Football Mauls Columbia, 24-7

Judging by the first eight minutes of Saturday's opener against Columbia, the Harvard football team looked on its way to reliving last year's 24-0 nightmare loss.

However, Harvard (1-0, 1-0 Ivy) woke up to dominate the next 52 minutes and ran away with a convincing 24-7 victory at The Stadium.

The Crimson showcased a rejuvenated offense newly injected with the strong arm and athletic prowess of senior quarterback Brad Wilford, the return of a healthy, dynamic Troy Jones and an aggressive defense.

Most importantly, Harvard also showed a winning attitude that allowed it to rally after falling behind 7-0 and blowing an easy chance to tie the game.

Despite the lopsided score, the Lions struck first early in the game. It took Columbia seven plays to go 47 yards when Lions quarterback Mark Stoutenberg found split end Armand Dawkins in the end zone with 11:08 left in the first quarter. After that initial score, however, Columbia would not score for the rest of the contest.

On the very next drive, Harvard drove all the way to the Columbia one-yard line but drew a delay of game penalty on first-and-goal. Now at the Columbia 6-yard line, Harvard called for a designed pass to Wilford. Menick took the pitch, ran right, and his pass, floating because of the wind, was intercepted by defensive end Chris Nugent in the end zone.

It was a puzzling call for so early in the game, but it only took one play for Harvard to recover.

Senior linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski intercepted Mark Stoutenberg's pass at the Columbia 29, setting up a 16-yard touchdown run by Jones a play later to tie the score 7-7.

Jones, who missed the final eight games of the '97 season and played in only one game last season because of injuries, shone as he split time with senior Chris Menick, who finished with 85 yards on 18 carries.

"The first few minutes of this game reminded me of the Columbia game last year [which Columbia won 24-0], but our kids just came back later today and kept their poise," Harvard Coach Tim Murphy said.

Jones's first four carries went for 72 yards, and he ended with 83 yards on 10 carries. He looked fast and elusive, making two defenders miss on his trip to the end zone.

"Having Troy back is such a huge bonus for us because he's just an exceptional football player," Murphy said.

Columbia went three-and-out, and Harvard took over at its own 41. Jones broke off a 40-yard run to get to the Lions' 10-yard line, and he barreled in for a five-yard touchdown two plays later. Harvard then led 14-7 and would never relinquish the lead.

"Harvard was sharper and crisper than we were," Columbia Coach Ray Tellier said. "They tackled better than we did, and they blocked better. They just made more big plays today than we did."

Despite the inexperience on Harvard's offensive line and in the receiver corps, the Crimson kept its composure after the rough start.

"My biggest concerns coming into the game were a young, inexperienced offensive line and playing three freshmen in the receiving corps, and I thought that both groups did a pretty decent job for their first shot at it," Murphy said.

Wilford, in his newly appointed role as the Crimson's starting quarterback, completed 12-of-22 passes for 190 yards and even rushed for 71 yards during the game.

Athletic sophomores Danny Kistler and Justin Stark made their successful debuts as components of Harvard's remade offensive line on Saturday afternoon. Senior Ryan Kauppila and junior center Ryan Kadzielski also started their first games.

The Crimson gained 264 of its 479 total yards on the ground, suggesting that 1999 could be phenomenal years for Menick and Jones because of the offensive line.

"The holes were there, and I was able to hit them," Jones said. "Whenever there's a big run, that means that everyone's doing his job, and people are blocking downfield. Hats off to our offensive line."

Because the offensive line allowed only two sacks on the day, Wilford was able to create a clear on-field chemistry with his receiving corps, with freshman standout Carl Morris leading all receivers with four catches for 89 yards, including a 49-yard bomb.

Senior tight end Chris Eitzmann chalked up two key receptions for 42 yards, and sophomore D.J. Patterson also played a key role for the Crimson with three catches for 27 yards. Freshman receivers Sean Meeker and Kyle Cremarosa and sophomore Andy Fried also made catches.

