Line Clears Path for Harvard's Explosive Offense

Reflecting on the brutal domination of the Ivy League that Harvard football has exhibited, it would be easy to point to any number of skill players who have enjoyed breakout years.

The Crimson offense has thrived thanks to sophomore tailback Chris Menick's bruising off-tackle carries, sophomore quarterback Rich Linden's gutsy scrambles and third-down completions and sophomore flanker Terence Patterson's reverses.

But behind, or should we say, in front of, everything the vaunted Crimson offense has accomplished stand some lesser-known but equally crucial players.

Matt Birk. Mike Shreve. Dean Jacobson. Glen Warner. Alex Garcia. Dave Elliott. Maybe you don't recognize their 50- or 70-something uniform numbers, but their jerseys are the dirtiest and their bodies the sorest at the end of the day.

These certainly are not the most obvious names one might choose to headline a portrait of Harvard's most highly-touted team in a decade, but the line has enabled every big play the more glamorous players have made in 1997.

Just as John Riggins had his Hogs and Phil Simms and Ottis Anderson had their Jumbo Elliott and William Roberts, Linden and Menick thrive on the presence of their men up front.

But the offensive line didn't come into 1997 fully-intact the way its counterparts on the defense--seniors Chris Smith, Jason Hughes, Tim Fleiszer, Chris Schaefer and Brendan Bibro--did. Although it returned as starters seniors Birk and Elliott and junior Shreve, the loss of last year's captain Sean Riley at tackle and Rob Jungerhans at center meant some fairly significant realignments were necessary.

Elliott, a career-long guard, was switched to Riley's position at tackle, a newly relevant spot with the coaching staff's emphasis on slant running and the off-tackle game.

"When I switched to tackle, the major difference was pass-blocking," Elliott said.

"At guard I was used to working with the center, and now I'm on my own, and the defensive lineman is much further out. And since we run counters and slants, at tackle we have to work at out-leveraging the defensive line."

The Crimson filled Elliott's position at guard with a rotation of Warner and Garcia and inserted Jacobson at center after an injury to junior backup center Will Ratcliffe.

"The line had a lot of injuries and a lot of people moved around, but we didn't really lose out," Shreve said. "Dean Jacobson, Alex Garcia and Glen Warner stepped into the new alignment and played great."

Potentially, the most significant loss could have been captain and tackle Sean Riley. A moral leader of the line, his loss would have been sharply felt were it not for the stewardship Birk assumed at the other end of the line.

"Matt Birk is the anchor of the line," Menick said. "He's got tremendous ability, tremendous experience and he's a very hard-nosed football player."

The key to Harvard's offensive juggernaut, however, is the fact that the line weathered the personnel changes and became better. The returning starters have jelled with the new arrivals and have combined to form a coherent blocking unit.

Despite shake-ups, the line showed no growing pains, working effectively as early as the first game of the season, powering junior tailback Troy Jones and freshman Chuck Nwokocha to 100 and 73-yard days, respectively, as the Crimson steamrolled Columbia, 45-7.

"We returned three guys--Shreve, Birk and Elliot--who are all more experienced, a lot bigger and a lot stronger," Menick said. "Our line is very talented and not only that, very prepared for every game."

Following the legacy of Eion Hu '97--arguably the greatest ball-carrier in Harvard's long and storied football tradition--is hard, and even moreso when you're not getting the ball.

After junior Troy Jones's season opener, it didn't seem that Chris Menick would get the chance. But Jones's second-week injury thrust the sophomore into the starter's job, and he has thrived with his consistently grinding and productive play.

Making the transition from Hu to Menick entailed keeping essentially the same running package but making slight modifications. Harvard became more aggressive and emphasized its now trademark slant and off-tackle carries.

"This year it seems like we've simplified the running game a lot," Birk said. "In the past it's been more complicated, and we've made a lot more adjustments. Now we feel like we have a veteran offensive line and our plays and our blocks aren't dictated by the defense. We come at defenses in a way that makes them stop us."

