Football Just Misses Good Season

The ball hit the ground.

Simple as that.

When Yale junior Eric Johnson reached for a long pass from Bulldog quarterback Joe Walland in the end zone with 29 seconds left in the game, the crowd gasped, the referee signaled touchdown and the Harvard football players cried foul.

The play stood, and Yale had a 24-21 home victory to clinch a share of the Ivy title. Harvard (5-5, 3-4 Ivy) ended a season beset with disappointments with yet another one. Harvard's five losses came on a combined 18 points.

Highlights for the Crimson were many, though. Senior linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski, anchor of a tough, senior-laden defense, was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Kacyvenski finished his career as the only 40-game starter in the history of Harvard football, as well as the Crimson's all-time leading tackler with 395. Senior defensive end Mike Sands also signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Senior running back Chris Menick, who sat out the final game of the season with a sprained medial collateral ligament, broke Eion Hu's '97 career Harvard rushing record with 3,330 yards. He also had 28 touchdowns, one short of the school record.

Tight end Chris Eitzmann ably led the Crimson as a vocal leader on and off the field and ended up agreeing to a free-agent contract from the New England Patriots at the end of the year.

The biggest controversy for the Crimson was at quarterback where senior Rich Linden, a three-year starter, was replaced in his final year with long-time understudy and classmate Brad Wilford, who managed to hold onto his spot for much of the year.

Yale 24, Harvard 21

Before Johnson's catch, Harvard had the lead and the chance to hold on for the win. Senior running back Troy Jones scored a touchdown with 12:19 left in the game to give the Crimson a 21-17 lead.

Harvard senior safety Mike Brooks returned a blocked kick for a touchdown early in the second half in a play that gave Harvard a 14-3 lead and the driver's seat. Overall, the Crimson led for most of the game, including grabbing a 7-3 halftime lead.

Wilford completed 13-of-28 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown.

Penn 21, Harvard 17

Trailing 14-0 in the fourth quarter, with its offense completely ineffective, and Menick sidelined with a sprained MCL, the game appeared lost for Harvard. But a Kacyvenski interception set up Harvard's first touchdown of the game, and a spectacular 77-yard punt return by Patterson tied the game for the Crimson. After the Harvard defense forced the fourth Penn turnover of the game, a Mike Giampaolo field goal put the Crimson up 17-14 with 5:47 remaining.

An interception by linebacker Jeff Svicarovich with 2:51 remaining appeared to seal the game for the Crimson, but a Wilford fumble gave Penn the ball at its own 37-yard-line. Facing fourth-and-10, Penn quarterback Gavin Hoffman threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Carson, putting Penn up 21-17 in shocking fashion.

With all of its timeouts and 1:02 remaining, Harvard had the chance to come back and win the game, but the Crimson drive stalled at the Penn 33, and ended in a Wilford interception on fourth-and-10, Harvard's 11th turnover in its last two games.

Brown 17, Harvard 10

Though Brown and Harvard featured the top two offenses in the Ivy League entering the game, it was the defenses that controlled the contest. Despite turning the ball over four times in the first half, Harvard still led 10-3 early in the third quarter. But then Brown quarterback James Perry finally figured out the Harvard defense, completing 7-of-9 passes on a game-tying touchdown drive.

With the Crimson facing third-and-30 on its next possession, a Wilford bomb thrown 50 yards downfield was intercepted by Brown cornerback Melvin Justice and returned all the way back to the Crimson 18-yard-line. The Bear offense scored off the turnover, and Harvard was unable to come back despite driving into the red zone on its next two possessions. The final Crimson drive ended in a Wilford interception, the team's sixth turnover of the game.

Harvard 63, Dartmouth 21

On a day when Menick and senior wide receiver Terence Patterson, as expected, broke the Harvard records for career rushing and career receptions, respectively, the Crimson offense completely rewrote the school record book.

Despite playing only three quarters, Wilford completed 26-of-34 passes for 398 yards, eclipsing the previous record by 46 yards. Harvard also broke modern league records for points and total yards (640). Menick rushed for four touchdowns and 120 yards on 22 attempts, and freshman wideouts Carl Morris and Kyle Cremarosa and sophomore receiver Andy Fried all had their biggest games of the season.

