Why No Long Drives? Don't Blame the Line

The most inspiring quality of Harvard's football team lfast year was its ability to move the ball consistently on the ground. Nothing bred confidence more than Harvard's 269 yards rushing per game (best in the nation). It was also true that Ric Zimmerman threw the ball more effectively than any Crimson quarterback in years, but he actually did not pass any more than John McCluskey had done the year before. He averaged only 85 yards a game by passing.

This year very little of that confidence exists among spectators, even though Harvard has been scoring more often than it did last year. The skepticism stems partly from the loss of a great runner like Bobby Leo and a big-name offensive tackle like Steve Diamond. It was reinforced last week against Columbia, when Harvard scored all its touchdowns on long plays or defensive breaks. There was not a single sustained drive against Columbia; in fact, Columbia led Harvard statistically in rushing yardage, 168-161, and in first downs, 20-11.

The obvious reply--"who needs long drives when you can score quickly in other ways?"--can likewise be answered --"we do, because Harvard is going to face teams that won't hand its touch-downs on a silver platter." Cornell may prove to be such a team this weekend, and if not, then Dartmouth surely will the next Saturday.

Speedy Cornell

Cornell coach Jack Musick, a long-time aide of Dartmouth's Bob Blackman, has patterned his defense after the Indians. He uses many variations and depends on speed much more than on power. In Musick's first year at Cornell last fall. Harvard danced all around the big, sluggish linemen who were bequeathed to him.

This year, however. Musick has put together a much quicker defensive line. He switched his 250-pound defensive end Tom Diehl to tackle and put a halfback at the defensive end spot. As a result of such maneuverings. Musick has put together a mobile team--not so quick as to outrun the Harvard offensive line, but certainly effective enough to stifle Princeton and Tiger tailback Bob Weber (10 tries, 23 yards).

How will Harvard's offensive wall fare against Cornell? Probably, very well despite spectators' reservations. People forget that Harvard does not pretend to be a ball-control team, the Crimson formations favor end sweeps and quarterback roll-outs rather than inside power plays.

Crimson guards (and sometimes tackles) often pull out from the opposite side to lead a wide run. They will trap opposing linemen, and block two-on-one. These maneuvers require quick guards and more powerful players in the other line spots who can hold their men.

It requires even more mobility when the quarterback (or halfbacks) plans to pass on the wide play. In this case, no lineman can go after the linebackers because it would mean being illegally down field; instead, the blocker must attempt to pull quickly, remain in front of the passer, and provide what interference he can. Don't be surprised if Harvard uses the halfback pass more often in the next two games when the yardage is tough to gain.

Long Gainers

Harvard uses "long-gain" formations simply because it does not have the players to do anything else. In recent years Harvard has not had a bruising halfback who can barrel up the middle for large hunks of yardage: its running talent has been concentrated in a bunch of quick, shifty, and relatively light halfbacks.

A remarkable achievement has been Coach Jim Feula's ability to develop offensive lines to adjust to the backfield. Year after year he takes virtual unknowns and makes agile guards out of them.

Al Bersin, a former defensive middle guard, is now recognized as one of the best in the East. Tom Jones and Ted Skowronski seem to be following a similar pattern of improvement in the other guard spot. They both have sprung halfbacks free for long touchdown runs this year on wide plays.

If anything, the offensive line this year should prove to be more effective and dependable than it was last season. It is not often that Feula has a relatively experienced center (Tom Weiss), a big tackle who is as quick as Bob Brooks the is a professional prospect), and two proven ends like Carter Lord and Joe Cook. The only unsure spot was right tackle, and there Chris Burns has been a diligent learner and competent performer.

Rosy Future

This line combination is fast enough to lead Vie Gatto around end, strong enough to enable Ric Zimmerman to sneak for five or ten yards when the defense gears for Gatto, and uniformly solid enough to protect a passer (Zimmerman has been harrassed only thrice thus far). And what makes Feula happy is the depth behind his starters: it is much stronger than in previous years.

This rosy state of the line does not mean Harvard can just walk over anyone: the Cornell and Dartmonth defenses are also far superior to the ones they had last season. But it does mean Zimmerman has fewer weak links and thus more alternatives to use. He won't shed any tears about the dearth of ball control as long as the scores run high, and that may continue for a long time.