Defense Dispatches Minutemen, Critics

Coach Joe Restic put it very bluntly:

"UMass did not control the ball offensively. Our defense held them and that was the key factor in the ballgame."

Joe, really, you've got to be more enthusiastic than that.

Certainly, you can't help but be enthusiastic about the way the Harvard defense rose above all question marks--and a few offensive linemen--Saturday afternoon to slap a 10-0 shutout on a talented UMass squad.

Stalled Subway

Though the Crimson defense performed without the services of linebacking standout Craig Beling for over half the game, the Minutemen could do little all day to achieve the kind of ball control they are known for, let alone the victory.

Captain Steve Potysman, who was no less than bubbly after the game, noted that, "They drove on us right after Subway (Beling) went out with his injury. But when they got too close we buckled down, and Matt (Sabetti) was super in Beling's place."

The victory came about like most unexpected but flawless efforts, from a combination of things. The defensive line, most notably sophomore Marco Coric, and seniors Bob Murray and Tom McDevitt, jettisoned the "wait and see" type of rush they employed against Columbia's veer offense a week ago, and let themselves loose for four quarters' worth of pressure of the UMass attack.

The line's most crucial effort of the day came in the middle of the third quarter, when the Minutemen went for a first down on fourth and three at the Harvard 25. UMass halfback Cliff Pedrow went off left tackle and found no promised land. First down, Harvard.

In the passing department, speedy Minuteman flanker Dennis Dent earned double coverage all day, and the so heavy burden of man-to-man receiver coverage fell on the shoulders of Potysman and cornerback mate Fred Cordova.

Double Dent

"You run up against a guy like Dent you have to double him, and so you gamble on their other people," Restic said.

As with everything else for the defense on Saturday, the odds were with Harvard. UMass amassed only 79 yards in the air, which very well might have been 279 were it not for the line's constant pressure and the batting-down efforts of Potysman and Cordova.

That leaves only the Crimson linebackers to talk aobut. Sabetti's play dulled the pain of Beling's loss, at least for the moment, while on the other side it's becoming clear that when you say "Bob Woolway" you've said it all.

And so, after Saturday's rousing performance, the adjective "green" no longer applies to the Harvard defense--just as "enthusiastic" doesn't apply to a satisfied but proud Joe Restic.