Football Notebook: Cast of Characters Secures Victory

There was no doubt in either coachs mind Saturday afternoon as to what the key statistic was in Harvards 27-20 victory over Brown.

Brown Coach Phil Estes, during the post-game press conference: Whoever made less mistakes was going to win it.

Harvard Coach Tim Murphy, a few minutes later: The key was the thing we talked about all year: ball security, ball security, ball security.

Forgive Murphy and Estes for worrying about holding on to the ball. Last season, the Crimson turned the ball over 36 times, and Brown quarterbacks also threw for 14 interceptions. In the final tally Saturday, Harvard turned the ball over zero, repeat zero times. No fumbles, no picks, nothing. Browns Kyle Rowley threw two interceptions in the second half to kill the Bears comeback chances.

A SILVER OFFENSIVE-LINING

Harvard assistant offensive line coach Jim Turner has worked wonders with the Crimsons extremely effective offensive line. Despite losing All-Ivy lineman Mike Clare 01, this year the O-line returned four seniors and looked better this Saturday than they did the year before. The four seniorsDanny Kistler, Steve Collins, Jason Hove and Justin Starkaverage 260 lbs. and all have starting experience.

Having an offensive line making holes for you like that is a dream come true, senior tailback Josh Staph said.

Staph should know. In his first career start, he rushed 28 times for 152 yards. Thirteen times the line opened up holes allowing Staph to gain more than five yards, and Staph only lost yardage three times.

Quarterback Neil Rose was also a happy man, getting sacked only once and almost always having the time to throw deep.

HE LIVES IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER

Senior wideout Dan Farley, who lines up opposite Carl Morris and gets less than half the touches Morris gets, proved this weekend why he should play almost every down. In addition to picking up three catches for 61 yards, Farley helped the running game with solid downfield blocking. Almost every single one of Staphs long runs went to Farleys side, and Farley locked up the Brown cornerbacks with ease. Helping to turn a 7-yard run into a 11-yard run is as good as getting the first down yourself.

SECONDARY WATCH

The Harvard secondary played better than its counterpart, but it still gave up 326 yards passing and happened to get lucky a few other times. In the second quarter, the Bears threatened down inside the Crimson red zone. Rowley fired an out pass to his brother Travis near the 10. Senior Crimson cornerback Willie Alford decided to go for the ball, missed, and Rowley trotted into the end zone for a touchdown. A Bears penalty negated the play, but Alford was in Murphys doghouse for the rest of the half.

Harvard free safety Niall Murphy got a chance to redeem himself after getting burned by Browns Chas Gessner early in the game. In the second quarter, blown coverage allowed Travis Rowley to get open deep downfield. While a catch would have been a sure touchdown, Murphy reacted by turning on the speed and diving sideways for the ball. He managed to get his fingers on it and deflect it harmlessly away.