AROUND THE IVIES: Harvard Looks to Stay on Track

Last year, the previous author of this column wrote, “There is a golden age of Harvard football and we are living in it.”

He was referring to the Crimson’s current streak of at least seven wins in each of its last seven seasons, a first in the history of the Ivy League.

In college, and especially Ivy League football, star players shine briefly in four year cycles and then leave for careers in business, law, and, rarely, professional football. Harvard coach Tim Murphy and his staff have kept the Crimson this good for this long by consistently recruiting new top-level talent to replace the squad’s existing batch of athletes.

What this means is that while the guys that Harvard sends out on the field are pretty good, so are the ones watching them from the bench, a concept that has been put into practice this season, with injuries ravaging the Crimson’s wide receiver corps and uncertainty surrounding the secondary.

With just standout junior Matt Luft remaining among the Crimson’s original starting wideouts, freshman Adam Chrissis and sophomore Levi Richard have excelled with increased playing time—Chrissis’ 67-yard touchdown reception in last week’s win over Cornell netted him Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors.

On the other side of the ball, rookie Matthew Hanson has been a revelation at defensive back, where the graduation of Steven Williams ’08 left question marks concerning who would team up with senior preseason All-American Andrew Berry to stop the opposition’s passing game. Hanson already has two interceptions in his young career, and has helped solidify the rear of the Crimson defense.

Harvard’s ability to continue to run on all cylinders despite both expected and unexpected losses in key areas is a testament to Murphy and Co.’s eye for talent and an indicator that the Crimson’s recent run of success is not coming to a halt anytime soon.

HARVARD (3-1, 1-1 Ivy) VS. LEHIGH (2-3)

While meaningless games against mediocre non-conference foes generally don’t pack the seats, Harvard Stadium might benefit from some Head of the Charles Regatta spillover tomorrow. If some curious rowing enthusiasts do show up, they will likely be treated to a mundane but convincing win for the Crimson, which continues to pick up momentum as the meat of the Ivy League season approaches.

Prediction: Harvard 30, Lehigh 21

BROWN (2-2, 1-0 Ivy) AT PRINCETON (2-2, 1-0 Ivy)

The jig is officially up, Brown. I hope you enjoyed your brief run as Ivy League football’s version of the Tampa Bay Rays, the gritty underdog threatening to take down the two well-endowed powerhouses at the top of its division. The Bears’ 78 points allowed in their last two games do not exactly scream out “sleeper pick.”

As for Princeton, the Tigers have a couple of intriguing playmakers in running back Jordan Culbreath and wide receiver Will Thanheiser, a pair of upperclassmen who have shined as primary targets after spending most of their careers playing secondary roles.

Prediction: Princeton 27, Brown 21

COLUMBIA (0-4, 0-1 Ivy) AT PENN (2-2, 1-0 Ivy)

Columbia can officially call itself the best winless team in the Ivy League. The Lions lose often—in fact, always—but not by much. Columbia has not dropped any game by more than ten points, and quarterback Shane Kelly is quietly having a solid year in his first season as the Lions’ starter, completing 60 percent of his passes and throwing four touchdowns over just one interception.

Still, a win over Penn on the road is too much to ask at this point.

Prediction: Penn 20, Columbia 14

YALE (3-1, 1-1 Ivy) AT FORDHAM (2-3)

In high school I ran in a lot of track meets at Fordham. While I have mostly blocked out the memories of me awkwardly knocking down hurdles as superior athletes watched on the sidelines with a mix of bemusement and pity, from what I remember, Vince Lombardi’s alma mater will provide a lovely setting for Yale to thrash the Rams.

Prediction: Yale 38, Fordham 13

CORNELL (3-1, 1-1 Ivy) VS. COLGATE (5-2)

I’m all for ignoring conventional reasoning, but how can you ignore the time-tested strategy of establishing the running game when you have two great tailbacks, as Cornell does in Luke Siwula and Randy Barbour? The duo only has a combined 106 carries on the entire season while poor Big Red quarterback Nathan Ford has been forced to throw the ball 116 times in just his last two games. It just barely worked against so-so Lehigh two weeks ago, but last week’s 38-17 loss to Harvard should convince Cornell coach Jim Knowles to spread the wealth a bit.

Prediction: Colgate 31, Cornell 27

DARTMOUTH (0-4, 0-2 Ivy) VS. HOLY CROSS (2-3)

Somebody needs to remind Dartmouth that there is no draft in college football and tanking every game will not result in a No. 1 pick stud prospect that will ride into Hanover on a white horse and save a pitiful program. The Big Green has lost each of its four games by at least 13 points and, even if there were such a thing, a 34-7 loss last week to Yale would not count as a moral victory. At least Columbia looks like it’s trying.

Prediction: Holy Cross 28, Dartmouth 10

Last Week's Record: 6-0
Record to Date: 14-4

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.