Lehigh Gives Football Rude Homecoming

It took two games, but the Harvard football team finally looked like the team that went 9-1 last year. The reprieve was brief, however, and a meltdown by the Crimson's two offensive stars at the end of last Saturday's game left Harvard winless. LEHIGH  21 HARVARD  17

An obviously inspired Harvard (0-3, 0-1 Ivy) played its best football of the season and jumped out to a 17-0 lead against Lehigh (4-0, 1-0 Patriot) in front of a crowd of 5,270 at The Stadium. The Mountain Hawks clawed their way back with touchdowns in the second, third and fourth quarters, taking a 21-17 lead that held up for the last 12:40 of the game.

Although the Crimson had been staggering, its defense made a potentially huge play with 9:23 left to put Harvard in position for the win. Senior inside linebacker Scott Larkee, who had 16 tackles, stripped the ball from junior fullback Brett Snyder, and junior inside linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski recovered the ball at the Mountain Hawks' 27-yard line.

With a chance to save what had become a frustrating afternoon, Harvard's offense drove down to the Lehigh 11-yard line, where it would have had a third-and-seven. After his run, however, junior running back Chris Menick drew a personal foul penalty for shoving Lehigh senior safety Sam Brinley right in front of two officials.

"I don't know what he was thinking," Brinley said. "I hit him in the hole, drove him back and threw him down, and the kid hops up and double-fists me in the face. I just walked away, tried to shake his hand and say, `Thank you for the 15 yards.'"

"That penalty was, I don't know, like the guy kind of threw me down after the whistle a little bit," Menick said. "I just got up and kind of lost my cool, and that was a definite mistake. I shouldn't have done that, we were driving."

The 15-yard mark-off pushed Harvard back to the 26-yard-line, and it was forced to throw. Linden's pass missed high and was picked off by Brinley at his own 8-yard line, and the return brought the ball out to midfield. Just like that, Harvard's best chance for its first win of the season was ripped away.

"Defensively, in the second half, we stepped up, and they couldn't do anything," Brinley said.

In the end, it was Harvard's money players who threw the chance to win away and killedHarvard's momentum. Menick's penalty pushedHarvard into an obvious passing situation andmarred his 22-carry, 114-yard return performance.

Linden, who has not been sharp all year, thenturned the ball over. He only completed 16-of-32passes for 113 yards, dropping him to a paltry 119passing yards-per-game average.

"We didn't throw the ball as well as I thoughtwe'd be able to throw today," Harvard Coach TimMurphy said. "Right now, our offense in generaland our passing game in particular is not asdeveloped as we'd like it to be. Sometimes, Ithink Rich really misses [graduated receivers]Colby Skelton and Jared Chupaila, but those guysare long gone."

Lehigh scored the winning touchdown on a16-play, 91-yard drive that took 5:54 off theclock. The Mountain Hawks ran the ball 10 times onthe drive, including the 5-yard scoring run byjunior running back Ron Jean. There was an air ofinevitability as Lehigh methodically moved downthe field.

The Mountain Hawks took over after a 42-yardpunt by freshman Jesse Milligan, who emerged as aworthy replacement for injured junior MikeGiampaolo. Although it had to overcome a personalfoul, Lehigh got seven first downs, including aquarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches at its own35-yard line.

Despite the play selection, it was the MountainHawks' passing that pushed the drive along, andsenior Joe Falzone caught four passes for 49yards. Falzone was open all day on out patternsand crossing patterns, and he ended with sevencatches for 96 yards.

"[Quarterback Phil Stambaugh] saw meunderneath, he was making great reads," Falzonesaid. "He was going through his progressions fromone to two, and he was finding me underneath."

Harvard's secondary was riddled for 328 passingyards on the day, with Stambaugh completing24-of-39 attempts. Senior Deron Braswell addedseven catches for 124 yards, and junior widereceiver Kody Fedorcha had seven more catches for76 yards. Lehigh was able to run the ball late torun out the clock and finished with 501 totalyards of offense.

