ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Fischer Finishes Yale With Late Grab

For three seconds, the pass hung in the air.

Senior quarterback Conner Hempel watched from the 35-yard line. No Yale defender had pressured the throw, so Hempel could track the arc of the ball from a standing position, right arm extended towards the right pylon.

Junior runnin g back Paul Stanton bounced on his feet a few yards in front of the offensive line. If the Crimson were to lose the game, critics would find an easy scapegoat in Stanton, who had already fumbled twice in the game, once on the Bulldogs’ 12-yard line. When Hempel released the ball, Stanton was still looking for pass rushers to block.

Over 30,000 fans witnessed the trajectory of the pass from the concrete bleachers. On one side, the Yale section screamed and screamed; on the other side, the Harvard crowd waited.

The moment lasted three seconds, and junior wide receiver Andrew Fischer was running the whole time: down, out, and down again. He beat his defender and looked back for the ball, seeing if Hempel had put it where it needed to be. Then it arrived—the pass fell into his hands, the ball crossed the goal line, and the moment broke forever.

“There was a lot of noise, a lot of excitement,” Fischer said. “I was just turning around [to look] for my teammates because those were the people who helped me get through it…. Just finishing off like that, it means the world to me.”

In the 131st playing of The Game, Fischer’s last-minute touchdown provided a fulfilling ending to an afternoon of emotional twists and turnovers. Despite giving up a 17-point fourth quarter lead during a furious Yale comeback, the Crimson gutted its way to a 31-24 victory thanks to Fischer’s final catch.

“We were definitely thinking touchdown,” Hempel said. “Our coaches put us in that position every week in practice, so we know how it feels…. I had full confidence in [Fischer], that he was going to beat his man and come down with the ball.”

The slant-and-go route with a minute left was far from Fischer’s only contribution in the game.

With 2:45 left in the third quarter, Harvard coach Tim Murphy called a reverse option in which senior wide receiver Seitu Smith rolled right before tossing the ball downfield. Fischer hauled in the pass, shook off Yale defensive back Jason Alessi, and stepped into the end zone to give the Crimson a 17-7 lead.

“The last game of the season you always bring out…the trick plays, everything we’ve worked on all year,” Fischer said. “We practiced them all week and executed them perfectly.”

On the day, Fischer totaled a career and team-high 149 receiving yards on eight catches. He also rushed for 79 yards on two carries and shouldered return responsibilities without a slip-up. All told, his 264 yards of total offense was the highest mark for any Harvard non-quarterback this season.

Fischer reached this number in a variety of ways. Here he was near the end of the first half, carrying an end-around 58 yards to the Bulldogs’ 11-yard line. There he was again in the final drive, snagging not only the winning touchdown but also the 12-yard pass before the winning score. In each Crimson possession to open the half, Fischer had three targets.

Fischer’s high usage rate against Yale furthered an impressive season-long campaign. The 5’9” wide receiver recorded at least two catches in every game and finished the season with a team-high 677 yards receiving, including three 100-yard outings.

Moreover, Fischer also served as the team’s primary return man, averaging 23.7 yards per kickoff return and 9.1 yards per punt return. He added 137 yards on the ground on just 14 carries.

With one year left at Harvard, Fischer has already accumulated 1,026 receiving yards, the 13th-highest total in school history. As a sophomore, Fischer had his breakout season, recording 47.5 receiving yards a game and three touchdowns while also taking over as the primary kick returner.

However,of the 87 receptions that Fischer has totaled in his career, none can compare with the deciding one that he pulled in Saturday.

It may have taken only three seconds, but Fischer’s late score will have a permanent place in the lore of The Game.