Chalk One up for a Legend

Sometimes a legend can make a difference.

While most football games are won by the players on the field, Harvard Coach Joe Restic--the winningest coach ever in Harvard football history--played a big role in the Crimson's defensive success in its 6-5 win over Dartmouth Saturday.

Harvard's defense, which had yielded an average of 41 points per game in its previous four games, limited Dartmouth to just one field goal and 201 total yards.

Harvard's front seven holding full-back Dave Clark to 29 yards on 16 carries was the most important element in the Big Green's being forced to punt six times in the seven drives after its second-quarter field goal. The seventh drive ended on an Al Rosier fumble, which was recovered by Ivy League Sophomore of the Week Sean Koscho.

The gaping holes which had greeted opponents' running backs in the last four games were mere memories, and a big part of that was Restic's strategy changes. The former Hamilton Tiger Cat coach, who won his 99th career game Saturday, started seniors Richard Puccio (at defensive tackle) and Craig Peck (at linebacker) in place of juniors John Sparks and David Weiss respectively.

"We've got some front people that we moved around in different positions," Restic said, "and they are starting to stabilize as a unit."

Another big factor in containing the Dartmouth rushing game was Restic's use of a 4-3 alignment for about half of the game. Sophomore linebacker John Lausch, who came in for defensive tackle John Brzezenski on those plays, seemed to increase Harvard's flexibility against the run. The four defensive linemen were able to get better penetration lined up in the gaps rather than lined up directly across from someone, and the three linebackers were able to clog up any running room that did develop.

Late in the third quarter, with the score tied, 3-3, the defensive front came through with the turning point of the game.

A pass interference penalty gave the Big Green first down and goal at the Harvard 2-yd. line. Sophomore cornerback Greg Belsher stopped Clark at the 1 on first down, and McIntire stuffed Clark up the middle on second down.

After the teams switched ends at the end of the quarter, Captain Greg Gicewicz stood Rosier up at the goal line, and defensive end Richard Vollmer crunched Clark on Dartmouth's final fourth-down attempt.

The series allowed Harvard to stay within a field goal of the lead and set up senior Brian Kotz's winning kick at the end of the game.

Footloose: Kotz's final field goal with 47 seconds remaining was his fourth attempt of the game. Kotz, who played in the Ivy-clinching 14-10 win over Yale two years ago, had earlier made a 19-yd. field goal in the first quarter, had a 38-yarder blocked in the second quarter and was well short on a 48-yd. attempt in the third quarter.

"I feel very happy for Brian Kotz. As happy as I feel disappointed for Derek Lewis," said Restic, referring to Harvard's punter who fumbled two snaps Saturday. The first fumble gave Dartmouth the ball at Harvard's 9-yd. line prior to the goal-line stand and the second, when Lewis fumbled the snap out of the end zone, gave Dartmouth a safety and a 5-3 lead.

"Everyone's going to make mistakes." Restic added, "and you just have to come back and keep kicking."

If at First You Don't Succeed: Restic said that wide receiver Mark Bianchi's 15-yd. gain on a reverse on the winning drive was the key play of the game. The senior split end was dumped for a 9-yd. loss on a reverse earlier in the game.

Bianchi, the team's leading pass receiver, noted a critical difference between the two plays. On the first play, he took a straight handoff from the fullback pulling left, and Dartmouth's left defensive end covered his territory, busting the play.

The second time around, Harvard ran an option play to the left, and quarterback Tim Perry pitched out to the trailing running back. Bianchi snuck between the two, intercepted the pitchout and found only open green grass on the other side of the field.