Game, bonfire dream lost

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — "We had to earn everything. There was nothing given to us today," Harvard head coach Tim Murphy said after his Crimson defeated Princeton 27-10 on Saturday afternoon at Harvard Stadium.

That 17-point deficit, however, fails to reflect Princeton's overall effort in the 100th meeting of the two rivals. Though the Tigers trailed by a mere field goal at the half after a strong second quarter, late-game injuries, turnovers and penalties dashed any hope of a Princeton comeback.

Harvard (4-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy League) struck early when Chris Pizzotti, who tallied 365 passing yards on the day, connected with Corey Mazza on a 41-yard touchdown pass. A Patrick Long 23-yard field goal capped off a 13-play, six-minute drive toward the end of the quarter that gave the Crimson a 10-0 edge over the Tigers.

Despite its slow start, Princeton (2-4, 1-2) countered with a long drive of its own. Back-to-back end-around runs by junior wide receivers Adam Berry and Will Thanheiser moved the ball into Crimson territory, and consecutive option plays by senior running back Rob Toresco continued the Tigers' march toward the goal line. Senior quarterback Bill Foran found Berry for an 11-yard catch on fourth and eight, which eventually led to junior kickerConnor Louden's 34-yard field goal with 12 minutes and 18 seconds remaining in the half.

The Tiger offense rode this wave of momentum into its next series. The drive began on a strong note after Foran rushed twice for 14 yards, but senior quarterback Greg Mroz replaced him at the helm after Foran suffered a concussion. The Tigers' lone touchdown came at the end of the drive when blocks by Toresco and Berry allowed junior tailback R.C. Lagomarsino to find an opening and make it to the end zone on a 29-yard run.

A Crimson field goal in the waning minutes of the half allowed Harvard to regain a 13-10 lead, but the Tigers felt confident heading into the locker room. In each of its past two games against Harvard, Princeton rallied in the fourth quarter to claim come-from-behind victories. Unfortunately for the Tigers, this second-half magic was absent Saturday.

"Inconsistent" has been head coach Roger Hughes' buzzword for this year's offense. The offensive rhythm the Tigers established toward the end of the first half disappeared in the second, as Princeton gained only one first down in a third quarter plagued by a series of three and outs. Harvard extended its lead on its first drive of the quarter on a two-yard touchdown run by Cheng Ho, who totaled 113 yards on the ground and 61 receiving yards on the afternoon.

The fourth quarter began with a brilliant defensive effort by Princeton that was essentially a one-man show put on by sophomore lineman Joel Karacozoff. On first down, Karacozoff recorded the only Tiger sack of the afternoon as he tackled Pizzotti for a 16-yard loss. Karacozoff blocked Pizzotti's pass on second down, and the Crimson was ultimately forced to punt. Karacozoff ended up with four tackles, three blocked passes and one quarterback hurry on the afternoon.

Princeton's offensive drought worsened in the fourth quarter. Junior quarterback Brian Anderson was forced to make his debut as Mroz was also sidelined with a nagging hand injury. Though Anderson rushed twice for 11 yards on his first series, a completed pass to Lagomarsino was stripped and the Crimson regained possession.

Karacozoff came up huge again for the Tigers on the next defensive stop when he recovered a fumble that was forced by sophomore defensive back Dan Kopolovich. The Tigers, backed up deep within their own zone, suffered three false-start penalties and failed to escape their own end. A Crimson touchdown on the next drive sealed the win for Harvard.

The Tiger defense, led by senior defensive back Kevin Kelleher's eight tackles and senior linebacker Doori Song's seven stops, did all it could to give the offense a chance. Yet the appearance of three quarterbacks — who combined for only 84 passing yards — a possession time of 25 minutes and an average starting field position at their own 22-yard line were obstacles too daunting for the Tigers to overcome.

"[Today's quarterback situation] gives you a sense of how fragile an offense is," Hughes said. "There's got to be 11 guys together all the time, [executing] good timing, getting the snap count, getting the motions right, getting the play called. The little things you take for granted sometimes become ... things you have to pay a lot closer attention to."

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Though Cannon Green may not be ablaze this year, Orange-and-Black faithful can still look forward to the rest of the season because the Tigers are not nearly finished with what they've set out to accomplish.

"If I don't go into a game thinking that we're going to win, I'm not going to step on the field," senior wide receiver Brendan Circle said. "As far as that mentality goes, it doesn't change over these next four weeks despite the adversity that we've had up until this point in the season. We need to realize the season's a long way from over. [Folding] at this point ... certainly doesn't sit well with me, and I know that it doesn't sit well with the rest of the guys in that locker room."

That never-say-never mentality, a Tiger trademark, made Harvard earn every inch it gained this weekend and will carry the Tigers into this week's Friday night showdown with Cornell.