Defense Keys Win for Football

Sparked by big defensive plays at crucial moments, the Crimson held on to an early lead to defeat crosstown foe Northeastern 35-20 in front of 6,513 fans at Harvard Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Senior strong safety Andy Fried forced two fumbles that junior linebacker John Perry and sophomore defensive lineman Brendan McCafferty returned for touchdowns of 85 and 19 yards, respectively, to keep Harvard (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) undefeated.

The Crimson is now out to its best start since the 1987 Ivy League championship season, and will look to remain undefeated in its road opener at Cornell on Saturday.

“We were very fortunate,” said Harvard Coach Tim Murphy. “We played very hard and very well, but a lot of the breaks went our way.”

The “breaks” were the difference in a game that could easily have gone the other way. The Husky offense, led by senior tailback L.J. McKansas’ dominating 220-yard rushing effort, racked up more yards and first downs than Harvard.

But big plays by both the defense and special teams kept Northeastern (1-3) and its powerful ground game out of striking distance.

After the Crimson jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead, Northeastern seized the momentum in the third quarter by scoring on consecutive drives. On its ensuing possession, the Harvard offense went three-and-out, and the Huskies were within a score of tying the game.

But with Northeastern facing second and nine from their own 28, a blitzing Fried slipped through the Husky line and drilled junior quarterback Logan Galli. The ball was knocked loose and picked up at the 19-yard line by McCafferty, who rumbled into the endzone for the score.

“It was just a good scheme that enabled me to get into the backfield untouched,” Fried said.

In addition to the two forced fumbles, Fried posted a sack and three tackles for a loss.

With a 35-20 lead going into the final quarter, the defense, which had struggled to stop Northeastern’s ground game all afternoon, keyed on the run to hold McKansas to only four rushing yards in the fourth quarter. Combining Harvard’s defensive scheme with an inept passing attack, the Huskies couldn’t threaten the remainder of the game.

“They were loading up against the run late in the game,” said Northeastern Coach Don Brown. “You’ve got to be able to pass. 93 yards in the throw game is not going to get you anywhere.”

Galli completed just 9-of-23 passes on the afternoon.

Harvard quarterback senior Neil Rose, despite going 12-for-15 for 159 yards in the first half, also struggled at the end of the game, completeing just 1-of-7 passes for one yard after the break. But the Crimson took advantage of strong fourth quarter rushing by junior tailback Nick Palazzo to run out the clock and clinch the victory.

With 6:19 remaining in the ball game, Murphy called 10 consecutive ground plays, eight for Palazzo. Harvard grinded out four first downs on 49 yards to run out the clock.

Rose credited the offensive line for the Crimson’s late success running the ball.

“We are a very well-conditioned football team,” Rose said. “The offensive line just never gave up. Run or pass you need a good offensive line.”

Taking advantage of big plays from the special teams unit, Harvard jumped out to an early lead with touchdowns on its first two possessions.

On the game’s first drive, the Crimson faced fourth-and-11 on its own 44 yard line. Harvard lined up in punt formation, but, instead of going to sophomore punter Adam Kingston, the snap was fielded by sophomore tight end Matt Fratto. Fratto ran for 29 yards to easily pick up the first down.

“We felt that a conservative game plan wasn’t going to get it done against these guys,” Murphy said. “We had to go for every big play opportunity we had.”

The Crimson was flagged for delay of game on the next play, but on first-and-15 Rose connected with senior wideout Dan Farley for a 33-yard score with 11:27 remaining in the first quarter.

Another big play set up the Crimson’s second score.

On the ensuing Husky possession, the Harvard defense forced a three-and-out. But on fourth-and-10 on the Husky 27, a bad snap from center sailed over sophomore punter Tyler Grogan’s head. Grogan picked up the ball and desperately attempted to get the kick away amid a swarm of Crimson defenders, but the punt was blocked.

Harvard took over on the Northeastern 15 and scored four plays later on a one-yard plunge by Rose with 8:24 left in the first quarter.

The lead was cut in half quickly. The Huskies took over on the Harvard 45 with 2:17 remaining in the first quarter. A 16-yard completion from Galli to senior wideout Michael Mack set up a 24-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Sean Connor. Nate Mullaugh’s kick brought the score to 14-7 with 1:58 remaining in the quarter.

A fumble on the Crimson’s next possession by junior tailback Rodney Thomas, Harvard’s first offensive turnover of the year, halted a 58-yard drive. After struggling on a three-and-out its next possession, the Crimson scored quick consecutive touchdowns late in the second quarter to take the momentum going into halftime.

With 4:40 remaining in the half, Harvard took over at its own 28 yard line following an interception by senior linebacker Eric LaHaie.

Rose scrambled for 22 yards on the first play, setting up first-and-10 at midfield. On the next play, Farley reached around a Husky defender while sprawled out in midair to make a spectacular 23-yard diving catch. Farley led all Harvard receivers with four catches for 78 yards.

“There is no question that we foresaw that they would double team [All-Ivy wideout] Carl [Morris],” Murphy said, “but we knew going into the season that we wanted to get Dan Farley the ball more. We knew going in that besides Carl he was the guy making the most plays.”

On third-and-five two plays later, Rose hit Morris for a 22-yard scoring strike with 1:59 remaining in the half. Sophomore Robbie Wright’s kick gave Harvard a 21-7 lead.

Wright’s ensuing kickoff went for a touchback, and the Huskies took over on their own 20. Behind the steady rushing of McKansas and Galli’s longest completion of the afternoon, a 20-yard strike to junor wideout Peter Cegerenko, Northeastern marched down to Harvard’s 12 yard line.

But just when a Husky score seemed inevitable, Fried surged through the line to stick Galli and force a fumble that was recovered by Perry who carried the ball 85 yards for the score. It was Harvard’s first fumble recovery for a touchdown since 1980.

“When I got to the 20, I just thought ‘Don’t get caught.’ I haven’t run that far since high school,” Perry said.

Perry, who had 10 tackles on the afternoon, was just one of several players that stepped up for the defense playing without sophomore linebacker Dante Balestracci and senior defensive end Phil Scherrer, both All-Ivy players. Lahaie registered 10 tackles to go along with his interception, and junior Collin Blackburn posted eight tackles while filling in for Balestracci.

Scherrer is probable for Saturday’s game against Cornell, according to Murphy, but the status of Balestracci as well as senior center Jason Hove and senior tailback Josh Staph is questionable.