Chapple, Defense Get Redemption in Victory

by Scott Reed
WHRB Sports
My Opinion

Harvard's 24-7 win over Brown last Friday night was a redemption on many levels for the Crimson: its new quarterback, its defense, and the entire team felt the sting of prior failures, yet they were able to redeem themselves against the Bears, making the win especially sweet.

The most intruiging storyline heading into Friday's game was who would start at quarterback: the rumor that began to percolate across Cambridge as the week wore on was that senior starter Collier Winters would be out against the Bears. A crowd of 18,537 saw this confirmed when junior backup Colton Chapple ran out to take the first snap in Harvard Stadium. For those fans who followed Harvard's 2010 campaign, the sight of Chapple under center wasn't particularly welcome, as he struggled in three starts last year replacing both Winters and Andrew Hatch when they were out with injuries. Although Chapple led Harvard to wins in two of his three starts, he did not impress - he completed under 50% of his passes and threw more interceptions than touchdowns. The expectations for Chapple in 2011 were not high, with many hoping Winters would be able to take the vast majority of snaps under center. All of this had to be on Chapple's mind as he ran out to the huddle for the first play, but to his credit, he came through on a night when Harvard needed him to. The junior threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns, the second a 56-yard beauty to Adam Chrissis to put the game out of reach. After the game, Chapple reflected on the progress he has made: "Last year, as a sophomore, it was different...I didn't really know the offense like I know it now." This progress was evident Friday to all those in attendance, and Crimson fans feel a lot better about the quarterback situation whether or not Collier Winters can play next Saturday at Lafayette.

On the other side of the ball, the Harvard defense entered the game on its heels after being shredded by the Holy Cross passing attack the week before. Many had predicted a similar occurrence when Brown came to Cambridge led by 1st-team preseason all-Ivy quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero. Yet Newhall-Caballero was held in check, completing only 28 of 51 passes and throwing 2 interceptions, and Brown was held to a single touchdown. Granted, two Bear red-zone turnovers (including a fumble at the goal line) mean Brown could have easily hung more numbers on the scoreboard, but the Crimson defense stepped up and made plays when it mattered. Holding arguably the Ivy League's best passing attack to seven points was an excellent way for the maligned unit to redeem itself and is a good sign for the rest of the season, in a conference stacked with quarterback talent.

And of course, there was the opponent on Friday: the Crimson still felt the sting of the loss in Providence a year ago, when Brown won convincingly, 29-14. Harvard was able to exact some revenge this time around, and in doing so might have discovered something about itself: head coach Tim Murphy alluded to it after the game, saying, "Tonight we developed an identity...we're a tough, physical team." After an ugly loss a week ago, this was a win and a step in the right direction. For a player, a unit, and a team looking for redemption, that was enough.

Harvard-Brown on WHRB Now

The pregame has started, be sure to tune in for 7pm kickoff between Harvard and Brown. Scott Reed and Charlie Hobbs will be on the call!

Football: Ivy League Week 2 Preview

Editor's Note- Every week, we here at WHRB will take a look back at last week's results and this week's schedule. This week our weekly preview comes to you from our own Zak Kline, who through no fault of his own (and through a lot of fault of mine) cannot post on the blog yet. -BR

Ivy League Week 2
by Zak Kline

Friday, September 23, 2011

Brown (1-0) at Harvard (0-1)
Harvard opens its home schedule with a Friday night game. The Crimson are 4-0 under the lights since installing them in 2007. The Crimson’s season started with a sloppy 30-22 loss at Holy Cross last Saturday. The Brown Bears opened their 2011 season with a 21-20 win over Stony Brook. Stony Brook had a 55-yard FG attempt come up short in the last minute. Senior QB Kyle Newhall-Caballero hit on 22 of 37 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns. For his efforts, he won the weekly New England Football Writers’ Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Gold Helmet Award, which decision was in turn nominated for the WHRB Longest Combined Name of Award Giver and Recipient Award.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Cornell (1-0) at Yale (1-0)
Yale started 2011 with a 37-27 win over Georgetown, as Patrick Witt threw for 280 yards and Mordecai Cargill ran for 92 yards on just 15 carries. Cornell also opened with a victory, beating Bucknell on the strength of 323 yards from QB Jeff Mathews and a stingy 1.8 yards/carry allowed on defense. But really, can anything be called a victory if you have to go home to Ithaca or New Haven afterwards?

Albany (0-2) at Columbia (0-1)
The Great Danes haven’t stopped anyone through two games, allowing almost 480 yards rushing and another 410 through the air. Sean Brackett, named to the All-Ivy first team last year, did not have his best day for the Lions against Fordham, completing fewer than 50% of his passes with two touchdowns and two picks. That line will probably improve this week.

Dartmouth (1-0) at Sacred Heart (0-2)
Sacred Heart’s offense has accumulated 13 points through two games. Their only touchdown came after a Marist muffed punt gave the Pioneers a red zone opportunity in Week 1. They’re not very good. Dartmouth, meanwhile, opened with a lopsided win over Colgate. All-Everything running back Nick Schwieger got his Ivy League MVP reelection campaign off to a good start, notching 175 yards on 8.8 per rush.

