LIVE BLOG: Harvard Football vs. Penn - 11/10/07

End of the game: Final: 23-7, Harvard. Only The Game awaits. We'll see you next week for what is already being billed as the showdown of the century. Thanks for reading!

1:47, fourth quarter: McNally's pass is INTERCEPTED by Conor Murphy. Collier Winters heads in to run out the clock for Harvard, which improves to 6-0 in league play heading to Yale next week. Final update on the Yale score: the Bulldogs lead 13-3 in the fourth quarter.

1:54, fourth quarter: I'd like to offer my congratulations to Mazz Drazba, who's finally healthy and getting a chance to play in his final game at Harvard Stadium. He's battled injuries forever, but he just got in (though he may or may not be responsible for the personal foul penalty just assessed to Harvard). Either way, big-ups.

2:39, fourth quarter: Conor Murphy just obliterated McNally on the last incompletion. "Heavy pressure," says the press box announcer, garnering laughs from the writers.

3:05, fourth quarter: Why do the seagulls always show up in droves in the fourth quarter of these games? It's almost as if they can tell what's going on down on the field. Smart birds.

3:21, fourth quarter: I said it last week and I'll say it again: Don't you hate when teams call timeouts to prolong a game that's obviously over? It's cold, Penn, and we all want to go home.

3:40, fourth quarter: Tick tock, tick tock, Baakel rides the clock.

5:04, fourth quarter: A late flag on a throwaway from McNally (who just re-entered the game) goes for intentional grounding. Penn will be forced to punt from its own 22.

5:58, fourth quarter: Cheng Ho sprints right up the middle with a great burst and finds his way into the endzone for a 20 yard HARVARD TOUCHDOWN. Patrick Long is wide left on the extra point ("He's good for one of those a game," one writer says). The drive: 2 plays, 20 yards, 0:46 off the clock.
HARVARD 23, PENN 7

6:44, fourth quarter: A short Hull punt hits a Quaker, and Noah Van Niel recovers the ball at the 20 yard line of Penn. Terrible, unforgivable mistake by Penn. That might prove the dagger in the proverbial heart of Quaker fans everywhere. So much for that whole non-violent stance, huh, guys?

7:35, fourth quarter: On fourth and two, Walker fires over the middle for Penn, but the pass is BATTED DOWN by Curtis. A great play by the lineman to drop back in coverage. Harvard takes over at the Penn 39.

8:31, fourth quarter: I spoke too soon. The snap is fumbled and recovered by Penn's Tom Stone, giving the team the ball at its own 31. This many mistakes won't get you a win in New Haven next week.

8:43, fourth quarter: It's official: Matt Luft is a beast. He just caught a beautiful 23-yarder on the sideline, and on the next play, Mazza catches a 36-yard pass to give Harvard the ball at the 26. Nice sequence for the Crimson.

9:27, fourth quarter: Marco Iannuzzi, everyone's favorite Canadian, just picked up four yards on a run. "It's turning into the first half again," says one writer in the press box.

9:46, fourth quarter: A big third down for Penn...a big blitz and a QB hit from Curtis and Obi force a long overthrow, and it's time for another Quakers punt. I'm getting redundant.

10:28, fourth quarter: Pizzotti just missed Cook bad on a short pass. He's been pretty inaccurate today, but he hasn't thrown anything that Penn can catch, thankfully for Harvard fans. The Crimson will punt from its own 12. Another punt into the wind gives the Quakers the ball at the Crimson 45. Good field position for Penn.

12:16, fourth quarter: Pass in the flat complete to Noah Van Niel, who's been quiet this afternoon. Another flag against Harvard...it's difficult to determine the call, but it's first down for the Crimson from its nine.

12;50, fourth quarter: Fourth and one for Penn from its own 49. The play...a FLAG. False start. Anti-climactic, indeed. Punt-time for the Quakers.

