The Defensive QB That Ruined the Lions' Strategy

The usual media hype about who will be quarterbacking Harvard football Coach Joe Restic's multiflex offense has been heightened this year by the lack of any clear-cut choices.

And, although Tom Priore owns a 1-0 record as the Crimson's starting QB, Harvard's paltry offensive output (only four net yards passing) in its 9-6 win over Columbia has only increased speculation about who will be the offensive leader. For now, the choice remains Priore, who is still listed as the starter for Saturday's 12:30 ESPN-televised game at The Stadium against Northeastern.

On the other hand, attention is rarely paid to the defensive quarterback, the on-field general of Restic's and defensive coordinator George Clemens' end zone-protecting strategies. Never was the injustice of this neglect more apparent than against the Lions, when linebacker Joe Gordian demonstrated how important the defensive field general can be.

Leading, 9-6, the Crimson had been pushed back 58 yards in 11 plays by Columbia's offense. Harvard was showing the toll of being on the field for most of the second half, as three Crimson penalties contributed 25 yards to the drive.

It was up to Gordian & Co. to preserve the slender lead, especially since the offense showed no signs of scoring any more points.

"The difficult thing is when the defense is getting tired, it's hard to pump them up," Gordian said. "In that situation, we needed to make a big play. The ball's down on the 15-yard line and they have a good field goal kicker. So, it wasn't enough just to stop them there. We had to get the ball or sack them, get them out of field goal range."

End John Sparks stuffed running back Kevin Robinson's first down rush at the line of scrimmage.

On second down, it was Robinson again--this time on a fake reverse. A blitzing Gordian broke into the backfield and forced Robinson up into the teeth of the Harvard line. As Robinson tried to spin out of a tackle, senior end Barry Littman jarred the ball loose, and Sparks recovered to squelch the threat.

Hordin' Gordian: But the defense needed more than one fumble to keep the Crimson in front. Gordian was doing much more than just pumping the troops up.

Following a Bert Smyers fumble on the opening play of the second half, the Lions took over on the Harvard 31-yard line. No problem for Gordian, who stepped back into zone coverage and picked off a Bruce Mayhew pass intended for tight end Mario Loya.

And on the final Columbia drive of the game, it was Gordian to the rescue again, picking off an under-thrown Mayhew pass intended for Solomon Johnson.

Add eight tackles and three assists and you've got yourself the ECAC Division I-AA and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.

Nothing New: The only touchdown drive of the game, a four-play, nine-yard Harvard drive in the first quarter, was set up by a fumbled punt return by Columbia's Chuck Dimitroff. The junior defensive back camped under a high, Derek Lewis punt at his own five-yard line and committed a major gaffe by calling for a fair catch and trying to catch the ball in the sun. Dimitroff flubbed the catch, and Harvard's Jeff Wood pounced on the ball at the nine-yard line.

Visiting reporters in the press box who legitimately questioned Dimitroff's judgement were quickly reminded of how frustrating it can be to be a Lions fan. One of the home reporters quickly retorted, "You get used to that kind of stuff around here."

You'll Get Used to It: Some people who were getting used to Columbia football frustration were the first-year and transfer students revelling at "New Student Day." Saturday's attendance of 9430 was second in the six-year history of Wein Stadium to the 10,500 fans who showed up at the stadium's first game ever--also against Harvard.

Wake Up!: Not only did both offenses fail to produce much excitement, but there were very few bone-jarring tackles either. Aside from a few pops by linebackers Gordian and Barry Lausch, the biggest hit of the game may have come in the third quarter, when Columbia's Solomon Johnson was chased out of bounds and bowled over one of the older sideline photographers.

Poor guy had probably fallen into a boredom-induced sleep and didn't see Solo coming.

Around the Ivies: The Crimson shares first place in the Ivy League with Yale, Cornell and Penn, which also produced Opening Day victories Saturday. The Elis were pushed by lowly Brown, before polishing off the Bruins, 27-21. Cornell, in a battle between two of the top contenders to expected to challenge Yale for the title, outlasted Princeton, 17-14. And the Quakers, who dropped their last five games last season, stomped Dartmouth, 16-6.

Can't You Keep That Darn Flag in Your Pocket?: A forgettable aspect of the Crimson's performance Saturday was the sloppy collection of penalties--12 in total. The infractions, including several personal fouls or facemask violations, cost Harvard 95 total yards.

Game of the Week?: Don't expect to see much advertising for ESPN's Ivy League Game of the Week this week, especially after the commentators review films of last week's Harvard and Northeastern action.

The Crimson carries a modest four-game winning streak into the game and the game against Columbia at least featured an exciting result which could have gone to either team. The Huskies, on the other hand, possess an eight-game losing streak, have been outscored this year, 80-19 and lost a 37-3 thriller to powerhouse Youngstown State Saturday.

Good luck to commentators Wayne Larrivee and Kevin Guthrie for keeping the TV fans entertained.