Bucknell (2-1) at Princeton (0-1)
The Bison get another crack at an Ivy opponent after being downed by Cornell. Bucknell’s most notable feature is that my computer’s spell-checker doesn’t recognize the word “Bucknell”. Princeton lost by twelve to Lehigh, letting Mountain Hawk QB Chris Lum throw for 384 yards and 4 TDs. The Tigers were able to grind out 180 yards rushing, which success they’ll need to duplicate if their secondary takes another day off.

Penn (0-1) at Villanova (0-3)
Villanova has long been mentioned as a possible football addition to the Big East, where most of the Wildcats’ other programs already play. The football Wildcats have been demonstrating they could be competitive in a “BCS Conference” by losing to Temple (by 35), Towson (by 21) and Monmouth (NJ) (by 11). The Quakers, meanwhile, started the year by getting slapped around by Lafayette, 37-12. Reigning co-Ivy first-team QB Billy Ragone had an awful day, finishing 8-for-23 with 91 yards and two interceptions. He will have to be better if Penn wants to beat Villanova for the first time in 100 years.

Ivy League Power Rankings

What a wild opening week it was for the Ivy League, with unexpected stars willing their teams to wins and startling upsets rocking the preseason favorites. As always, predicting the season outlook for teams based on the first game requires an phD in extrapolation and good faith. I have a good feeling that the Quakers will not go 0-10. Conference play starts this week, and with more on the line, expect teams to adjust from their Week 1 performances and play with renewed intensity.

Penn (0-1, 0-0)
In a rather uncharacteristic fashion, the Quakers were blown away at home, allowing a mediocre Lafayette team to defile Franklin Field. Turnovers, special teams miscues, and penalties marked a sloppy showing where three different quarterbacks were used, and Penn failed to find the scoreboard the entire second half. With a visit to Villanova looming, Penn QB Billy Ragone will have to make plays for his team, and the vaunted defense that stonewalled the Ivy League last year needs to make a statement.

Dartmouth (1-0, 0-0)
As my favorite saying goes, “Nick Schwieger ran over Hanover.” The reigning Ivy League MVP showed no rust from the offseason with a monster, 175 yards and 2 touchdown performance. His defensive counterpart, Shawn Abuhoff, blocked a kick and QB Connor Kempe played a controlled, well-managed game for an easy victory. This is the year the Big Green loses its dark horse candidacy and join the Ivy League elite.

Brown (1-0, 0-0)
What a thrilling win over the Stony Brook and a triumphant return of QB Newhall-Caballero. As exemplified by his track record the last several years, at his best, Newhall-Caballero is the best QB in the Ivy League, and with the help of his go-to receiver Tounkara-Kone and Lundevall, he leads a imposing passing offense. With a confused Harvard secondary, expect this trio to have another big game. Moreover, perhaps Tounkara-Kone and Newhall-Caballero should open a law firm together.

Harvard (0-1, 0-0)
It’s hard to point the fingers toward a single player in last week’s uninspired loss to crosstown rival Holy Cross. Winters faced pressure all night and made some avoidable errors; the defense looked sluggish and the secondary had no answer to Ryan Taggert; the backfield could not find holes to get the running game established. There’s a lot of questions that Coach Tim Murphy will have to answer, but there is no question that Coach Murphy can get the team back on track: Harvard hasn’t lost consecutive games since 2006.

Yale (1-0, 0-0)
In an unexpected shootout, the Bulldogs had a dogfight with the Hoyas with Patrick Witt establishing his presence as a premier QB of the Ivy League. He threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, only marred by a careless interception. What’s more impressive is the resurgence of Yale’s running game: Mordecai Cargill had 92 yards on just 16 carries for the day. Expect another inspiring performance by Witt as the Bulldogs takes on the Big Red.

Columbia (0-1, 0-0)
Sean Brackett once again produced a powerhouse performance for the Lions, accounting for all but 52 yards of Columbia’s offensive output. Even though they came out with the loss, it was the Lions defense that turned heads last Saturday, which held Fordham scoreless on two red zone possessions and created turnovers. If the Lions want to play with the big boys of the Ivy League, they have to move away from the one-dimensional play of Brackett and create plays designed for the talented but underutilized TB Garrett.

Cornell (1-0, 0-0)
Year 2 of Kent Austin’s reign at Cornell got off to an auspicious start as the Big Red toppled unbeaten Bucknell with surprising efficiency. Second year starter Jeff Matthews continued his development with a crisp showing on the air, with an 87 yard touchdown to Kurt Ondash and a 64 yarder to Shane Savage. The offense didn’t allow a single sack and the defense limited the usually consistent Bucknell offense with DL pressure and blanket coverage. Things are looking up!

Princeton (0-1, 0-0)
The Tigers fell behind early and quickly, trailing by 27-9 in the 4th quarter. Even with a string of great plays - KO Returned for TD by Sr. Ivan Charbonneau, recovered onside kick, 26 yard TD by Tommy Wornham – Princeton could not punch it home for the win. Regardless, there offense gained more than 400 yards and the defense kept it close enough to make the game exciting.

Till next week...