"I can't believe it," said Kacyvenski of givingup so many yards. "They have a lot of weapons. Itwasn't huge, huge things, it was small things thatadded up."

Despite the late collapse, Harvard could takepositives from the performance. The Harvard teamthat took the field was totally different from theone that played the first two games. As the teamcame through the tunnel, it pummeled captainBrendan Bibro, who was waiting at midfield. Afterthe toss, the team mobbed Bibro again, replicatinglast year's pre-game ritual.

"That was a team on a mission," Lehigh CoachKevin Higgins said. "I told our kids prior to thegame that we would have to hang tough for thefirst quarter because they were going to come outhard."

The energy carried over to the field, and theCrimson looked sharp on both sides of the ball.The defense held Lehigh to a three-and-out, andHarvard took over on its own 25. The Crimson puttogether a 14-play, 60-yard drive that took 6:21off the clock.

Harvard gained four first downs, three of whichcame on third-down conversions. Menick had twotough runs for successful conversions and ingeneral looked like the runner who gained aschool-record 1,267 yards last year. After Harvardstalled, junior Jonathan Patton hit his firstcareer field goal attempt, a 33-yarder that gaveHarvard a 3-0 lead.

Harvard used great special-teams play to set upits next score, a three-yard touchdown run byLinden on the option. At Lehigh's 30-yard line,Harvard lined up as if it would attempt a fieldgoal. Instead, the center snapped directly toPatton, and his pooch kick died at the Lehigh4-yard line.

Harvard got another three-and-out, then seniorJoe Weidle blocked Jay Heibel's punt. The kickwent for only 11 yards, and the Crimson began atthe Mountain Hawk 22-yard line. The score, whichcame with 11:33 left in the first half, gaveHarvard a 10-0 lead.

What seemed like the knockout punch came fiveplays later. From Harvard's 42-yard line,Stambaugh tried to find Falzone on a slant patternto his left. Senior safety Derek Yankoff read theplay perfectly, jumped in front of the receiver,and ran 64 yards down the right sideline, givingHarvard a 17-0 lead.

Lehigh answered with a seven-play, 73-yarddrive on its next possession. The big blow came ona third-and-23, when Stambaugh found Braswell for54 yards down the left sideline. Two plays later,Stambaugh hit Snyder on a quick pass to the right.Although junior Jeff Svicarovich read the playcorrectly, he whiffed on the tackle, and Snyderwalked in with a 17-yard touchdown that cut thelead to 17-7.

In the third quarter, Lehigh cut the lead tothree after a 13-yard touchdown run by seniorrunning back Brian Baker. Baker took a toss rightand had two offensive linemen in front of him. Theplay ended a 67-yard drive that only took fiveplays and 1:54. Lehigh ate up most of its yards ona 31-yard completion to Braswell, who shieldedjunior cornerback Glenn Jackson from the ball withhis body then drew a 5-yard face mask penalty.

"We squandered the opportunities we had to winthe football game, we just didn't pull the triggerwhen we had the chance to finish them off," Murphysaid.

Harvard seems to have gone back to its 1996form, when it was competitive in many games butfinished 4-6. Even the language is thesame--Murphy said "didn't pull the trigger"countless times that year.

Even during last year's dream season, Harvardhad a 28-0 lead against Lehigh and barely held onfor a 35-30 win. This time, 17 points was notenough.

LEHIGH, 21-17 at Harvard Stadium

Lehigh  0  7  7  7  --  21Harvard  3  14  0  0  --  17

First Quarter

Har--Patton, 26 kick, 7:37.

Second Quarter

Har--Linden, 3 run (Patton kick), 11:33.

Har--Yankoff, 64 INT return (Patton kick),8:25.

Leh--Snyder, 17 pass from Stambaugh (Taaffekick), 4:48.

Third Quarter

Leh--Baker, 13 run (Taaffe kick), 5:09.

Fourth Quarter

Leh--Jean, 5 run (Taaffe kick), 12:40.

