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H11 SPECIALSPT 08-29-07 EZ EE H11 CMYK

The Post x R Wednesday, August 29, 2007 H11

GeorgetownHoyas By Kathy Orton STONY BROOK LAFAYETTE YALE HOLY CROSS CORNELL PENNSYLVANIA FORDHAM BUCKNELL LEHIGH MARIST COLGATE Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Stony Brook, N.Y. Washington Washington Worcester, Mass. Washington Philadelphia Washington Lewisburg, Pa. Bethlehem, Pa. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Washington

THE BIG GAME vs. Lafayette, Sept. 8 The Hoyas have yet to win a Patriot League game under second-year coach A Different Study Abroad Program Kevin Kelly. They will get their first opportunity to do so when they host Lafayette in their second game of the season. Georgetown, which has not beaten the Leopards since joining the Patriot League in 2001, has been Bassuener’s Journey outscored 153-78 by Lafayette in the teams’ six Patriot League meetings. The Hoyas are 5-33 overall in the Patriot League. To Georgetown Included Year-long Stop in Mexico OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART Starters are shaded No. Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Left Tackle Yr. Ht. Wt. By Kathy Orton 10 Matt Bassuener Sr. 6-2 200 56 Brad White Sr. 6-3 250 Washington Post Staff Writer 5 Robert Lane So. 5-11 205 60 Jon Medina So. 6-4 260 Some people will do anything to play college No. Running Back Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Left Guard Yr. Ht. Wt. football. Georgetown senior Matt Bassuener 23 Charlie Houghton So. 6-0 200 68 George Mosle So. 6-5 255 was willing to leave the country. When no col- 14 Mychal Harrison Fr. 5-8 175 64 Shawn Frederick Sr. 6-3 270 lege coaches were willing to take a chance on No. Wide Receiver Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Center Yr. Ht. Wt. him out of high school or after a year of prep school, Bassuener went to Mexico. 7 Sidney Baker Jr. 6-1 180 62 Daniel Matheny So. 6-2 260 His south-of-the-border odyssey eventually 82 Zachary Barbiasz So. 6-2 195 65 Brooks Caston So. 6-2 240 led the 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback to the No. Wide Receiver Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Right Guard Yr. Ht. Wt. District, where he looks to lead a revitalized 83 Brent Craft Sr. 5-11 165 79 Dan Osterhout Sr. 6-3 300 Hoyas offense. 1 Anthony Homsey Jr. 6-2 188 63 Kelvin Moses So. 6-4 280 “It was a pretty long trek for me to get here,” said Bassuener, 23. No. Wide Receiver Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Right Tackle Yr. Ht. Wt. Growing up in a rural paper-mill town in Wis- 3 Emir Davis Sr. 5-10 185 55 Colin Meador Jr. 6-3 245 consin, Bassuener didn’t draw much attention 33 Ian Conyers So. 6-1 190 61 Tom Amaro Jr. 6-6 285 at Port Edwards High School. An Ivy League No. Wide Receiver Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Kicker Yr. Ht. Wt. coach suggested he attend a prep school. But af- ter a year at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio, 25 Kyle Van Fleet Sr. 6-1 220 95 Eric Bjonerud Sr. 6-0 185 the only offers Bassuener had were from a cou- BY PRESTON KERES — THE WASHINGTON POST 17 Dean Duchak Jr. 5-11 205 93 Christopher MacGriff Sr. 6-0 190 ple of Division III schools. Discouraged but not Matt Bassuener led his Mexican college team to a national title. Now he is Georgetown’s quarterback. defeated, he remembered the Aztec Bowl, an all- star game between Division III all-Americans tory of the league there’s been a gringo quarter- came the starter. He threw for 1,359 yards, com- DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART Starters are shaded and top Mexican players. He began looking into back in the national championship in Mexico,” pleting 68.9 percent of his passes, and finished No. Defensive End Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Defensive Back Yr. Ht. Wt. who comprised the Mexican team, and found Bassuener said. “It kind of gave me a little 15 with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. 