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HAMILTON – Special teams, anyone?
 
Colgate turned one of Dan Hunt's key talking points into actual on-the-field points Saturday, blocking two punts and swarming past Georgetown in a 19-0 whitewash.
 
Victor Steffen stormed right up the middle and blocked both punts, one of which sailed back through the uprights for a safety. The other was returned 10 yards by Pat Afriyie for a touchdown as Colgate scored twice in the final 5:11 of the first half to take command.
 
Add Jonah Bowman's ninth straight successful field goal and Raider special teams accounted for 12 of the 19 points. Jake Melville's 38-yard TD run added to the beautiful afternoon on Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium.
 
The shutout was Colgate's first since a 23-0 home win over Fordham in 2005.

(Ed. Note: See postgame interviews with head coach Dan Hunt and defensive lineman Victor Steffen below in the Game Archive, starting just after the 3:11:45 mark.)
 
Bottom Line
• Colgate 19, Georgetown 0

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate evened its record at 2-2 overall and started Patriot League play with a win.
• Georgetown dropped to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in conference.

Facts & Figures

• Steffen's performance covered both the special teams and defensive stat sheets. In addition to his two blocked punts, the junior led the Raiders with three tackles for loss. Those plays accounted for minus-22 yards, including a 17-yard sack.
• Colgate outgained Georgetown 349-163. The Raider offensive numbers showed 319 rushing yards and 30 through the air, while the Hoyas passed for 128 and rushed for 35.
• Colgate sacked Georgetown quarterback Kyle Nolan five times for minus-48 yards. The Raiders finished with nine total tackles behind the line of scrimmage for minus-74 yards.
• In addition to Steffen, other Colgate sacks went to Afriyie (minus-6), Kris Kent (minus-14), Kyle Diener (minus-10) and Chris Morgan (minus-1).
• The Raiders had six pass breakups. Adam Bridgeforth and Joe Figueroa posted two apiece, while Diener and Charles Cairnie added singles. Mike Armiento chipped in with a fumble recovery.
• Demetrius Russell and James Holland rushed 12 times apiece, with Russell finishing with 81 net yards and Holland 79.
• Scoring chances were scarce. Georgetown never reached the red zone, and Colgate was 1-of-1. The Raiders didn't reach the red zone until their opening drive of the fourth quarter, resulting in Bowman's 31-yard field goal.
 
More Key Info
• Colgate outgained Georgetown 349-163. The Raider offensive numbers showed 319 rushing yards and 30 through the air, while the Hoyas passed for 128 and rushed for 35.
• Georgetown's defense was as stingy as advertised. The Hoyas entered first in the Patriot League and 10th nationally having allowed just 13.5 points per game. Colgate's offense scored just 10 points in the game.

• Georgetown defensive end Alec May and punter Harry McCollum both garnered national player of the week honors last Saturday from the College Football Performance Awards. This week, May finished with eight tackles, a sack and a forced a fumble. McCollum had the two punts blocked but still averaged 40.6 yards per boot.
• Nikko Armiento averaged 41.4 yards per punt, including a long of 49.

Turning Point
• Colgate scored twice in the final 5:11 before halftime.
• Steffen blocked his second punt of the game, again on a middle rush that overpowered the up-back.
• The ball bounced straight into the arms of Afriyie, who waltzed untouched into the end zone for his first career touchdown.
• After Colgate's defense forced a Georgetown 3-and-out, the Raiders took over at their own 33 with 3:48 showing.
• Facing third-and-15 at the Hoyas 38-yard line, Melville decided at the last second to keep on an option read and raced 38 yards for the touchdown with 40 seconds to play before the break.
 
Records Watch
• Melville posted his third straight 100-yard rushing game. The sophomore finished with a career-high 128 yards, and his 14 carries matched his career best.
• Melville also threw his first interception of the season after 74 consecutive pass attempts without a pick. That streak dated to the fourth quarter of last year's season finale against Fordham, and included his first 70 attempts of this year.
• Georgetown's Garrett Powers made the interception at the Hoya 9-yard line midway in the first quarter. The play was on third-and-13 from the Georgetown 31.
• Colgate's nine penalties for 93 yards were both season highs. Coming in, the Raiders led the Patriot League in fewest penalties (3.7 per game) and were second in penalty yards (38.7).
 
From the Source
• Colgate head coach Dan Hunt: (On special teams) "Yeah, it's really nice to see that pay off. We've put a lot of work into them from the spring. We said that was something that could change a game, and sure enough that's what happened.
"Coach Ryan Knowles does a great job with it and the kids – when we practice special teams, they work hard. They attack them with energy, and you're seeing that when one person makes a play, everyone wants in on the action.

"We blocked two punts and our kickoff team is doing a really nice job, plus we've still yet to miss (knock, knock) a scoring kick of any kind. Put all of that together and it's a perfect lesson in what that phase can contribute to a win."
(On the defense) "It's great to see the defense playing with confidence. After we blocked that punt for the safety, the defense told the offense that they had enough points – and it was only 2-0. They are starting to understand that they can be the dominant unit here.
"On both special teams and defense, today's a perfect example that if you buy in, you get a reward."
(On the offense) "We just couldn't get into a rhythm. But I told them that if you look up on the scoreboard and you've got 320 rush yards, chances are you're going to win. That was a good defense we were playing against and we knew they were good. Obviously, we want to get better there and we will."
(On Saturday's significance) "The games are getting more important and the kids are starting to understand that we are a good football team."
• Colgate defensive lineman Victor Steffen: (On his blocked punts) "They were giving us the look we saw all week on film. We knew they were going to take the up-back and try to block me in the A-gaps, and Coach Knowles told me that I was 100 pounds heavier and to inflict my will. That's what I did.
"(On the team's five sacks) "That's a testament to all 11 guys on defense. Everyone has to work together to get one guy free, and we were able to spread the love a little bit."
• Colgate offensive lineman Jordi Dalmau: (On the running game) "We had a good day; I'm happy. A win's a win. We dominated, but we could do a lot better. Each week, we're definitely trying to get better."
• Colgate quarterback Jake Melville: (On the offense) "Again, our offensive line was dominating. We were running the ball at will – all of our running plays were working. And our defense played a great game. That's what makes a nice team win.

(On his touchdown) "We had a little read (option) going on and the running back drew the outside linebacker with him. The line gave me the edge and I had just one guy to beat to the end zone. Our wide receivers blocking downfield, that's all I can ask for.
(On knowing when to keep the football) "Honestly, running it every day in practice, you start to get a feel for when to pull it and when to give it. As a running back and quarterback, we're starting to figure that out."
• Colgate linebacker Vinny Russo: (On the defense) "We've made it a point this year not to depend on offense to win – that we're going to win the game, and this is great. We've been striving and it was a goal this week to not let them score. We're very excited."
(On the sacks) "We made some great calls and Coach Hunt always talks about points in the game where the game's in doubt and you need to make a play. We had a few of those today, specifically with the sacks, and that's huge."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Saturday's crowd of 4,199 enjoyed a beautiful fall afternoon in Hamilton. Temperature for the noon kickoff was 70 degrees.

Up Next
• Colgate plays the third of its four straight home games when Holy Cross visits for a Patriot League showdown. Kickoff is 1 p.m., with Campus Insiders providing the online streaming coverage.

Game Archive