Rushing: Leh--Jean 25-105, Baker 19-61,Snyder 1-11, Stambaugh 2-(-4), TOTAL 47-173;Har--Menick 22-114, Patterson 2-27, Linden 8-18,Nwokocha 1-1.

Passing: Leh--Stambaugh 39-24-1 (328);Har--Linden 32-16-2 (113).

Receiving: Leh--Braswell 7-124, Fedorcha7-76, Falzone 7-96, Snyder 2-31, Baker 1-1, TOTAL24-328; Har--Patterson 6-30, Heller 4-25, Stakich3-38, Wilske 2-15, Eitzmann 1-5, TOTAL 16-113.

Interceptions: Leh--Brinley, Moore;Har--Yankoff.

FG Missed: Leh--Taaffe 28

Time of Possession: Leh--32:59,Har--27:01.CrimsonPaul S. GutmanRUN BY DAY, FLY BY NIGHT: (Right)Sophomore wide receiver JOSH WILSKE runs with thefootball. (Below) Junior linebacker ISAIAHKACYVENSKI (left) leaps in to assist on a tackleof Lehigh running back RON JEAN (2). BRIAN HOWARD(93) looks on.

Linden, who has not been sharp all year, thenturned the ball over. He only completed 16-of-32passes for 113 yards, dropping him to a paltry 119passing yards-per-game average.

"We didn't throw the ball as well as I thoughtwe'd be able to throw today," Harvard Coach TimMurphy said. "Right now, our offense in generaland our passing game in particular is not asdeveloped as we'd like it to be. Sometimes, Ithink Rich really misses [graduated receivers]Colby Skelton and Jared Chupaila, but those guysare long gone."

Lehigh scored the winning touchdown on a16-play, 91-yard drive that took 5:54 off theclock. The Mountain Hawks ran the ball 10 times onthe drive, including the 5-yard scoring run byjunior running back Ron Jean. There was an air ofinevitability as Lehigh methodically moved downthe field.

The Mountain Hawks took over after a 42-yardpunt by freshman Jesse Milligan, who emerged as aworthy replacement for injured junior MikeGiampaolo. Although it had to overcome a personalfoul, Lehigh got seven first downs, including aquarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches at its own35-yard line.

Despite the play selection, it was the MountainHawks' passing that pushed the drive along, andsenior Joe Falzone caught four passes for 49yards. Falzone was open all day on out patternsand crossing patterns, and he ended with sevencatches for 96 yards.

"[Quarterback Phil Stambaugh] saw meunderneath, he was making great reads," Falzonesaid. "He was going through his progressions fromone to two, and he was finding me underneath."

Harvard's secondary was riddled for 328 passingyards on the day, with Stambaugh completing24-of-39 attempts. Senior Deron Braswell addedseven catches for 124 yards, and junior widereceiver Kody Fedorcha had seven more catches for76 yards. Lehigh was able to run the ball late torun out the clock and finished with 501 totalyards of offense.

"I can't believe it," said Kacyvenski of givingup so many yards. "They have a lot of weapons. Itwasn't huge, huge things, it was small things thatadded up."

Despite the late collapse, Harvard could takepositives from the performance. The Harvard teamthat took the field was totally different from theone that played the first two games. As the teamcame through the tunnel, it pummeled captainBrendan Bibro, who was waiting at midfield. Afterthe toss, the team mobbed Bibro again, replicatinglast year's pre-game ritual.

"That was a team on a mission," Lehigh CoachKevin Higgins said. "I told our kids prior to thegame that we would have to hang tough for thefirst quarter because they were going to come outhard."

The energy carried over to the field, and theCrimson looked sharp on both sides of the ball.The defense held Lehigh to a three-and-out, andHarvard took over on its own 25. The Crimson puttogether a 14-play, 60-yard drive that took 6:21off the clock.

Harvard gained four first downs, three of whichcame on third-down conversions. Menick had twotough runs for successful conversions and ingeneral looked like the runner who gained aschool-record 1,267 yards last year. After Harvardstalled, junior Jonathan Patton hit his firstcareer field goal attempt, a 33-yarder that gaveHarvard a 3-0 lead.

