Top Offensive Tackles Reed, Dowd Clear Paths for Crimson Rushers

Harvard's success in the Yale game tomorrow will depend to a great extent on how well the Crimson offense controls the ball, and Harvard's ball control game will hinge on the blocking of the team's interior linemen. Two vital contributors to this interior blocking will be the Crimson's starting offensive tackles, Fritz Reed and Bob Dowd.

Reed and Dowd are both juniors starting at tackle for the first time this season. Head coach John Yovicsin switched Reed from offensive end to tackle just before the season began, while Dowd is playing his first full season for the varsity.

"The offensive tackle position is extremely important to us," Yovicsin said, "because our tackler not only are key blockers but also act as quarterbacks for the entire interior line, directing all blocking assignments."

"We need cool, collected boys at the offensive tackle slots; they must be able to make decisions promptly and accurately," he said, "and Reed and Dowd have done the job."

Offensive Action

Reed, who stands 6'3" and weighs 225 pounds, played mostly defensive end for the Crimson freshmen two years ago. He saw some action at offensive end, too, though, and it was at this position that he came up to the varsity last year.

Yovicsin planned to use Reed as a backup man, but an injury to starting receiver Joe Cook moved him up to the first team. Reed started six games at left end last season; he caught only three passes all year (including one for a touchdown against Penn) but was extremely effective as a blocker.

Reed began pre-season training this year expecting to start at end again, but Yovicsin had different plans for him. Harvard had great depth at end but lacked it at tackle, and Yovicsin's solution was to switch his tough-blocking end to the interior line.

"I was down in the dumps about the switch at first," Reed said, "But the more I saw that it was in the best interests of the team, the better I felt." September 12 was the first day Reed practiced at tackle, and three days later he started at this position in a pre-season game.

"Switching Fritz to tackle was probably the most significant move we made at the beginning of the year," Yovicsin said, "Fritz's play at tackle is one of the big reasons we're undefeated," the coach added.

Offensive line coach Jim Feula is equally enthusiastic about Reed's play. "Fritz is quick enough to get everything done," Feula said. "He can handle any big man he faces, does a terrific job on downfield blocking, and has the knowledge and confidence to make the blocking calls," he said.

Unlike Reed, Dowd (6'2", 220) has been an offensive tackle since he started playing football. He began last year's season as starting tackle for the junior varsity but separated his shoulder in the J.V.'s game with Cornell. Injuries have hampered him ever since.

Although Dowd played only 26 minutes of varsity ball last year after recovering from his injury, he was counted on as a varsity starter for this season. But he hurt his knee against Cornell and remained out of the lineup for Dartmouth, and injuries knocked him out of the Penn and Princeton contests.

Despite a bandaged knee and a brace on his ribs, Dowd is hungry for Saturday's battle. "Once the adrenalin starts flowing," he says, "you don't feel anything."

"Bob handles his job extremely well and helps make our offense go," Yovicsin said. "He has good balance, meets head-on blocks well, and stops penetration and lateral pursuit."

Physically Handicapped

"Bob showed fine potential as a sophomore," Yovicsin said, "but his injuries have hurt him-both in terms of physically handicapping his playing and in terms of gaining the experience he would have gained if he'd stayed healthy."

"If Bob can give us a full game of football against Yale," the coach said, "he could make the difference for us."

Reed will be lining up opposite senior Fran Gallagher (6'3" 225) this Saturday, while Dowd will face of against sophomore Tom Neville (6'3", 210). Gallagher is "a little bit bulky,' Reed said, while Dowd called Neville "big and fairly quick."

Reed's advantage over Gallagher in quickness and Dowd's strong edge over Neville in experience could very well be telling factors in the outcome of The Game.