Quarterback Question? Not Quite

As our weekly football drama ended, with the fans streaming out of the Stadium buoyed by a Harvard victory and another sunny, chilly Saturday afternoon giving way to evening, the Question On Everyone's Mind surfaced immediately.

Coach, who's your starting quarterback next week against Princeton?

As is his custom, Coach Tim Murphy answered without a hitch.

"I don't even known how to spell controversy," he said, smiling. "Vin's our quarterback. But it's nice to know that we have two different guys who can run the offense without us missing a beat."

Uh, yeah. After backup quarterback Steve Kezirian's rousing performance on Saturday, no one doubts, that the Crimson has two guys who can run the offense.

The question is, who can run it, better?

Kezirian put forth his case against Colgate by leading Harvard to three touchdowns in three drives during the critical fourth quarter. Entering the game after first-stringer Vin Ferrara went down with a shoulder injury, Kezirian led the Crimson from a 21-13 deficit to a 35-21 lead.

In the process, the junior from Los Angels ran seven times for 69 yards and completed five of seven passes for another 45. Included in the gaudy stats were two touchdown runs, a two-point conversion, two successful third-down conversion passes, a key quarterback keeper on fourth down, and well, a heck of a lot of enthusiasm.

"I thought Steve really brought it up today," said sophomore running back Eion Hu, himself a key player in the game's important moments. "He was one of the big reasons for our win today."

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Kezirian's performance was the unexpectedness of it all. Even Kezirian himself, whose normal duties consist of holding for field goal and point-after attempts, admitted to some early jitters.

"You always hear about how tough it is just to go in during the middle of the game, and it really is," he said. "But as a quarterback, you have to be ready when your member's called, and I just went out and did as well as I could."

As the numbers above attest, he did quite well. The basic question, however, remains: Should he start over Ferrara?

The answer, at least for now, is no, Ferrara has served as the linchpin of the Crimson offense's revival this season, and despite limited mobility because of some nagging injuries, he remains its most experienced and dependable field general. Before exiting against Colgate, the junior piled up some impressive stats of his own: 12 of 17 passes for 108 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Asked to compare himself with Ferrara, the personable Keslrian admitted his teammate's superiority in traditional quarterbacking skills.

"Vin's a great fundamental quarterback," he said. "I know he's worked really hard all summer and fall on his throwing, and it shows. My strength as a quarterback is more as a runner. I'm just trying to make things happen on the field."

And that, right there, is why Murphy will stick with Ferrara. While Kezirian's quickness on option sweeps injected some excitement into the Crimson's ground game, and while his emotional spark propelled the team to a much-appreciated non-league victory, his sparkling passing stats probably wouldn't hold up over the long head.

Put in even more basic terms, Ferrara can throw considerably than Kezirian. And in Murphy's pro-style offense, the quarterback has to throw consistently.

This isn't to say that Kezirian will always be the backup. And it's not to take away from his considerable contributions in earning Saturday's victory over Colgate.

But, to put things in perspective, and to answer the Question On Everyone's Mind: Vin Ferrars deserves in start next track against.