14:50, fourth quarter: Matt Belasco (listed as a RB/WR/P) just picked up six yards on the ground. These Penn players can seemingly do it all. On the next play, however, Ajayi finds DiMaggio in the backfield for a four yard loss. Maybe he'll lose so many yards that he'll be back down to 56! Please!

End of the third quarter: The Crimson fails to get the punt off, meaning the team will start the fourth quarter kicking into the wind from its own 18. The attendance numbers: 10,116 fans. Seniors, this is it: your final quarter at Harvard Stadium. Make it count!

0:34, third quarter: Harvard is forced to use a timeout in lieu of a delay of game penalty. Come on guys, discipline! Also: Word is that Yale just scored on an 80-yard touchdown pass against Princeton, helping the Bulldogs take a 10-3 lead in the third quarter. Sigh...

1:23, third quarter: A first down pass to Miller is negated by a personal foul penalty. It'll be interesting to hear what Murphy has to say about all the penalties during the post game press conference.

1:40, third quarter: I just head that DiMaggio has 74 yards on the day. He broke the streak! (Someone let me know if I should stop with this joke.)

3:13, third quarter: On a third and 13, Walker makes a nifty run, breaks a few tackles and picks up 11. But he's still short of the first down at the 50, forcing another punt.

3:31, third quarter: Penn kicks an onside kick, and they got it!!! Harvard is caught completely off guard and the kick is perfectly executed. Penn starts again on its own 42. This has been a really bad sequence for the Crimson...

3:31, third quarter: The option pitch to DiMaggio works perfectly for Penn, and the RB walks into the endzone for the PENN TOUCHDOWN. The drive: 10 plays for 80 yards, 4:21 off the clock. Three big penalties were key on that drive.
HARVARD 17, PENN 7

4:00, third quarter: DiMaggio is stopped short on first down.

4:10, third quarter: On the next play, Barker gets caught out of position in the endzone, doesn't turn around on a pass to his man, and gets Harvard its second straight pass interference penalty. The Quakers have a first and goal at the two.

4:16, third quarter: A pass deep for Lepisto of Penn falls incomplete, but a flag rightly comes in. Berry held Lepisto on the play, moving the ball to the 16 yard line for the Quakers and giving them a much-needed first down.

5:25, third quarter: After a Crimson facemask penalty gives Penn a first down, Walker goes up high for Derham, but Williams is there to knock the ball down. A Harvard DB has had two picks in every home game this year. Who'll it be today?

6:20, third quarter: A DiMaggio run for eight yards has the Penn run game in a bit of a rhythm. Now's not the time to let up, Harvard. It's second and two for the Quakers at the Harvard 48.

6:56, third quarter: A pass in the area of Andrew Berry! Finally! The Preaseason All-American has had another quiet day, with only a few passes going his way.

7:52, third quarter: An absolutely beautiful punt from Hull is handled poorly by the Harvard coverage unit. What could have been a downed ball inside the three ends up in the endzone after being mishandled by Derrick Barker.

9:00, third quarter: Cheng Ho has really surprised me this year. He just picked up four yards on a routine play, but it's how hard he runs--in addition to the open-field ability--that's been especially impressive.

9:24, third quarter: Penn punts after a strong Harvard stop, giving Harvard the ball at its own 41.

10:11, third quarter: A pass downfield for Derham is played perfectly by Hopkins, who bats the ball down on second down. It's third and seven for the Quakers.

10:46, third quarter: After a short kick from Long, Penn will start the drive at its own 27.

11:20, third quarter: A questionable third down call sees Baakel get the carry, and he only picks up a short gain. Patrick Long attempts his first field goal, a 30-yarder which is GOOD. The drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 1:55 off the clock.
HARVARD 17, PENN 0

12:00, third quarter: On the ensuing play however, Baakel runs into a Quakers wall, moving Harvard back three yards. When Cheng Ho's been out, the Crimson run game has looked pretty bad this afternoon.

