Winning Ugly

Columbia 23 Georgetown 15

Why Columbia Won

The Lions defense dominated the first three quarters and Columbia's offense functioned well enough to jump out to a 23-0 lead. After Georgetown mounted an almost miracle comeback, the defense woke up again in time to come up with four big plays to seal the win.

Why Georgetown Lost

The Hoya offense waited too long to get going, and its running game never got going at all. The GU defense also got little-to-no-pressure on CU QB's all day.

Key Turning Points

-With 9:53 left in the 1st quarter and Columbia already ahead 3-0, QB Dillon Davis found WR Ronald Smith open down the sideline for a 28-yard gain to the Georgetown 29. Four plays later, Davis found Smith again for a 14-yard TD. The drive, and specifically those two plays, seemed to prove the Lions could indeed function well without injured 1st string QB Josh Bean.

-With 13:10 left in the 1st half and Columbia up 10-0, Davis threw his first interception of the day and GU took over at its own 19. The Hoyas got one 1st down on a questionable 16-yard completion to star WR Michael Dereus to the GU 42. But Dereus was injured on the play and never returned. Georgetown ended up having to punt four plays later and the Lions dodged their first bullet of the day.

-With 50 seconds left in the half, Davis threw his second INT of the game, setting up GU at the Columbia 34. The Hoyas got as far as the Columbia 20 before GU QB Gunther Johnson's pass was intercepted off his receiver's body with a heads up play by Lion safety Landon Baty in the end zone. Second bullet dodged.

-With 2:15 left in the 3rd quarter and Columbia now ahead 13-0, PK Chris Alleyne was called on to kick a 46-yard FG when a Lion drive fizzled at Georgetown 28. Alleyne nailed the kick to keep his perfect season going and gave Columbia a crucial two-score lead.

-On the ensuing Hoya possession, DE Daniel DeLorenzi strip sacked Johnson and Lion LB Michael Murphy recovered the ball at the GU 29. Three plays later and with Columbia facing a 3rd and 18 at the Hoya 37, Smith made a beautiful run after the catch for a crucial 25-yard gain to the Georgetown 12 with about 14 minutes left in the game. Three plays later, Columbia was up 23-0 and seemingly in the clear.

-Georgetown answered with a TD and 2-point conversion on the following drive, and then got another TD after Davis' third pick of the game to narrow it to 23-15 with under five minutes to play. After a CU three-and-out on the ensuing possession, GU took over on the Lion 42 with 3:05 left. The Hoyas got as close as 1st and goal at the CU 9 with 2:05 to go but Johnson then threw three straight incomplete passes, two of them knocked down by CB Ben McKeighan. Then on 4th and goal from the 9, DE Ogonna Oraedu sacked Johnson to save the Lion win.

Columbia Positives

-The Columbia rush defense had its second stellar game of the year, holding Georgetown to just 25 net yards on the ground and one rushing 1st down.

-Smith proved he can still be a big play WR even without the injured Josh Wainwright to draw attention away from him. Smith finished with seven receptions for 113 yards and a TD, and many of those receptions were in some traffic and topped off with good runs after the catch.

-The Lion pass rush wasn't consistent throughout all four quarters, but it was present most of the game. DeLorenzi and Oraedu had stellar performances.

-Alleyne was brilliant again in his second start, hitting crucial FG's and being perfect again on kickoffs and PATs.

-Columbia's pass protection was excellent throughout the game, allowing just one sack. Davis' interceptions were not really forced by pressure on him in the pocket.

Columbia Negatives

-The Lions clearly lost focus after taking the 23-0 lead and let the Hoyas sneak back into the game.

-Davis had some good moments, but he's lucky his three picks only led to one GU score.

-Columbia's run blocking wasn't consistent enough to put the Hoyas away, especially late in the game when a running 1st down or two would have ended GU's hopes for a comeback.

-The secondary play was also inconsistent, with too many Georgetown receivers getting too much room downfield. When Dereus was injured, GU should not have been able to get so many other receivers so open the rest of the game.

Columbia MVP

There were a lot of contenders for the MVP title in this game, but Ronald Smith's consistent play as the new #1 WR sealed it for him. A very close second place goes to Alleyne for his clutch kicking for the second straight week. DeLorenzi and Oraedu got honorable mentions.