The Tale of Two Halves

Never has the overworked cliche “a tale of two halves” applied so aptly to a Harvard football game as it did Saturday against Dartmouth.

On the wrong end of a 21-0 halftime score and facing the end of its hopes of an undefeated season, the Crimson put together the largest comeback in Harvard history to stun the Big Green, 31-21.

Discounting a 22-point comeback for the infamous 29-29 “win” against Yale in 1968, this rally stands as the most prolific in the storied history of Crimson football.

After Dartmouth took advantage of an interception of Crimson quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to make the score 21-0 with under a minute left before the half, the chances of an undefeated season for Harvard seemed slim to none.

After the break, however, the Crimson needed less than 10 minutes to completely erase the deficit, thanks to three impressive drives that sent a definitive statement to the Big Green.

A touchdown pass from wideout Carl Morris to Sam Taylor, a Crimson recovery of a fumbled kick return and a Fitzpatrick-to-Morris touchdown hookup on three consecutive plays in a span of 17 seconds started the comeback.

Four minutes after Harvard’s first touchdown, junior tailback Nick Palazzo bullied in from one yard out to knot the score at 21.

Kicker Anders Blewett nailed a 30-yard field goal to start the final quarter and put Harvard ahead for good.

Harvard Coach Tim Murphy credited the victory to the team’s commitment and perserverance.

“We not only played with tremendous character in the second half, but we also made a lot of big, poised plays,” Murphy said.

Slow Starts

As the Crimson celebrates the win and a 6-0 start to the season, it’s easy to forget that the game should never have turned out this way against a Dartmouth team that entered the contest at 1-4.

Harvard was outhustled and outmuscled by the feisty Dartmouth squad in the first half. Big Green tailback Michael Gratch spearheaded a rushing attack that pounded the Crimson for 124 yards in the first stanza.

“They completely outplayed us and outcoached us in the first half,” Murphy said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve been far from perfect.”

The Crimson’s latest first-half flop came on the heels of a sloppy first half against Princeton last weekend in which the Crimson committed three costly turnovers and trailed 20-14.

As the Crimson heads into the home stretch of the Ivy schedule, including a pivotal game against undefeated Penn, the team can no longer afford to dig in to an early hole.

Stepping Up

With Harvard missing several key players on the offensive side of the ball, a rookie and a veteran stepped up their games to propel the Crimson to its latest victory.

Fitzpatrick, making his first collegiate start in place of the injured Neil Rose, racked up 262 yards through the air to go with his scoring connection to Morris. The freshman quarterback also led Crimson rushers with 58 yards on 17 carries.

Elsewhere on offense, the Crimson was again without senior tailback Josh Staph, who set out with an ankle injury, while Palazzo saw only limited action in the second half. The offensive line was also missing two starters and, as a result, the Crimson had trouble running the ball.

With the offense looking to the passing game for big plays, Morris had his biggest game of the year, catching 11 passes for 153 yards and a score and throwing a 35-yard scoring strike to Taylor. Six of Morris’ receptions resulted in Crimson first downs, one of which set up Palazzo’s one-yard touchdown plunge in the third quarter.

After the game, Fitzpatrick said that he was glad to have the talented wide receiver to throw to in tough situations.

“It’s great to be throwing to somebody like Carl,” Fitzpatrick said. “It makes it a lot easier for me.”

Morris’ 11 catches moved him past Colby Skelton ’98 into second on the all-time Crimson receptions list. He now trails career receptions leader and former teammate Terence Patterson ’00 by 14 catches.

Get a Grip

After turning the ball over four times against Princeton last weekend, the Crimson got back into the ball security routine against Dartmouth, with its only turnover coming on a Fitzpatrick interception in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the Harvard defense created four takeaways, including three in the second half that fueled the Crimson comeback.

After Harvard pulled to within 21-7 early in the third, senior Shawn Parker recovered a Dartmouth fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set up another quick Harvard score.

Later, with Harvard leading 24-21, sophomore linebacker Dante Balestracci, who returned two interceptions for touchdowns last season against Dartmouth, picked off a tipped pass and appeared to take it the distance. However, two penalties against the Crimson, a personal foul for fighting and an unsportsmanlike conduct for celebration, relegated the Crimson to its own nine yard line in one of the strangest plays of the season.

Senior defensive end Marc Laborsky finished strong for Harvard, picking up two sacks and forcing two fumbles in the final quarter to preserve the Crimson lead.