Scouting Harvard

Harvard is looking to clutch the title trophy again this year

The one word that really jumps out at you when you look at the 2009 Harvard Crimson is "balance."

The squad that Head Coach Tim Murphy would be a "pass first, run second" team, has actually been attacking teams with equal amounts of running and passing, and equal amounts of run stopping and pass breakups.

This Crimson team is a very good sum of all its parts.

It doesn't have a single running back as great as Clifton Dawson who tore up the Ivy record book from 2003-06. But the two-headed monster of Gino Gordon and Treavor Scales, (plus Cheng Ho when he's been healthy), is putting up big numbers game after game. In fact, both Gordon and Scales broke the 100-yard mark last week versus Dartmouth.

Harvard doesn't have a QB as great as Chris Pizzotti or Ryan Fitzpatrick. But Collier Winters is extremely effective. He has 11 TD passes, just five interceptions, and a 56% completion percentage.

The wide receivers aren't burning up the record books, but seven of them have caught TD passes and six are averaging more than 10 yards per catch.

The offensive line is extremely experienced and has allowed fewer than two sacks per game despite the fact the the team's QB doesn't exactly have a quick release.

The defensive line doesn't have Brad Bagdis or Matt Curtis anymore, but the front four of Carl Ehrlich, Chucks Obi, John Lyon and Victor Ojukwu are getting the job done well enough.

The linebackers and secondary, two units that looked a bit questionable by Harvard standards this summer, have picked off 10 opponent passes so far.

The kicking game is solid if not spectacular.

Put this all together, throw in the Crimson's killer instinct to win tight games, (on display in the victory over Brown in week 2), and add the coaching chops a veteran like Murphy brings to the table, and you have what looks like a championship team in any season.

As much as it is a balanced team, it's not a good idea to understate the running attack and the offensive line. When you have so many backs gaining as many yards rushing as the Crimson do, you know the offensive line is doing a great job and can control games. The only team that was able to stop Harvard's running attack was Lafayette, and the Leopards did that mostly by getting a big early lead and taking the ground game away from the Cantabs.

The team seems pretty mentally tough as well. But there may be some looking ahead going on at Wien Stadium Saturday as the Crimson must be thinking a little about their huge showdown at Harvard Stadium against Penn the following week.

The Lion walking wounded will probably have to strike early and catch the Harvard crew off guard to get their best chance to win.