Fitz of Greatness

No dramatic comeback. No down-to-the-wire nailbiter. No triumph over injury. No breakout performance.

Simply an athlete in his prime, doing what comes naturally.

Total domination.

There is no other description required for junior quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s record-setting performance in Saturday’s season opener against Holy Cross.

There was no drama—no need for it.

There were instead the 471 offensive yards posted by Fitzpatrick, a Harvard record.

He had 359 yards passing, 112 yards rushing, three touchdowns. A plus B plus C equals a quarterback efficiency rating of 202.80—tops in division I-AA—and Ivy player of the week honors.

Not to mention a nightmare for future Crimson opponents.

The formula is basic, the logic elementary.

The soaring arcs to junior wide receiver Rodney Byrnes. The unhurried tosses to junior wide receiver Brian Edwards. The seamless handoffs to sophomore transfer tailback Clifton Dawson.

It was the first day of the 2003 season and Fitzpatrick was not open to questioning. He wanted drives, not doubts. So he scrambled and sneaked and lofted and hurled and when it was all over he had delivered a game for the ages.

Statistics do not lie, although the Holy Cross defenders might try to.

After the game Fitzpatrick couldn’t remember which touchdown was his favorite. It’s not as if it was an easy question. There was the 33 yard bullet to Edwards for the first score of the game. There were the two option flips to sophomore running back Ryan Tyler. There was his own one yard stroll into the endzone.

Maybe the story isn’t so cut-and-dried after all. Trying to pick just one highlight of Fitzpatrick’s performance is sure to give you a headache.

The dust has settled. The simple facts remain.

Fitzpatrick is good. And he’s only going to get better.

He is at the helm of what could be the most prolific offense in Harvard football history, an offense that came within a short scramble of topping the mark for single game total yardage.

And the next nine weeks provide nine more opportunities for Fitzpatrick to further pillage the Harvard record books.