By John Reagan
October 15, 2020

There's a time-worn saying that says "you are who your schedule says you are". In major college football, this edit: "you are who your TV schedule says you are".

In 2020, there are literally millions of sports fans which ask, simply as uninformed, "Does Georgetown have a football team?" And when the Hoyas aren't seen on TV, or heard on radio, people assume they don't.

Yes, games are out there for people like me who scour the Web to see a game. All of Georgetown's games in 2019 were available through various Internet channels, but none were seen nationally on broadcast or cable TV, which is where the vast majority of viewers consume college football.

But there it was: a free wheeling, unexpectedly exciting game that even led to ESPN interrupting coverage of a game on another network to show it. Largely forgotten today, the meeting between Georgetown and Princeton on September 21, 2012 was one of the most memorable games in the last 50 years of Hoya football, if only you saw it.


"Georgetown's football team will play before a national television audience for the first time ever when it travels to Princeton," wrote The HOYA on July 9, 2012. No April Fool's story here.

"Our kids are very excited about playing on national television against a storied program like Princeton," said head coach Kevin Kelly. "This is a well-deserved opportunity to gain exposure for Georgetown football and what we continue to build on the Hilltop."

The Ivy League enjoyed a variety of national cable television appearances, including weekly games on NBC Sports Network and YES. And with an opening on its calendar for September 21, ESPNU reached out to the Ivy League to gauge interest in a night game at one of the schools. But some Ivy facilities weren't suited to night football and others preferred to stay on Saturday afternoon for attendance reasons. Princeton stepped forward and the teams agreed to move its September 22 game at Princeton Stadium to Friday evening.

"Although the atmosphere may remind the players of former Friday night games, their opponent is no high school team," wrote the preview in the Daily Princetonian. "Georgetown (2-1) already has a couple of wins this year, and its only loss was by a mere three points against Yale last week. The Hoyas also have proven they can play on the road, winning 35-14 at Davidson in their opener." Princeton (0-1) opened the 2012 season two weeks late, as is Ivy custom, but surprised some with a hard fought 17-14 loss at Lehigh to open the season.

The 7:00 pm kickoff offered in-person guests a game time temperature of 74, but as the game approached, most of the 27,000 seats at Princeton Stadium were slow in filling up. The Princeton township is well known for its equidistance between New York and the Philadelphia suburbs, but Route 1 is unforgiving at rush hour from either direction. Those that made it from their team's respective tailgates settled in their seats for a game of no fewer than three Georgetown rallies and a last second field goal that was front and center on the ESPN networks.

And yes, that was Georgetown on TV sets from coast to coast. Imagine that.





Drawing upon contemporary game coverage originally posted at HoyaSaxa.com, the story of this game was one of Georgetown adapting and prevailing. It wasn't easy, but it was remarkable given the inconsistency of Georgetown teams in this period failing to stay competitive throughout the game.

That first adaptation was at quarterback. The Hoyas had lost its first string quarterback, Isaiah Kempf, on the fifth play of the season opener versus Davidson, leading to junior Aaron Aiken taking the lead in Kempf's place. By the Princeton game, Aiken was the acknowledged starter and his opening drive in this game was among his best of his career. Aiken was 5 for 5 passing as the Hoyas crisply moved from its 25 inside the Princeton 10. But a miscue on substitution patterns sent 12 Hoyas on the field for a second down at the Tigers' four, costing Georgetown yardage and momentum.

Georgetown ended up taking a delay of game penalty to help kicker Matt MacZura avoid an awkward angle up close that hurt him in a similar situation a week earlier versus Yale, allowing him to kick a successful 25 yard field goal to put the Hoyas ahead, 3-0.

Princeton employed a no-huddle offense that appeared to give trouble to the Georgetown defenses. The Tigers quickly moved to midfield where QB Conor Michelsen found receiver Roman Wilson cutting across the middle, a 34 yard catch to the Georgetown 18. The Georgetown defense held the Tigers at the Georgetown 10, forcing a field goal attempt. The Tigers stung the Hoyas by converting a bad snap into a backfield pass from snapper Tom Moak to receiver Mark Hayes, delighting the home crowd and earning a place on ESPN's top plays of the day, 7-0.

