March to the Sea: Schedule Gods Kind to Harvard Football

Chalk one up to the schedule makers. They may have saved the Harvard football team’s chances for the Ivy League Championship.

Currently at 5-0 (3-0 Ivy), the Crimson next squares off against Dartmouth—a 1-4 team that lost to Columbia last week.

To put losing to Columbia in perspective, the Lions lost 31-14 earlier this season to Lafayette. Harvard defeated Lafayette 38-14 three weeks ago. After the Leopards’ game, I wrote a column arguing that Lafayette would not be able to defeat Harvard’s freshman team.

If that is the case, Columbia might not defeat The Crimson Sports Board. And if Columbia beat Dartmouth, well, you get the point.

Three weeks into the season, Dartmouth appeared to be a legitimate Ivy League title contender after a 21-20 loss to defending champ Pennsylvania when a last-second Dartmouth extra point was blocked.

Dartmouth followed up the loss to Penn with a win at the Yale Bowl against one of the better Ivy League teams.

Dartmouth’s 32-27 victory on the road proved that the Big Green was capable of defeating any other team on its schedule—including Harvard.

Then, on October 13, Dartmouth’s season, for all intents and purposes, ended.

Senior quarterback Greg Smith broke his hand in the first quarter of a game against Holy Cross. Dartmouth’s backup quarterback, freshman Evan Love, threw for only 120 yards and two interceptions relieving for Smith. Dartmouth lost, 49-17, and Smith is out for the season.

Last week against Columbia, Love threw for a mere 104 yards. Smith quadrupled that effort earlier this season against New Hampshire, throwing for 417 yards in a 42-38 defeat.

Bottom line, Smith’s loss has transformed Dartmouth from contender to unbelievably awful overnight.

This obviously bodes well for Harvard. Nevertheless, the Crimson enters the Dartmouth game riddled with injuries. Quarterback Neil Rose is doubtful to play with a banged-up shoulder. Starting running back Josh Staph is likely out with an ankle injury, and backup tailback Nick Palazzo will not play with a sore hamstring.

The outcome of Harvard’s poor fortune will likely be freshman quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald making his starting debut. Junior fourth-string running back Rodney Thomas will carry the load for Harvard on the ground.

Though Fitzpatrick appeared composed in the fourth quarter of last week’s 28-26 victory against Princeton, one cannot expect him to be able to compete with the league’s stellar QBs.

Thomas, too, lacks game-time experience and does not have the size of Staph or the speed of Palazzo.

Fortunately, the Crimson plays Dartmouth this week and then travels to Columbia. This will give the starters enough time to recover for Penn and Yale, when Harvard’s real season begins.

The schedule makers could not have given Harvard a better present. If the Crimson had to play Penn this week, Harvard would probably lose. End of undefeated season, end of Ivy League Championship.

Instead, the Crimson should be at full strength by then.

If Harvard wins the Ivy League this season, just remember to send a championship ring to the guys who set the schedules—and maybe Greg Smith.