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WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University football team lost to Princeton University, 31-17, on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Cooper Field. With the loss, the Hoyas fall to 3-2 overall while the Tigers improve to 3-1.

Clay Norris (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park), making his first career start, finished 13-of-26 for 106 yards. Alex Valles (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) rushed 13 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Justin Hill (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) led the receiving corps with four catches for 35 yards.

Leo Loughrey (Glenshaw, Pa./Central Catholic) led the GU defense with 13 tackles while Matthew Apuzzi (Princeton, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) and David Akere (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron) each added 12. Jelani Williamson (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) recorded his second interception in as many weeks and also recovered a blocked field goal for a touchdown

Princeton started off quickly, driving 43 yards on six plays, but a missed 42-yard field goal, the first of four missed kicks on the day for the Tigers, kept the game scoreless.

Following a GU three-and-out, Princeton again lined up for a 42-yard field goal. Hunter Kiselick (Nutley, N.J./Bergen Catholic) broke through up the middle and blocked the kick - his third blocked field goal of the year, tying him for the national lead. Williamson scooped up the ball at the 49-yard line and returned it all the way, giving the Hoyas a 7-0 lead.

The Tigers found the end zone on two of their next three drives, sandwiched around a Williamson interception for a touchback, to take a 14-7 lead after the first quarter.

The lead ballooned to 21-7 on the first drive of the second quarter. The Hoyas answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 13-yard touchdown run by Valles to cut the deficit to 21-14. Valles started the drive with a 29-yard run and Norris added completions to Justin Harrell (New Orleans, La./Newman), Jim McLaughlin (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson) and Tommy Jesson (Orlando, Fla./East River).

The score remained the same at halftime, but Princeton quickly extended the lead to 31-14 with 10 points on its first two drives.

The Hoyas got back on the board on a 34-yard field goal by Henry Darmstadter (Alexandria, Va./George Mason) to cap an 11-play, 43-yard drive. First down runs by Valles, including a 19-yard rush, and Norris helped spur the GU offense.

The Blue & Gray could not come back any further in the fourth quarter as Princeton ran off more than 11 minutes of the clock.

Georgetown will open Patriot League play next weekend when Lehigh visits the Hilltop. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 15.