Big Mike Durgin

Mike Durgin, all 6 feet, 4 inches and 275 pounds of him, believes. After three years as a varsity starter, three years as an offensive tackle, three years as the Crimson's felicitous combination of the irresistable force and the immovable object, three years as student of Harvard coach Joe Restic's sophisticated Multiflex offense, and three years laboring in the obscurity that shrouds anonymous linemen, Mike Durgin believes.

"I'm just now beginning to understand the Multiflex. The idea is, you use multiple sets against a defense, always keeping the advantage, always squeezing one player after another until he's declared his tendency. If we execute, they can't win," the Eliot House senior explains.

As an offensive lineman, you have to believe. No individual statistics adorn the record books, few fans bestow catchy sobriquets on their favorite center, and even fewer focus on the line during any particular play. These are the men in the trenches, the men who get gouged and held and run over and stepped on, and, as a hollow reward, mud in their face. Seldom do their jerseys stay clean for a quarter.

But ask Mike Durgin whether he enjoys the sound of the crowd when the Crimson gridders romp in for a touchdown. Or ask Joe Restic whether his offenseive line has proved a crucial factor in the success of this year's 7-2 squad. The answer, in both cases, is a resounding yes.

Durgin has keyed an offensive line that has shunted aside defensive linemen with methodical regularity, despite the handicap of playing under five quarterbacks at one ime or another. Restic has also entrusted his line to protect those signal-callers, the precious cogs in his treasured Multiflex.

When Crimson QBs started dropping during the 30-12 defeat at Dartmouth, evoking depressing memories of the 1979 quarterback massacre, the Harvard offensive line faced a double-edged dilemma. Sophomore split end Ron Cuccia pulled a hamstring while subbing at quarterback, and the Crimson lost its most dangerous deep threat. You didn't have to coach in the Ivy League to realize the Crimson would have to churn up yardage on the ground.

But Harvard's offensive line responded brilliantly, blasting open holes where none had been before to spring the running backs for consistent gains. Opposing defenses knew what was coming. But they couldn't stop it.

Sophomore John Francis stepped in at center after a slew of pre-season injuries thinned the Crimson corps. Quiet Dave Anderson, owner of what insiders say is the team's driest sense of humor, has performed steadily and scored a touchdown against Holy Cross after a fumble near the Crusader goal line.

"Now we call him Touchdown Andy," Durgin says of his fellow tackle, adding, "When you don't see a football all day, you need a little levity. That's where Dave comes in."

Flanking the center, Orazio Lattanzi has done a workmanlike job at guard, and Dan Mee has alternated with Harry Cash at the other guard slot. "These guys understand the Multiflex," Restic says approvingly.

More than that, they execute. No matter how precisely the Multiflex performs on computer readouts, on the field it requires good old-fashioned blow-'em-out blocking. When halfbacks Tom Beatrice and Paul Connors and fullback Jim Callinan gallop for more than 200 yards a game, the credit lies equally with their skill and with the effectiveness of the offensive front.

"Sure, offensive linemen don't have individual statistics. But look at the yards gained rushing, week in and week out. When we were floundering at quarterback, it got tougher and tougher to run. And we just kept zeroing in a picking up more yards," Restic says in praise of his offensive line.

Durgin anchors the line, and has attracted a bunch of pro souts to the relatively unusual locuses of Ivy press boxes. And Restic makes no bones about where he goes when he needs the clutch first down. "Right over Mike."

Until someone makes a film highlighting offensive linemen reminiscent of the footgage showing Green Bay Packer quarterback Bart Starr plunging over Jerry Kramer in the 1967 NFL championship, the men in the trenches will probably lack the widespread recognition they earn. But the Crimson tight ends, who have carried a more visible load this fall, have gained the admiration of Harvard partisans.

Blessed with a talented troika of tight ends, Restic has given each one an expanded role in the offense. Chuck Marshall has snared several big receptions, Bill McGlone brought the Stadium to its collective feet with a pair of dazzling catches against William & Mary, and Linus O'Donnell (after he got over the mumps) has developed into a superb blocker.

As for Durgin, well, he doesn't mind the anonymity. The St. John high schooler from Lynn received feelers from Penn State, Pitt and Syracuse, but chose to play in the oft-derogated Ivies. "I have no regrets," says the son of a Villanova grid star. "The Ivy League is way ahead of the game. Even if I had never played a down of football, I would be happy here."

If Durgin gets an offer for a pro tryout, he'll give it a shot. He thinks the Harvard football program has prepared him well. "We've been taught to play a game of controlled aggression--you have to button down your helmet and hit, but you've got to be thinking."

And lest anyone fall into the trap of stereotyping the hulking Durgin and his mates as lunks, consider that the Crimson offense has seven--count 'em--blocking systems, each with manifold variations. Because of the line's experience, it has worked out a solid means of communication, Durgin says. The Multiflex entails various stunts, Durgin explains. For instance, he adds, the line has become particularly effective on "you-calls." He then realizes the futility of explaining the Multiflex to an outsider, and simplifies. "You make adjustments."

Whatever the mysteries of the Multiflex, Durgin looks forward to this afternoon's game with vibrant enthusiasm. "I remember last year after we beat Yale. My feet were off the ground. It's only fair that we give them a shot to come in here and give it a try."

No, Mike Durgin won't mind one bit chewing mud and spitting it out this afternoon, because he believes. The rest of the line has managed to make believers out of detached observers, but most fans will be watching and cheering the halfback or the quarterback today when the Crimson scores. Mike Durgin will just pull himself off the turf and smile to himself.CrimsonNevin I. ShalitSenior tackle MIKE DURGIN [74] leads the blocking for halfback PAUL CONNORS [25] earlier this year.