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 | Columbia to Test Struggling GU Offense

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Coming off a loss to Marist, the Georgetown football team looks to get back on track when it travels to New York City for the Lou Little Trophy against the Columbia Lions.

In 2015, Georgetown (1-1) and Columbia (1-0) created the Lou Little Cup, a series of games pitting the Hoyas against the Lions to honor the late Lou Little, a beloved coach who had served as head coach at both schools.

Little was the head coach of Georgetown football from 1924 to 1930. In six seasons, he posted a 41-12-13 record and a .759 winning percentage, the latter being a record among Georgetown football coaches.

At Columbia, he continued his winning ways from 1930 to 1956, leading the Lions to 110 victories and defeating the Stanford Cardinals in the 1934 Rose Bowl. Little was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1960 for his contributions to the sport as a coach.

The Hoyas have owned the rivalry thus far, defeating the Lions in 2015 by a score of 24-16 and holding on for a 17-14 victory in last year’s homecoming game. Georgetown Head Coach Rob Sgarlata noted that this rivalry and the games’ namesake reflect the deep history of Georgetown football.

“Our football program goes back to 1883. We have a history of playing up on Copley Lawn, and football has always been a part of Georgetown University,” Sgarlata said. “For us it’s a great rivalry, and it will be one that we hope continues and reminds our players of the shoulders of the guys that played before them that they’re standing on now.”

With history and tradition on the line, the Hoyas look to stop the Lions’ dual-threat senior quarterback Anders Hill, who threw for nearly 200 yards and rushed for 90 more in a nail-biting victory over Wagner (1-2). Columbia’s offense found most of its success by throwing the ball deep, completing three passes for 25, 30 and 55 yards, two of which went to sophomore wide receiver Josh Wainwright. Wainwright tallied four catches for 104 yards and a touchdown for the Lions.

Senior defensive lineman Bryan Jefferson said that Georgetown’s defense is not worried about Columbia’s big-play ability. Instead, the players have focused on maintaining their attacking style and identity.

“We aren’t worried about how or what [the quarterback] does; we are more worried about how our defense can control them and keep them from running outside. If we do that, we’ll be able to contain him,” Jefferson said.

Offensively, the Hoyas look to clean up their mistakes from last week’s loss to Marist and build on areas in which they have found success. One of these areas has been utilizing the athletic ability of sophomore wide receiver Michael Dereus, who received a Patriot League Honorable Mention for his performance against Marist, during which he tallied four receptions for 72 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.

“Michael is a special athlete for us, and it’s important for us to get the ball in his hands. [Fifth-year quarterback] Tim [Barnes] has done a great job of finding him and throwing the deep ball, which is something we’ve worked on since the beginning of camp,” Sgarlata said.

Georgetown faces a Columbia defense that held Wagner scoreless in the first half of its season opener but showed some weak spots, allowing Wagner to rush for 187 yards and gain a total of 307 yards of offense.

The Hoyas look to execute better on third down, after posting an abysmal 20 percent conversion rate in their first two games.

“Columbia does a good job playing a simple defense, and playing a “man free” or a man-to-man defense with some good athletes on the outside. So, for us [to execute on third down] we have to stay within what we do well and feature our talented outside kids,” Sgarlata said.

The Hoyas seek to improve in these areas on the road and play more consistently as they travel to Lawrence A. Wien Stadium to take on the first of three Ivy League opponents on their schedule before the team enters Patriot League play.

“Our overall theme for the week has been consistency. We’ve put together a great schedule: Every team we play is a good team, with good coaching and great athletes. So it’s more about us and what we do here day in and day out, week to week. We worry about what Georgetown is doing,” Sgarlata said.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in New York City.

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