SIDEBAR: Luft Remains Steady Threat

Almost every week it seems as if a new wide receiver is being heralded as the next big thing in the Harvard football team’s aerial attack.

First it was sophomore Marco Iannuzzi, who burst on to the scene with 11 receptions for 174 yards in the Crimson’s first game of the season against Holy Cross.

When Iannuzzi went down with an injury, sophomore Chris Lorditch stepped in, grabbing a 67-yard touchdown pass in week three en route to a 106-yard performance in Harvard’s 27-13 victory over Lafayette.

But Lorditch suffered the same fate as Iannuzzi, and freshman Adam Chrissis took the mantle with a 67-yard touchdown catch of his own in last week’s game against Cornell that garnered him Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors.

Somehow lost in the fanfare surrounding this wideout carousel is junior Matt Luft. After two years under the wing and shadow of fellow Thousand Oaks High School graduate Corey Mazza ’07-’08, Luft has quietly developed into a star, and Harvard senior quarterback Chris Pizzotti’s favorite option.

“I know everyone’s talked about depth, but the one guy who’s there every week, who’s been there, is Matt Luft,” Pizzotti said after Saturday’s 27-24 win over Lehigh.

Luft was his usual self against the Mountain Hawks, hauling in seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Luft’s first score came towards the end of the first quarter with the game still scoreless. After freshman cornerback Matt Hanson recovered a fumble on Lehigh’s 26-yard line, Pizzotti found himself with great field position and an easy decision to make regarding how to get Harvard on the board.

Dropping back on the first play of the drive, Pizzotti lofted the ball high in the air over a pair of Lehigh defenders, and Luft did the rest, gracefully pulling the pass in while staying in bounds to give the Crimson the lead. Pizzotti’s confidence in going to Luft despite the double coverage reflects the trust that has developed between the two since Pizzotti secured the starting quarterback job for good against Lehigh last season.

“I think the chemistry’s been really good,” Luft said. “We’re throwing the ball all the time in practice. We’re talking to each other about what we’re going to do on different drives, what he wants to see or he’s looking at.”

Luft and Pizzotti turned out a repeat performance with 2:14 to go in the first half. This time Luft was allowed the rare luxury of single coverage, and it turned out to be the Mountain Hawks’ undoing. Up 17-10, Pizzotti launched a 28-yard pass to the end zone, and Luft leapt high above a mismatched Lehigh cornerback to haul in the ball for his second score of the game.

The day’s performance put Luft atop the Ivy League with 571 receiving yards and gave him his third 100-yard game of the season. But the wideout deflected focus on his individual accomplishments.

“Of course we love to put up these numbers, but at the same time we have [other] receivers stepping up doing their job too,” Luft said. “As long as the O-line keeps blocking, Chris keeps making throws, as a group we’re going to keep making plays.”

What Luft failed to mention was how his emergence as Harvard’s top receiving threat has turned him into a prime target for opposing defenses and provided the Crimson’s other wideouts with breathing room. While injuries have unexpectedly thrust players like Chrissis and sophomore Levi Richards into the spotlight, the players have been able to adjust to their newfound playing time with a relatively low amount of pressure, in large part thanks to Luft’s consistently exceptional play.

“They’re seeing all single coverage because [Luft is] getting doubled up a fair amount of time,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said.

While constantly being suffocated by a pair of defenders would understandably be frustrating for a lot of receivers, Luft brings a cerebral approach to football that allows him to view the game from a broader perspective.

“He sees the field like a quarterback,” Pizzotti said. “If he’s double covered, he doesn’t complain about not getting the ball.”

What Luft does do is show up every week ready to contribute to Harvard’s success in whatever capacity he can, and so far it’s been working out.

“Whatever he needs to do he gets it done,” Pizzotti said. “He’s one of the best receivers in the country and the Ivy League.”

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