Moment #4: The First Letdown
Even some of the more cynical Lion fans expecting some kind of a letdown after the impressive 31-20 week one win over Lafayette were not expecting that letdown to come in week two at Georgetown. After all, the Hoyas were looking weak after their loss at home to Brown the week before, and Columbia seemed more likely to have a problem with Princeton the following game.
Any thoughts of a bad step in week 2 seemed even more rare after the Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead midway through the 2nd quarter.
But as good as a backup that QB Cole Freeman was at times playing in place of the injured starter Chase Goodwin, the Georgetown game would prove to be one where his minuses outweighed his plusses.
Freeman's three interceptions that day, paired with the defense's uncharacteristic performance where it gave up three TD drives of 70+ yards, proved to be Columbia's undoing in a 20-17 loss.
Perhaps the biggest moment in the game for the long run of the season came when Head Coach Jon Poppe and his staff elected to go for a field goal on a 4th and 2 at the Georgetown 5. At the moment of that decision, the Lions led 14-13. The field goal by Hugo Merry was good, but the Hoyas drove 73 yards for a TD after the ensuing kickoff to win the game. As a result, Poppe was much more aggressive for the rest of the season and went for TD's in most of the similar situations that arose later.
But the entire week two loss clearly served as a learning exercise for the Lions who rarely made any of the same mistakes again. While it remained the most disappointing loss of the year for CU, it proved its worth in learning experiences alone.
