Football Spring Game Previews Dominant Defense

The last time Harvard football played a full-contact game, over 30,000 people crammed the stands, close to 100 Yale opponents filled the sidelines, and the world came crashing to a halt.

Five months later, that 21-14 defeat to the Bulldogs still hurts. The roar of visiting fans—strangely jubilant, for once—has not fully receded. The past is everywhere.

On Saturday night, however, the Crimson held an exorcism. The team suited up for an intra-squad scrimmage, capping three months of training and inaugurating the 2017 season.

With temperatures stuck in the 40s, the Spring Game felt more like winter. But no matter—Harvard is back, and back with a mission.

“The spring is a grind,” sophomore wide receiver Henry Taylor said. “The best part about the grind, though, is that you’re with your buddies…. If you get through with guys that you really respect and love as brothers, it brings a sense of pride.”

At other schools, the first-team offense battles the second-team defense and vice versa. But at Harvard Stadium, the two first-team units faced off (offense in white, defense in crimson), as did the two second-team units.

The first-team defense won the heavyweight battle, holding the offense scoreless and forcing two turnovers. Equally dominant, though, was the second-team offense, which racked up 31 points in slightly more than three quarters.

Importantly, the starting lineup is quicksand. Injuries, practice performance, and coaching decisions will shift personnel until the season opener.

“Competition is always healthy for improvement,” captain Luke Hutton said. “You play better football when you have someone nipping at your heels and competing for your job.”

Still, for fans salivating at the prospect of a September tailgate, the Spring Game offered juicy hints of what awaits.

NO TACKLING DUMMIES

Midway through the second quarter, a missile from quarterback Tommy Stewart slammed into the hands of safety Tim Haehl. The junior dropped the ball.

Haehl stopped and shook his head. After three seasons, he and the rest of the experienced secondary have higher standards.

On this night, redemption came less than 15 minutes later. On the first play of the third quarter, Haehl again undercut a route. This time he grabbed the pass, returning the pick to the opponent’s 17-yard line.

Harvard expects that kind of production in the fall, as the program returns a loaded linebacker core and secondary.

“The big thing is that we have experience this year,” Hutton said. “We didn’t have it last year…. When you have guys that have played 10 games that are coming back, it’s huge for how well you’re going to play.”

Hutton leads the linebackers. Although teammate Eric Ryan graduates this May, the talented senior suited up for only five games in 2016 due to injuries. Junior Chase Guillory, sophomore Anthony Camargo, and freshman Jordan Hill all will take the field for the Crimson.

The secondary boasts even more experience. Last season, junior Tobe Ezekoli and sophomore Wesley Ogsbury earned their chops as one-on-one cover guys. Senior Raishaun McGhee, who is taking off the spring to preserve eligibility, rounds out the unit. And safeties Haehl, Zach Miller (junior), and Cole Thompson (sophomore have all flashed promise.

And then there’s Tanner Lee—the do-it-all junior who emerged as a safety and plug-and-go linebacker last year. He led the program with four interceptions.

In the Spring Game, the all-Ivy honorable mention held kicks. Give him a few more months, and Lee may be taking extra points as well.

“[Secondary players] always get heat for not being able to catch,” Hutton said. “I guess they actually can catch and hold down a kick.”

AND HE’S BACK

Arguably the most important offseason headline involved someone who didn’t play on Saturday—quarterback Joe Viviano.

In 2016, the senior started nine games and threw for 15 scores. He averaged 224 yards through the air and nearly 40 on the ground.

In the last three contest, however, Viviano tossed four picks and took 14 sacks. The worst came at Penn, when he threw three first-half interceptions.

Thanks to an Ivy League ruling, Viviano will have a chance to avenge that turmoil. The quarterback missed all junior year because of a broken foot. Now he will return as a fifth-year senior in 2017.

On Saturday, Viviano didn’t take the field. The sophomore Stewart headed the first team instead. In 2016, he started one game—a 27-17 loss to Holy Cross—and racked up a touchdown, an interception, and three fumbles.

Issues of ball security resurfaced this weekend, as the sophomore bobbled the ball on the first snap. He recovered but fumbled again three plays later, this time resulting in a turnover.

To make matters worse, Stewart faced an aggressive defense. Frequently pushed out of the pocket, the quarterback had to scramble and take sacks.

