Football's High-Powered Offense Bulldozes Rhode Island, 51-21

Before Friday night, senior quarterback Joe Viviano had never started a college game, never completed a pass, and never accounted for a touchdown.

So much for those statistics.

In the 143rd season opener for Harvard football, the senior rookie looked more like a senior than a rookie. He completed 24 of 32 passes, threw for three touchdowns, and rushed for another.

A winless Rhode Island program (0-3, 0-1 CAA) provided little resistance as the Crimson rolled to a 51-21 victory. Statement made: The three-time champions are back, and they have no interest in abdicating the throne.

“Hats off to Harvard,” Rams coach Jim Fleming said. “I think [the consistency] is a tribute to Murphy and the program…. They’ve reloaded nicely.”

On an evening when backups saw significant action, production came from all over the roster. Junior running back Semar Smith earned 107 yards on 19 carries, senior tight end Anthony Firkser caught seven balls for 111 yards, and sophomore wideout Justice Shelton-Mosley caught nine for 108 yards.

But the game ball clearly belonged to the 6’5” senior under center.

Viviano’s premier highlight came in the final two minutes of the first quarter, with the Crimson already up 14-0. Facing a third-and-seven from the Rams’ eight, Viviano backpedaled, bumped into a pass-rusher, jump-cut another, and fled the backfield.

He ended up in the end zone—an eight-yard scamper that felt more like 80. Harvard fans might forgive Viviano for the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received for spiking the ball.

“Just having fun,” Viviano said. “[I was] pretty excited after my first run. Probably shouldn’t do that.”

By no means did the Crimson (1-0) play a perfect game. Despite not getting the start, Rhode Island quarterback Paul Mroz came in and caused problems for the Harvard secondary at times.

A crack in the defensive armor appeared late in the first half, when the Rams started on their own 45 after a kickoff. Aided by a roughing-the-passer call, Mroz marched his team to the goal line, capping the campaign with a one-yard plunge into the end zone.

By that point, though, the Crimson already held a 24-0 advantage. The hosts scored points on six of their first seven possessions; by the end of the first period, Harvard had outgained Rhode Island 158 to 36.

The Crimson’s opening drive encapsulated this dominance. On the first snap of the season, a play-action fake sent the Rams reeling and set up junior tight end Jack Barann for a 30-yard gain.

The touchdown came two minutes later. At 11:05, senior tight end Anthony Firkser veered into the end zone, and Viviano delivered a strike.

Firkser added a third-quarter score on one of the most picturesque plays of the contest. Facing a third-and-nine from the Rhode Island 18, Viviano lofted a spiral towards a sideways-streaking Firkser; the tight end scraped his feet in bounds to push the rout to 37-7.

“I think we are a more cohesive group,” Firkser said. “[From] last year’s team, we had a bunch of big, top-skill, talented guys that set a good example for us.”

The run game proved similarly effective, powering to 244 yards. All night long, a young offensive line opened up holes, allowing rushers to average five yards per carry.

Overall Harvard’s ground attack tallied four touchdowns. The first occurred with 5:56 in the first quarter, when Smith punctuated a 70-yard drive by bouncing off his line and scurrying untouched for an eight-yard score.

All drama had seeped out of the building by the start of the fourth quarter, when the Crimson led by 30. But the period turned out to be the highest-scoring part of the night as the teams played to a 14-14 draw.

Senior running backs Van Johnson and Dallas Schray rumbled for a pair of scores, and the hosts needed that production to keep pace with a suddenly dangerous Rams attack. In those 15 minutes, Rhode Island put together two scoring drives of 70-plus yards, ending once with a 22-yard touchdown toss from Mroz and once with a one-yard tumble from junior back Markey Clarke. But those points came too late to pose a real threat.

More concerning was a goal-line hit on tight end Jack Stansell early in the second quarter. The junior was steaming for the end zone when a defender rammed into his knee, popping the ball loose in the process.

While Barann recovered for a touchdown, Stansell lay on the ground for several minutes. Eventually he walked off the field with help from trainers.

The collision provided a lone asterisk to a night of exuberant entrances and grinding success. While a long season awaits, this much is certain: Harvard has new faces, but something fundamental about the program remains intact.

“We always talk about the team that plays the hardest and makes the fewest mistakes is going to win,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “That was us tonight.”

—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.