rushing attack to preserve a 14-7 victory on Senior Day.

“I can’t tell you how badly we needed this win in general, but how good it feels just as a senior to go out like this on top,” Nick Parrish said.

The senior linebacker, who became Georgetown’s all-time leading tackler earlier this season, added seven tackles to his school-record total of 348.

The Georgetown running game – dormant for much the of the last two months – came to life as the Hoyas gained 159 rushing yards on 35 carries, led by senior running back Philip Oladeji’s 17 rushes for 71 yards.

When Georgetown gained possession with 4:30 to go and a 14-7 lead, the Hoyas ran right at the Red Foxes nine consecutive times, earning four first downs before going into the victory formation for the game’s final snap.

“We had probably one of our better days rushing the ball,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said. “We had 159 yards rushing, and it was great to see us finish. We talked about that at halftime, we’ve got to finish the game, and they finished the drive and didn’t give them a chance to get the ball back.”

After a poor opening quarter that saw the Hoyas gain only two first downs and fall behind 7-0, their first of three interceptions led to their first points of the afternoon. With Marist driving near midfield early in the second quarter, junior defensive end Andrew Schaetzke – whose 2.5 sacks on the afternoon give him a team-high eight for the season – snuffed out a screen pass, picking it off and running the ball back to the Marist 28.

“It was a stunt inside so I ran inside, and by doing that I’d seen the play develop,” Schaetzke said. “He lofted it a little bit so I could see where it was going the whole time, and it just fell right into my hands.”

A defensive penalty for pass interference put the Hoyas inside the red zone, and Oladeji capped off the five-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

After exchanging punts with the Red Foxes, the Blue and Gray were once again able to take advantage of good field position, driving 49 yards on two plays to go ahead 14-7. Freshman running back Dalen Claytor caught a 12-yard reception on the first play and was hit late afterward for an additional 15 yards. Marist jumped offside on the next snap before Claytor scampered 17 yards for the score with four minutes remaining in the half.

arist drove the length of the field on the ensuing possession despite losing starting quarterback Tommy Reilly for the game to a knee injury, and the visitors appeared set to tie the game – or at least kick a field goal – before halftime. But on second-and-goal at the five, sophomore linebacker Robert McCabe intercepted backup Chuckie Looney’s pass, and the Hoyas took a 14-7 advantage into the break.

“At minimum it would have been three points,” Kelly said. “That crossed my mind. I didn’t want to go in there 14-14.”

Both offenses struggled with moving the ball in the third quarter, with the first scoring opportunity of the half coming from Marist’s third turnover of the day. An interception by sophomore cornerback Jeremy Moore – who also broke up three passes and made 11 tackles in the game – gave the Blue and Gray the ball at the Marist 30. But on the final play of the quarter, a third-and-goal from the four, junior quarterback Scott Darby made an ill-advised throw into the corner of the end zone that Marist’s Nick Mainiero came down with.

ainiero intercepted Darby again on Georgetown’s next possession. The sophomore defensive back jumped a pass out to the flat near the Marist 30 and nearly took it to the house, but Darby was able to get back and tackle him at the Georgetown 15. From there the Red Foxes moved backwards, however, drawing penalties from a false start and a hold to move back to the 30. Then a sack by senior defensive lineman Danny Thompson pushed them back even further to the 38 yard line, ultimately settling for a punt that pinned the Hoyas at their own one yard line.

A short Georgetown punt gave Marist the ball inside Hoya territory at the 49 with 7:10 left, but the Blue and Gray defense stepped up once again to force another Red Fox punt. From there, it was all about the Georgetown rushing game as the Hoyas ran the clock out for the Senior Day victory.

“It feels really great. That’s the best way you can end,” Oladeji said. “We started off [well], faced a little adversity and ended up strong. That’s my last memory, so I’m glad we won.”

More to Discover