Starting its Ivy League slate with a 22-14 win over Brown last Saturday, the Harvard football team (2-0, 1-0 Ivy) showed why it was picked to finish near the top of the conference this preseason. But this Saturday, the Crimson faces a new challenge in Georgetown (2-3, 0-1 Patriot), an opponent Harvard has never played in its 141-year history.

Harvard will have to play without senior starting quarterback Conner Hempel, who has been forced to sit out after injuring his back.

Instead, the Crimson will be looking to junior Scott Hosch to lead them to victory, as he did in a fourth-quarter comeback against Brown last weekend. In Hosch’s Ivy League debut, he completed a nine-yard pass to junior wide receiver Andrew Fischer for the Crimson’s first touchdown. Later he himself scored by running three yards into the Brown’s end zone. Hosch also had a completion percentage of 70.9 percent, passing for 234 yards.

Harvard coach Tim Murphy said he is confident that Hosch will be able to deliver another solid game against Georgetown. Despite Hosch’s lack of experience on the field, Murphy expressed great faith in his smarts, instincts, and understanding of his role in the offense.

As Hosch put it, “My job as quarterback is simple: just trust the other guys and get them the ball.”

Hosch also said that while dominating the Ivy League is a prominent goal, the Crimson isn’t going to take other competitors—such as Georgetown—lightly.

“We play every game to win,” Hosch said. “We want to reach our full potential each week and play better than we did the week before.”

Murphy echoed the values of teamwork and effort, reiterating that he trusts his players to make smart, advantageous plays to help the team progress.

“I really like…the grit we’ve displayed at times in terms of people stepping up for injured guys and having to come back in the second half in a couple games,” Murphy said.

One of the Harvard offense’s biggest challenges this game will be getting past Georgetown senior defensive end Alec May, who had eight tackles and one sack in Georgetown’s last game against Colgate, a 19-0 loss. May, a Massachusetts native, has started for the Hoyas since his freshman year, and he was named to the All-Patriot League second team in 2013.

The Georgetown team itself is on a two-loss streak, and will be looking to get back on its feet. The Hoya defense has proven strong, as Georgetown has not allowed more than 23 points in a game.

“They’re a good defensive football team,” Murphy said. “They’re tough, they handled Brown, they did a great job against Colgate and because of it, they’ve been able to hang in there and compete with everybody they play.”

But the Harvard team is prepared for new rivals.  Captain Norman Hayes emphasized the importance of watching film and getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of Georgetown’s game. This diligence is a routine for the Crimson.

“Our preparation remains the same week in and week out,” Hayes said. “It’s nothing new.”

Although Harvard does not have the familiarity benefit playing Georgetown every year, the film from the Brown-Georgetown game two weeks ago has provided insight as to how Georgetown has played another member of the Ivy League. Georgetown won that game, 17-3, exemplifying its strong defense and future potential.

But beyond the challenge of waiting for Hosch and the Crimson offense, Harvard’s defense is focusing on improving its game as well. Hayes, who plays safety, articulated his goals for the defense, and his expectation that “everyone understand their responsibilities, rally behind each other, pick each other up, and make sure we finish the game strong.”

This game has many purposes for the Harvard football program: to reach out to alumni, to attract recruits, and to give the team experience playing different opponents. But also, this game presents an opportunity  for the team to improve.

The Crimson has already shown that it can hold its own in the Ivy League, establishing itself as a serious competitor for the championship title this year. But, as Murphy pointed out, a winning score is not the ultimate goal.

“We want to win,” Murphy said. “But beyond that we want to improve.”