NOTEBOOK: Sophomore Substitutes Shine Against Georgetown

Attendance was officially listed at 7,138 for Harvard’s non-conference bout with Georgetown this past Friday, but a quick glance around the stadium would make that figure hard to believe.

Not too many fans ventured into the cold and rain to witness the Crimson’s 31-17 victory over the Hoyas. Appropriately, it may prove to be one of the more forgettable games of the season.

Three starters who were listed as questionable—senior offensive lineman Max Rich, his junior O-line counterpart DJ Mott, and sophomore wideout Justice Shelton-Mosley—got the week off.

With a win despite the absences of several key players in this game, it is clear that Harvard has a substantial amount of depth at most positions. It seems as though the Crimson is well-equipped to handle the potential loss of starters on both sides of the ball moving forward.

“We’ve had probably an inordinate amount of injuries so far this year, but we’ve done a good job finding guys that can step up and play,” Murphy said.

TRIPLE-BARREL SHOTGUN

When Harvard jumped out to a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter, senior quarterback Joe Viviano’s day came to an early end. Murphy elected to give his starter some rest ahead of the Crimson’s remaining Ivy League slate, and in the process he got an extended look at two of his backups in game action.

After Viviano’s third touchdown, one that saw senior halfback/tight end Anthony Firkser find a gap in the Georgetown secondary and sprint 75 yards to the end zone, Murphy decided to go with sophomore quarterback Tom Stewart on the ensuing drive.

Stewart steered the offense for much of the second quarter and half of the third. He threw for 111 yards, but only hit his receivers on seven of 13 pass attempts.

The Dallas, Texas, native was intercepted twice, and both were picked off in the end zone as Harvard threatened to score.

Following Stewart, Murphy decided to go with another sophomore, Cam Tripp. Tripp was also intercepted once and lost a fumble, but he led a fourth quarter drive that resulted in a touchdown to extend the Crimson’s lead to 31-7.

Facing a third and goal at the 10, Tripp evaded the rush and scrambled right, throwing a strike to freshman wide receiver Cody Chrest in the back of the end zone.

After Viviano exited the game, Harvard’s offense seemed to stall, only managing to score 10 more points the rest of the way. The unfamiliarity of the two sophomore field generals was the most probable culprit.

“We need to get everybody reps, and we probably were a little bit ambitious in terms of throwing guys in too soon,” Murphy said. “Plenty to clean up, but at the end of the day we did some things really well.”

HOYA SACKS-A

Through three games, sophomore defensive end DJ Bailey has burst onto the scene for the Crimson.

The San Juan Capistrano, Calif., native recorded three tackles in four games his freshman year. This season, Bailey has seen increased playing time and has increased his production in the process. He has 12 total tackles and three and a half sacks.

On one play in the third quarter, Bailey broke to the outside around the Hoyas’ sophomore right tackle Micah Smith. Bailey exploded past Smith, closed the gap to sophomore quarterback Clay Norris, and sacked him for a loss of six yards.

This was one of two sacks on the day for Bailey. The other set Georgetown back five yards, and Bailey added another tackle to bring his season total to 12.

Along with Bailey, the rest of the defense played a key role in the outcome. After Viviano’s departure, Harvard kept the Hoyas at bay, surrendering only 10 more points the rest of the way to match the 10 that the Crimson tallied.

Georgetown only converted one of 13 third downs and finished with just nine first downs after four quarters of play.

“Harvard’s pretty good up front,” Georgetown coach Rob Sgarlata said. “There was definitely a difference between their defensive line and our offensive line, so we struggled a little bit on third down.”

FUMBLES IN THE FORECAST

If there is one thing that Murphy prioritizes when it comes to his offense, it is ball security.

So, when the forecast for Friday called for rain, Harvard’s veteran coach of 23 seasons decided to adapt his game plan to the elements.

“The elements will dictate to some extent what goes on, and I think the team that best adapts to the elements is probably going to win,” Murphy said before the game.

With rain coming down fairly heavily before and during the game, Murphy seemed to rely more on the Crimson’s aerial attack than its ground game to advance the ball downfield.

In the previous week’s matchup against Brown, Harvard ran 74 total offensive plays, 43 of which were rushing attempts. The Crimson rushed 49 times against the Hoyas but had 92 total snaps on offense.

Harvard was intercepted three times on offense and also lost two fumbles. Georgetown was only intercepted once, and the Crimson’s defense was unable to force a fumble.

Harvard managed to limit the damage from these turnovers, and none proved costly as the Crimson rolled to a two-touchdown margin of victory.

Going forward, it will be interesting to note if Murphy further alters the offense in any way when Harvard faces tough defensive teams like Penn and Dartmouth.

Murphy’s prediction was not necessarily true, as the rain seemed to affect the Crimson’s offense more than it did the Hoyas’. However, the slipups occurred when Harvard already held a sizeable lead, and Georgetown failed to mount a comeback.

–Staff writer Jack Stockless can be reached at jackstockless@college.harvard.edu.