As for the defense, the team initially struggled to stop Dartmouth quarterback Bryan Mann, who completed 15 of his first 16 passes and led a Big Green touchdown drive to start the game. But then in the second half, the Harvard defense held Mann without a single completion and limited the Big Green offense to just one first down.

Harvard 13, Princeton 6

Led by Menick, who rushed for a season-high 165 yards on 27 carries, the Crimson led the Tigers 6-3 late in the fourth quarter. But then a 52-yard, wind-aided field goal by Princeton kicker Taylor Northrop with 3:32 left tied the game. On its next possession, led by Menick"s rushing, the Crimson drove down to the one-foot-line with seven seconds left. On the last play, Harvard Coach Tim Murphy chose to let Wilford run a sneak instead of allowing senior placekicker Mike Giampaolo to attempt a field goal. The gamble paid off, as Wilford made it in for the game-winning touchdown.

Harvard 37, Fordham 30

After blowing a 13-point lead against Cornell the previous week, Harvard nearly blew a 34-3 halftime lead against Fordham, the cellar team in the Patriot League. Led by Wilford, who had 220 yards passing, Patterson, who caught a touchdown pass and returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown, and Menick, who rushed for 139 yards on 26 carries, Harvard built the seemingly insurmountable lead. But in the second half, Fordham quarterback Matt Georgia tore up the Harvard defense, completing 36-of-64 passes for 382 yards. Interceptions by Kacyvenski and safety Ben Green in the final minutes were the difference in preserving the Crimson victory.

Cornell 24, Harvard 23

On the heels of Menick and running back Chuck Nwokocha, each of whom rushed for more than 100 yards, the Crimson held a 23-10 lead late in the fourth quarter. With 3:56 remaining, Kacyvenski picked off a pass from Cornell quarterback Ricky Rahne at the Harvard six-yard-line, seemingly sealing the victory for Harvard. But the play was called back, and Cornell went on to score, cutting the Crimson lead to 23-17. The Big Red then finished its shocking comeback on its next possession when Rahne drove Cornell 58 yards on five plays to give the Big Red a 24-23 lead with 26 seconds remaining.

Harvard, however, was not yet finished. Wilford hit Patterson and Morris on consecutive plays to set up a 40-yard field goal attempt for Giampaolo. But a low snap allowed the field goal to be blocked, and the Crimson was left with the crushing defeat.

Colgate 24, Harvard 21

After Harvard fell behind 21-7 and turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions in the third quarter, it looked as if the game was lost for the Crimson. But then strong safety Mike Madden picked off a pass from Colgate quarterback Ryan Vena to set up a Crimson score. Then with 1:18 left, Wilford hit Cremarosa from 33 yards out to tie the game. But Colgate drove 66 yards from the Harvard 15-yard-line in the final minute to set up the game-winning field goal, killing the Crimson comeback.

Harvard 25, Holy Cross 17

Wilford threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown to lead Harvard to victory. After falling behind 14-3 in the first quarter, Harvard scored two touchdowns, including a two-point conversion, to take an 18-14 lead at the half. Holy Cross cut the lead 18-17 early in the third, but then Wilford's 12-yard touchdown gave Harvard a more comfortable lead. The Crusaders gave the Crimson a scare when they drove to the Harvard 16-yard-line in the final minutes. But the Harvard defense held Holy Cross on fourth-and-10 to preserve the victory.

Harvard 24, Columbia 7

With Columbia taking a 7-0 lead early and Harvard's first drive ending on an interception in the Lion end zone, it looked as if this game might be a repeat of last year's nightmarish 24-0 loss in New York City. But then Kacyvenski reversed Harvard's fortune when he picked off Columbia quarterback Mark Stoutenberg to set up the game-tying touchdown.

From then on, it was all Harvard. Jones put the Crimson up for good with a touchdown run late in the first quarter, and the Harvard defense shut down Columbia from then on. Jones and Menick were the key contributors to the Harvard rushing attack that racked up 264 yards on 40 carries. Quarterback Brad Wilford threw for 190 yards to earn a victory in his first career start.