Crimson halt Hoyas
Harvard’s potent offensive attack struck for an early 14-point lead, and its rousing defense kept previously unbeaten Georgetown mostly in check as the No. 19 Crimson turned back the Hoyas, 31-17, in front of a crowd of 7,138 at Harvard Stadium last night.
Senior Joe Viviano completed 15-of-21 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Anthony Firkser was again his favorite target with five catches for 147 yards and two scores before Viviano headed for the sidelines. Harvard coach Tim Murphy went to his bench early and used three quarterbacks — Viviano, Tom Stewart, Cam Tripp.
“Obviously, it was a great team effort. It was not a pretty game by any means and it seemed like the longest game (3 hours, 15 minutes) in NCAA history that didn’t go into overtime, but we played with a lot of emotion,” said Harvard coach Tim Murphy. “We have to eliminate mistakes, but if we can do that I think we can be a good football team.”
Harvard (3-0) was without several key performers including senior offensive lineman Max Rich, junior offensive lineman D.J. Mott, and sophomore Justice Shelton-Mosley, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, who is averaging 132.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Harvard went 80 yards into the wind to start the game, with Viviano hitting receiver Brian Dunlap on a perfect 17-yard toss behind tight coverage. Kicker Jake McIntyre tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 lead. After the Crimson forced Georgetown (3-1) into a 3-and-out, Viviano directed an eight-play, 70-yard march, finding a wide-open Firkser for an 11yard score and a 14-0 lead with 8:38 left in the first quarter.
“Our receivers took what they gave us,” said Firkser.
On their next possession, the Hoyas struck on the first play. Quarterback Tim Barnes, who was later injured and left the game, threw a seemingly innocuous throw to Brandon Williams in the right flat. Williams picked up key blocks from Alex Valles of Danvers and Tommy Jesson and used his speed to roar down the right sideline 76 yards to pay dirt, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with 1:48 in the first quarter.
Harvard found more trouble when a three-man rush blocked punter Zach Schmid’s boot, but the Hoyas short-field drive stalled on fourth-and-2 from the 12. Georgetown elected to bypass the short field goal and went for the first down, but Harvard’s Raishaun McGhee (7 tackles) did a great job to dislodge the ball from a receiver and halt the march.
Hoyas coach Rob Sgarlata stood by his decision: “We came up here to win the football game,” he said.
The choice proved fatal, as Viviano hit Firkser, who split double coverage for a 75-yard touchdown, making it 21-7 with 13:05 left in the half.
Hoyas defender J’V’on Butler was ejected for targeting to help Harvard move deep into Georgetown territory. But Stewart’s pass sailed through a receiver’s hands, with the Hoyas’ Brown making the end zone interception.
Harvard’s defense held, however, and McIntyre hit an 18-yard field goal for a 24-7 halftime lead.
After a scoreless third quarter, Harvard’s Tripp teamed with Cody Chrest for a 10-yard score to open the final quarter.
Tripp got picked off by the Hoyas, and this time the visitors turned the largesse into a 40-yard Henry Darmstadter field goal.
Georgetown back Isaac Ellsworth scooted 74 yards for a late TD to end the scoring.