The Lafayette football team (2-6 overall, 1-2 Patriot League) hosted the Georgetown Hoyas for their senior day last Saturday, losing 20-30. The ceremony before the game celebrated 21 seniors who have stuck through the program through the COVID-19 pandemic and a coaching change.
“The seniors have put in so much work this year and the whole time they’ve been here. All the underclassmen owe a lot to these guys to show up every day and go to work for them and set an example for the next generation of guys,” junior quarterback Rent Montie said.
The Leopards came into Saturday’s play a week after one of the biggest upsets in the history of the program fell just short when the sixth ranked Holy Cross came to Easton. The Crusaders were the highest ranked program to ever come to Fisher field, and the game came down to a fourth-and-goal on Lafayette’s 16-yard line with the Leopards up four. The Crusaders scored, then held the Leopards on the following drive to take the game, 24-21.
The Leopards came out on Saturday looking like they had still not recovered from that heartbreaking loss. Upon getting the ball, Georgetown immediately marched down the field for a score. The Hoyas followed that up with a three-and-out stop, setting the momentum in their favor.
Georgetown came into this game struggling, having lost their last six matchups and giving up at least 30 points in all but one of them.
“Georgetown was a solid team who always seems to play us well. In the Patriot League, every year anyone can beat anyone, and we just didn’t show up and the scoreboard shows that,” Montie said.
Georgetown continued to control the game and were aided by the Leopards’ questionable decision making, as on a fourth-and 12-on their own 18-yard line, they ran a fake punt. The punt was unsuccessful, and it set up the Hoya’s in the redzone. They converted the opportunity, improving their lead to 14-0.
The offense continued to sputter, and Georgetown continued to take advantage, tacking on another field goal to a three-score lead. All signs pointed to a blowout, but Lafayette’s defense came up big.
Senior defensive lineman and captain Malik Hamm forced a fumble that fellow senior captain linebacker Marco Olivas recovered. Starting QB sophomore Ah-Shaun Davis threw a touchdown a few plays later, giving the Leopards a little bit of hope going into halftime.
The Leopards cut further into the lead to start the second half as senior running back Jaden Sutton rammed his way into the endzone, minimizing the deficit to just three.
Following this score, the Leopards again began to struggle offensively, with Davis throwing his first interception of the day. Georgetown proceeded to score on the following drive, then again on their next drive, making the score 30-14 and forcing Head Coach John Troxell to put in back-up QB Montie.
“I prepare every week like I’m the guy, so stepping in the game I’m always ready to go in and do my thing. Whenever my number is called, I’m ready to go,” Montie said.
Montie came in and marched down the field, hitting freshman tight end Dallas Holmes on a bobbled catch for a score, cutting the lead to 10. They attempted a two-point conversion to try and bring the deficit to one score, but failed. The subsequent onside kick was likewise unsuccessful.
The defense held at the Lafayette 29-yard line, giving the offense an opportunity to move down the field. They did just that, getting across the 50-yard line, moving all the way to the 30-yard line of Georgetown but their drive stalled out there, putting the game on ice for the Hoyas.
“We played hard, especially in the second half. At the end of the day, we just need to execute better. We got a lot of guys who really hate losing, and we are gonna work our tails off to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Montie said.
Following the hard loss, the Leopards will look to rebound and save their season with three games left. They will hit the road this weekend and visit Hamilton, N.Y. to play the Colgate Raiders. With only three weeks left before the 158th meeting between Lafayette and Lehigh, the Maroon and White will look to get back on track.
“We’re all ready to get to work and finish the season with some wins,” Montie said.
The game between the Leopards and Raiders will kick off at 1 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
