Rams Shock Gridders, 14-7

BRONX, N.Y.--As Giardi goes, so goes the Crimson.

For all the talk of the depth Harvard has at the quarterback position, it is becoming all too clear that the Crimson (1-3, 0-1 Ivy) cannot put points on the board without its starting sophomore passer.

Giardi went down in the Holy Cross game two weeks ago with a separated shoulder and did not travel with the team to New York last Saturday to face the Fordham Rams (2-3).

In place of Giardi, sophomore David Morgan took over Coach Joe Restic's Multiflex. The Crimson managed only one touchdown on the afternoon and fell to the Rams, 14-7.

"I finally got a chance to beat Harvard," said Fordham Coach Larry Glueck, who served as an assistant coach at Harvard for 13 years. "We're tired of losing. It's time to win, and we took a major step today."

Glueck did temper his enthusiasm, however.

"Not having Giardi was a big loss for Harvard," Glueck said. "He is one of the most outstanding quaterbacks I've ever seen. I hope he can come back."

Except for a few impressive drives, Morgan was completely ineffective. His numbers for the afternoon--14 of 29 for 130 yards and three interceptions--do not even tell the whole story.

Morgan looked like a fish out of water at Jack Coffey Field, repeatedly misfiring the football. Morgan did account for Harvard's only score in the game, but he never even made it into the endzone.

With 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter of a scoreless contest, Morgan leaped from the one-yard line and barely crossed the plane for the touchdown. Scott Johnson's extra point gave Harvard a 7-0 lead.

Until last Saturday, Fordham had not won at Jack Coffey Field since the final game of the 1989 season, when it defeated C.W. Post.

And going into the fourth quarter down by seven, the prospects for a Rams victory against a Harvard squad that had outplayed Fordham for much of the afternoon were slim.

But Harvard has struggled in the fourth quarter all season long, and the Rams, in front of 5700 of their faithful fans, were able to rally.

With just under 11 minutes remaining in the game, Rams quarterback Gary Brennan connected with Tom Garlick on three successive passes of 18, 10 and 30 yards, the final reception resulting in a Fordham touchdown. Harvard played man defense most of the day, and Greg Belscher got burned three successive times by Garlick.

Fordham's extra point failed, however--just another of many errors committed by the Rams. Fordham played a sloppy brand of football and struggled with fundamentals like the punt snap all afternoon.

The missed extra point looked to be its undoing, but Fordham struck again six minutes later. On the second play of Harvard's next drive, Morgan threw the ball into the hands of Fordham's Chris Tyrone.

Brennan once again led the Fordham charge down field. The drive was highlighted by a Brennan 33-yard run and a 15-yard scoring pass to Garlick.

Fordham added insult to injury when it scored a two-point conversion and strecthed the lead to 14-7.

"If [the conversion] works, it's great," Glueck said. "If not, I take the heat. It was a big emotional lift."

Harvard had time to come back, but the Rams had taken all the life out of the Crimson. Harvard got as close as the Fordham 30, but would go no further.

As the final seconds of the clock ticked off, Fordham and Harvard fans alike stood stunned as the Rams put together their first two-game winning streak since the 1988 season.

"It was a tough game for us," Harvard Coach Joe Restic said. "Our defense played well, but penalties put us in long yardage situations and cost us the game. There were times when we moved the ball well, but we didn't capitalize on critical situations."

Of course, none of this really matters starting this Saturday. The Crimson resumes its Ivy schedule and Giardi is expected to be at the helm of the Harvard offense.

But last Saturday's performance has to make you wonder.

Where would the Crimson be without Giardi? Rams, 14-7 at Jack Coffey Field Harvard  0  0  0  7--7 FORDHAM  0  0  0  14--14

H--Morgan 1 run (S. Johnson extra point)

F--Brennan 30 pass to Garlick (extra point failed)

F--Brennan 15 pass to Garlick (two-point conversion)   Harvard  Fordham FIRST DOWNS  19  14 TOTAL YARDS  328  334 POSSESION  33:24  26:36 PENALTIES  10-75  7-87

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: H--Hirsch 19-69; Joyce 15-64; Morgan 5-54; M. Johnson 8-31; F--Brennan 14-78; Thomas 10-30; Helverson 6-22.

PASSING: H--Morgan 14-29-3-130; F--Brennan 15-32-1-236.

RECEIVING: H--Hirsch 5-55; Maher 5-50; F--Garlick 9-152; Potamausis 4-34.

Attendance: 5762

H--Morgan 1 run (S. Johnson extra point)

F--Brennan 30 pass to Garlick (extra point failed)

F--Brennan 15 pass to Garlick (two-point conversion)   Harvard  Fordham FIRST DOWNS  19  14 TOTAL YARDS  328  334 POSSESION  33:24  26:36 PENALTIES  10-75  7-87

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: H--Hirsch 19-69; Joyce 15-64; Morgan 5-54; M. Johnson 8-31; F--Brennan 14-78; Thomas 10-30; Helverson 6-22.

PASSING: H--Morgan 14-29-3-130; F--Brennan 15-32-1-236.

RECEIVING: H--Hirsch 5-55; Maher 5-50; F--Garlick 9-152; Potamausis 4-34.

Attendance: 5762

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: H--Hirsch 19-69; Joyce 15-64; Morgan 5-54; M. Johnson 8-31; F--Brennan 14-78; Thomas 10-30; Helverson 6-22.

PASSING: H--Morgan 14-29-3-130; F--Brennan 15-32-1-236.

RECEIVING: H--Hirsch 5-55; Maher 5-50; F--Garlick 9-152; Potamausis 4-34.

Attendance: 5762