Georgetown was stopped on its next series and a poor punt set the Tigers up at midfield. The no-huddle continued to take its toll, as the Tigers moved in eight plays to the Georgetown 23 and relied on RB Will Powers to rush four consecutive times en route to a 14-3 lead. Princeton, which had won just two games in two seasons, none by more than three points, was taking over early.

As the first quarter ended, Georgetown got some unexpected (and welcome) help in the stands. Delayed from rush hour along Interstate 95, two buses pulled up to the east side of Princeton Stadium with the Georgetown band, cheerleaders, and about 40 students to help support the team. The extra charter, paid for by Princeton alumnus and Georgetown men's basketball coach John Thompson III, rallied the visitors side, which had filled in to about half of just under 7,000 in the stadium by the start of the second quarter, and may have been the first road trip for the band to a football game in decades.

Georgetown's next drive advanced to midfield, but adversity lurked around the corner, On a third and seven, Aiken was sacked and left with an ankle injury, the second quarterback to fall to injury in four games. Next up was junior Stephen Skon, a highly regarded prospect from Lindenhurst NY who was relegated to fourth on the depth chart in 2011 and third in 2012 following the graduation of Scott Darby. Suddenly, third was first.

In his first drive, Skon rushed for 18 yards and passed for 33 as the Hoyas drove inside the Tigers' red zone for a second time, but settled for a field goal, 14-6. The difference of the game to date was conversion--two drives for touchdowns by Princeton, two for field goals by the Hoyas. But Skon's leadership role in the backfield would begin to pay dividends in this game.

The Tigers took over with 3:57 in the second quarter and things started to get interesting. On a second and 10 from its 22, the snap to Princeton QB Conor Michelsen sailed right past him. For a moment, the Tigers stood still, but playing close to the line, Georgetown's Jeremy Moore raced into the end zone to recover the ball and in doing so, the Hoyas were back in the game, 14-12. But in its biggest play to date in the game, the Hoyas was tagged with an excessive celebration penalty, ending any thoughts of a two point conversion.

The subsequent extra point was no less comfortable, as MacZura's kick was blocked. Defensive end Mike Catapano recovered the ball and saw daylight down the sidelines. His moment of glory was halted at midfield thanks to an alert Georgetown tackler, holding the score at 14-12 late in the first half.

The first half fireworks weren't over, however.

On the first drive of its next series, Skon was intercepted at the Georgetown 43 with 1:04 left. Georgetown forced a three and out and the Tigers punted it back with under a minute left, whereupon returner Rohan Williamson lost sight of the ball and it careened off his shoulders, a deflating series of events which saw the Tigers take over at the Georgetown 17 yard line with 27 seconds to play.

Michelsen went to the end zone on first down, incomplete. On second down, Michelsen bobbled the snap, taking a four yard loss. On third down, Georgetown All-America LB Robert McCabe came in from the strong side for a four yard sack, forcing Princeton to call time with two seconds left to bring in kicker Nolan Bieck, a future All-Ivy kicker with an 80 percent career success rate on field goals.

In a first half when anything was predictable, Bieck's kick sailed low and right, and the Tigers carried a 14-12 lead into intermission. With as many opportunities as Georgetown had lost out on in the first half (an interception, a fumble, and a blocked kick, just to name three) the Hoyas were still in this one. It wasn't good football, but it was good TV and it kept viewers interested.



Princeton opened the second half behind the rushing of freshman RB Diandre Atwater, younger brother of Georgetown DB Stephen Atwater. Three Atwater runs to midfield set up the Tigers' opening drive, and a 28 yard pass from Michelsen to WR Roman Wilson set up the Tigers at the Georgetown 23. But the Georgetown's defense picked up the slack, as linebackers Jeremy Grasso and Dustin Wharton forced losses on first and third down, stalling the drive. Princeton opted for a field goal attempt from 49 yards, this time wide right.

