Football season ends w/ Quarterfinals loss at Keiser

For the 2nd time in as many weeks, Georgetown Football was tasked with a long trek to south Florida for the NAIA Playoffs. This week, the Tigers headed to West Palm Beach to take on #1 Keiser. The result proved different than a week ago as Keiser ended Georgetown's 2024 season with a 38-22 victory.

Both offenses were slow to start as each team punted on its opening possession of the 1st quarter. Keiser then put together an 11-play drive covering 43 yards to the Georgetown 45, but the Tigers D held and forced a Seahawks punt. On Georgetown's ensuing possession, Gehrig Slunaker was sacked on 3rd down. In the process, the ball came loose and Keiser recovered at the Georgetown 17-yard line. Georgetown challenged the play, but the call was upheld. Georgetown got Keiser to a 3rd down & 5, but QB Shea Spencer scrambled for 7 and a conversion, which became a major theme throughout the game. 2 plays later, Spencer hit WR Refeno Vangates for a 5-yard TD pass to give the Seahawks the early lead. Georgetown took over with 1:24 to go in the quarter. On 3rd down, Gehrig Slunaker dropped back and launched a perfect pass down the seam to Luke Olive, who raced the distance for a 69-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 on the final play of the 1st quarter.

Keiser went 3-&-out on its next drive. Georgetown did the same, but a short Tiger punt and penalty gave Keiser the ball at the Georgetown 33. The Seahawks took advantage with Spencer finding Maurico Porcha on a 12-yard TD pass to put Keiser up 14-7 early in the 2nd. Georgetown's offense punted after 3 plays again and Keiser took over just shy of midfield. The Seahawks moved to the GC 26 and on 3rd & 7, they were able to get exactly 7 to extend the drive. 2 plays later, Keiser was back in the end zone for a 21-7 lead with 1:54 to go in the half. Georgetown hurt itself with a facemask and false start, resulting in a 2nd & 30 from its own 16. The drive ended in a 21-yard punt from Drew Rader to give Keiser the ball on the Georgetown 47 with 1:12 left in the half. The Seahawks worked the clock down and converted a 28-yard field goal to take a 24-7 lead over Georgetown at the half. Outside of the TD pass from Gehrig Slunaker to Luke Olive, Georgetown's offense mustered just 31 total yards of offense in the half.

Georgetown took the ball to start the 3rd quarter and immediately turned to its ground game. Darius Neal ran 4 straight times to start for 23 yards to move the ball just shy of midfield. 2 plays later, Jahmir Ackerson broke loose for 23 to the Keiser 14. The drive reached the KU 5, where Georgetown went for a 4th & 1. Darius Neal got the call and plowed through the line for a run of 4. He got the ball on the next play and punched into the end zone to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive and get the Tigers within 24-14.

As was the case most of the day, Keiser had the answer. The Seahawks began showing its offensive balance with a mix of runs and passes to move down the field but also did it while chewing up clock. Keiser chewed up over 8 minutes on a 15-play, 75-yard drive. The Seahawks also went 4-4 on 3rd downs with the final one being an 8-yard TD run to push the edge to 31-14. Georgetown punted on its next drive and Keiser took the ball to start the 4th quarter. With the ball near midfield, Georgetown's Rhys Brown was able to bring down Keiser QB, Shea Spencer, for a sack and force a punt. The Tiger offense continued to struggle and quickly punt after 3 plays and 46 seconds. A 28-yard punt gave the Seahawks the ball at their own 49 to start the next drive with 12 minutes to go in the 4th. The drive ended 8 plays later with a 13-yard TD pass and a 38-14 lead with 7:47 left.

Down 3 scores, Georgetown knew a TD was a must if any comeback was to be hoped for. The Tigers marched down the field with a mix of strong runs from Drew Baker and timely passes from Gehrig Slunaker, including a 27-yarder to Clayton Davis that moved the ball into Seahawks territory. Baker topped off the drive with a 3-yard run. A 2-point conversion from Slunaker to Chandler Godby was good and Georgetown was within 16 with 3:55 to play. The Tigers elected not to onside kick with the plan to get a quick 3-&-out, but Keiser again had the answer. The Seahawks mostly stuck to the ground game to burn time and Georgetown timeouts. The only 2 passes came on 3rd downs of 4 & 9 yards and both were completed to move the chains and extend the drive. Georgetown never got the ball back, thus bringing the season to an end with the 38-22 final.

Keiser's ability to extend drives just proved too much on this day. The Seahawks converted 13 of 19 3rd downs and were able to hold the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game. Georgetown put up just 232 yards of offense and went 2-11 on 3rd down. Gehrig Slunaker never found a rhythm against a tough, talented Keiser defense. The Tiger QB was just 6-20 for 112 yards and the TD. Darius Neal ended his season with 69 yards and a TD. Chad Holleran brought his remarkable career to a close with a staggering 18 tackles on the day.

While this day wasn't Georgetown's, the Tigers still have a lot to be proud of in another 9-win season and 2nd straight Mid-South Conference Championship.