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

Hoyas Prepare for First Exam

After a long training camp, the Georgetown Hoyas are ready to escape D.C. and head to North Carolina to open their season against Davidson College.

Up until late last week, many questions still remained about the starting lineup for the Hoyas. Offensive coordinator David Patenaude established the most important of these position battles by naming a quarterback for Saturday’s game.

“Scott Darby is going to start the game for us,” he said.

Darby, a junior, finished last season as the starter and will pick up where he left off last season. However, he will not get the entirety of the snaps, as Patenaude and the staff enjoy the luxury of having two quarterbacks. Sophomore Isaiah Kempf established himself as the No. 2 man last season, gaining a role due to his ability to make plays with his feet.

“I would expect that Isaiah will play a couple of series during the game,” Patenaude said. “We’ve developed two quarterbacks that can play, especially when they have their own specific strengths, as these guys do.”

Patenaude had experience playing two quarterbacks during his tenure at Hofstra, which was marked by a successful offensive era for the Pride.

Beyond the selection of a starting quarterback, the offensive line still presented a few more question marks for the Hoyas going into the 2010 season. Although anchored by senior captain Dan Semler, the line still had some holes. However, Patenaude feels a rotation of key members will remedy the Hoyas’ 2009 quarterback protection woes.

“We are pretty much going to play three or four guys,” Patenaude said. “For now, Don Rhodes is going to start on one side and Erik Antico is going on the other. Ed Hesselgren and Kevin Sullivan will also mix in there. We’ll probably play four guards and three tackles throughout the course of the game.”

After settling these positions, the Hoyas were able to go into full preparation for the Davidson game, and Patenaude feels a strong start to the game could help the Blue and Gray begin the season on the right foot.

“I think you have to try to establish something early on,” he said. “You’ve got the defense on the sideline, establish that you can move the ball, and set the tempo for the game.”

Like the Blue and Gray, the Wildcats had a difficult time on offense last season, averaging just 12.4 points per game. They will be matching up against a veteran Hoya defense led by senior captain Nick Parrish. Even if the offense takes some time to adjust to the new system, the defense should allow the Hoyas to stay in the game from start to finish.

“You can’t look ahead and you can’t really spend too much time looking back,” Patenaude said. “This is the opener-they’re hungry for a win and so are we. My goal going down there is that we execute well. I think we have a good plan and the goal will be to go out like we’ve played. stay within ourselves and play a tight game.”

Continuing on his theme, he reiterated the Hoyas’ mantra for the season, going into each week looking for one win at a time.

“Our goal every week is to be 1-0.”

Kickoff is scheduled for tomorrow at 6 p.m.

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