Harvard used great special-teams play to set upits next score, a three-yard touchdown run byLinden on the option. At Lehigh's 30-yard line,Harvard lined up as if it would attempt a fieldgoal. Instead, the center snapped directly toPatton, and his pooch kick died at the Lehigh4-yard line.

Harvard got another three-and-out, then seniorJoe Weidle blocked Jay Heibel's punt. The kickwent for only 11 yards, and the Crimson began atthe Mountain Hawk 22-yard line. The score, whichcame with 11:33 left in the first half, gaveHarvard a 10-0 lead.

What seemed like the knockout punch came fiveplays later. From Harvard's 42-yard line,Stambaugh tried to find Falzone on a slant patternto his left. Senior safety Derek Yankoff read theplay perfectly, jumped in front of the receiver,and ran 64 yards down the right sideline, givingHarvard a 17-0 lead.

Lehigh answered with a seven-play, 73-yarddrive on its next possession. The big blow came ona third-and-23, when Stambaugh found Braswell for54 yards down the left sideline. Two plays later,Stambaugh hit Snyder on a quick pass to the right.Although junior Jeff Svicarovich read the playcorrectly, he whiffed on the tackle, and Snyderwalked in with a 17-yard touchdown that cut thelead to 17-7.

In the third quarter, Lehigh cut the lead tothree after a 13-yard touchdown run by seniorrunning back Brian Baker. Baker took a toss rightand had two offensive linemen in front of him. Theplay ended a 67-yard drive that only took fiveplays and 1:54. Lehigh ate up most of its yards ona 31-yard completion to Braswell, who shieldedjunior cornerback Glenn Jackson from the ball withhis body then drew a 5-yard face mask penalty.

"We squandered the opportunities we had to winthe football game, we just didn't pull the triggerwhen we had the chance to finish them off," Murphysaid.

Harvard seems to have gone back to its 1996form, when it was competitive in many games butfinished 4-6. Even the language is thesame--Murphy said "didn't pull the trigger"countless times that year.

Even during last year's dream season, Harvardhad a 28-0 lead against Lehigh and barely held onfor a 35-30 win. This time, 17 points was notenough.

LEHIGH, 21-17 at Harvard Stadium

Lehigh  0  7  7  7  --  21Harvard  3  14  0  0  --  17

First Quarter

Har--Patton, 26 kick, 7:37.

Second Quarter

Har--Linden, 3 run (Patton kick), 11:33.

Har--Yankoff, 64 INT return (Patton kick),8:25.

Leh--Snyder, 17 pass from Stambaugh (Taaffekick), 4:48.

Third Quarter

Leh--Baker, 13 run (Taaffe kick), 5:09.

Fourth Quarter

Leh--Jean, 5 run (Taaffe kick), 12:40.

Rushing: Leh--Jean 25-105, Baker 19-61,Snyder 1-11, Stambaugh 2-(-4), TOTAL 47-173;Har--Menick 22-114, Patterson 2-27, Linden 8-18,Nwokocha 1-1.

Passing: Leh--Stambaugh 39-24-1 (328);Har--Linden 32-16-2 (113).

Receiving: Leh--Braswell 7-124, Fedorcha7-76, Falzone 7-96, Snyder 2-31, Baker 1-1, TOTAL24-328; Har--Patterson 6-30, Heller 4-25, Stakich3-38, Wilske 2-15, Eitzmann 1-5, TOTAL 16-113.

Interceptions: Leh--Brinley, Moore;Har--Yankoff.

FG Missed: Leh--Taaffe 28

Time of Possession: Leh--32:59,Har--27:01.CrimsonPaul S. GutmanRUN BY DAY, FLY BY NIGHT: (Right)Sophomore wide receiver JOSH WILSKE runs with thefootball. (Below) Junior linebacker ISAIAHKACYVENSKI (left) leaps in to assist on a tackleof Lehigh running back RON JEAN (2). BRIAN HOWARD(93) looks on.