Ivy League Football Weekend Preview

It has been 42 long weeks, but the anticipation and excitement at WHRB couldn’t be higher as the 56th season of Ivy League Football begins this weekend. All teams will begin their schedules with nonconference matchups, hoping to get off to a quick start and build momentum before league play. There is an amazing slate of games to jumpstart the season, including four night games. Here is a quick look:

Georgetown at Yale, Noon

Undefeated Georgetown (2-0) comes knocking at the Yale Bowl in time for the 139th season of Yale Football. Bulldog QB Patrick Witt returns for his final season, commanding a much-improve offense with potent WRs Gio Christodoulou and Chris Smith. On the defense, Coach Tom Williams will be looking to unleash DB monster Geoff Dunham to pressure the Hoyas. However, Georgetown QB Isiah Kempf is no pushover, and comes off an emotional come-from-behind victory over Lafayette

Predictions: 32-21 Georgetown

Columbia at Fordham, 1 pm

The Lions visit Jack Coffey Field for the Liberty Cup, and Junior QB Sean Brackett is poised lead his team to victory. Brackett was a one-man offensive powerhouse for Columbia last year as he lead the team in rushing and passing, and this year will prove to be no different. However, tandem TBs Jr Nick Gerst and Sophomore Marcorus Garrett will bring a much-improved backfield to a team bereft of a backfield.

Predictions: 28-14 Columbia

Harvard at Holy Cross, 1 pm

Harvard begins its quest for the Ivy League title against the cross-town rivals Holy Cross Crusaders. QB Collier Winters is back from an injury-plagued season and with him are familiar faces: Trevor Scales, Chris Lorditch, Matt Brown, and Kyle Juszczyck. This is complemented by an all-star defense that includes Josue Ortiz and Matt Hanson. Look for a balanced offense to lead Harvard to an easy victory.

Predictions: 21-3 Harvard

Colgate at Dartmouth, 1:30 pm

WHRB’s perennial sleeper pick is once again ready to prove that the Ivy League is not a two-man show. Co-MVP RB Nick Schwieger comes off a 1,133 yard rushing season while Conner Kempe marches toward the Big Green record books in passing, already 6th in team history with 3,333 passing yards. This is the last chance for head coach Buddy Teevans to take his mature, experienced team to an Ivy League title

Prediction: 23-21 Dartmouth

Brown at Stony Brook, 6 pm

The Bears shocked the Ivy League with a gritty win over a sloppy Crimson team and managed to finish 2nd in the league last year. Monster of a man Kyle Newhall-Caballero returns after being sidelined after two games and will hope to re-establish his presence as a premier QB in the Ivy League. WR Alex Tounkara-Kone and Jimmy Saros will be potent weapons enough for Brown to squeeze out a victory.

Predictions: 14-7 Brown

Bucknell at Cornell, 6 pm

Coach Kent Austin will start his second year with an anticipated homecoming game against BUcknell at Schoellkopf Field. Although picked to finish 7th, the Big Red returns 22 starters to gain bragging rights at the annual Battle of the ‘Nells. At the focal point of this team is Jeff Matthews, who was a true freshman QB who started all games for Cornell en route to an Ivy League Rookie of the Year award.

Predictions: 32-12 Bucknell

Lafayette at Penn, 6 pm

There is no doubting that Penn sits alone at the top of the Ivy League rankings after two straight titles. Its defense is unmatched in the nation, and the team owns the longest active winning streak in the nation (FCS). One concern is the offensive line, which only returns 1 starter, although all five earned All-Ivy last year. No doubt, the Quakers will again be the team to beat in the Ivy League.

Prediction: 32-7 Penn

Lehigh at Princeton, 6 pm

Senior LB Steven Cody and DL Caraun Reid will be returning from injuries that limited them for 9 games last year to bring much-needed leadership for the Tigers. QB Tommy Wornham, a very capable signal caller, also returns since week 5 of last season to hopefully bring stability and production. Alas, Lehigh has scored more than 40 points in each of its game this year…

Prediction: 42-14 Lehigh

Let's play some football!

