The artistic folk aren’t normally the kind to make a big splash at a football game.

But at Friday night’s football game, a pair of on-field performances caught the attention of the 18,565 in attendance.

Entertainment during pauses in games has been around almost as long as the sports themselves. Still, the Harvard Crimson Dance Team may have taken its mandate to entertain a little too far. The troupe came on at the end of the first quarter, but as the Crimson and Brown made their way back onto the field, the dancers didn’t move.

And for a solid 30 seconds, the dancers and the football players shared the gridiron, much to the confusion of the fans and apparent bewilderment of the referees.

The stranger performance of the night came from Brown’s band at halftime. It started just like any other band performance—unfamiliar fight songs, two-year-old cultural references—when it took a rather peculiar turn.

They arranged themselves like, well, what looked like a male sex organ that spanned most of the length of the field. I’m not sure if they meant to give Harvard the shaft.

So, without further ado, readers can choose their cheap one-liner about the picture from the following options:

1. It definitely looked smaller than when they practiced. Must’ve been cold.

2. 25-second routine? That’s about right.

3. Insert your own joke based on the fact that the name of the school is, hilariously, Brown.

It was an exciting game, and it was much tighter throughout the contest than the final score indicates. But there really is nothing quite like a little fifth-grade humor to make a rainy football Friday game that much better.

Despite Harvard University boasting a 24-court tennis facility, varsity and recreational players alike were left searching for a place to hit throughout the fall.

Beginning just weeks prior to freshman move-in, the courts at the Beren Tennis Center and Murr Centers underwent complete court resurfacing. The construction, which was recently completed, left Harvard’s tennis community in search of a place to play.

Many ventured over to the QRAC’s four-court venue, where a unique blend of community members, club players, and varsity athletes converged in search of court space.

While the resurfacing may have caused frustration, many feel the pristine new courts were worth the wait. The completed courts—six located at the Murr center and 18 at the Beren Tennis Center—boast a fresh new paint job modeled after the US Open’s blue courts.

The new courts will see their first action this weekend as Harvard hosts the Chowder Fest Tournament featuring defending NCAA National Champion USC, Michigan, and Texas A&M.

Harvard’s Friday home opener against Brown is one of two main Ivy attractions in the next few days. Last year, the Bears took the Ancient Eight opener against the Crimson, 29-14, on their home field. This year, Harvard does not want to repeat last season’s less-than-stellar start. As of now, the Crimson has never lost a night game at home. They hope to continue this streak on Friday.

Here's who to look out for during this week’s contests:

Brown: The Bears’ senior quarterback, Kyle Newhall-Caballaro, proved that individuals could make a comeback. After missing most of last season due to injury, Newhall-Caballero had an impressive return outing last week, as he went 22-37 for a total of 292 yards as well as three touchdowns. If his success continues this week agaisnt the Crimson, Brown’s season will definitely be on the rise.

Harvard: If the Crimson wants to handle the Bears, senior quarterback Collier Winters must have a big impact on the game. Against Holy Cross, Winters passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, but deuces were wild and he also had two interceptions. This summer, Winters won the “Air it Out” competition at Peyton Manning’s Passing Academy, beating both collegiate and professional athletes. He is going to need to repeat that accuracy this weekend and connect with teammates in order to beat Newhall-Cabellaro head-to-head.

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As classes begin to rev up this weekend and the autumn cold begins to come in fast and strong, the fall club sports season is following suit. Tryouts are finishing up, games are starting, and the real competition has begun.

This weekend, Harvard men’s and women’s club tennis teams wrote the inaugural success story of the 2011 fall club sports season, winning the Battle of the Sections Tournament on the U.S Open courts at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens.

The Crimson teams flooded to New York on Friday, only one week after the conclusion of the U.S. Open, to face the top-16 club teams in the Northeast at the annual invitational round robin tournament.

Harvard’s men’s and women’s teams, who played as a joint team for this tournament, downed UVA 21-13 in the finals. The concluding matches were played on the Louis Armstrong and Grandstand courts, which proved to be a particularly memorable experience for some club members.

“Thinking of all the incredible matches that had taken place on the very courts we were playing on was absolutely surreal,” junior Cerianne Robertson said.

The New York tournament is unique for using the “World Team” tennis competition format, which featured singles, doubles, and mixed double matches to “put the emphasis on the team in what is traditionally viewed as an individualistic sport,” according to former team captain, senior Tarek Austin.

“Winning at NYC was a promising achievement for our team as we look ahead to Sectionals in October, and, if all goes well, Nationals in the Spring, in North Carolina,” Austin said.

Robertson, senior Louise Laciny and freshmen Mari Georgiadis and Tara Jain represented the women’s team, while Austin, senior Greg Leya, senior James Ong, junior Jake Dockterman, and senior Bryan Martin played for the men.

Both teams will head to Northeastern on Saturday to participate in the Tennis Beanpot Tournament, where they hope to champion, this time, over other Boston teams.

The call of the football field has kept life in a cubicle at bay for a few recent Harvard graduates.

While some, like Collin Zych ’11—who made it all the way to the Dallas Cowboys' final cut—had their pro dreams recently put on hold, a few others have taken up pro careers at varying levels around the world.

Former Crimson offensive guard Brent Osborne ’11 has been working out with the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad for the 2011 season. After initially being cut in training camp, Osborne was recently resigned by the Seahawks.

The seven-man practice squad of an NFL team is essentially a scout team that runs plays for the starters to practice against. For example, Osborne and his offensive teammates prep the Seattle defense for their upcoming offensive opponent.

“I’m doing everything in practice all the other guys are doing, just with fewer reps,” Osborne said.

Current quarterback Collier Winters ’12 attributes Osborne’s success to his dedication and gusto.

“He really led by example,” Winters said. “Every day he would show up and put everything into it.”

Over the summer, Osborne stayed in Cambridge to work out with Crimson strength coaches to prepare for the NFL, along with former players such as Zych and Marco Iannuzzi ’11.

The offensive lineman hopes in the future to move beyond the practice squad and earn a place on the team.

“I’m trying to get better every day, and in the future compete for a spot on the roster,” he said.

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