The football team hosts the Georgetown University Hoyas (1-2) Saturday to open its 2013 campaign, carrying a streak of five consecutive winning seasons into the program’s 136th year.
The two teams squared off in the nation’s capitol last year, and the Bears trounced the Hoyas 37-10. Bruno has surpassed the Patriot League challenger by double digits all three times the programs have met.
But defensive end and Co-Captain Michael Yules ’14 said past success is completely behind them.
“Last year’s game with Georgetown is in the books,” he said. “It has no bearing on what we’re doing this year. We’re going full force ahead and working as hard as we can like we’re lining up against the best team in the country.”
If history is an indicator, fans at Brown Stadium are in for an exciting game. Each of Bruno’s last four season openers have been decided by three points or fewer with the Bears coming out on top in the last three contests.
All of those games were against non-conference challengers, so each side is less familiar with its opponent, which makes preparation is more difficult, said Head Coach Phil Estes.
“The hardest thing about Georgetown is there’s no film exchange,” he said. “A lot of what we do is going to be making adjustments on the run.”
Georgetown has three games under its belt — losses to Marist College (1-2) 43-23 and Wagner College (1-2) 28-21 and a victory over Davidson College (0-2) 42-6. Three games of experience can be a real advantage, Yules said. He added that the Bears will have to “learn what kind of team they are” quickly to make up for their lack of game experience early in the season.
Wide receivers Tellef Lundevall ’13.5 and Jordan Evans ’14 combined for 11 catches, 112 yards and a touchdown against Georgetown last fall and return looking to repeat their dominant performance.
Yules also posted one of his best games of the year against the Hoyas last season, registering five tackles — two of which were part of a crucial goal line stand — and a sack, en route to earning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. Yules led a dominant Bruno defense that allowed just one yard of total offense in the second half.
With an away game against conference rival Harvard a week away, some may be quick to overlook the Hoyas, but Estes said the team is focused entirely on Georgetown and nothing else.
“(This game) won’t have anything to do with Harvard,” he said. “This week it is all about Georgetown.”
Quarterback Patrick Donnelly ’13.5 said he is just excited to get out on the field. The team has done its preparation, and the players are anxious to prove themselves, he added.
“We just need to come out with confidence and play,” he said. “If we stick to the game plan, I think we have enough talent to get the job done.”
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