Notebook: Football's Stout Run Defense Unable to Overcome Lack of Offensive Firepower

Entering this past weekend, the Harvard football team had not lost to a non-conference opponent since losing to Holy Cross in 2011. The squad also hadn’t fallen on the road since succumbing to Penn in 2012, constituting the longest road winning-streak in the country.

But all things must come to an end.

It took 17 games for each streak to snap, but it happened. Holy Cross beat the Crimson 27-17 in Worcester this weekend, handing Harvard its first loss of the season.

There’s a silver lining to everything, though. A loss to a non-conference opponent means just about nothing in terms of winning a conference championship. And the Crimson are still atop the Ivy League standings.

D-LINE IS DIVINE

The loss certainly raised numerous questions about the Crimson this weekend. However, there is no question that the Harvard defensive line is one of the best in the Ivy League.

The front four is asserting itself in the run game, only allowing 100 yards per game to opponents—good for second in the Ivy League. Not only has the defense held foes to 3.6 yards per rush, but the unit has also only given up three touchdowns on the ground this season.

The defensive line contributed significantly to limiting Holy Cross to six points in the entire second half. Six sacks by the Crimson defenders kept Harvard in the game.

“I thought our defense played, at times, heroically in the second half [of the game],” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said.

On top of their ability to stop the run, the defensive line is pivotal in the passing game. Harvard has been led by sophomore defensive end DJ Bailey’s Ivy League-leading 4.5 sacks.

But it hasn’t been just one guy. The team has racked up 14 sacks on the season, with 11 different players having recorded at least half a sack so far this season. Nine of those players are defensive linemen.

NO SHINE WITHOUT STARS

Before this weekend, the Crimson was averaging 192 rushing yards a game. Against Holy Cross, the offensive unit gained a measly 26.

Harvard sat senior quarterback Joe Viviano, junior running back Semar Smith, and sophomore wide receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley on Saturday.

Those three have contributed for the most offensive production outside of senior halfback Anthony Firkser. Clearly, Harvard felt their absence this weekend.

“We put too much pressure on ourselves by not really being a balanced offense today,” Murphy said. “We didn’t really establish the line of scrimmage.”

On top of the lack of a rushing attack, the Crimson’s overall yardage decreased, going from their average of over 470 yards per game to just 245. Harvard had only 219 yards in the air, and first-time starter sophomore Tom Stewart was sacked six times, fumbled three times, and threw an interception.

“I thought Tom did a good job, I thought he hung in there,” Murphy said. “We just didn’t get him enough help. And any time you come out minus three on the turnover margin against a good team it’s going to be a long day.”

SECONDARY SLIPS

After starting the season playing as good as any other Ivy League team, the Harvard secondary finally had a down game this weekend. Before the Holy Cross game, the secondary had only allowed 228.8 yards per game through the air and tallied eight interceptions, the most in the Ivy League. Harvard also had only given up seven touchdowns.

Harvard really didn’t do too poorly from a purely statistical standpoint this weekend. Saturday, the Crimson allowed 244 passing yards and two touchdowns while tallying no interceptions.

The turning point of the game came in the third quarter, a play during which the defensive backs seemed out of sync. Crusader quarterback Geoff Wade stepped back in the pocket and had what seemed like years to throw the ball.

Initially, the Harvard defense seemed in good position against senior wideout Jake Wieczorek. But co-captain Sean Ahern dipped off, presumably for another responsibility.

Wieczorek ran free, wide open down the seam. Wade put up a 53-yard bomb to the wideout. Though the pass was a little short, Wieczorek caught the ball and set up a field goal that would prove significant in the game.

“We’ve got some great receivers,” Wade said. “They can really fly down the field and make things happen. Realistically, when we get them the ball, they can make things happen. We had a lot of confidence. We had a great game plan going in, and it was just our job to execute it. For the most part we did.”­

—Staff writer Gant Player can be reached at wplayer@college.harvard.edu.