Crimson Looks To Rumble Over Lehigh

When the Harvard football team takes the field this weekend, the line of scrimmage will look more like a mirror than a sieve.

After two weeks of cakewalks through featherweight opponents, the Crimson (3-1, 1-1 Ivy) will take on its first real challenge since the Brown game this weekend when it hosts Lehigh at noon on Saturday.

“We’re looking to continue building on the success we’ve had before we get into the meat of our conference season,” Harvard captain Collin Zych said.

Like the Crimson, the Mountain Hawks (3-2) have a record that tells more about their schedule than their strengths and weaknesses. Lehigh’s losses to No. 7 Villanova and No. 15 New Hampshire won’t allow Harvard to sleep on it, but neither will the Mountain Hawks’ wins over Drake, Princeton, and Fordham give Harvard nightmares.

The game against the Crimson will provide the first real indicator of Lehigh’s talent.

“Meaning no disrespect to the teams we played the last two weeks, but Lehigh’s just a better team,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “More team speed, more athleticism, coming in with a little bit of a swagger. Their only two losses against two of the really great FCS programs in Villanova and New Hampshire. They’re a good team, and they’re quite a bit better team than the Lehigh team we beat down there last year.”

But while the Mountain Hawks present a more imposing threat to Harvard’s record than did the Leopards or Big Red, this weekend probably won’t prove too much more difficult for the Crimson offense than the past two weekends have.

Lehigh surrendered 327 yards to Princeton, only 36 fewer than the porous Lafayette defense did in a two-overtime game. It could be another big day for senior running back Gino Gordon and his sophomore sidekicks Treavor Scales and Rich Zajeski. The trio has eaten up swiss cheese front lines the past two weekends and shouldn’t have too much trouble digesting this one.

“All the credit should go to the offensive line,” Zych said. “They’ve taken the challenge and responded. There are some great running backs on our team that are able to make plays.”

The intimidating ground game and strong play by the offensive line has helped take some of the pressure of sophomore signal caller Colton Chapple, who has started the past two weekends in place of Andrew Hatch.

“I think he’s doing a terrific job,” Murphy said. “I think he’s good enough to win with, I think he’s a good leader, and I think everything else that he needs to do as a QB is improving, so we’re happy with him.”

The more intriguing match-up will be the one between the Mountain Hawks’ offense and the Harvard defense.

“They have good athletes, they’re well-coached,” Zych said. “They’ve shown that they’re a good football team...offensively, they like to run the football.”

The Lehigh offense shined against Princeton, putting up 528 total offensive yards, including 392 in the air.

That passing game will likely provide the biggest challenge for Harvard, which has recently reshuffled its secondary.

“We have had a lot of injuries,” Zych said. “One of the things we pride ourselves on is the next guy being able to step in and be successful. We have had young guys that have had to step in.”

But while the Mountain Hawks pose a threat in the air, its ground game will likely be more pedestrian when faced with the Crimson’s front line. The veteran unit, one of the League’s best,  has allowed more than 100 yards on the ground just once—against the Bears—this season.

“Every week, we have a goal which is to stop the run,” Zych said. “Our defensive line does a great job, allows us to be more aggressive in coverage, doesn’t make us have to cover as long, and makes our job easier [in terms of] being more aggressive and making plays.”

On paper, Harvard seems to have a slight edge on both offense and defense. But the Mountain Hawks’ dominance in its three wins has resonated like a fire alarm in the Stadium this week.

“The way they beat Princeton, I think, is indicative of how good a team they can be,” Murphy said.

—Staff writer Christina C. McClintock can be reached at ccmclin@fas.harvard edu.