47 Darren Craft Sr. 5-11 170 that Mexico has a strong football program in its minutes of fame.” “He just kept getting better and better,” Kelly 99 Ataefiok Etukeren Jr. 6-3 235 university system. Bassuener contacted the Shortly after the game, Bassuener found out said. “He ended up starting and doing some 57 Travis Zorrilla Jr. 6-1 230 22 Michael Shotwell Sr. 5-10 214 coaches at Tecnológico de Monterrey and decid- he had been accepted at Georgetown. He had good things for us.” No. Defensive Tackle Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Defensive Back Yr. Ht. Wt. ed to enroll there as an independent exchange applied to the school as a regular student, not an Bassuener, a culture and politics major in the 46 Anthony DiTomasso Jr. 6-1 250 29 Kevin Cherepski Sr. 5-11 190 student. athlete. Although he had been in contact with School of Foreign Service, will graduate in De- 86 Jared Myers So. 6-4 240 31 Darren Alberti Sr. 5-10 185 “I knew I wanted to play at this level,” Bas- the coaches, he would walk on to the team. That cember. After that, it’s hard to say where his suener said. “I also knew that I have this interest was fine with him. All he wanted was a chance. next adventure will take him. This summer, he No. Defensive Tackle Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Defensive Back Yr. Ht. Wt. in cultures and languages, and I just kind of Still, it was hard to leave Mexico behind. worked in the narcotics division at the Organi- 91 Nnamdi Obiako Sr. 6-0 250 15 Travis Mack So. 6-0 190 stumbled across it.” “I was in love with Mexican football,” Bas- zation of American States. Bassuener, who is 94 Danny Thompson Jr. Fr. 6-2 260 2 Chris Parker Jr. 5-11 190 His Mexican football experience turned out suener said. “I was ready to stay there my whole fluent in Spanish, has provided color com- No. Defensive End Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Defensive Back Yr. Ht. Wt. better than he could have expected. The tow- career. . . . Then I was like, ‘There’s not a lot mentary on the Cowboys’ Spanish-lan- headed kid from Wisconsin led his team to the more I can accomplish.’ This is the greatest feel- guage broadcasts of their games with the Wash- 39 Nicholas Umar Jr. 6-2 235 30 John Lancaster Sr. 6-0 185 ONEFA Intermedia national championship. Be- ing. In the long run, it’s hard to pass up George- ington Redskins the past two years. While he 66 Chudi Obianwu So. 6-3 240 41 Chris Rau So. 6-0 180 cause each team is limited to three Americans, town. It’s hard to pass up I-AA football.” doesn’t rule out a foreign service or broad- No. Linebacker Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Defensive Back Yr. Ht. Wt. and most of those players usually are of Mexican When he arrived at Georgetown, he had to sit casting career, he would prefer to keep playing 59 Scott Coffman So. 6-2 215 21 Dennis Jackson So. 5-10 190 descent and come from Texas and other states out a year under NCAA transfer rules. Then the football. 50 Joey Tavarez So. 6-0 210 4 Willie Bodrick So. 5-10 185 close to the Mexican border, Bassuener was an coaches switched him to defense. Last season “If I can make loan payments and put shoul- overnight sensation. under new coach Kevin Kelly, Bassuener finally der pads on, then that’s what I want to do,” Bas- No. Linebacker Yr. Ht. Wt. No. Punter Yr. Ht. Wt. “When we went to the title game, all of a sud- got a shot at quarterback, but as a backup to Ben suener said. “With these experiences, I’ve seen 11 Mike Greene Sr. 6-1 215 93 Christopher MacGriff Sr. 6-0 190 den it’s like this is the first time ever in the his- Hostetler. Three games into the season, he be- that there are multiple avenues.” 35 Stephen Smith Sr. 6-1 210 95 Eric Bjonerud Sr. 6-0 185

