Harvard works OT
It’s amazing what a road victory can do for a tired bunch of football players. Such is the case for gritty but banged-up Harvard, which won a tough battle of Ivy League unbeatens, 23-20, in overtime on Saturday at Princeton.
The Crimson improved to 5-1 and 3-0 in the Ivy League, while Princeton dropped to 4-2 and 2-1 in the league.
“It was a great ride home. Any time you beat a league rival on the road in overtime fashion makes for a short ride home,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said yesterday. “It bodes well going forward, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. But the kids played hard.”
The Crimson were clinging to a 17-10 lead when the Tigers’ James Frusciante returned a punt to the Harvard 24. The return set up a gametying 4-yard touchdown run by John Lovett in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
On the first possession of OT, the Crimson defense held Princeton to a field goal.
“It all starts with defense and we’ve played well enough on defense all year to have a chance to win every game, and we won all but one (against Holy Cross). On Saturday, we eliminated the big play and forced a turnover,” Murphy said. “Then in overtime we hold them to a field goal on the first possession and that’s a win-win situation because it gives you offense an opportunity.”
Harvard won after quarterback Joe Viviano (20-of33, 215 yards, two TDs, three interceptions) gained 15 yards on a third-and-3 play to reach the Tigers 3. Two players later from the 1-yard line, Viviano controlled a low snap and managed to just stretch over the goal line for the deciding points. Viviano had missed the loss at Holy Cross the previous week due to a knee injury.
“It was a great win. It wasn’t pretty but it’s in our DNA to fight, fight, fight,” Murphy said. “No question about it that it was a character win. When you have two kids like Jordan Hill (17 tackles) and Anthony Camargo (14) step up with a combined 31 tackles, two kids that we didn’t expect to count on the way we have, it’s absolutely amazing. Then you have a player like Adam Scott, who hadn’t played this year and he goes for eight catches for 85 yards and touchdown, it really gives you a shot of adrenaline.”
Harvard next travels to Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H., to face up-and-down Dartmouth (3-3, 0-3 Ivy).
“They’ve probably been throwing the ball more often than any time I’ve seen in the last 10 years,” Murphy said.
Corvese airs it out
Curry junior quarterback Alex Corvese completed a total of 72 passes for 824 yards and 12 touchdowns the past two weeks. In Saturday’s 42-41 win against Maine Maritime, Corvese was 30-of-52 passing for 305 yards and five TDs. . . .
Freshman linebacker Greg Holt registered 15 tackles in a 35-16 win for Tufts against winless Williams. Holt leads the NESCAC with 68 (13.6 average) through five games. . . .
Stonehill had the ball for 34:59 against Bentley, with more first downs (19-10), total plays (74-54) and total yards (272-176) — but lost the turnover battle and the game, 27-7.