April 12, 2007
Washington, D.C. -
The Georgetown University football team will conclude its workouts for the 2006-07 academic year on Saturday, April 14 with its Spring game on the Multi-Sport Field on the Hilltop. The Hoyas will kick off at approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday, following the Georgetown University men's lacrosse game against Loyola (Md.).
The Hoyas have gone through 14 days of practice since beginning spring workouts on Wednesday, March 14. The team's first full weekend was pushed back because of inclement weather, but the team has gone through two or three morning workouts over the last four-plus weeks.
"We've had a great series of workouts and I'm pleased with the progress we've made," first-year Head Coach Kevin Kelly said. "The young men on this team have worked hard since the end of last season all the way through to the end of the year and are committed to seeing our program grow. We're all looking forward to a good game on Saturday afternoon."
The Georgetown roster will be split into two teams, one making up the Blue squad, the other making up the Gray squad. The teams will play a full four-quarter game.
In his first season at the helm of the Georgetown program, Kelly guided the Hoyas to a 2-9 overall record and an 0-6 mark in the Patriot League. One of the youngest teams in the league, the Blue and Gray will return more than 70 letterwinners and 13 starters from last year's squad.
Among the returnees will be freshman running back Charlie Houghton (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Phillips (Mass.) Academy), who was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2006. In winning the league's rookie award, Houghton was the first Georgetown player to earn a major league award since the school entered the Patriot League in 2001. A 6-0, 190-pound back, Houghton emerged as one of the league's top rushers during the latter stages of last season. In the last four games of the season, Houghton carried the ball 67 times for 329 yards, averaging 82.3 yards per game. He also caught 13 passes for 180 yards and four touchdowns during that span. Houghton, who led the team with 403 rushing yards, was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week in three of the final four weeks of the season.
Junior quarterback Matt Bassuener (Port Edwards, Wis./John Edwards) is expected to see plenty of action as well. Bassuener started the final seven games of the 2007 season, completing 68.9 percent of his passes (144-of-209) for 1,359 yards and 15 touchdowns.
On the defensive side, the team will be looking to find a way to replace several starters, including All-American and first-team All-Patriot League defensive end Alex Buzbee (Chester, N.J./Seton Hall Prep).
The Hoyas, who have been among the top defensive units in the Patriot League over the last five years, return junior linebacker Mike Greene (Bethesda, Md./St. John's) and junior defensive back Kevin Cherepski (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) as well as sophomore defensive lineman Ataefiok Etukuren (Litchfield Park, Ariz./The Lawrenceville (N.J.) School).
Cherepski finished fourth on the team with 61 tackles, while Greene was fifth with 58 stops and had 10.5 tackles-for-loss and three sacks. Etukuren was seventh on the team with 52 tackles, recorded six tackles-for-loss and four sacks.
