The Best of Harvard's Worst Times

It's over. The Harvard football season came to a fittingly disappointing conclusion Saturday when Yale beat the Crimson, 26-17, at The Stadium.

Harvard finished the year with a 2-8 record, its worst since 1950, when the Crimson went 1-7. Harvard finished with a 2-5 Ivy League record and a tie with Columbia for second to last place in the Ivies.

But instead of asking what went wrong with the team--a question asked at every Harvard press conference since Week 2, when the Crimson got steamrolled by the University of Massachusetts--it seems appropriate at this juncture to ask what went right.

I come here not to bury the gridders, but to praise them.

This season may have been disappointing to Tom Yohe, Harvard's quarterback, who seemed destined to capture Ivy League Most Valuable Player honors this season after breaking nearly every Harvard singleseason passing record last year. Yohe threw more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight), and was injured in Week 7 against Brown. But Yohe still did well, completing 117 of 225 passes for 1677 yards.

The Legs, But Not the Arm

Yohe's injury allowed his two backups, Rod MacLeod and Tim Perry, to play. MacLeod, it turned out, had as much fire as Yohe, leading the Crimson to 28 second-half points against Brown. Perry, who started against the University of Pennsylvania in Week 9, proved he may not have Yohe's arm, but has great running skills.

Perry is only a junior. Tested this year, he should be able to shine next season.

Wingback Jim Reidy scored a touchdown in his only run against Columbia on opening day. He did not get to play much after that until Week 8, when he rushed for 76 yards against Boston University.

He is not a big back--he stands just 5-ft., 9-in. in elevator shoes--but he's durable. If a hole does not open in front of him, he'll hammer away until it does. He'll be back next year.

Junior fullback Art McMahon had one brief, shining moment. He rushed for 126 yards against Brown before a shoulder injury sidelined him. He'll have a long off-season to recover.

Harvard's main ground threat, Tony Hinz, a first-team All-Ivy selection last year, finished the season in fine fashion. Injured in Week 7, he returned two weeks later, and rushed for 95 yards againt Penn and 137 yards against Yale. True, his performance Saturday did not have the same dramatic impact of his 161-yd. rushing day in last year's Game. But he'll always be remembered as an Eli elixir.

The Crimson managed more total offense this year than it did last season, 3862 yards to 3596 yards.

Defensively, Harvard was criticized for two things: its inability to stop the run and its inability to stop the pass. (What, one wonders, did it stop--thieves from carrying off old ladies' purses?)

These criticisms are, in large part, unjust. Harvard held Princeton, with its deadly brother combination of Jason and Judd Garrett, to 23 points. A week later, Brown could produce just three.

Sack, Sack

Harvard Captain Don Peterson turned in a fine campaign, recording his record-breaking 11th sack of the season in Week 8. The previous record was held by last year's captain Kevin Dulsky.

The Crimson smothered Cornell. Had the Big Red not benefitted from a pair of errant Harvard snaps on punts, it would not be sharing the Ivy crown today.

Somehow, Harvard Coach Joe Restic maintained his optimism. After the final indignity had been inflicted upon his team, a loss to Yale at The Stadium, Restic showed rare humor. To a reporter's question about why the Harvard-Yale series is so close--in Restic's time here, Yale holds a 10-8 advantage--Restic smiled.

"[Yale Coach Carm Cozza] and I try to keep the alumni at both schools happy," Restic said. "There's a conspiracy. Carm and I have been working it for years."

Laughter filled the press room.

Let this season be remembered for Restic's humor.