Nov. 16, the Bison football team hosted Georgetown on Senior Day. The Bison came into the game 2-7 on the season and 2-2 in conference play. After honoring the team’s seniors and fifth-years, the team strutted to an impressive 20-17 victory over the Hoyas.

The key difference in this game was the Bison’s defense. The Bison were able to pressure Georgetown all game on their way to three sacks. The Bison trailed early on but were able to cut the deficit to four going into halftime when Nnamdi Unachukwu ’21 forced a Georgetown fumble that Gavin Pringle ’23 was able to take back for an Orange and Blue touchdown.

Entering the second half, the Bison responded to a Georgetown touchdown with a blocked punt in the fourth quarter by Simeon Page ’21, which was recovered by Brent Jackson ’23. Logan Bitikofer ’21 then completed a pass to Connor Holmes ’23 for 16 yards, which helped Chad Freshnock ’20 set up a touchdown. The Bison trailed 17-12 and tried for the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to three points, but failed.

On the next Georgetown drive, the Orange and Blue’s defense came up big again. Conner Romango ’21 picked off a pass to set up a five-play drive that resulted in a Bison touchdown by Dominic Lyles ’22. Gerrit Van Itallie ’21 iced the game and secured the Senior Day victory with a fumble recovery during Georgetown’s last drive.

“Physically, we are much stronger as a team largely due to our new strength coach, Mark Kulbis.  He came in last semester and helped us create a new culture along with the rest of the new coaching staff.  We dealt with many injuries last season and had many inexperienced guys playing a lot of snaps. Although some of us probably weren’t physically or mentally ready to play last season, we gained some valuable experience which has helped us execute more often this year,” Grayson Cherubino ’22 said.

The Bison will be back in action when they play Fordham on Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. The team is currently tied for second place in the Patriot League standings with a chance to secure a tie for the title with this upcoming game.

“I believe the biggest difference between our team last year and this year is our perseverance and confidence. Last season, we likely would have given up with a 17-6 deficit in the fourth quarter. After giving up double-digit leads against Holy Cross and Lafayette, our team is finally learning how to finish games and win. Saturday’s game is a huge step in the right direction for this program,” Cherubino said.