FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Dawson Could Be Catching On

Like Clifton Dawson isn’t already hard enough to defend.

The sophomore tailback, whose five-game assault on the Harvard record books has already placed him well within reach of several single-season marks, will be featured more prominently in the Crimson passing attack in future weeks, according to coach Tim Murphy.

Following his transfer from Northwestern a season ago, Dawson, lacking the soft hands expected of a receiver, was hardly a viable threat outside the backfield. Then, though, that deficiency was no issue. Twenty-four touchdowns later—all but one of them on the ground—opposing defenses have certainly taken notice.

Clogging the line of scrimmage with eight- and nine-man fronts, Cornell held Dawson below 100 yards rushing for the first time in 10 games on Oct. 9, prompting Harvard to expand its offensive repertoire to include more passing plays designed specifically for the running back.

“I think because some of the successes of last year defenses have been keying on our running attack,” Dawson said. “In order to get the ball in my hands we’re going to try some different things, one of which is catching the ball out of the backfield.”

Last weekend Dawson hauled in three passes for 18 yards, including an 11-yard reception along the sidelines that kept him well clear of the linebackers anxiously awaiting an attempt up the middle.

Though the gain paled in comparison to any of the four 70-plus-yard touchdown outbursts he has rattled off so far this season, calling such a play foreseeable as recently as September would have been foolhardy at best. But as the season has progressed—and defensive coordinators have fixated on stopping the run—Dawson has quietly transformed himself from a one-dimensional weapon into a nuanced threat.

“I kidded him last week,” Murphy said. “I said, ‘He’s becoming Marshall Faulk-like.’ We may be a couple weeks away before putting him out there in the slot, but seriously he’s one of those kids who, if you give him a challenge, he just takes it.”

FOURSOME

Harvard’s offense has supplemented Dawson’s threat by adding an extra wide receiver to Murphy’s typical pro-set formation.

Already challenging defenses to cover Brian Edwards, Corey Mazza and Ryan Tyler, the Crimson now regularly features freshman Joe Murt as well.

“The strategic change is a combination of Joe becoming a more viable receiver as a freshman, you know, learning the ropes,” Murphy said. “[It’s] giving us the ability to put four quality wide receivers on the field and just having the ability to spread people out in passing.”

Murt, a converted quarterback, performed particularly well last weekend against Northeastern’s zone defense, comfortably settling into its seams before looking back into the pocket. He and captain Ryan Fitzpatrick connected twice for 25 yards.

ICE BERG

Sturdy bones are overrated anyway.

Sophomore Michael Berg will return to the field this weekend, despite suffering an incomplete fracture of the fibula in his left leg two weekends ago against Cornell. The defensive lineman sustained the injury during the first quarter of that game, but finished out the final 45 minutes thinking the break to be nothing more than a bruise.

“His status is he’s a go,” Murphy said. “He’s been cleared. He’s not 100 percent, I don’t think. He’s probably only at 85, 90 percent. But he’ll practice today and tomorrow to get ready for the game.”

Precisely where he’ll play is something of a question. Defensive end Erik Grimm, replaced by Berg when he was sidelined by injury, returned to action against Northeastern last weekend, but tackle Coesen Ngwun remains questionable for this weekend’s contest at Princeton.

“Mike’s still going to have to be a swingman,” Murphy said. “He’s going to have to play some end and tackle. And we’re kind of working that out based on the scheme Princeton presents us with…A lot of it depends on Coesen and whether he can play. If Coesen can play, [Berg] will probably play end. If [Ngwun] can’t [Berg] will probably have to play both.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.