He put together a drive late in the second quarter but didn’t produce points. On a fourth down near midfield, he never saw a wide-open Jack Barann (junior tight end), who had split the seams of the defense. Yells erupted from the offensive coordinator booth.

“Experience, especially for a quarterback, is huge,” Hutton said. “Anytime you go up against the good defense that we have, you’re going to get better…. He’s improved a lot.”

Starting for the second-team offense, freshman Camden Bohn experienced more success. He finished a scorching 10-of-13 for 128 yards, albeit against a less fearsome defense.

FRONT FOUR WANTS MORE

Yes, the defensive line was dominant on Saturday. Players stuffed holes, bullied blockers, and got to Stewart.

Seniority underpinned the performance. Five players shared time, and four were juniors—Scott Evans, Stuart Johnson, Stone Hart, and Tristan Tahmaseb. Sophomore D.J. Bailey, an all-Ivy second-team selection last year, was the lone exception.

“That group in the spring has come a long way,” Hutton said. “Because you have so many high-character guys at that position, they push one another.”

No matter how impressive, the play of the defensive line left two questions. First, how can you know whether preseason promise will translate to in-season excellence? And second, how can you separate actual talent from the semblance of talent when matched up against a lesser unit?

There’s a reason that coaches describe linemen as “playing in the trenches.” Injuries abound. More than four months separate now from the season opener, and none can know who will be healthy come September.

The offensive line demonstrates this lesson. On Saturday, four mainstays didn’t suit up—junior Larry Allen, junior D.J. Mott, junior Mark Goldman, and sophomore Tim O’Brien. A younger core took their place.

“When you’re playing with a lot of young guys, there’s going to be mistakes,” Hutton said. “I’ve been there…. We’re really just looking for effort.”

SLASH IS CASH

Harvard coach Tim Murphy likes to recruit versatility. Specifically, he likes to recruit players who can line up at both running back and wide receiver. These commits are “slashers” because they might appear as “RB/WR” on a roster.

Saturday witnessed the rise of a new slasher—Henry Taylor. Listed as a wide receiver, Taylor started at running back for the second team. He tallied three scores, including a wheel-route reception in the second quarter. The 195-pound Taylor was so open that an offensive coach yelled, “Got him” as soon as the ball snapped.

By the end of the night, Taylor had accumulated 74 yards on 22 carries.

“I couldn’t have done that without the [second-team] O-line, obviously,” Taylor said. “And Cam Bohn played incredibly well. It was easy for me to run based off his play.”

The Crimson sports a couple other slashers. In 2016, freshman Lavance Northington emerged as a regular-down back, and he started Saturday for the first team. In the past, Harvard has also lined up sophomore Adam Scott in multiple positions.

“We run a lot of motions,” Taylor said. “If you have a guy who can come out of the backfield and line up in the slot and run a couple routes, it puts the defense at a disadvantage.”

Yet the Crimson also develops more traditional backs. Although he didn’t play in the Spring Game, junior Semar Smith led the program in rushing last year. And sophomore Noah Reimers fits the more classic profile of a heavyset, grit-and-grind rusher.

As it turns out, you can teach an old dog new tricks: On Saturday, Reimers scored one touchdown—on a reception by the left pylon.

JUSTICE NEVER SLEEPS

A lot changes between football seasons. Players graduate, schemes shift, and rookies age into veterans.

For the past two years, though, at least one constant has survived—the talent of Justice Shelton-Mosley.

In 2015, Shelton-Mosley won Ivy League Rookie of the Year after averaging 114 total yards per game. In 2016, he was a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy first team after topping the team with 71 receiving yards per game. Next season, he will return as a junior to continue that success but also take on new leadership duties.

According to Hutton, he’s not doing half-badly.

“We know he has the physical tools,” the captain said. “What’s been really impressive this offseason is his taking the next step and becoming a leader…. He’s a guy that other guys will follow.”

On Saturday, the wide receiver certainly played a large role. He returned all kicks. Early in the night, he nearly took a kickoff for a touchdown, but thanks to limited-contact rules, a light graze stopped him.

Shelton-Mosley is only part of an athletic receiving corps. Scott was a revelation last season, emerging from injured anonymity to average 64 receiving yards per game. And speedy youngster Cody Chrest (freshman) waits in the wings.

Murphy has not formally named a starting quarterback—as Hutton emphasized, competition will run through the summer. But whoever that final starter is, he will have some impressive weapons at his disposal.

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