Thank You Fans
Saturday's turnout of 3,575 to see Georgetown and Holy Cross achieved two milestones in recent home attendance.
With both football and men's basketball playing games at the same time, the football turnout outdrew the Hoyas' game at Capital One Arena with St. Francis (3,192), the first time that has happened in memory. Additionally, the season average of 3,404 (90 percent capacity at Cooper Field) is the highest average attendance for a season since 1978, when games were moved to the former Georgetown baseball field during the rebuild of Kehoe Field. (The hill is now the site of the Hariri Building and Regents Hall.)Special thanks go to the Gridiron Club for its regular tailgates for supporters. According to a post at its Facebook page, Saturday's event was its "largest tailgate of the year. We will be looking forward to ramping it up again in August."
Home games next season are projected, but not yet confirmed, as Marist (1-10 in 2024) and Morgan State (5-7) out of conference, with Patriot League games featuring Lafayette, Colgate and Fordham. The date and location of the game with Richmond has not been disclosed; Richmond hosts a nonconference game with Howard in 2025 and could play at Georgetown to balance its schedule, but the PL has not released a composite schedule.
Richmond (10-2) meets Lehigh (8-3) in the first round of the FCS playoffs Saturday.
Holy Cross 34, Georgetown 0
Down three offensive starters, the Georgetown Hoyas were no match for the Holy Cross Crusaders, 34-0, in the season finale at Cooper Field, its third consecutive loss to end the 2024 season.
POST-GAME ARTICLES
Danny Lauter, Jimmy Kibble and Nicholas Dunneman were listed as starters on the Georgetown media notes, but none were available for the game, leaving backup quarterback Jake Holtschlag to make his first start. Holtschlag struggled throughout a game where the Hoyas were out of contention by the end of the first quarter.Trouble started for the Hoyas at the start, when returner Quincy Briggs bobbled the kickoff out of bounds at the Georgetown five. Three plays and a punt followed, whereupon the Crusaders went to work at midfield. A 29 yard pass from QB Joe Pesansky to WR Nathan Schillinger set up the Crusaders at the Georgetown 13, where a short field goal followed, 3-0.
Georgetown's next series netted four yards. On the punt, a low snap and a string Holy Cross rush was too much for punter Patrick Ryan, whose line drive kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown, 10-0. As the Hoyas' next drive stalled at midfield, the Crusaders drove 76 yards in six plays, with an 18 yard run by RB Justin Clerveaux with 43 seconds in the first quarter extended the score to 17-0. The Hoyas were outgained 117 to 27, with just six rushing yards on seven carries.
Th Hoyas managed one first down in its first four drives. Holtschlag, who completed four of his first five attempts, albeit in small yardage, missed eight of his next ten. After the Hoyas went three and out in just 39 seconds at the end of the first quarter, the Crusaders drove six plays to the Hoyas' 16 before an offensive penalty led to a 48 yard field goal, 20-0.
With little help in the air, Georgetown crossed midfield just once in the first half. Bryce Cox rushed for 34 of his game-high 58 yards in a drive that advanced to the HC 34, but Briggs was stuffed on a fourth and five, ending the drive. Two punts and a late interception were all Holy Cross offered to end the half with the game well in command.
The Crusaders went to the run to open the third, marching 54 yards in 13 plays, with Clerveaux rushing for 43 of those, including an eight yard run through the Georgetown line, 27-0. Holtschlag led the Hoyas into HC territory in each of his first two series of the third, but turned the ball over on consecutive fourth down plays.
On his third series of the half, deep in Georgetown territory, Holtschlag was picked off by defensive back Cam Jones at the GU 20 for a pick-six touchdown, but Jones was tagged with a spot foul for waving at the Georgetown players as he confidently entered the end zone. The erstwhile touchdown was converted to a first down at the Georgetown 18, which Pesansky converted three plays later, 34-0.
Some lazy passing by the Crusaders offered back to back interceptions in the fourth quarter, giving the Hoyas two opportunities to avoid the shutout.
With 7:48 remaining, Holtschlag led the struggling Hoyas to an eight play drive to the HC 35, with the first (and only) third down conversion of the entire game, but on a fourth and six he was sacked for eight yards. Taking over with 1:51 remaining a the HC 12, Holtschlag overthrew his receiver on a fourth and one at the HC 10, whereupon the visitors ran out the clock.
HC's ninth consecutive win over Georgetown was its first shutout in PL play since 2022 and earned the Crusaders a share of a sixth consecutive Patriot League title, although Lehigh will advance to the FCS playoffs following a 10-7 win in Worcester two weeks earlier.
This was a loss in all three phases for the Hoyas. Holtschlag finished 13 for 30 for 85 yards as the Hoyas gained just 184 total yards on 63 plays and were 1 for 13 on third down. Defensively, the defense allowed nearly five yards per play for the Crusaders and while HC was held to just 293 yards, this was a function of poor special teams across the board: seven of Holy Cross' 10 possessions began inside Georgetown 50.
From a promising 5-3 mark entering November, the Hoyas were obliterated on the scoreboard this month, being outscored 108 to 9. Depth, or more accurately, the lack thereof, was in full evidence at the conclusion of the 2024 season, as the Hoyas ended its schedule 5-6 and finished below .500 for a 12th consecutive year. In five of those seasons since 2012, the Hoyas were 5-5 entering the final week of play, and in all five they lost to Holy Cross in the season finale.
Holy Cross leads the overall series 25-11 and has won 20 of the last 25.
Game statistics:
HOLY CROSS GEORGETOWN
First downs 16 12
Rushed-yards 46-193 33-99
Passing yards 100 85
Sacked-yards lost 1-10 2-12
Passes 8-17-2 13-30-1
Punts 4-40.5 7-32.3
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 10-105 3-19
Time of possession 34:42 25:18
2024 Games To Date
