SEASON PREVIEW: Despite Losses, Football Gunning for Title

The Ivy League offensive player of the year. A running back whose career rushing yards puts him at fourth in Harvard history. An All-Ivy tight end who ended up as an NFL draft pick. All gone.

“There’s no question it’s different,” Crimson coach Tim Murphy said.

And it should be. Anytime you lose the three vital cogs of a record setting offense —namely quarterback Colton Chapple ’13, running back Treavor Scales ’13, and tight end Kyle Juszczyk—the following season will be one of change.

But the Harvard football team still has its gaze set firmly on success. Having fallen just short of an Ancient Eight title last season, old faces and new will try to accomplish what last year’s squad could not: winning another Ivy League title.

“We definitely have high expectations every year that I’ve been here,” captain Josh Boyd said. “We set the bar high. Our ultimate goal is to finish at the top this year. That’s our expectation, and we’re going to work for it.”

Last year, the Crimson only lost two games, one to Princeton and one to Penn. But those defeats were enough to be the difference between first place and second. This fall, the Tigers travel to Cambridge on Oct. 26 and the Quakers will come north for a rematch in the penultimate game of the season on Nov. 16.

“We’ve got to finish,” junior quarterback Conner Hempel said. “That’s been a big theme for us. [Princeton] was a tough game, but we learn a lot in those tough games. We definitely won’t make that mistake again this year.”

Much of the team’s fortune in those big matchups depends on the performance of Hempel, who was named starting quarterback before the season opener against San Diego.

Although the junior had never before started at the collegiate level, Hempel answered many questions against the Toreros, throwing for four touchdowns and 345 yards to lead the Crimson to a 42-20 victory.

Despite the losses on offense, Hempel still has a number of players to which he can turn when Harvard has the ball. Sophomore running backs Paul Stanton Jr. and Zach Boden could provide the Crimson with a reliable two-pronged attack out of the backfield, although they are relatively untested.

At wide receiver, junior Seitu Smith and sophomore Andrew Fischer both add dangerous speed and can attract the attention of a defense, opening up the field vertically. Such quickness could create ample opportunities for senior tight end Cam Brate and senior wideout Ricky Zorn to make plays over the middle.

The aerial attack certainly worked against San Diego as Hempel threw for four touchdowns.

“Even though we’ve lost some good skill guys, I’m very comfortable with the team we have,” Murphy said.

On the defensive side of the ball, Boyd stands out as the leader at linebacker. The 140th captain of the Harvard football team—and the third consecutive linebacker to be selected for the honor—Boyd has been credited with establishing a positive atmosphere in the wake of a disappointing finish last year and the development of a new team core this season.

“The biggest difference I think is Josh Boyd,” senior defensive tackle Nnamdi Obukwelu said. “He’s very vocal, very blue collar, very hardworking and very humble. I think that’s one thing that’s very different about him.”

Anchoring the Crimson defense up front will be junior defensive end Zach Hodges, who is coming off of a first-team All-Ivy season in which he registered nine sacks. Hodges had a productive offseason and has shown no signs of slowing down, recovering two fumbles against San Diego and returning one for a touchdown.

Joining Hodges on the line are Nnamdi Obukwelu and his brother Obum, a junior, along with seniors Jack Dittmer and Austin Taylor. All of them have the ability to make stops at the line of scrimmage.

Harvard also returns a bevy of experienced players in the secondary, including senior D.J. Monroe and junior Norman Hayes. The two defensive backs combined for 20 tackles and an interception in the season opener.

“There’s no reason we shouldn’t have a tremendous secondary this year, because we’ve never had more leadership and we’ve never had more quality players competing for playing time,” Murphy said.

When it comes down to it, this season will be one of change. Although the Crimson has the potential for success on offense and defense, only time will tell if all the question marks will be replaced by check marks.

“It’s going to have to be a team effort,” Nnamdi Obukwelu said. “Coach Murphy has a great system in place…. The machine keeps running no matter who’s in the position to play in it.”

An Ivy League championship eluded last year’s squad, but a new conference season kicks off Saturday against Brown under the bright lights of Harvard Stadium. And there is little doubt the Crimson’s gaze is fixed solely on bringing the Ancient Eight title back to Cambridge.

“Every field is our field, plain and simple,” Hodges said. “Every stadium is our home turf. We adapt to wherever we go. We like it rowdy, we like it dirty, we like it tough. Nothing that comes easy is worth it. We want it.”

—Staff writer David Steinbach can be reached at david.steinbach@thecrimson.com.