Lehigh’s football team lost its sixth straight contest in a hard-fought road match-up with the Georgetown Hoyas 22-16 in double overtime.
The intraconference match remained close throughout, with Georgetown (4-4) striking first with a 70-yard touchdown from junior quarterback Gunther Johnson to junior wide receiver Michael Dereus.
The Mountain Hawks answered as sophomore wide receiver Jorge Portorreal caught a short pass over the middle and gashed Georgetown’s defense for an 85-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The Hoyas blocked and returned the Mountain Hawks’ ensuing PAT attempt for two points and a 9-6 lead.
Portorreal posted a new career high with 151 receiving yards in a standout performance that also included the longest reception of his career.
After explosive first quarter starts, both offenses staggered as Georgetown’s junior kicker Brad Hurst missed his second and third field goal attempts and Lehigh’s senior kicker Ed Mish missed one kick. The Mountain Hawks also consistently failed to convert on third down, with a five for 18 rate on the day.
Mish broke the gridlock with a 27-yard boot midway through the fourth quarter, knotting the game at nine. The Mountain Hawk defense’s lock-down performance kept the Hoyas from scoring in the remainder of regulation, including a blocked last-minute 41-yard field goal attempt by Hurst that sent the game into overtime.
Georgetown’s offense turned the corner in overtime, as its first drive landed the Hoyas in the end zone in only three plays. After a successful PAT from Hurst put Georgetown ahead by seven, Lehigh converted on fourth down, the team’s only successful conversion of the day, with a 20-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Brad Mayes to junior wide receiver Devon Bibbens to even the game once more.
The Mountain Hawks’ luck would run out as Mayes threw an inaccurate pass to Portorreal, and the ball ricocheted into the hands of stumbling Georgetown DB, senior Jethro Francois. Three plays later, and Georgetown sealed the game with sophomore Jackson Saffold’s three-yard touchdown scamper.
Mayes struggled, with only 16 completions on 40 attempts and a pair of costly interceptions to match his two thrown scores.
The Mountain Hawks will be on the road again next week when they travel to Worcester, Massachusetts to face 1-6 Holy Cross.
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