New Personnel Produce Instant Big-Play Offense

With a new offensive line, a new starting quarterback, and three freshmen wide receivers, points were not supposed to be easy to come by for the Harvard football team, especially early in the year.

Saturday, the offense stunningly obliterated all doubts as it unveiled an explosive, big-play attack in racking up a 24-7 win over Columbia. The Ivy League picture may have changed as the Crimson displayed an offense that is a threat to score on each play from scrimmage.

"We've made a concerted effort and talked about increasing our big plays," Harvard Coach Tim Murphy said. "In terms of winning games, I've always thought that big play differential and turnover differential are the most telling."

Although tallying a "big play differential" is an inexact science at best, by any estimation Harvard clearly came out ahead. Defining it as a play of 15 yards or more, the Crimson held a 10-3 edge, scattering its crushing offensive gains through all four quarters, beginning with its third possession.

Down 7-0, the teams had just traded interceptions giving the Crimson the ball on the Lions 27-yard line.

Murphy substituted senior tailback Troy Jones for senior Chris Menick. Jones, faster and more dynamic than the hard-nosed Menick, added a new dimension to the Harvard attack as he immediately gained eleven yards up the middle.

On the next play, senior quarterback Brad Wilford pitched the ball left to Jones, who stiff-armed his way past a tackle at the line of scrimmage then slipped through two more Lion defenders as he burst into the corner of the end zone.

Jones followed up his touchdown run the following series with a 40-yard gain that set up the Crimson's second trip to the end zone. Darting through a gaping hole forged by the offensive line, he turned on the jets and was finally knocked out of bounds at the 10-yard line.

"We have some depth at certain positions," Murphy said. "Troy showed what an exceptional football player he is [Saturday]."

After a sluggish beginning, the big play had transformed a 7-0 deficit into a 14-7 lead in a span of 2:44.

Harvard's offense lacked that explosiveness a year ago. The Lions steamrolled over the Crimson 24-0 in the last season's opening game. Starting quarterback Rich Linden, now a senior, threw for 60 yards that day. Wilford had gained that by the end of the first quarter.

"They really outplayed us today," Columbia Coach Ray Tellier said. "They were crisper on offense and made more plays."

In the second half, Harvard used the big play to turn a 17-7 game into a blowout. On third-and-six, Wilford dropped back to pass, and with all the receivers covered, he tucked the ball under his shoulder and took off for the first down marker.

Along the sidelines, Jones made a heads-up block on his cover man that allowed Wilford to cut back up the field for a 41-yard run to the Columbia 25.

Harvard committed a substitution infraction on the next play, setting up first-and-15 and prompting Murphy to dip into his bag of tricks.

The Crimson fooled the Lions entirely on a reverse, with Jones handing the ball to senior wideout Terence Patterson cutting from left to right. No Lion defender was within sight as Patterson turned up field.

Junior center John Kadzielski knocked out the only potential tackler at the 10-yard line, allowing Patterson to cut towards the middle into the end zone.

The score was 24-7, and with Columbia sticking to its failing rushing strategy, the game for all intents and purposes was over.

"I initially was going to dump the ball to Troy," said Wilford of his scramble. "But then I got selfish and [Jones] made a great block."

The most unexpected part of Harvard's big-play offense was that Wilford, Menick, Patterson and Jones all had the time they needed. Harvard unveiled a new offensive line Saturday with junior left tackle Mike Clare the only returning starter.

Three of the starting linemen spent most of last season playing junior varsity football. Despite boasting one of the Ivy's top linebackers in Kevin Wright, Lions defenders sacked Wilford only twice.

By the fourth quarter, the only big play missing was a deep throw by Wilford, who replaced Linden as the starter in part because of his arm strength. On third-and-11, Wilford lofted one down the right side to freshman wideout Carl Morris.

Morris outstretched his arms for the 49-yard catch and a first down that allowed the Crimson to run another minute off the clock. He also began to show that Wilford would have other targets this year besides Patterson

"Our biggest questions going into today was our youth and inexperience," Murphy said. "For a new offensive line and playing three freshmen wideouts, both groups did a decent job for their first shot at it."

The final game summary showed Harvard with seven different players racking up gains of 15 yards or more.

If Harvard can sustain this explosive offense, it may have the ability to assume one of the top spots in the Ivy League. With a proven defense led by eight senior starters, the real doubts centered as to if Harvard would score enough points to win.

For one game, it certainly showed that it could.