There Are Quarterbacks--Believe It or Not

So what. So Brian Buckley won't be around to quarterback the Harvard offense this year. So the fans won't see a lot of shotgun snaps and 70-yd., zeppelin-like aerials. So Rich Horner may get a little lonely running fly patterns to distant yardlines that no one can reach. So what.

Buckley has a marvelous arm. Big deal. He never was comfortable with the Multiflex, and he hadn't really proven himself to be a stellar signalcaller. Perhaps he would've been cozy this season, tossing 40 or 50 times a game for hundreds of yards and probably some touch-downs. Maybe. Then again, maybe not.

The point is, Brian Buckley is no more; and here is life after Buckley at Soldiers Field. Harvard will have a football team. And it's about time everyone gave up on the line, "What's Restic gonna do for a quarterback this year?" Let's hold up a minute and give this team a chance. Joe Restic has some capable signalcallers. And if you don't believe me, ask Burke St. John----or Jim Keyte.

Yes, Buckley had more experience than anyone else returning to the team this year. But St. John has been around Harvard football since he checked into the Yard in 1976. He knows the system. He's bright, quick, and a lot more comfortable with the Multiflex than any most other quarterbacks around----including Brian Buckley.

The rap against St. John is that he has an erratic arm, certainly nothing like Buckley's or Brown's or Kubacki's. But it's adequate. St. John has started for Harvard's baseball team for three years in the shortstop slot, a position that requires some degree of arm strength. And let's not forget that the last time St. John played with some regularity, as a freshman, he was 46--92 for 577 yards, 6 interceptions and 6 touchdowns. Not too shabby.

St. John played high school ball at Horace Greeley, where he was a team captain and two--time All--County and All-League quarterback for the Westchester school. He can throw; and more importantly, he can run.

But what about now, when it counts? How will Burke St. John perform? Let's put it this way: he won't hold back this year's squad. But he will bring a change in the complexion of Harvard football. The days of Larry Brown and the big--play offense are gone. "This year you'll see a lot more option work, more of a ball--control type offense," St. John said last week.

That methodical ball control seems to symbolize a more widespread change in the Harvard ranks. Flashy, glorious Larry Brown is out; so is superback Ralph Pollilio. Instead you have hard--nosed Paul Connors and scrappy St. John. These are not superstars. Harvard doesn't have a superstar coming into 1979.

Everyone on the team is talking about how high the spirit is, how closeknit the players are, how team--oriented the thinking is. "The talent is more spread out this year than it has been (in past years)," Jim Keyte said. And Keyte believes in the team's collective attitude. He trumpets it despite competing with St. John for the quarterback spot. As a varsity pitcher for Harvard baseball and a successful athlete out of Verduga Hills High School in California, Keyte now ranks as the No. 2 quarterback, a junior with a good arm and a lot to learn.

Though St. John says the quarterback's position is wide open, Keyte contends, "As a senior here, you're goint to get the first shot; and if you can do the job it's yours. And Burke has had a great camp."

Keyte knows he's No. 2 now; and he's not playing cutthroat to get ahead. He's woriking within the system, studying to do the best job he can and preparing for the situation when he may have to step in for St. John.

"I have to be ready all the time," he says. "You have to be as ready as the first--team quarterback. And it's hard because you're a bit removed, since you work mainly with the second team."

St. John has been around longer, and Keyte says he looks to the senior for answers from time to time. It's a cooperation between teammates, not a contest between rivals.

Is this a fantasy attitude lacking a competitive edge that could hurt the team on the field? I doubt it. Everyone has written Harvard off, but St. John is hardly wishy--washy in his expectations.

"I don't follow too closely what the newspapers say," he says. He sees positive signs from quick, agile guards; big, strong tackles; a well-tuned Richie Horner; and a personal comfort with the Multiflex. The kicking game----well even St. John admits it cold be a Harvard disaster. But still he says he's aiming for an Ivy title in '79.

"If that's not your goal, you shouldn't even step on the field," he says. Crazy you say? Not really--just enthusiastic.

Keyte's realistic. "We know nothing's going to be handed to us this year," he says. St. John also knows there are many holes, many questions. But now St. John is in the driver's seat. He says he "just looks forward to playing."

There are many ifs, and Harvard has a long way to go before it will be able to match up well against Brown or Yale. Joe Restic knows that; Burke St. John and Jim Keyte know that. But no one says die, no one says, "Buckley's gone and so are our chances." No one but the supposed professional critics: we who call ourselves sportswriters. The press has buried Harvard in '79. But around Soldiers Field there's a growing voice that's shouting, "Hold on a minute. It's not all over. We haven't even started."

Perhaps this optimism stems in part from a commraderie, the kind that minimizes the friction between Keyte and St. John. "I don't think there's real conflict between us," St. John says. "That, in a way, generalizes more of a team attitude this year. Everyone's pulling for the other guy more than themself."

It's been a while since Harvard football players have spoken like that. About three years since there's been that kind of talk.

Now let's see, the last winning season was 1976...