Schindel Wins Kicker Battle

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Harvard coach Tim Murphy was reluctant to refer to Matt Schindel as “special” prior to week one, and cautiously optimistic after his freshman place kicker’s debut. But after the special teams debacles that characterized the Crimson’s 2003 campaign, Murphy has finally found a reason not to attempt a two-point conversion after every score.

Schindel was perfect for the second straight weekend, converting three extra points and field goals of 22 and 34 yards. And with improved field conditions at his disposal, Schindel ditched the squibs he used so effectively against Holy Cross in favor of long kicks inside the five-yard line.

“Even though it wasn’t a lot of big plays,” Murphy said, “that was a huge field position thing and to get some points.”

Brown’s freshman Steve Morgan, whose five extra points last weekend earned him Ivy Rookie of the Week honors, converted on two of his field goal tries and all four points after touchdown. But he botched two three-point tries, including a 30-yarder that would have put the Bears ahead with 3:34 remaining had it not sailed just wide right. His earlier miss, in the second quarter, bounced off the right upright and then the crossbar before falling short.

RASH’ DECISION MAKING

Like Schindel, punter Mike King was similarly solid, booting six kicks for an average of 39.5 yards. But the junior kicker’s most notable contributions came on two high snaps which he managed to pull down and get away during tense moments in the second half.

With just over nine minutes remaining in the third quarter and Harvard down 14, King fielded a high snap at his 48 and floated a high kick down to the Brown 12-yard line. Return man Rashad Collins decided to field the punt and was instantly decked by sophomore linebacker Dylan McCrory, whose hit jarred the ball free, setting up a Crimson field goal.

“That’s a huge play,” Murphy said. “That was basically a freebie for us, for the offense.”

King also fielded a high snap at his own 39-yard line with under two minutes to go and Brown sending its punt block unit in the hopes of establishing field position for a game-winning score. But King’s 40-yarder out of bounds pinned the Bears at their own 21, giving the Harvard defense a cushion.

King also profited on at least one other occasion from Collins’ poor judgment, booting a 63-yard punt from his own 10-yard line that soared over the returner’s head and bounced down the field to the Brown 26.

Collins’ problems didn’t end there, though. With Brown up 31-28 with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter, Collins fielded a kickoff from Schindel that would have gone out of bounds, giving the Bears the ball at the 35. But because the ball was touched before it went out, Brown took over at the nine-yard line. The Crimson stopped the Bears at their own 26, forced a punt, and scored the game-winning touchdown on the next series.

PENALTY KILL

Officials certainly didn’t hesitate to unfurl their flags on Saturday afternoon, throwing 15, 10 of which were against Harvard.

The most costly infraction came with eight minutes to go in the third quarter with Harvard inside the Brown five-yard line following Collins’ fumble.

On third down, captain Ryan Fitzpatrick was about to be pulled down in the backfield for a loss, but managed to hurl the ball underhanded to the front right corner of the end zone, where junior fullback Kelly Widman stood waiting with open arms. But before the Crimson could celebrate, junior offensive lineman Nik Sobic was flagged for being an ineligible man downfield, pushing Harvard back five yards.

“Well I grabbed the kid they called it on, and said, ‘what the hell’s going on, you know what we’re doing there,’” Murphy said. “And he says, ‘Coach, I just kept blocking the guy, blocking the guy, and finally I fell on him in the endzone.’ So we’ll have to see, but that shouldn’t be a flag in that situation.”

The Crimson settled for a field goal.

FOURTH AND FOUR

Saturday’s game opened this year’s slate of Ivy League games on the YES network. Two of the Crimson’s three losses—against Dartmouth and Columbia—were broadcast on the station. Harvard’s next appearance on YES comes on Nov. 6 against the Lions…Brown announced the establishment of the Lawrence Rubida Trust during a halftime ceremony. With cancer survivor and former Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy in attendance, Rubida—an offensive lineman and tri-captain who suffers from Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer—was presented with a check by Brown coach Phil Estes that will defray the costs of his treatment and fund future research of the disease…Sophomore running back Clifton Dawson extended his streak of consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing to eight, courtesy of his 80-yard touchdown run. Dawson was last held below the century mark on Oct. 11, 2003, when he managed just 69 yards on 17 carries against Cornell…Dawson’s three rushing touchdowns give him six on the year in only two games. Chris Menick ’00 holds the Harvard season record with 13.

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