10/12/2002
Box Score
Davidson, N.C. ? Georgetown University?s football team overcame 21 straight points by Davidson College to defeat the Wildcats, 25-21 at Davidson?s Richardson Stadium. Georgetown scored two touchdowns after Davidson took a 21-13 lead in the third quarter. The Hoya offense amassed 362 yards on the day, while the defense limited Davidson to 20 yards on the ground. Georgetown?s overall record increases to 2-4 while Davidson drops to 3-3.
Georgetown took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards for a touchdown using a heavy dose of running from John Sims (Monaco, Pa./Center). The Hoyas faced a fourth and inches on the Davidson 43 and quarterback David Paulus (Manlius, N.Y./CBA) took the snap and ran behind center Jim Lenihan (Bloomfield, Mich./Seaholm) for the first down. Later on third and six Paulus found Luke McArdle (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet Regional) for a 32-yard scoring strike giving GU a 6-0 lead. Both teams traded punts before Davidson, relying on the pass drove 40 yards and had the ball on the GU 27. Two straight miscues by Davidson, a false start and a second down snap over quarterback Paul Nichol?s head put Davidson back to the 50-yard line. Davidson punter Chris Costello pinned GU at the three-yard line.
Early in the second quarter with Georgetown facing third down at their six, Paulus hit McArdle for a first down. Paulus then found McArdle again. McArdle hauled in the pass on the right side of the field, broke two tackles and took the ball over to the left sideline and up the field for 60 yards. Facing a third and six at the Davidson 11 Paulus shoveled a pass to William Huisking (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) who scampered into the right side of the end zone. The conversion by Michael Gillman (Miami, Fla./Killian) was good, and the Hoyas took a 13-0 lead with 11:56 to play in the half. Davidson countered and moved the football inside Georgetown territory but running back John Green fumbled in the backfield and GU?s Matt Korcinsky (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) made the recovery. The Hoyas were forced into a punting situation on the ensuing drive and punter Keith Schroeder (Summit, N.J./Summit) boomed a high kick that was downed at the five-yard line. Davidson moved the Wildcats from the five to the Georgetown end zone. Davidson?s quarterback Nichols was under a heavy rush on first down on GU?s nine and lofted the ball into the right corner of the end zone to Mike Chase for a score with 43 seconds in half. At the break Georgetown held a 13-7 advantage.
Three punts started the second half and after Georgetown?s offense stalled punter Schroeder fumbled a low snap and Davidson started the next drive at the GU 27. On a second and 12 play the Wildcats? Nichols floated a ball over the middle to wide out Barrett Johnson for the go-ahead TD. GU immediately turned the ball over again as Sims fumbled on first down giving the Wildcats the ball on GU?s 25. A holding penalty and a dropped pass brought up a 41-yard field goal attempt that Davidson faked on a pitch to Jim Carney who ran to the Hoya seven. On third and goal a rollout pass was completed to Chalin? Answell for the one yard score, Davidson led 21-13 with 1:36 remaining in the third.
GU advanced the ball to the 50 before punting the ball early in the fourth quarter. On second and 10 Nichols threw an out on the left side of the field that was picked off by GU?s Tim Banks (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) and returned 36 yards for his second interception return for a TD this season. Georgetown failed on the two-point conversion and Davidson held a 21-19 advantage. Three straight incompletions on Davidson?s next drive gave the ball back to GU at their 40. Paulus came out firing and hit Walter Bowser (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) for 15 yards to get the ball to the Davidson 45. A five-yard romp by Huisking converted a third and three at the Hoyas 32. Paulus then got nailed by a Davidson defender on first down but was still able to throw the ball down field. McArdle out jumped the Wildcat defensive backs and made the spectacular grab at the three-yard line. Two plays later Paulus strung the play out to the left sideline and then lobbed the ball over the end line to Huisking who caught the ball while laying flat on his back. The touchdown put the Hoyas up 25-21 with 7:20 in the fourth. Davidson punted the ball back to Georgetown and the Blue and Gray ran over five minutes off the clock as Sims gained 34 yards in the drive and the Wildcats gained the ball back on downs with 1:12 to play on their 27. Davidson could not move the ball and Georgetown ended up running out the clock.
Paulus ended the day with 237 yards in the air on 15-of-20 passing in his first start of 2002. McArdle snared five passes for 148 yards while Sims led the ground attack with 87. The Hoya defense held the Wildcats to 289 total yards, led by Calvin Lyons? (Dallas, Texas/St. Mark?s) six tackles and Rocco Milazzotto (Dallas, Texas/Jesuit) and Andrew Clarke (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) with five stops apiece.
Georgetown returns to Patriot League play with a trip to Lafayette on October 19, 2002 at 1:30 p.m.