The result has been a dominant, record-setting attack. Menick has run 225 times for 1,100 yards, just two yards shy of breaking Hu's 1995 single-season record. Harvard's 211 rushing yards per game average ranks 15th in Division I-AA.

"It seems like the running game came together against Holy Cross," Elliott said. "It was a high-scoring game and we needed the run to compete. [Holy Cross] runs a flex-50 defense, which uses a lot of angles and slanting, and our slants and counters really worked well against that. The holes just started opening ,up."

On that afternoon, Menick carried 34 times for a season-high 261 yards as the offense managed 351 yards on the ground in the 52-24 romp.

Like any good back, Menick gives kudos to his linemen, and they respond in kind.

"[Menick] isn't one of the fastest or the biggest backs, but he knows how to get through holes," Birk said. "He isn't afraid to lower his shoulders or to go up against the linebacker or the defensive back. He's good at taking care of us."

And the smashmouth play-calling has inspired the line to work even harder.

"When you run the ball a lot, it shows that the coaching staff really has confidence in you and the ability to run the ball," Shreve said. "When you get it rolling and you start wearing the defensive line down, you start believing in yourself."

That self-confidence and the brash, open method of the offense has typified the old-look new-look Crimson. Same old running game, brand new punch and unprecedented success.

Rich Linden's maturation, too, is part of the story of this storybook season, and his much-improved passing efficiency and decision-making in the pocket can be attributed to the efforts of the line that makes it possible.

Although Linden often runs the ball courageously and with the abandon of a 300-pound John Elway, his ability to remain mobile in the pocket and make the offensive line block to his advantage have opened up his passing game.

"Ninety-nine-percent of the time, [Linden] makes the right choice if we give him the chance," Birk said. "If he has enough time, if we block it up and give him that time, he gets it done. It's great to be blocking, blocking, turn around and see him stick in the pocket."

In a certain sense, the offensive line's progress encapsulates that of the Harvard program toward this peak of the Ivy League championship. Players who have worked together for several seasons now have sufficient confidence in each other to mesh into a winning unit.

"We're a really close line," Shreve said. "We know each other and we know what to expect from each other. It makes you confident when you can believe in the guys next to you.

On that afternoon, Menick carried 34 times for a season-high 261 yards as the offense managed 351 yards on the ground in the 52-24 romp.

Like any good back, Menick gives kudos to his linemen, and they respond in kind.

"[Menick] isn't one of the fastest or the biggest backs, but he knows how to get through holes," Birk said. "He isn't afraid to lower his shoulders or to go up against the linebacker or the defensive back. He's good at taking care of us."

And the smashmouth play-calling has inspired the line to work even harder.

"When you run the ball a lot, it shows that the coaching staff really has confidence in you and the ability to run the ball," Shreve said. "When you get it rolling and you start wearing the defensive line down, you start believing in yourself."

That self-confidence and the brash, open method of the offense has typified the old-look new-look Crimson. Same old running game, brand new punch and unprecedented success.

Rich Linden's maturation, too, is part of the story of this storybook season, and his much-improved passing efficiency and decision-making in the pocket can be attributed to the efforts of the line that makes it possible.

Although Linden often runs the ball courageously and with the abandon of a 300-pound John Elway, his ability to remain mobile in the pocket and make the offensive line block to his advantage have opened up his passing game.

"Ninety-nine-percent of the time, [Linden] makes the right choice if we give him the chance," Birk said. "If he has enough time, if we block it up and give him that time, he gets it done. It's great to be blocking, blocking, turn around and see him stick in the pocket."

In a certain sense, the offensive line's progress encapsulates that of the Harvard program toward this peak of the Ivy League championship. Players who have worked together for several seasons now have sufficient confidence in each other to mesh into a winning unit.

"We're a really close line," Shreve said. "We know each other and we know what to expect from each other. It makes you confident when you can believe in the guys next to you.