12:31, third quarter: A solid run after the catch from Luft gets Harvard a first down at the Penn 14. The Crimson threatens again...

12:40, third quarter: On Harvard's first play, Pizzotti goes deep for Mazza. Legs get tangled and Mazza falls, but the refs pick up their flag, claiming incidental contact. Another bad call...

12:46, third quarter: Sandberg FUMBLES the handoff on Penn's first play, and Hewlett recovers at the Quakers 28 yard line. Things are looking good for Harvard...

12:53, third quarter: The Quakers will start their first drive of the half at their own 25.

12:59, third quarter: On third down, Pizzotti avoids a Penn blitz, moves around well in the pocket, and lofts a long pass for Luft, who catches it in the right side of the endzone for the 30-yard HARVARD TOUCHDOWN. The drive: 5 plays for 62 yards, 2:01 off the clock.
HARVARD 14, PENN 0

13:50, third quarter: Pizzotti has all kinds of time and finds Matt Luft for a 28-yard strike. It's the first Luft catch of the afternoon. First and ten at the Penn 34.

14:54, third quarter: A short Penn kick is taken by Iannuzzi to the Harvard 38. Cheng Ho's back in the backfield.

15:00, third quarter: A note to readers: the wireless internet access in the press box at Harvard Stadium is behaving strangely. We apologize in advance is posts are slightly more sparse in the second half.

Halftime: First-half stats: Cheng Ho's 37-yard run accounts for ALL of his net yardage. He has three carries for 37 yards on the afternoon, while Baakel has six carries for 15 yards. Pizzotti is 7-for-18 for 91 yards and the Mazza score, while Mazza himself has three catches for 39 yards. Thomas Hull has punted six times for a 36.5 yard average. On the Penn side, Bryan Walker is 5-for-14 for 54 yards, while Michael DiMaggio has 11 carries for 38 yards. Just 16 more yards, and DiMaggio will have 56 on the day. I'm just saying...

0:00, second quarter: The ball hits Iannuzzi RIGHT IN THE HANDS at about the two-yard line, but he can't hold on to it. Still, Harvard enters the break with a 7-0 lead.

0:05, second quarter: After the punt, Harvard has one last shot from the Penn 43. Let's see what happens...

0:20, second quarter: After two Walker incompletions and a false start, it's third and 10 for Penn. The handoff to DiMaggio goes nowhere, and coaches in the press box yell over and over again for a Harvard timeout. They finally get the call with 10 seconds to play.

0:38, second quarter: Long squibs the kickoff, and Jason Miran of Penn FUMBLES the return. There are no flags on the field, but apparently, Harvard was offsides on the play. Sigh...

0:43, second quarter: After a false start penalty, Pizzotti finds Mazza on the right side for the HARVARD TOUCHDOWN! The 20-yard score ties Mazza for first on the all-time TD receiving list with 28 career scores. Carl Morris '03, you have company. The drive: 7 plays, 88 yards, 1:30 off the clock.
HARVARD 7, PENN 0

1:11, second quarter: A Pizzotti sneak picks up four yards to the 15. First down Harvard. The Crimson just joined the PEN15 club (shout out to BH and DJRW).

1:14, second quarter: A flip to Cheng Ho gets nine yards, and he's out at the 19 yard line. Coach Tim Murphy calls timeout. It's taken almost 29 minutes, but the Crimson offense finally woke up.

1:37, second quarter: Mike Cook makes a GREAT grab over the middle, just barely holding on to the ball. He's down at the 28-yard line.

1:43, second quarter: Pizzotti is LEVELED in the backfield on a blitz, but he thankfully gets the ball off for Van Niel...

2:06, second quarter: A HUGE run from Cheng Ho! His ability to switch directions in the open field is awesome, as we've seen in recent weeks. The 37-yard run gives Harvard new life at its own 49.

