WASHINGTON – Colgate scored early and often in the first half and rode a "bend but don't break" defense in the second half to defeat Georgetown 28-18. The win moves the Raiders' record to 3-4 and evens Colgate's Patriot League record at 1-1.
"Huge win," said Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Coach Stan Dakosty after Colgate's third straight victory. "Every league game is important. Georgetown is playing really good football right now coming off some big league wins on their end. We knew we were going to get their best shot."
Colgate drew first blood on a 59-yard interception return by
Owen Goss on a 3rd-and-6 on Georgetown's first drive. The Hoyas had advanced from their own 25 to the Colgate 47 before Goss stepped in and took the pick down the Colgate sideline just 3:51 into the game.
Jacob Jaworski added the PAT for a 7-0 Raider lead.
Colgate's
Justin Lawrence broke up a Hoya pass in the endzone on the ensuing possession leading to a 34-yard field goal by Georgetown with 4:20 left in the opening stanza.
The Colgate offense finally got its first opportunity starting at its own 30. An 11-yard run by
Jaedon Henry and two passes from
Zach Osborne to
Treyvhon Saunders took the ball to the Hoya 25.
Chris Gee took over at that point with a 6-yard run and then took a pass from Osborne on the left side into the endzone with 2:17 remaining.
Georgetown returned the kickoff to the Colgate 45. The Hoyas lost a yard on a run and had a delay of game penalty before a blown coverage resulted in a 51-yard Georgetown touchdown pass on 3rd-and-16. The extra point was missed.
Henry had a 31-yard kickoff return to the Raider 38, and Gee rambled for 12 yards to midfield followed by a rush for a dozen more by Henry to the Georgetown 38. The very active first quarter ended with a 14-9 Colgate lead. Following a couple of rushes and a pair of Osborne completions,
Winston Moore took a jet sweep the final 13 yards to up the Raider advantage to 21-9 after Jaworski's extra point 2:51 into the second quarter.
Georgetown drove 65 yards in 11 plays on the next possession before the drive halted on the Colgate 17. A 34-yard field goal decreased the margin to 21-12 with 5:49 left in half number one.
On the next possession, Colgate was forced to punt for the first time in the game and Georgetown took over on its own 32. Two plays later Georgetown was in Raider territory. Colgate forced a 4th-and-6 and Lawrence again broke up a pass to give the ball back to the Raiders at their own 22 with 2:01 remaining.
Osborne was injured on a roughing the passer penalty that took the ball to the Hoya 35, and a subsequent holding call moved the ball to the 25. A pair of passes from backup QB
Jake Stearney took the ball to the Georgetown 3 and following a Raider time out with 54 seconds left, Henry covered the final yards from the wildcat formation. Jaworski's PAT gave Colgate a 28-12 halftime advantage.
"Our defense did an awesome job making them work for every yard they got, getting turnovers, and making stops in the red zone," Dakosty said. "I'm really proud of them and how they came out to play. Offensively we came out on fire. Jake Stearney, young freshman quarterback, came in and played great complimentary football. I'm proud of him and how we operated."
Neither team was able to move the ball early in the third quarter. Colgate took the ball with just over six minutes remaining in the stanza and advanced to the Georgetown 32 before having the drive stall on a sack of Stearney.
Following a punt that went for a touchback, Georgetown drove into Raider territory on the final play of the quarter. A pass interference penalty against the Raiders gave the Hoyas a first down on the 14. A holding call on Georgetown moved he ball back to the 24. On the next play Goss came up with his second interception of the day in the endzone to end the threat.
After a three-and-out Georgetown took over on its own 37 with 12:35 left in regulation. The Hoyas were able to reach the Colgate 38 but a pair of pass break-ups forced a Hoya punt with Colgate taking over on its own 8. Despite a pair of completions, the Raiders were unable to move the chains. A
Shelby Pruett punt gave the ball back to Georgetown on the Colgate 47.
Following a Colgate timeout prior to a 4th-and-5 play from the 42, the Hoyas connected for a 27-yard pass and run for a first down at the 15. The Raiders came up strong again with
Drew Frankel breaking up a fourth down pass into the endzone.
Another three-and-out led to a Pruett punt to midfield with 5:52 left in the game. Again Georgetown was able to drive into the red zone and a roughing the passer penalty placed the ball at the Raider 10. Following an incompletion, an illegal procedure penalty set the ball at the 15. A pass to the 4 led to a pass interference penalty giving the Hoyas a first down at the 2. Georgetown made the only score of the second half on a rush on the next play. The two-point conversion pass failed, keeping the game a two-possession deficit for the Hoyas.
Brady Hutchison recovered the onside kick with 3:53 left in regulation. Colgate ran 1:25 off the clock but was unable to get a first down. Pruett's punt went into the endzone giving the Hoyas the ball on their own 20. Following three first downs,
Cole Kozlowski sealed the game with an interception at the Raider 40.
For the Raiders Saunders had 92 receiving yards on 10 catches. Gee led Colgate in rushing with 42 yards on 10 carries. Defensively
Tyler Flick had a monster game with a dozen tackles and five solo stops.
Christian Sweeney led the Raiders with eight unassisted tackles and had 11 overall. In addition to his two interceptions, Goss had a third pass break-up and made five tackles, including four solos. Colgate broke up six Hoya passes and intercepted three.
"Overall, this was just a huge team win. It will be good to get back home. I'm very proud of the guys. Let's have a good practice on Monday and let's go 1-0 next week."
UP NEXT
Colgate returns home, Saturday, Oct. 28, to face Patriot League foe Bucknell. Kickoff is scheduled at 1 p.m.
