Columbia-Harvard Keys to the Game
Harvard Stadium is a great venue
1) Make Tomorrow the Worst Day of Chris Pizzotti's Season
The Harvard QB is just cruising along this season, with nothing seemingly in his way. NFL scouts are coming to watch him, the Bushnell Cup is already being sent back from the engraver with his name on it, and he actually managed to find an undergrad course at Harvard not taught by the T.A.!
But seriously, the Lions need to get in Pizzotti's face, make him make bad decisions, and generally pound him when they get to him. This could be a crucial game for Lou Miller as he looks to prove he still plays hard, but not recklessly.
2) Make the Crimson Defense Tired
Some hard roll-out running by either M.A. Olawale or Shane Kelly, mixed with lots of passing could get the Harvard defense sucking wind early. The Crimson defensive line cannot be allowed to get comfortable.
3) Stop Getting Beaten by Field Position
Columbia needs to kick well, cover well, and stop fielding punts inside their own 5-yard line. Harvard's special teams are a relative weak link and the Lions can't let the Crimson off the hook by playing even worse in that department.
4) Be Quietly Determined
Harvard may be looking ahead to bigger showdowns with Penn and Yale after this game, and the Lions shouldn't do anything to provoke them out of a potential slumber before the game. Columbia's attitude should be one of quiet determination. Take care of business, and do their talking on the scoreboard.
posted by Jake @ 7:57:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Is this going to be the week when Phil Miller finally realizes the potential that we have been talking about since NW first tabbed him as having the ability to play in a higher league? The '96 Harvard game was Marcellus Wiley's first signature performance, you will recall.
I assume you meant Phil Mitchell who has been a standout defensive lineman for Columbia his entire career. In my judgment it's somewhat unfair to compare him to Marcellus Wiley who not only was a very high draft choice but had the good fortune of playing with another standout defensive player, Rory Wilfork. I'm not an expert on defensive line play, but Mitchell has been a considerable force for four years at Columbia despite frequent double teams. I also was very impressed that he moved to nose guard from defensive end when the team needed help there last season. As far as I'm concerned this guy is deserving of every honor he receives this season no matter what happens the next three games. However, I do agree with you that I hope he has a huge game against Harvard
I plead guilty to morphing Phil Mitchell and Lou Miller into one player. Also, Phil Mitchell has managed to achieve a 3.58 GPA as a pre-med while playing football. In any event, if I sounded critical of Phil Mitchell it was inadvertent. Perhaps I had unrealistic expectations that he would be a dominating defensive end. For sure, he has been a fine player for us, and I hope he ends his career by ratcheting it up a notch or two.
Dear Roaring Lion:
You meant a TF!
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