2:21, second quarter: An incompletion from Walker means that Harvard will probably get one more shot before halftime. After the punt, the Crimson will take over from its own 12.

3:10, second quarter: Matt Curtis powers through the line and wraps up DiMaggio in the backfield for a three-yard loss.

3:50, second quarter: DiMaggio takes a carry for a short gain to the Penn 47. Am I out of jokes to make about this guy's name?

4:21, second quarter: Sports chair Jon Lehman had the score for this game as 31-24 in his weekly picks column yesterday. I wonder where he got that "hunch" on the over from...

4:29, second quarter: Matt Luft is open on the right side, but Pizzotti's pass is way off the mark. Now Hull is forced to punt into the wind with four and a half to play in the quarter. I have a bad feeling...

5:10, second quarter: The snap is FUMBLED, but the Crimson jumps on it. The center-to-quarterback exchange has been a persistent problem in recent weeks...

6:00, second quarter: A nice Pizzotti pass over the middle hits TE Jason Miller at the 38. Multiple first downs on the same drive? Wowowowow.

7:00, second quarter: The second I say something, Baakel gains 10 yards and a first down. It's a gift, what can I say?

7:45, second quarter: Harvard starts at its own 7. On first down, Baakel gets nothing. What a tough, tough time this guy his had in four years here.

8:20, second quarter: After a Harvard stop on third down, Marco Iannuzzi is back to field the punt. A little electricity, perhaps? Iannuzzi has a pretty good return, but there's a flag (illegal block in the back) that brings it back. I guess we can't blame Canada for that one...

9:17, second quarter: Penn RB Kelms Amoo-Achampong fumbles, BUT they call him down before the ball popped loose. From the view in the press box, that's a legitimately terrible call. Third down Penn.

10:26, second quarter: Walker to Lawrence for a first down. Who would have guessed that Penn would be able to move the ball more than Harvard this afternoon?

11:40, second quarter: A great Thomas blitz whiffs on the sack, and Walker, who just returned to the field, made a nice pass over the middle for a first down. My grandma always told me missed tackles will kill you.

12:30, second quarter: Pizzotti almost gives us a flashback to Lehigh, but he smartly holds onto the ball and takes the sack, forcing a Crimson punt from the Penn 45. Thomas Hull's leg just might fall off before the afternoon is over.

12:45, second quarter: The Harvard band just played "Ruff Ryders Anthem" by DMX. That's right Crimson, that's how Ruff Ryders roll.

12:53, second quarter: It looked like Jon Takamura got a hand on the Penn punt...either way, Harvard has the ball at the Quakers 44.

13:03, second quarter: A Dorris blitz forces the errant pass. There's a flag...is this grounding or roughing the passer? The call is...INTENTIONAL grounding! Penn is forced to punt from its seven. Here's Harvard's chance...

14:20, second quarter: Lawrence fumbles the ball in the Penn backfield! Dorris almost jumps on it, but the Quakers recover at their own 9. A short pass on the next play sets up a third and seven deep. This is where Harvard can get back the advantage in the field position game.

14:43, second quarter: First quarter stats: Pizzotti was 2-for-6 for 19 yards, Cheng Ho had two carries for zero yards, while Chuck Baakel carried twice for -4 yards. No me gusta.

14:51, second quarter: A third down pass for Lagace is behind the receiver, which is too much to handle. Anoooother punt.

End of the first quarter: A snooze-inducing game is fifteen minutes in, and the score is still knotted at 0-0.

0:45, first quarter: Pizzotti finds Mazza IN PENN TERRITORY (!) for a first down. On the next play, though, Baakel loses five yards...le sigh.

0:53, first quarter: A writer in the press box just referred to this one as a "1904 game." True dat.

1:15, first quarter: Brendan McNally is in at QB for Penn. After a screen pass to Sandberg, he throws the ball away, forcing another punt. Where's Walker? It's hard to find him on the sideline...

