NEW YORK — Tropical Storm Ophelia wasn't the only storm wreaking havoc on the Northeast after the Columbia football team came up with a dominant 30-0 victory over Georgetown Saturday afternoon. Both teams battled through heavy rain and wind, but the Lions were strong in all three phases of the game to even their record to 1-1 and give interim head coach Mark Fabish his first career victory.

"We played really hard and it was cool to see the effort, energy, enthusiasm and love," Fabish said. "After last week, it was incumbent for us to learn our lessons, apply them and move on. We tackled well, were able to be aggressive when the opportunity presented itself and we made the plays when asked. I think all those things add up when you have that energy."

Carter McFadden and Joey Giorgi each had stellar games to lead Columbia to the win. McFadden racked up 108 all-purpose and averaged 30 yards on a pair of punt returns. Giorgi finished with 120 yards on the ground for his third career 100-yard rushing performance.

The Hoyas (2-2) were just 2-of-12 on third down and were held to 121 yards of total offense and just 19 rushing yards. Columbia posted 365 yards of total offense and were 4-of-5 in the red zone.

JJ Jenkins also came up huge in the second half and finished with four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Seth Parker led a balanced attack with five tackles and Reid Spachman had 1 1/2 tackles for loss.

The Lions set the tone from the opening kickoff when McFadden brought it out 48 yards down the right side of the field to put the ball in Georgetown  territory. Despite Columbia not scoring on the drive, the defense held Georgetown to a three and out to keep momentum on Columbia's side.

A Giorgi 18-yard rush up the middle put the ball into the red zone and Caden Bell came up with some tough running on an 11-yard scramble into the endzone giving the Lions the lead with 8:10 remaining in the first quarter. An offsides penalty on the Hoyas put the ball on the 1, giving the Lions an opportunity to go for two, but the try was unsuccessful to keep it 6-0.

Columbia used a 78-yard scoring drive to go ahead, keyed by a catch and run for 26 yards to Giorgi. On fourth and goal, Ty'son Edwards punched it in from two yards out with 12:30 left in the second quarter to extend the advantage to 13-0.

Bell connected with Jenkins on a nice back-shoulder throw for a big gain to set up a Hugo Merry 25-yard field goal to put the Lions up by 16 at the intermission.

Georgetown threatened on its second drive of the third quarter, moving the ball into the red zone for the first time and had first and goal from the 10 after a pass interference call. However, the Lions held strong and McFadden broke up a pass on fourth down to keep the shutout intact.

The Lions marched 90 yards on the ensuing drive, highlighted by a Jenkins 45-yard grab to set up a five-yard bootleg run by Bell for a score to extend the margin to 23-0 with 3:38 left in the third. The Bell to Jenkins connection was at it again for a 43-yard touchdown after the defense came up with another three and out to conclude the scoring.

"It's cool to play complementary football," Fabish added. "Usually, when you look at the microcosms of the game, when we took over after they (turned the ball over on downs) near the endzone and we were able to go 90 yards like that and that's what it means to play team football."

For Georgetown, quarterback Tyler Knoop was 16-of-37 for 135 yards. The Hoyas rushed for just 32 yards on 24 carries. Cam Pygatt led Georgetown receivers with 51 yards on four catches.

The Lions will open Ivy League play Friday, September 29 when they head to Princeton. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

Tickets for Columbia's remaining home games are available by calling 888-LIONS-11 or contacting lionstickets@columbia.edu.

For the latest on the Columbia football team, follow @CULionsFB on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.

POST GAME NOTES
- The shutout was the first shutout since a 19-0 win at Dartmouth in 2021. It's the first home shutout for the Lions since a 24-0 win over Iona in 2006. Additionally, it was Columbia's first shutout in a home opener since 1998 - a 24-0 victory over Harvard.
- Columbia improves to 7-3 all-time against Georgetown and 5-3 in Lou Little Cup games.
- After being held without a catch last week, Marcus Libman had two grabs for 17 yards. He now has a reception in 21 of 22 career games.