After a Georgetown three and out, the Tigers suffered a pair of ill-timed penalties that could have blown open the game. Deep in its territory in the third quarter, Michelsen found Atwater on a 47 yard pass to the GU 38, but was called back by holding. Four plays later, Michelsen found Atwater again for a 26 yard pass play, but it was also called back with an illegal block. Penalties aside, this was the first in a series of second half defensive stops which began to elevate the Hoyas in this game. Holding the Tigers to a net (-9) yards in this series, the defense stood tall three minutes later, stuffing Atwater on a third and one deep in Princeton territory and forcing a punt to the Georgetown 38.

Skon picked up the pace, sending three straight passes complete into Princeton territory. The Hoyas had lacked a big play run for most of the game but got it when RB Dalen Claytor popped through the line for 28 yards to the Princeton seven. On this series, the Hoyas would not settle for three, as RB Nick Campanella drove into the end zone on the next play. Up four, the Hoyas opted for two but the pass was broken up, giving Georgetown an 18-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

Princeton responded with the kind of run that eluded them all evening. Aided by a Georgetown personal foul that brought the Tigers to midfield, Atwater punched through the Georgetown line and raced 53 yards for a touchdown. But in a game where PAT's were decidedly MIA, Georgetown's Dustin Wharton stunned the Tigers with a block of the kick and the Tigers held its lead at just 20-18.

After a six play drive stalled the Hoyas at midfield, the Tigers got the ball back with 12:12 to play. Atwater's running and Michelsen's passing moved the Tigers to a fourth down and six at the GU 29, but Princeton coach Bob Surace opted for a fourth down try after two long field goal tries sailed awry. Michelsen's fourth down pass was broken up, but the Hoyas had jumped offside. On the second try, Michelsen found WR Seth DeValve at the Georgetown 21. The Hoya defense held the Tigers to three yards in the next three plays.

Back came Bieck for a 35 yard attempt, his third of the game. For a third attempt, he missed, this time wide left.

In post-game comments, Princeton coach Bob Surace took note not to blame Bieck for the outcomes. "I put him in an adverse situation," Surace told the Daily Princetonian. "We lost trust because we didn't snap the ball right. Once we lost trust, we lost technique."

After an exchange of punts, Georgetown took over with 5:34 to play at its 12 yard line, setting in motion one of Georgetown's great fourth quarter drives of the modern era. A 15 play, 72 yard drive was not only remarkable given the time and distance, but the drama was matched by Georgetown's ability to stay in focus.

Early plays were not promising. Gerogetown looked to be three and out when the Tigers were called for roughing the passer on the GU 19. With the 15 yard gift, the Hoyas went on the move. A pair of rushes by RB Dalen Claytor and a pass from Skon to WR Kevin Macari brought GU to midfield with 3:36 to play. Stopped short on its next two plays, GU faced a fourth and three at the Princeton 48. Not known as a gambler, Georgetown's Kevin Kelly went all-in on a play to extend the series.

"If I'm [offensive coordinator Vinny Marino], hands down, I'm running option," said ESPN analyst Rene Ingoglia. "They had success with it, and it gives you two options. Skon's a good runner, he comes down the line, you play off the defensive end. He jumps you, you get the pitch to your back, most likely will be Claytor, and see if he can get to the perimeter and pick up a couple of yards."

And that's exactly what happened. With the Baylor at Louisiana-Monroe game in a break, ESPN flipped to Princeton.

"He's Rene Ingoglia, I'm Joe Beninati, fourth down, ESPNU college football prime time...fourth down and three for the Georgetown Hoyas in white. Here comes the option, the pitch to Claytor, gets the corner, gets the first down for the Hoyas!"

A brief clip from YouTube shows the ESPNU broadcast on that fourth down play. With the Georgetown fight song playing in the background, the video has the Georgetown crowd roaring as Skon is leveled but gets Claytor the pitch for a six yard gain.

Yes, a Georgetown crowd. Roaring.