The Harvard defense was able to equal the feats of the Crimson offense, beginning with Kacyvenski's crucial interception. It definitively shut down the Columbia rushing game, limiting Lions tailback Johnathan Reese to an average of 2.7 yards per carry, uncharacteristic for last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Kacyvenski had a stellar game, leading the defensive corps by racking up 14 tackles and setting the school record for career tackles in the process. Kacyvenski also recovered a fumbled snap.

Harvard's next score came with 10:47 left in the first half. Wilford completed a 16-yard pass to Eitzmann, who then ran to the Columbia 35-yard line for a 37-yard gain. After a 15-yard completion, Menick then rushed up the middle to Columbia's 14-yard line on two carries, and Wilford scrambled for seven yards to the Lions 7. A holding penalty set Harvard back to the 17, and after an incompletion, 8-yard gain, and 5-yard sack, Harvard had to settle for senior Mike Giampaolo's 30-yard field goal attempt. Giampaolo knocked his kick down the middle, increasing Harvard's lead to 17-7.

Senior quarterback Rich Linden, whose 26-game starting streak ended on Saturday, played one series, with 5:44 left in the second quarter. He completed a 25-yard pass to convert on third-and-15, but a personal foul and false start left him with third-and-38, and Harvard had to punt. Linden completed 1-of-3 passes and was sacked once for a five-yard loss.

After Kacyvenski's fumble recovery on the first series of the third quarter, Harvard drove 70 yards on just four plays to put the game away. On third-and-six, Wilford scrambled for a 41-yard run, with an aggressive block by Jones catalyzing the play.

The next play, Patterson ran a reverse, getting good blocking and dashing 30 yards into the end zone with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter. Giampaolo's successful extra-point attempt then increased Harvard's lead to 24-7.

"The two biggest statistics we feel that determine the outcome of the game are the big-play differential, which is how many [big plays] for us, and how many for them, and the turnover differential," Murphy said. "Our team did a pretty solid job of taking care of both of them."

The scoring was finished, although it took a goal-line stand by the defense at the beginning of the fourth quarter to make the final score official.

Harvard's defense stuffed three runs from the 3-yard line and pressured quarterback Jeff McCall into an ill-advised lateral that the Crimson recovered.

Seniors Chris Nowinski, Ben Green and Brian Howard made key contributions in stifling Columbia's offense. Sophomore R.D. Kern, Nowinski and Howard disturbed the rhythm between the three Lions quarterbacks and their receiving corps. Green added six tackles and recovered the fumbled lateral.

Harvard also survived a scare late in the fourth quarter when Kacyvenski collided with junior safety Mike Brooks. Both lunged to intercept a wayward long pass from Columbia's Mike Glynn when they slammed into each other. Kacyvenski spent a few tense moments on the ground as the raucous crowd of 7,192 suddenly went silent. Kacyvenski eventually walked off the field without aid, but Brooks required assistance. Kacyvenski returned for the next play and said Brooks will probably avoid contact in practice this week.

Murphy and his staff will have a few issues to address with the team this week before next week's contest against Holy Cross. The Crimson was penalized for several illegal substitutions during the game when there were more than 11 players in the huddle.

"It's a new rule this year," Murphy said. "We use a lot of different personnel on this team, and we get a lot of different people in and out of the game. A couple of times, a couple of the young kids got mixed up about who was supposed to be in the game."

The Crimson will travel to Holy Cross next weekend for its next contest. On Saturday, Holy Cross (1-1) beat Lafayette 30-12 at home. Senior linebacker John Aloisi garnered Patriot League Player of the Week honors by chalking up a team-high 10 tackles and two interceptions against Lafayette. The Crusaders' freshman running back Michael Gillis was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week by tallying 45 yards on the ground and running for his first career touchdown.

The best cure for the sleepless nights caused by last year's 4-6 disappointment is success, and the Crimson's young, more wide-open offense and its experienced, talented defense might be just what the doctor ordered.