Unsung Heroes Come Up Big

NEW HAVEN, Conn.—As you cross the state line from Massachusetts to Connecticut, a small sign reads, “Connecticut: We’re full of suprises.” Saturday, Harvard football brought more surprises to the Nutmeg State by pulling out 14 points against Yale in the last seven minutes of The Game.

The end result served as an apt analogy to a season in which the Crimson looked to new names to win games.

A distinctly different cast of characters from last year’s crew, Harvard finished with the same Ancient Eight win-loss record that it experienced last season—though Penn’s undefeated 2009 run in league play kept the Crimson from winning another Ivy title.

Throughout the season, there had been talk about Harvard being far from a perfect team, and most of that came from Crimson coach Tim Murphy himself.

“I’m still looking for that game where I come into this media conference and say, ‘We really played a perfect game,’” Murphy had said after the Columbia game two weeks ago. “We did what we had to do...the number one thing we do best is we play extremely hard.”

More than any other contest during the 2009 campaign, Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs was the epitome of that final statement.

Though the team played far from perfect, in the end, Harvard pulled out the win thanks to heroics from unlikely places.

For starters, senior Jon Takamura anchored the Crimson defense, which faltered early but played the stalwart card late in the game when it needed it most. He led the team in tackles with nine, and his interception with under a minute left in the game silenced a Yale comeback attempt.

Also bolstering the Harvard D was junior Josue Ortiz, who had to endure the game announced by the staidum PA as “joh-soo”—not “ho-sway,” as the Spanish pronunciation would dictate.

Ortiz, who has played in all 10 games this season despite being a starter in none of them, contributed seven tackles—sharing the lead with five solo tackles.

His big hit on Yale back Rodney Reynolds set the Bulldogs back two yards on a drive that culminated with a missed field goal attempt by Alex Barnes.

“We’re proud of the guys, especially our defensive line, stepping up in the fourth quarter,” Takamura said. “Just stopping the run and being physical, it’s what the coaches teach us. We didn’t execute well the first half, but definitely guys [stepped] up, and we were able to pull out the win.”

On the offensive side, the Crimson’s top wide receiver, senior Matt Luft, finally broke out of his season-long silent spell to corral a crucial 41-yard touchdown reception, moving the momentum safely into Harvard’s grasp.

“I’ve been saying all season, even though Matt hasn’t been [as] statistically great as he has been, that he was going to come up big for us, and he did today,” Winters said.

For a team that has consistently relied on answers from unlikely places, The Game was the fitting conclusion.

“[I’m] just very very proud of our kids and the resilience they showed,” Murphy said. “They think I’m a little bit corny at times, I even get that from my own children at home, but in the end it’s all about never give up...and that’s what happened out there today.”

—Staff writer Dixon McPhillips can be reached at fmcphill@fas.harvard.edu.