Just A Little Bit Short

Last week, with Harvard trailing Pennsylvania 21-19, junior kicker Mark Hall lined up to try a 50-yard, game-winning field goal.

It fell a little bit short.

That kick was a metaphor for the entire year--a fact not lost upon junior quarterback Mike Giardi:

"That game pretty much typified our season," Giardi said. "Early mistakes cost us and came back to hurt us. In the end, when we came back strong, we couldn't quite get it done."

For most of the season, Harvard (2-7 overall, 2-4 Ivy) made the Keystone Kops look like Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers.

After seven games, opponents were running up an average of 28.5 points a game while Coach Joe Restic's Multi-Flex made one long for the smooth, humming efficiency of a 1974 Ford Pinto--scoring just 15 points per contest as Harvard spiraled to a 1-6 record.

But a 29-19 win over Brown proved to be the cure to the Rompin', Stompin' and Scorin' On The Crimson Blues.

Ably assisted by a Brown squad that seemed equally determined to see Harvard win, the Harvard offense and defense finally started acting as befitted their names. The team looked even better against Penn last week, falling just two yards short of a stunning upset.

This Harvard team is technically the same one that lost to William and Mary 36-16, to Cornell 31-13 and to Dartmouth 31-7.

But don't be fooled. It's not. Here's how it happened:

September 19: Harvard 27, Columbia 20--The ambulances were primed and undertakers were sharpening their shovels as Lion quarterback Chad Andrzejewski led Columbia on a late drive to tie--and possibly win--the game.

However, junior linebacker Brian Ramer intercepted Andrzejewski (secretaries everywhere are hoping this guy doesn't become a star) at the Harvard 43 to defuse the threat.

Thrilling game, yes; auspicious debut, no.

September 26: William and Mary 36, Harvard 16--The Tribe blocked a Hall field goal attempt on the last play of the first half and returned it for a touchdown to take a 16-10 lead and Harvard's will to win into the locker room.

What started out as a spirited first-half clash turned into a lackluster second-half rout. W&M ran and ran and ran (170 second-half rushing yards) and ran up the score, too, 20 points to Harvard's six.

October 3: Holy Cross 30, Harvard 7--Can you say, instant offense? Holy Cross can, especially when it sees the Harvard defense.

After a trench-warfare first half gave the Crusaders a 5-0 edge, the Crimson allowed 18 points in the third quarter--to a team that had scored a total of 23 points in its first three games.

This one was very bad--Harvard's worst game of the season. Less said, sooner forgotten.

October 10: Cornell 31, Harvard 13--For the third straight week, Harvard lost by a score of thirtysomething to barelyanything.

Cornell took advantage of two key fumbles and shoddy pass coverage to blow a 7-7 halftime tie higher than Allen Ginsberg in the late '60s.

The Cornell defense roamed freely, unfettered by such things as the offensive line and various strategically positioned personnel. They sacked Giardi 10 times.

Ouch.

October 17: Lafayette 31, Harvard 29--Down 31-14 in the fourth quarter, the Crimson could have rolled over and played Jimmy Hoffa.

But instead, Giardi ignited a 15-point comeback that fell short when Harvard couldn't get the ball back in the closing minutes.

The message was loud and clear: Reports of Harvard's death were greatly exaggerated.

October 24: Princeton 21, Harvard 6--Inspiration really wasn't an issue as the stronger, more talented Princeton squad (led by junior running back Keith Elias, one of the leading backs in Division I-AA) steamrolled the Crimson in a steady rain.

This was the classic case of the Mack truck against the Geo Metro--just because there's a will doesn't mean there's a way.

October 31: Dartmouth 31, Harvard 7--Same thing, with Big Green junior quarterback Jay Fiedler taking over Elias's Big Bad Enemy role.

November 7: Harvard 29, Brown 19--This was the turning point.

Confronted with an absolute lack of talent, Harvard finally clicked on offense and on defense and ran up both the score and its morale.

Giardi rushed for a career-high 103 yards, the first 100-yard game since Matt Johnson '91's 323-yard performance against Brown the previous year.

November 13: Pennsylvania 21, Harvard 19--The question going in was whether the Brown game was an aberration or a trend.

It was a trend.

Penn had coaching and talent (read: senior running back Sundiata Rush), but Harvard hung tough with some great running of its own--namely, Giardi's new career-high total of 114 yards.

The Crimson never led, but had a long shot to win--literally and figuratively--on Hall's 50-yard field goal attempt.

Hall missed, but the game established Harvard in the Ivy League as a 200-pound bodybuilder instead of a 98-pound pushover.

Today: Yale's a 200-pound team, too.

But Harvard's peaking at the right time. Big Mo is backing Restic and his troops. But then again, Big Mo has also backed George Bush and look what it did for him.

In The Game--like playing the lottery, driving down the street and Final Jeopardy--anything can happen.