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 | GU to Face Harvard at RFK Stadium

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After suffering a 35-14 away defeat against Columbia on Saturday, the Georgetown football team has a chance for redemption this week as they take on the Harvard Crimson, a perennial Ivy League juggernaut.

Harvard (1-1) is the second of three straight Ivy League opponents on the Georgetown (1-2) schedule, as the Hoyas look to continue to build on a strong series of performances before heading into Patriot League play.

The Georgetown offense will look to build on some success found early and late in the game against Columbia. The Hoyas moved the ball well early on but missed two field goals.

Later in the contest, fifth-year quarterback Tim Barnes suffered an injury and junior quarterback Clay Norris took over. Georgetown drove the ball the length of the field and scored from the two-yard line.

Norris also completed an 83-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Michael Dereus late in the fourth quarter. Head Coach Rob Sgarlata said he was pleased with the team’s success late in the game and wants the team to find that rhythm regardless of the game circumstances.

“Last week we had a better start on offense with two 8-plus play drives that got us down there, but we missed two field goals. So what we worked on this week was controlling our own destiny — working on the little things so that when you go down 7 or 14, you can come back and score and stem the tide and keep working into the second half,” Sgarlata said.

With Barnes working back to health after sustaining a concussion against Columbia (1-1), Norris will once again be called upon to start for the Hoyas. Norris started six games this past season after Barnes went out for the season with an injury. Barnes went 110-199 for 822 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Junior wide receiver Brandon Williams has confidence in Norris’ ability to pilot the offense.

“[Norris starting] is not too much of an adjustment because we practice with all the quarterbacks, so we’re used to getting throws from Clay, Joe and Tim all the time. So it’s not so much of an adjustment as it is a next-man-up thing. We have a lot of confidence in Clay coming into this week,” Williams said.

Meanwhile, Harvard is looking to extend one of the best runs in college football history, owning an 82 percent win rate and 16 straight Ivy League Championships.

The Crimson defense is led by senior safety Tanner Lee, a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He spearheads a stingy defense that forced three interceptions but allowed over 300 yards through the air.

Offensively, Harvard is led by dual-threat fifth-year quarterback Joe Viviano and junior running back Charlie Booker, who both played large roles in a 45-28 win against Brown (1-1) last week. The Crimson displayed a balanced attack, rushing for 200 yards and completing 80 percent of their passes for 222 yards.

Hoya senior linebacker Cameron Seward said the defense would remain focused on improving their own play and staying confident in the unit’s ability to matchup with anyone.

“We have the utmost confidence in our DBs and our defense, especially when we work to get a rush on the quarterback and have our linebackers help,” Seward said. “We aren’t going to do anything differently, just keep focusing on doing our jobs and make sure we’re filling our gaps and our responsibilities.”

Sgarlata said that the Hoyas are looking to prevent big plays from a dangerous Crimson offense.

“Harvard is very balanced and well-coached. They do a ton of different things out of the same personnel group. We’re looking to eliminate some of the big plays this weekend and improve our third-down defense. I think that both those things will be keys to the game this weekend,” Sgarlata said.

Georgetown faces Harvard at the historic Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, located just east of the Capitol Building. For this senior class and the rest of the team, this is their first opportunity to play in a large venue while wearing the Blue and Gray.

Sgarlata noted that this is a huge moment for the program to live up to one of its mottos: “Defend the District.”

“Georgetown has a national name, and we’re a place known worldwide. We bring people here from a national scope, but we’re about defending this place and taking pride in the program. So to go down to a historic stadium like RFK and make a statement about defending the District, we hope it’s the first of many games for us down there,” Sgarlata said.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday at RFK.

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