Homecoming Weekend was spoiled for the Georgetown Hoyas, who were defeated by the Bison in Washington on Oct. 25. Although Georgetown fans were entertained by a hard fought showdown that featured six lead changes, they eventually went home disappointed, as the Bison pulled off a 22-­17 victory, moving to 6-­1 (2-0 Patriot League) on the season.

The Orange and Blue displayed an impressive ground game throughout, with C.J. Williams ’17 breaking the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season, carrying the ball 32 times for 136 yards.

“[The production] is all because of the men up front and around me. They do a great job blocking and reading defenses and their tendencies,” Williams said.

The offensive line was also fairly effective at keeping quarterback R.J. Nitti ’17 on his feet, allowing only two sacks to a defense ranked third in the Patriot League in that category. Nitti went on to complete 13 of 24 pass attempts against the conference’s leading pass defense, tallying 171 yards through the air and what turned out to be the game winning touchdown pass to Will Carter ’17 with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Prior to that late game-winner, Williams capped off a 10-minute, 97­-yard opening series with a touchdown. This score provided the largest lead of the game for either team at six points. He made a return trip to the end zone six minutes before the half ended, helping his team recover from a 10-­9 deficit at that point.

The only other scoring contribution for the Bison came on a 20-­yard field goal from Derek Maurer ’15 that followed a 67-yard touchdown for Georgetown. The field goal was set up by a Nick O’Brien ’17 interception, and the Orange and Blue led 16-10 at halftime.

The Bison receiving corps was led by Carter, who grabbed six receptions for 77 yards and one score. His contribution helped him to eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark in his two-year career.

The Bison’s vaunted defense, ranked first in the Patriot League in total defense and rush defense, held Georgetown to 295 yards of total offense while recording one interception and two sacks on the day. Defensive coordinator Matt Borich’s unit was led by Evan Byers ’15, who earned his 15th career double-digit tackling outing.

While the game was fairly even in nearly all statistical categories, the Bison found their edge in time of possession and plays run, getting off 10 more snaps than the now 2-­6 Hoyas in addition to possessing the ball for 11 more minutes in the contest (35:36 to 24:24).

Now one of the University’s most successful teams, the Orange and Blue will look to remain among the leaders of the Patriot League and improve on their best seven-game start to a season since 1997, when they opened the year with 10 consecutive wins.

“[We have to] take it one day at a time and one step at a time. Focus on the task for each individual week, and learn from our mistakes as we continue to improve,” Williams said.

The team will play three of its final four match-ups at home in its search for a conference title, returning next for Homecoming Weekend to take on Lafayette on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.