2:20, first quarter: Peter Ajayi is lighting fast off the line. He just stopped Sandberg in the backfield for a two-yard loss. Can anyone move the ball? Please?

2:50, first quarter: On third down, Pizzotti throws across the field down the left sideline for Mazza. The wideout ALMOST makes a circus catch, but it falls incomplete. It looks like Hull's gonna be pretty busy this afternoon.

2:57, first quarter: This Penn defense is for real. After Pizzotti stumbled on the drop back, Cheng Ho goes right and runs into a wall, losing two. Yikes.

3:13, first quarter: A nice blitz from Matthew Thomas forces the incompletion on third down. The Penn punt is fair caught by Lagace at the Harvard 36.

4:08, first quarter: Marcus Lawrence of Penn bobbles the Hull punt, but he's able to pounce on the ball before the Crimson can get there. The Quakers will start the drive at their own 28.

4:18, first quarter: Pizzotti scrambles well, avoids a sack, and goes deep down the right sideline for Matt Lagace...it's caught, BUT, out of pounds. Another Harvard punt.

5:42, first quarter: With Gino Gordon hurt, Ho will be sharing RB duties with senior Chuck Baakel, who just picked up a yard on the ground.

6:01, first quarter: A 30-yard field goal from Penn is...OFF THE RIGHT UPRIGHT! Harvard takes over from its own 20.

6:35, first quarter: Walker scrambles right and tries to stiff arm, but captain Brad Bagdis is having none of that. Solid, solid tackle from the team-leader on that play.

7:16, first quarter: A four-yard gain by DiMaggio. Prediction: He ends the day with 56 yards on the ground.

7:26, first quarter: A Walker pass in the back of the endzone for Derham is...incomplete. Good coverage from young DB Derrick Barker.

8:04, first quarter: Sandberg picks up nine through a big hole. Really? And people think the Crimson will be able to stop Mike McLeod next week?

8:17, first quarter: The Harvard secondary is making it too easy on third down. Kyle Derham catches the first down pass this time, getting bumped out by Steven Williams at the Crimson 30.

9:03, first quarter: Penn RB Michael DiMaggio (great last name, huh?) meets a crowd of Harvard defenders on a short game. Shouldn't this kid be number 56?

9:20, first quarter: Where's the coverage over the middle? A wide open Braden Lepisto finds a huge hole in Harvard's secondary, earning a first down at the Crimson 42.

9:40, first quarter: Another designed run for Walker, but this time, senior safety Doug Hewlett snuffed it out, and Penn loses two.

10:28, first quarter: It's a base 4-3 defense for Harvard, as QB Brian Walker gets out of the pocket and tries to find room. He gets five yards on the awkward-looking move right.

10:37, first quarter: Good Penn pressure forces Chris Pizzotti out of the pocket, and Pizzotti's errant pass for freshman Marco Iannuzzi sails harmlessly out of bounds. Punt time for the Crimson.

11:20, first quarter: The first offensive play from Harvard is a handoff to Matt Lagace that picks up one. It'll be interesting to see what the running game looks like with a banged up Cheng Ho AND Gino Gordon.

11:26, first quarter: Fourth and three for the Quakers...play action pass JUST off the hands of Nick Cisler of Penn...the ball goes to the Crimson at its own 29.

13:46, first quarter: A nice Sandberg run gains a big chunk and gives Penn a first down at Harvard's 36-yard line. Remember all those third down stops the Crimson had early in the year? It'd be nice to get one on this drive...

14:42, first quarter: A lesson: Don't make the Harvard defense mad. Joe Sandberg loses two on the first play from scrimmage.

14:51, first quarter: Chriss Wynn takes the opening Harvard kickoff all the way to the Crimson 49-yard line. A bad start for Harvard.

12:29 p.m.: The best part about Senior Day? The parents. Congrats to the entire class of 2008.

--Loren Amor contributed to the reporting of this blog.
--All posts by Malcom A. Glenn.