Deep Ball: Murphy’s Aerial Threats

This season, the spotlight on the Harvard football team has highlighted controversy, the revolving door at the quarterback position, and senior running back Clifton Dawson’s quest to rewrite the Ivy League record book.

But little has been said about the Crimson’s receiving corps, which has quietly established itself as one of the deepest in the league and has contributed greatly to Harvard’s undefeated record through the team’s first three games.

“We’ve got six or seven good guys out there, and to be honest our eighth and ninth guys are good enough that they could be starting at a lot of Ivy League schools,” junior receiver Corey Mazza said.

Six different Crimson wideouts have caught a pass this season, and the Harvard offense leads the Ivy League with an average of 263 passing yards per game.

The consistency displayed by the Crimson’s receivers has been no small feat.

Three quarterbacks have taken snaps for Harvard in as many games, but the wideouts have been unfazed.

They have been particularly effective adjusting to the tendencies of each new signal caller.

“Each quarterback is a little different, but they’re all very knowledgeable. We’ve got a good system and everyone takes mental reps at practice,” Mazza said.

The quarterbacks certainly appreciate the hard work of their receivers.

“I really give a lot of credit to the receivers today against a really good secondary,” junior quarterback Chris Pizzotti said after the team’s comeback victory against Lehigh. “A lot of the pass plays were just short dumps and they made huge plays.”

With Dawson stomping all over the defenses of Holy Cross and Brown in the first two games, the Crimson’s receivers concentrated on blocking and making timely catches.

But Lehigh was able to hold Dawson under 100 yards for the first time this season last Saturday, and the Harvard aerial attack shouldered the responsibility of moving the ball downfield.

Crimson wide receivers did not disappoint, as they lit up the Mountain Hawks’ secondary to the tune of 304 yards, scoring two touchdowns in the process.

Harvard’s receiving corps is led by Mazza, who is ranked fifth in the Ivy League with 212 receiving yards and leads the Crimson with 10 receptions and two receiving touchdowns.

Mazza got off to a good start last season before suffering a season-ending injury in the second game.

This season, he is healthy and excited about the prospect of helping Harvard win.

“It’s very frustrating to stand on the sideline and be unable to play and help the team,” he said. “You only get 10 opportunities a year, so being able to get out there on the field, it just feels awesome.”

Also off to a good start is junior Matt Lagace, who is second on the team with eight receptions.

Sophomore Alex Breaux is coming off of an impressive freshman year, in which he netted 478 yards and four touchdowns.

He is looking to add to that success in 2006 and has caught six passes for 78 yards so far.

Another prime target for Crimson quarterbacks has been freshman Matt Luft.

Luft had a breakout game in Saturday’s 35-33 win against Lehigh, racing 42 yards for his first career touchdown on fourth down during the second quarter to ignite Harvard’s comeback from a 17-point deficit.

Luft’s path to Harvard parallels that of his teammate Mazza.

The two graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in California where they both captained the football and basketball teams during their respective careers.

Luft has received praise from Harvard head coach Tim Murphy on numerous occasions this season, including after the first game against Holy Cross.

“What really impresses you is just [Luft’s] poise,” Murphy said following the Crimson’s 31-14 defeat of the Crusaders. “He’s a good player; we knew when we recruited him that we got a good player, we just didn’t know how long it would take him to make the transition. He’s going to help us.”

Harvard’s receivers have found other ways to help the Crimson’s win besides catching the ball.

Sophomore receiver Chris Sanders, who played quarterback in high school, hit Mazza for a touchdown after a handoff on a reverse in the final minute of the first half of the Lehigh game.

This Saturday, Harvard’s receivers will look to continue their success against Cornell, the No. 1 pass defense in the league.

While the Big Red will most likely be focusing its defensive assault on Dawson, the Crimson’s receiving corps won’t mind flying under the radar as long as it’s landing in the end zone.