Consecutive passes from Skon of 14 and 10 yards to Kevin Macari brought Georgetown to the Princeton 18 with 1:14 to play. Opting to settle for three rather than go for the end zone may have been inspired by the Hoyas' late game troubles the week before against Yale, but it was also a recognition that this was a two point game and MacZura's to win. Two running plays essentially set up field position, and Georgetown's timeout with :19 set up the kick from the Princeton 16 yard line.

ESPNU was again the focus along the network as MacZura set his sights on the south end zone.



The 33 yard kick sailed through the uprights, 21-20.

"I kind of knew we were going to make it," MacZura told the Georgetown Voice. "I don't know if it ever becomes old habit, but it makes the next one a little easier."

"I knew he was going to make it [too]," said Kelly. "I told him before he went out, don't worry about it, you're going to make it, they don't have any timeouts and can't ice you, just like practice."

Princeton had one last chance with 12 seconds to play at its 16 yard line. A pass play to midfield made things a little dicey, but the Georgetown defense forced a fumble as time expired. And why not? The defense stepped up time and again.


The fame of the game was fleeting. Saturday's broadcast schedule reset the national conversation: Michigan at Notre Dame, Clemson at Florida, LSU at Auburn. The Associated Press account of the game clocked in at just 115 words, followed by player stats.

"PRINCETON, N.J. -- Matt MacZura kicked a 33-yard field goal with 14 seconds left to give Georgetown a 21-20 victory over Princeton on Friday night.

MacZura was 3 for 3 for the Hoyas (3-1), connecting from 25 and 26 yards in the first half, while Princeton's Nolan Bieck missed all three of his attempts and had an extra point blocked.

Georgetown rallied to win after Princeton's DiAndre Atwater scored on a 53-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers (0-2) a 20-18 lead.

Georgetown's Jeremy Moore recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the second quarter, and Nick Campanella gave the Hoyas an 18-14 lead with a 7-yard scoring run late in the third quarter."

"The game was closer than expected, with Princeton leading for a majority of the game, but three missed field goals and penalties proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome," wrote the Daily Princetonian.

"If you did not come to the football game on Friday night, shame on you," wrote columnist Shayan Rakhit. "Not just because you should support Princeton athletics. Not just because it was the home opener for the Tigers. Not just because it was a marquee opponent Princeton had not played since 1923. Not just because it was a game on Friday night, early in the school year. No, shame on you because the Tigers put on a damn good show."

"The harder answer as to why the Tigers lost on Friday night? Georgetown is simply a better team. That may not be the answer Princeton is looking for, but it's true."

Much could be said about the kicking game being the margin of victory--MacZura kicked three, Bieck missed three--but the greatness of this game was on defense. One number illustrates the defensive gem of this game as well as any: total yardage. In the first quarter, the Tigers had 138 yards and 14 points. For the remainder of the game, just 148 yards and six points. Take out Atwater's 53 yard run early in the fourth quarter, and Georgetown held Princeton to a net of 95 yards in the last 45 minutes of the game.

For a coach who had won a total of five games in his first four seasons, it was a big win for Kevin Kelly, ending a streak of 11 consecutive losses to Ivy League opponents under his watch and 13 straight for Georgetown dating back to a 42-20 win over Cornell on October 18, 2003. And the parallels between the win over Princeton and the 2003 game with Cornell only grew in the years to come.

The 2003 Cornell win appeared to be setting up Bob Benson and the Hoyas for a concerted run in the Patriot League. Following the win over Cornell, Benson finished just 8-19 (.296) before resigning after the 2005 season. If the Cornell game was a peak for Bob Benson, the Princeton game also represented a peak for Kevin Kelly. Georgetown left Princeton Stadium that September evening the winners of 12 of its prior 16 games. From that win, Kelly finished just 4-14 (.222) before resigning after the 2013 season. By contrast, Princeton's Bob Surace won 12 of his next 16 following that game, including the 2013 Ivy League title.

Georgetown has not returned to national television. But for one late summer evening in 2012, its fans got a brief glimpse of what they have been missing all along. 

(Non-ESPN images courtesy Tiger Tailgate.)