Harvard Trying To Stay in Big Apple

38-0. 55-7. 24-7.

Those are the lopsided final scores from the last three meetings between Harvard (5-2, 4-0 Ivy) and Columbia (1-6, 0-4). All signs indicate that the trend will continue tomorrow, when the Crimson takes on the Lions at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium in a must-win tuneup for the last two weeks of the Ancient Eight schedule, which concludes with The Game on Nov. 17.

“As the season winds down, each game becomes more important,” senior quarterback Chris Pizzotti said. “If we lose, we’re out of the Ivy League title race.”

“We’re in a do-or-die situation right now,” added sophomore running back Cheng Ho. “This is a very serious game against a team we can’t take lightly.”

Indeed, Harvard faces a Columbia team whose defense forced five turnovers and held Yale scoreless for the first half last weekend–something that no other team has accomplished this year. Even though the Lions went on to lose, 28-7, they remain a formidable team capable of unseating the league leaders.

“If we continue to practice well, it’s a game we clearly have a good chance to win,” Crimson coach Tim Murphy said. “But if we have a game where we don’t take care of the football…then it’s going to be a wild, wily game.”

In order to post a win, Harvard will have to contain Columbia’s weak offense, which has managed to score an average of only 19.4 points per game, the lowest in the league. The Crimson boasts the best red-zone defense and has recorded the highest number of sacks in the Ivies.

“Harvard tries to force the mistake,” Columbia coach Norries Wilson said in his weekly press release. “Its defensive front will be the best we have seen so far…Harvard will run a lot of blitzes, so our offensive line will have a huge challenge.”

The Crimson defense will be led by senior safety Doug Hewlett and senior cornerback Steven Williams. Hewlett recorded a career day with three picks in Harvard’s 28-21 win over Dartmouth last Saturday. Williams ranks first in the Ivy League in interceptions with seven.

They’ll face the talented tandem of senior quarterback Craig Hormann, who stands second in the Ivies in passing yards per game, and sophomore receiver Austin Knowlin, last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Meanwhile, Pizzotti, the league leader in pass efficiency, should be able to pick apart a Lions secondary that allows more than 150 yards through the air per game. The senior threw for 193 yards and ran for two touchdowns against the Big Green. Pizzotti will link up with a strong receiving corps, including senior Corey Mazza, who averages nearly 80 yards per game.

“We need to be consistent in the pass and continue to give offense more options in the running game,” Pizzotti said. “Last week we were a little inconsistent with the ball. We need to complete passes no matter what the coverage.”

The running game features Ho, who rushed for 114 yards on 15 carries against the Big Green, and should have an even bigger game against the Lions, who are allowing 267 yards per game on the ground. Reigning co-Ivy Rookie of the Week Gino Gordon will also get his share of carries against a Columbia front anchored by linebacker Alex Gross, who shared the last week’s rookie honor with Gordon.

Tomorrow’s game is the penultimate obstacle the Crimson must overcome in its march towards the showdown with Yale and a possible Ivy League championship.

“If we lose this one, we lose control of our own destiny,” Mazza said. “If we’re both undefeated, it’s going to be quite a show.”