LIVE: Harvard Football at Columbia - 11/3/07

End of fourth quarter: The answer to the last question, it seems, is no. That's the end. Final: 27-12, Harvard. Hope you enjoyed the fun. See you next week back at home for Penn!

1:17, fourth quarter: Can Chuck Baakel get his first career touchdown on this drive? The suspense continues!
 
1:23, fourth quarter: INTERCEPTED by Doug Hewlett! That marks four picks in half as many games. The return takes Hewlett all the way to Columbia's five. That's also two almost-scores for Hewlett on pick returns in two weeks.

1:47, fourth quarter: Don't you just hate it when a team calls timeouts late in a meaningless game? Columbia's single-handedly trying to ruin shoot for at least three Crimson editors.

1:54, fourth quarter: Collier Winters is in the game! He just picked up nine yards on a sick spin-move, begging the question: Will the 2008 Harvard football team run the ball on every single play?

3:21, fourth quarter: Seagulls are circling the field at Wien Stadium. "They sort of look like vultures," Hinshelwood quips. In other news, Chipotle burritos were served in Columbia's press box, making them the winners in the minds of this writer.

5:24, fourth quarter: Gino Gordon is nowhere to be found on the current Harvard drive. Usually Ho and Gordon switch off during the game, but Chuck Baakel just took a handoff for five yards. It'll be interesting to hear about Gordon's status in the press conference. 

5:33, fourth quarter: In an attempt to keep us in New York as long as possible, Hormann finds Austin Knowlin in the back of the endzone for a Columbia TOUCHDOWN, the team's first of the game. Knowlin beat Hopkins on the play, and after a missed PAT, the score is 27-12 Crimson. In other Ivy news, Mike McLeod is held to 34 yards against Brown...in the second half. He ended the game with 185 yards in a 17-7 win for the Bulldogs. Sigh.

5:38, fourth quarter: Hormann deep in the endzone for Andrew Kennedy...overthrown. BUT, a flag: defensive holding. "We're determined to extend every Columbia drive on a penalty," Hinshelwood says in disgust.

5:50, fourth quarter: I'd hate to be a Columbia football players. If the continued screaming of coaches in the press box is any indication, they're about to get chewed out when this game ends.

7:03, fourth quarter: A play without a QB hit! Wow! Hormann completes a 16-yard pass that gets Columbia down to the Harvard 24. Congratulations Lions, you're out of the doug house for now.

7:14, fourth quarter: We're going to see if Harvard can go one play without blitzing and getting to Hormann. Doubt it. 

7:18 fourth quarter: Hormann faces big pressure again. What's new?

7:39, fourth quarter: How much pressure can Hormann take? About four guys got to him on that play, but a 5-yard facemask on a third and four from Bagdis gives the Lions drive new life.

8:59, fourth quarter: Carl Erhlich treated an offensive lineman "like a tackling sled," says Hinshelwood. The pressure forced an incompletion.

9:13, fourth quarter: Cheng Ho runs right for a one-yard TOUCHDOWN. The score puts the Crimson up 27-6. This is the first two-score game of Ho's career.

11:00, fourth quarter: Columbia wideout Austin Knowlin has 8 catches for 109 yards on the afternoon, many of the catches coming against Preseason All-American corner Andrew Berry. In more pertinent matters, Cheng Ho just dragged a Lions defender about five yards down to the one-yard line. First and goal for the Crimson.

12:25, fourth quarter: Marco Iannuzzi sees the field on a play from scrimmage for the first time all day. The Harvard sophomore lost a yard on a bad-looking reverse play, however.

13:40, fourth quarter: FUMBLE!! Hormann makes a bad decision by not taking a sack, and Ajayi recovers the fumble in Columbia territory. Screams continue from Lions coaches upstairs.

14:50, fourth quarter: Steve Williams is slow to get up after a 38-yard pass from Columbia. The next play sees Peter Ajayi sack Hormann and push things back, angering the Columbia coaches in the nearby press box.

End of third quarter: The quarter ends with another poor punt from Harvard's Thomas Hull. The sophomore has struggled today--he was only averaging 33.3 yards per kick at halftime. This one was particularly bad, an 18-yarder that gives Columbia the ball at its own 33-yard line.

1:45, third quarter: After a Bagdis sack, and it's back to Harvard. The Crimson defense has punished Columbia in the trenches all day long.

2:45, third quarter: Carl Erhlich is a beast. He just took down a Columbia lineman and Hormann on a sack, abusing the Lions O-line--which, incidentally, just took a false start penalty.

3:35, third quarter: Cheng Ho has been involved in a number of pass plays this afternoon. Pizzotti just overthrew the sophomore on a third down that might have netted a first down. Columbia's set to start its drive on its own 18.

5:42, third quarter:Steve Williams is all over the field, having just batted down another pass from Columbia QB Craig Hormann. After a short Lions gain, the team is forced to punt.

6:00, third quarter: BIG SACK from Eric Schultz. That play action wasn't fooling anybody.

6:50 to play, third quarter: Gordon was helped off the field by trainers with what looked like an arm injury. We'll send along the updates as they come to us.

6:50 to play, third quarter: Gordon's down! A short run on third down sees Gordon stay down on the field, though it's unclear what exactly the injury was. Details to follow...

8:15 to play, third quarter: The battle of two potential Ivy rookies of the year continues, with Harvard running back Gino Gordon just taking a handoff for 16 yards. The following play ended on a stop from Alex Gross. Crimson Staff Writer Malcom A. Glenn picked Gross to win the top Ivy rookie honor, while Brad Hinshelwood chose Gordon.

8:54 to play, third quarter: After some technical difficulties, we're baaaaaack! It's 20-6 Harvard in the third quarter after a Crimson score to start the second half. Harvard has the ball deep in its own territory after a good Columbia punt.

14:33 to play, first quarter: A questionable facemasking penalty gives a struggling Lions drive new life. A deep pass downfield to the 2006 Ivy Rookie of the Year Austin Knowlin picks up big yardage to the Harvard 32-yard line. Best secondary in the Ivies, really?

14:53 to play, first quarter: Columbia starts the game from its own 22. It looks like a nickel defense for the Crimson, with Glenn Dorris and Jon Takamura manning the middle.

12:32 p.m.: They have a jumbotron at Wien Stadium! Granted, it's mini-sized, but they had a pre-game video and everything. By the way, isn't the pre-game coin toss always so cool for Harvard? Three Columbia guys walk out to mid-field holding hands, while Brad Bagdis runs out alone, looking all baller-like. More teams should adopt the one-captain mantra...

12:27 p.m.: The words from one football writer: "There are literally dozens of people here today!" A bit of hyperbole perhaps, but the stands are very sparse just three minutes before kickoff. The band looks to be making up about half of the Harvard fanbase, while there are a scattered number of Lions fans on the east side of Wien Stadium. Maybe the sub-50 degree weather rain is keeping people away...

12:22 p.m.: Welcome to the Harvard-Columbia football live blog! We'll be updating this space with details from the game as they happen, so stay tuned. Kickoff is slated for just after 12:30 p.m.

--All posts by Malcom A. Glenn.