Football: Harvard's Title Chances Hinge on the Defense

After two disappointing seasons in which Harvard finished with 5-4 (1971) and 4-4-1 (1972) records, many Crimson football fans were ready to give up on coach Joe Restic and his innovative multiple offense system. The fans were yearning for a return to the much more conservative, but winning, days of John Yovicsin, Restic's predecessor.

However, Harvard's 7-2 record in 1973 demonstrated that Restic's daring brand of football could produce success in the Ivy League.

The offense, led by All-Ivy quarterback and Player-of-the-Year Jim Stoeckel, averaged 25 points a game and churned out 358 total yards per contest. The attack was neatly balanced with both strong passing and running games.

But despite this offensive firepower, Harvard could still muster only a 5-2 second-place Ivy finish. The reason was the porous defense. Nationally ranked after the season's first three games by allowing just seven points, the defense gave up an average of 27 points per game for the remainder of the year. Every Harvard game became a free-for-all, with both teams marching up and down the field, scoring almost at will.

The coming season promises to be more of the same. The offense is strong, with many returning veterans and quality at the skill positions. In addition, the offense has depth just about everywhere.

The defense is another story. Only five starters are back, and even assuming that Restic can fill the remaining gaps, there will be an all-around lack of depth.

Below are the individual position evaluations.

The Offense

QUARTERBACK: The key to Harvard's attack will be the extent of southpaw quarterback Milt Holt's ability to fill the shoes of Jim Stoeckel. Holt has seen limited varsity experience the last two years, and whether he can do the job is uncertain. His best efforts last year were a 25-minute stint in the Columbia game in which the lefty completed 14 of 27 passes, and the Penn game, in which Holt was 13 for 26 and 172 yards.

Restic has faith in Holt's ability. "Milt is a good leader and has a strong arm. I have every confidence that he can do the job," he said.

In addition, Holt should add a new dimension to the Crimson attack with his excellent speed and running ability, a quality Stoeckel lacked. "I think you'll find that Milt will turn out to be one of the best running quarterbacks in the League," Restic said.

Quarterback prognosis: Good to excellent.

RUNNING BACKS: The entire Crimson starting backfield is returning with the incomparable Neal Miller at fullback and Alky Tsitsos and Ed Cronin at the halves. Miller, a human cannonball (he's listed at 5'9", 210 but he's about 2" shorter) is simply dynamite. He came out of nowhere last year to lead the team in rushing with 661 yards on 130 attempts, despite missing the Brown and most of the Yale games because of an injury. Tsitsos was second on the team in rushing, with 319 yards on 91 carries. Alky doesn't have great speed, but has excellent balance. Cronin also lacks speed, but can do a lot of things well--especially blocking and receiving.

The backups for these three, and perhaps even some potential starters, are Tom Lincoln, Burrelle Duvauchelle, Tom Winn and Steve Dart. Running backs: Good to excellent.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE: Harvard has a potential great one in mammoth junior (6'5", 260) second-team All-Ivy Dan Jiggetts. The Crimson has a good tackle in captain Brian Hehir, who earned a letter by playing all three offensive line positions last year. The only problem here is no real depth. Offensive tackle: Good to excellent.

OFFENSIVE GUARD: Here Harvard must replace both guard positions, but there are capable personnel in junior lettermen Kevin McCafferty and Joe Antonellis. There are also good backup men in Phil Dombrowski, Bob Gantley, and Ernie Pisanelli. Offensive guard: Good.

CENTER: Junior Carl Culig returns as the Crimson center. Culig, though not large size-wise, is exceptionally strong with good lateral movement. Center: Good to excellent.

WIDE RECEIVER: This position is Harvard's strongest. First there is All-American candidate wide receiver Pat McInally. McInally had 56 receptions good for 752 yards and seven T.D.s last year. Many of his catches were of the spectacular variety, most notably the last minute game winning catch in the corner of the Penn endzone. McInally has every prerequisite for greatness-size (6'6", 225), agility, speed (4.6 in the 40), good hands, good instincts, and the ability to run well with the ball. It seems anything close to his huge frame he sweeps in like a vacuum. Pat already is tied for career receptions and owns the single season record for receptions at Harvard.

Not to be forgotten is big tight end Pete Curtin (6'5", 225). His 26 catches for 363 yards ranked seventh in the Ivies overall and here the most for tight ends. With McInally and Curtin, Harvard has the most dangerous pair of receivers in the League. Ends: Very excellent.

The Defense

DEFENSIVE TACKLE: The Crimson has All-Ivy and All-New England tackle Rob Shaw returning, but that's about it. The other tackle spot is up in the air, with Peter Mee, Joe Restivo, and Rusty Pickard the candidates for the other spot. Tackle: Fair to good.

DEFENSIVE END: Harvard lost both starters from last year, including two-time All-Ivy Mitch Berger. Lettermen Paul Hartnett and Hardy Wiedemann seem to have the starting jobs nailed down. Big Walt Herbert has been moved from tight end to give some depth at the position. End: Fair.

MIDDLE GUARD: The middle guard the last two years was standout Sandy Tennant, an All-Ivy second-team pick. Tennant's backup, letterman Dan Staggers, will attempt to take his place, but Wayne Eads and Mike Bruich are also in the running for the starting berth. Middle Guard: Fair.

LINEBACKER: The linebacking corps is the Crimson's forte with returnees George Newhouse at adjuster and Eric Kurzweil at one linebacking post. Newhouse was a pleasant surprise last year as a sophomore, leading the team in individual tackles with 51. Kurzweil, also a junior, had 61 individual and assisted tackles, second on the team. The other candidates for a starting job are junior lettermen Bill Collatos and John Keough, with letterman John Clarke the backup adjuster. Sophomore Tom Joyce is also in the picture as a possible starter. Linebacking: Good.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Two starters are returning, Joe Sciolla and Mike Page. Page led the team in interceptions with four, including a 45-yard touchdown return against Brown. Competing for the other berth are Barry Cronin (Ed's brother), Fran Cronin (no relation), Jon Judge, and Al Costello. Defensive backs: Fair to good.

KICKING: Harvard will be looking for a replacement for Bruce Tetirick, the Crimson's all-time leading placekicker. Restic hopes that McInally, who handled the kickoff chores last year, can also kick field goals and PATs. McInally will also be asked to do the punting in lieu of the loss of Stoeckel, the punter the last three years. If Pat's big food can't do the job, Jim Curry will take over the kicking.

The only really bright spot in the kick-return department is Burrelle Duvauchelle. Duvauchelle took in 15 kickoffs and returned them an average of 25.4 yards, 10th in the nation, last season. Kicking: Fair.

Overall, Harvard clearly has a strong offense, but it is the defense that will make or break the Crimson this year. Harvard's Ivy title hopes will depend on the ability of coach Restic and his staff to come up with adequate personnel to fill the holes created by graduation.

"Our offense is solid, but the defense is our weak point," said Restic. "Because of our lack of depth at defense, a few injuries to any of our key players could make for a long, dismal season."