The Bison football team faced another in-conference rival on Saturday, Oct. 23 in a home showdown against the Georgetown Hoyas. What started to look like a Bison victory soon took a turn for the worst, as the Hoyas battled in the fourth quarter to defeat the Orange and Blue 29-21. The Bison fell to 1-6 on the season and 0-3 in Patriot League play.

It took the Hoyas less than 30 seconds from the start of the game to get on the scoreboard, taking a quick 7-0 lead off of a 70-yard touchdown pass. About eight minutes later, the Bison responded with a touchdown of their own, with quarterback Ethan Grady ’25 linking up with wide receiver Dominic Lyles ’22 for a 31-yard score. 

The Bison and Hoyas were even at 7-7 entering the second quarter. The Hoyas were first to get on the board again this quarter, but this time only converting a field goal, leading the Bison by three. With six minutes left in the first half, Lyles scored a 24-yard touchdown off a pass from Grady to gain the lead 14-10. The Hoyas closed off the score in the first half, narrowing their deficit to 14-13 off of a 21-yard field goal.

The Bison fought to maintain their lead, continuing to pressure Georgetown. It was once again a pass from Grady to Lyles that resulted in the Bison’s third touchdown of the game from the duo. These would ultimately be the Orange and Blue’s final points, with Georgetown picking up their energy in the second half. The third quarter ended with the Bison on top 21-16 after the Hoyas closed out the quarter with a field goal.

The Orange and Blue were not ready for what came in the final quarter of play. While the Bison offense was unable to convert any points, the defense was able to hold the Hoyas back until six minutes remained. In a matter of minutes, the Hoyas scored two unanswered touchdowns, stunning the Bison crowd. The game ended 29-21 in favor of the Hoyas. 

While this was definitely not the result that was expected nor hoped for, there were many key performances, especially from Lyles who scored all three Bison touchdowns. He is the first Bison to do this since Nov. 1, 2014, matching the University record for touchdown catches in a game with this hat trick. Grady also had a stellar first start for the Bison, leading the Orange and Blue to their joint highest scoring performance of the season. 

When asked about the game, Grady remained optimistic, “[the team] gave everything for the entire game, and played well enough to win for most of the game. There were definitely a couple plays that [the team] would like to have back” but he knows they will “fix those things heading into this weekend,” Grady said. 

The Bison are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 30 seeking their first Patriot League victory. They head up to Colgate University to face the Raiders in a 1 p.m. kickoff.