Football Heads North for Ivy Battle

The Harvard football team looks to crash another homecoming party this weekend as it travels to Hanover, N.H., for an Ivy League showdown with Dartmouth.

Last Saturday, the Crimson (4-2, 3-0 Ivy) won its school-record tenth straight league contest, 24-17, as it defeated Princeton for the seventh straight season, spoiling the Tigers’ homecoming weekend. Tomorrow, Harvard coach Tim Murphy’s troops hope to do the same to the Big Green when they visit Memorial Field at 12:30 p.m.

For Dartmouth (3-3, 2-1 Ivy), the game marks not only its homecoming but also a chance to avenge last year’s disastrous loss at the Stadium—and a shot to win its fourth straight game, a feat the team has not accomplished since 1997.

The resurgent Big Green has already had a comparatively successful campaign, winning more games so far this year than in each of its last four seasons. Entering the weekend, it finds itself trailing Harvard and Penn by only one game for the Ivy League lead. With a win, Dartmouth can establish itself as an Ivy contender, a role that has eluded it for several years.

But to do so, Dartmouth will have to triumph over recent history. The Crimson has rolled to victories in the teams’ last five meetings, winning by a devastating average of 26 points.

Last year at the Stadium, Harvard watched the Big Green jump out to a stunning 21-0 halftime lead, dealing a blow to the Crimson’s championship hopes. But in a span of only four minutes in the third quarter, senior receiver Carl Morris threw for a touchdown, caught a 32-yard touchdown pass, and made an acrobatic 40-yard reception to set up senior tailback Nick Palazzo for a third score, eliminating the deficit and sparking Harvard to a 31-21 triumph.

It marked the Crimson’s largest comeback in school history and left a shocked Dartmouth team looking for answers.

If the Big Green is to find those answers tomorrow, it will have to find a way to stop Morris—currently Division I-AA’s leading receiver—and the Crimson’s explosive passing attack. After appearing timid and uncomfortable in his return from a back injury in the Northeastern game, captain Neil Rose came off the bench to complete 13 of 19 passes for 170 yards against the Tigers. Though sophomore quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick still figures to see significant playing time, Rose’s efficient performance served notice that this team still belongs to him.

“The entire offense was not executing versus Northeastern, and we did better things against Princeton,” Rose said. “I feel much better physically, and I’m getting stronger, faster, and more confident every day.”

With workhorse and red-zone specialist Palazzo also expected to be fully recovered from a shoulder injury, the Crimson offense should be intact for the first time in weeks, spelling trouble for the vulnerable Dartmouth defense. Despite its overall improvement, the Big Green is still seventh in the Ivies in team defense, allowing an average of 30.6 points per game.

But even if the Big Green succeeds in containing the Harvard offense, it will still have to rely heavily on the arm of fifth-year senior quarterback Brian Mann, who last week earned the Coca-Cola Gold Helmet Award for his effort in Dartmouth’s 24-23 triumph at Columbia.

Mann, who missed the entire 2001 season after breaking his hand in an unfortunate off-field incident, has teamed with junior tight end Casey Cramer and junior receiver Jay Barnard to create one of the Ivy League’s most potent passing attacks. While both Cramer and Barnard are currently on pace to break the Dartmouth record for receptions in a season, Mann needs only 371 more passing yards to eclipse 5,000 for his career. It is a feat which just nine other Ivy Leaguers, including Rose, have accomplished. And Mann can move, as well—his 312.3 yards of total offense per game this year are good for fourth in the nation.

But to succeed, Mann will need to solve the Crimson’s suddenly rejuvenated defense, which turned in its most inspired effort of the season against Princeton. Sparked by a much-improved pass rush and led by junior cornerback Chris Raftery, who registered twelve tackles and an interception, the defense forced five turnovers, giving the offense good field position all day. It will need to do the same tomorrow, as Mann has shown a tendency to force things when his offense is struggling.

“The guys up front have done a great job getting pressure on the quarterback, allowing the secondary to lock on to our man for much less time,” said Raftery, who earned Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance last Saturday. “[Mann] won’t make many stupid mistakes, but if we do our responsibilities right, there is no reason why we can’t make some big plays against him.”

As always, stopping the run will be vital for the Crimson. The Big Green’s ability to establish the run has been the key to its three-game win streak, as junior Mike Giles has averaged 120 yards on the ground in their three wins, as opposed to just 43 yards per game in their three losses.

While this weekend’s test is an easy one for many Harvard fans to overlook, the players are not making the same mistake.

“I’m sure Dartmouth is going to come out with another level of intensity this Saturday,” Raftery said. “They feel that they could have gotten us last year, and with their much improved team they’ll probably be very confident coming into this game.”

Of course, Raftery and the Crimson remember what happens when they come out flat against Dartmouth. Ironically, the Big Green would probably rather forget.