Games to Watch Bowl Schedule Who says doesn’t Date Bowl Location Affiliations Time TV have a playoff? For those teams with national championship aspirations, Dec. 20 Mountain West vs. At-large or Navy 9 p.m. ESPN the playoffs begin this week in the form of a 12-game regular season Dec. 21 Bowl New Orleans Sun Belt champion vs. Conference USA 8 p.m. ESPN2 that serves as a single-elimination Dec. 22 PapaJohns.com Bowl Birmingham, Ala. Big East or Mid-American vs. Conference USA 1 p.m. ESPN2 (in most cases) tournament. When any slip can turn a contender into a Dec. 22 Albuquerque Mountain West vs. Western Athletic 4:30 p.m. ESPN pretender every game counts, but here are a few that figure to count a Dec. 22 Las Vegas Mountain West vs. Pacific-10 8 p.m. ESPN little more on the road to the BCS championship game in New Dec. 23 Bowl Conference USA vs. Western Athletic 8 p.m. ESPN Orleans. BY ROB SCHUMACHER — Dec. 26 Motor City Bowl Detroit Mid-American vs. Big Ten 7:30 p.m. ESPN

Dec. 27 San Diego Pacific-10 vs. Big 12 8 p.m. ESPN

Dec. 28 Champ Sports Bowl Orlando Atlantic Coast vs. Big Ten 5 p.m. ESPN

Dec. 28 Emerald Bowl Atlantic Coast vs. Pacific-10 8 p.m. ESPN SEPT. 8 OCT. 6 NOV. 10 Dec. 28 Houston Conference USA vs. Big 12 8 p.m. NFLN Virginia Tech Texas Michigan at State vs. Oklahoma at Wisconsin Dec. 29 Meineke Car Care Bowl Charlotte Big East vs. Atlantic Coast 1 p.m. ESPN With defenses this fierce, the winning The Big 12 lacks some star power This is the Wolverines’ toughest road Dec. 29 Memphis Southeastern vs. Conference USA champion 4:30 p.m. ESPN team might not score in double this season — and this game might game, and it falls squarely in the digits. But whichever team emerges get overshadowed by the one above middle of a November round robin Dec. 29 San Antonio Big Ten vs. Big 12 8 p.m. ESPN will establish itself as a top national — but the winner of the Red River among Big Ten heavyweights force, especially if it’s the Hokies, Shootout has gone on to play for the (Wisconsin is at Ohio State the week Dec. 30 Shreveport, La. Big 12 vs. Southeastern 8 p.m. ESPN who have all their toughest games at national title in three of the past four before, and the Buckeyes are in Ann home in a lackluster ACC. years. Don’t be surprised if that Arbor a week later). Any team that Dec. 31 Fort Worth Pac-10 vs. Mountain West 12:30 p.m. ESPN happens again. emerges from that scrum unbeaten can start thinking about Bourbon Street. Dec. 31 El Paso Big 12, Big East or Note Dame vs. Pacific-10 2 p.m. CBS

Dec. 31 Humanitarian Bowl Boise, Idaho Western Athletic vs. Atlantic Coast 2 p.m. ESPN2 SEPT. 15 Dec. 31 Nashville Atlantic Coast vs. Southeastern 4 p.m. ESPN OCT. 25 Southern Cal NOV. 23 Boston College Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl Atlanta Atlantic Coast vs. Southeastern 7:30 p.m. ESPN at Nebraska Boise State at Hawaii Say what you will about the at Virginia Tech Brew some coffee, because this late Dec. 31 Insight Bowl Tempe, Ariz. Big Ten vs. Big 12 7:30 p.m. NFLN Pacific-10 (though even critics will The Hokies’ toughest conference show figures to have an impact on concede the league is deeper this games are at home, and this both the BCS (the Broncos have an Jan. 1 Tampa Big Ten vs. Southeastern 11 a.m. ESPN season), but don’t say the Trojans are nationally televised night tilt figures easier path to an unbeaten season afraid to challenge themselves on the to be one of the biggest. Virginia than they did a year ago) and the Jan. 1 Dallas Southeastern vs. Big 12 11:30 a.m. FOX road. Cornhuskers quarterback Sam Tech has a 13-2 record on Thursday race (Warriors Keller and Coach Bill Callahan will get night, but the two losses have come quarterback will put Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl Orlando Big Ten vs. Southeastern 1 p.m. ABC a demanding test early. to the Eagles; after last season’s numbers too large to ignore all 22-3 drubbing, the Hokies will have season). Jan. 1 Jacksonville, Fla. ACC vs. Big 12, Big East or Notre Dame 1 p.m. CBS revenge on their minds. Jan. 1 Pasadena, Calif. Pacific-10 champion vs. Big Ten champion 4:30 p.m. ABC

Jan. 1 New Orleans BCS at-large vs. Southeastern champion 8:30 p.m. FOX OCT. 6 DEC. 1 Jan. 2 Glendale, Ariz. BCS at-large vs. Big 12 champion 8 p.m. FOX Florida NOV. 8 at Louisiana State Louisville Conference Jan. 3 Miami BCS at-large vs. Atlantic Coast champion 8 p.m. FOX Sure, the Gators lost a lot from last Championships season. But by the time this season at West Virginia Unless the Big Ten or Big East Jan. 5 Big East or Notre Dame vs. Mid-American Noon ESPN2 is over, plenty of the new faces in Rutgers might beg to differ, but this produces an unbeaten team, this Gainesville will be household names. Thursday night clash figures to offer figures to be semifinal Saturday with Jan. 6 GMAC Bowl Mobile, Ala. Conference USA vs. Mid-American 8 p.m. ESPN With a front-loaded schedule that the Big East a good chance to championship games in the SEC, Big includes home games against produce a championship game 12 and ACC plus UCLA at USC. Of Jan. 7 National Championship New Orleans BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2 8 p.m. FOX Tennessee and Auburn before this, participant. Both teams could enter course, this being college football, the Florida can start talking repeat if it undefeated, and the league might Note: Conference champions will not participate in the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta or Orange bowls if they finish first or second in the BCS four semifinalists could be playing gets through Baton Rouge unbeaten. have enough cachet this season to ratings. four different opponents. No one said ensure that the winner won’t have to this was a perfect system. worry about voter apathy.

CLOSING CREDIT | Georgetown, which joined the Patriot League in 2001, still is searching for its first victory over three conference schools: Colgate, Holy Cross and Lehigh.

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