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

Star QB Leads Powerful Seahawk Offense

Georgetown will attempt to bounce back from last week’s debacle against Colgate and faceoff against another very strong offensive opponent, Wagner. For the second straight week, the Blue and Gray will face a preseason conference player of the year – last week it was Colgate’s Greg Sullivan. This week the Hoyas will face Wagner sophomore quarterback Nick Doscher. The Seahawks’ other major offensive threats include senior wide receiver Justin Matthews and sophomore running back Torian Phillips. On offense, the Hoyas hope junior quarterback Scott Darby will regain his stellar form.

Nick Doscher

With the rare exception of players like Michigan’s Denard Robinson, it is rare to see a quarterback that can potentially lead his team in both passing and rushing. Doscher currently has the second most rushing yards on the team, with his 209 yards, only 15 yards less than Wagner’s leading rusher, Torian Phillips. Doscher is perhaps even more dangerous when passing the ball, considering he throws for big gains and touchdowns.

“Their quarterback has been very successful throwing the ball down the field. They have big receivers who are athletic,” Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly said. “We want [to] eliminate the big plays. It’s a big deal for us this week. And we want to contain the quarterback.”

Last week, Doscher was awarded Northeastern Conference offensive player of the week for his efforts against Bryant, which saw him amass 323 total yards, including 261 through the air and three passing touchdowns.

“When you get pressure on him, he can throw picks,” Kelly said of Doscher, who has already been intercepted five times this year. “He is a big play guy. [We’ve] got to force him to throw some bad balls and get some turnovers this week.”

Justin Matthews

At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Matthews is a big target for Doscher to aim for. He has taken advantage of his size so far this year, leading the Seahawks in catches (14), receiving yards (288) and receiving touchdowns (three).

“They have a lot of big guys who are athletic and like to throw the ball down the field,” Kelly said. “They have guys who make big catches. . They like to throw the ball down the field and let their receivers come down with it.”

Last week, Matthews provided a big boost for the Seahawks with three catches for 80 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown catch that gave Wagner an early 12-7 lead.

Torian Phillips

Phillips, Wagner’s No. 1 running back, is averaging an incredible 6.2 yards per carry this year. His success on the ground provides the foundation for Doscher and the rest of Wagner’s potent passing attack.

“They are a spread offense,” Kelly said. “They want to run the football on first and second down.”

So far, Phillips has yet to run for a touchdown, but has accrued 224 yards and is a threat every time he touches the ball.

“They use a few backs [and] what is scary about this group is that they are very athletic,” Kelly said. “We have got to contain the football and cannot give up big plays, the running game or the throwing game.”

Scott Darby

While Wagner has a quarterback who was offensive player of the week, Georgetown does as well. One difference, though, is that Doscher’s best offensive week came last week, while Darby spent much of last week on the bench, after being pulled for good early in the second half after going 7-of-11 for only 21 yards against Colgate.

“We sputtered on offense and didn’t have a good week,” Kelly said “It was a bad day at the office. Everyone has one. Scott will start and we will see how it goes from there.”

One of the major keys for the Blue and Gray this Saturday will be how Darby bounces back from last week, and Wagner’s suspect secondary could be the perfect cure for Darby’s recent slump. Seven out of the 11 touchdowns the Seahawks have surrendered this season have come through the air.”

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