WASHINGTON – Georgetown University Football Head Coach Rob Sgarlata has announced the schedule for the upcoming 2019 season. The Hoyas will play five home games at Cooper Field, including three of their six contests in Patriot League action. Starting times for all 11 games will be released at a later date.
 
"Our players and staff are very excited about our 2019 schedule," Sgarlata said. "Our out-of-conference schedule will present a great challenge, including starting the year on the road as we face Davidson who features one of the top overall offenses in the country. We are looking forward to playing two Ivy League opponents, Cornell and Columbia, both in New York in front of the Hoya football family. I am confident that our first five games will prepare us for our Patriot League schedule.  Currently, our players are completing the first phase of our off season training and are looking forward to improving every day during our spring practice schedule as we prepare for the 2019 journey."
 
The Hoyas will open the season by traveling down to North Carolina for an Aug. 31 matchup at Davidson. The two teams last met in the 2016 season opener at Cooper Field, a game that Georgetown won 38-14. Overall, GU holds a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series, including five-straight wins.
 
The Blue & Gray will play its home opener on Sep. 7 when it welcomes Marist to Cooper Field. It will be the 22nd meeting all-time between the two teams and the sixth-consecutive season the nonconference rivals have met. The Hoyas hold a 16-5 lead in the all-time series, and have won four of the past five matchups. In last year's season opener in New York, GU came away with a 39-14 win behind 369 passing yards and four touchdowns by Gunther Johnson (Anthem, Ariz. / Boulder Creek / Arizona).
 
The Hoyas will remain at home the following weekend, Sep. 14, when they host Catholic, which will make the short trip across the city. The two teams last met in 1993 in Georgetown's first year as a member of what was then Division I-AA (now FCS). GU holds an all-time 17-9 series advantage over the Cardinals.
 
Following a bye weekend, the Blue & Gray will head out on the road for a pair of road games against Ivy League opponents. The Hoyas will play the fifth edition of the Lou Little rivalry at Columbia on Sep. 28. The two squads have each won two games since they began playing for the Lou Little Trophy in 2015. Georgetown will then travel to Cornell the following weekend, Oct. 5, for a matchup against the Big Red. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2007 and just the fourth all-time.
 
Patriot League play will open up with back-to-back home games against Fordham (Oct. 12) and Lafayette (Oct. 19). The matchup with the Rams will be played as part of Georgetown's Homecoming Weekend, while the contest against the Leopards will be in conjunction with Family Weekend. The Hoyas won 23-11 at Fordham last season, behind two rushing touchdowns from Herman Moultrie III (Columbus, Ohio / Columbus Academy). The squad made it two-straight wins with a 13-6 victory at Lafayette on the strength of two rushing scores by Johnson.
 
Georgetown will travel to Lehigh on Oct. 26 for a contest against the Mountain Hawks. The Hoyas won a double-overtime thriller last fall at Cooper Field, the program's first victory over Lehigh since 1925.
 
The Blue & Gray will close out the home portion of its schedule on Nov. 2 when Colgate visits the Hilltop for Georgetown's Senior Day game.
 
After a second bye week, GU will head out on the road for its final two games of the season, playing at Bucknell (Nov. 16) and Holy Cross (Nov. 23). The Hoyas put up a strong defensive effort in a 14-3 victory over the Bison in 2018, and the defense added a pair of scores in a tough 32-31 loss to the Crusaders to close out the season.
 
The Hoyas finished the 2018 season with a 5-6 overall record and tied for second in the Patriot League with 4-2 mark. The four wins in league play are the most by a GU program since joining the conference in 2001. The five wins are the most since 2012. Georgetown added 20 incoming freshmen during the signing period.