Harvard Football Opens Season Saturday at Holy Cross

Harvard Crimson (0-0) at Holy Cross Crusaders (1-1, 1-0 Patriot League)

When: Saturday, September 17th at 1:00 PM (Pregame begins at 12:30 PM)

Where: Fittin Field, Worcester, Massachusetts

Coverage: Live on 95.3 FM WHRB in the Greater Boston area, and streaming worldwide at www.whrb.org

In a series that dates back to 1904 , Harvard travels to Worcester, Massachusetts to take on a traditional cross-state foe Holy Cross. Harvard has historically had the edge over the Crusaders, leading the all-time series 39-23-2. However, recent years have been virtual standoff: neither team has managed to notch a road victory since 2005.

If the Crimson hope to break the trend, they can look back to their performance in 2010 for a set of guidelines. Last year, Harvard managed to stifle quarterback Ryan Taggert, holding the Holy Cross starter to 54 yards and an interception before he was pulled from the game. Offensively, meanwhile, the Crimson struck repeatedly through the air, as second-string quarterback Andrew Hatch (a transfer from LSU) went 20-25 for 276 yards and 3 TD's. Efforts to compensate for the loss of Gino Gordon, last year's Ivy League co-player of the year, will also be a key for the Crimson going forward: in 2010 alone, Gordon accounted for 1059 yards of rushing offense and 10 touchdowns.

WHRB's pregame coverage begins at 12:30 PM, with the Harvard Radio Pregame Show. Kickoff is at 1:00 PM, with Scott Reed and Charlie Hobbs live from Worcester, Massachusetts.

All is Calm as Murphy Begins 18th Season at Harvard

by Scott Reed
WHRB Sports
My Opinion

It's the third week of September, and for the 18th time, Tim Murphy prepares the Harvard Crimson for a season. It is a coach, and a team, outside the national spotlight, yet is a story of sustained success and integrity that merits much more hoopla than it receives. Murphy's Crimson have finished with seven or more wins in each of the last 10 years, playing an Ivy League-mandated ten game schedule, two games shorter than most college programs - and this has been sustained at one of the most academically demanding institutions in the country.

And as Harvard enters the 2011 season, the football program is at ease - this is especially impressive in this era of win-at-all-cost expectations and a need for instant and yearly success. Consider this Harvard's "Era of Good Feelings", a program experiencing peace, harmony and prosperity - shall we christen this time "Pax Harvardiana?" Success has been consistent, and rivals have been kept at bay, with Murphy winning 9 of the last 10 over the Yale Bulldogs. Although the pesky Penn Quakers are the defending Ivy champions, Harvard has given them fights and looks again to do so this year.

This has been largely because of Murphy, who, with his next eight wins will pass Joe Restic as Harvard's all-time wins leader. Yet Murphy does not simply rest on his laurels or expect that success will find him an his team: in an interview with WHRB, he spoke of the 2011 team: "I think we have a chance to be a good team...how good we are going to be is a work in progress." He spoke glowingly of his players, praising especially his quarterback, senior Collier Winters: "We're a good team when he [Winters] is on the field." Yet even less than astute observers have seen that Harvard has been good when Murphy is on the sideline.

To be sure, the Crimson program is blessed with natural recruiting advantages not bestowed upon Ivy rivals: unrivaled need-based financial aid capabilities in a league where athletic scholarships are non-existant, a location across the river from Boston, and, perhaps most importantly, is part of a larger institution that possesses the most alluring name in higher education.

Yet, many Harvard athletic programs have not flourished the way the football program has, and even the football program has seen this type of sustained success only rarely. What is more, Yale and Princeton, two programs with similar advantages to Harvard, have had difficult times of the last 5 years. Murphy, though, year after year, has produced success. And if the last ten years are any indication, Harvard will continue to experience relative peace and prosperity through 2011.


Scott Reed is the play-by-play commentator for Harvard football and mens' basketball.

Fall Fiesta Hits All the Right Notes, Harvard Men's Soccer Wins 1-0

Kudos and a job well done to Harvard Athletics on their second annual Fall Fiesta soccer game, a game where the hosts defeated Northeastern 1-0 (more on that later). Unlike last year, I was in the stands, rather than the broadcast booth, for this game, and Harvard did a great job of generating student turnout for this game. Between innovative prizes (free laundry for a year) and the promise of free Crimson Cash, t-shirts, and drawstring bags, as well as free Coke products, there was plenty to get students to come out, and stay, for the game.

The Hills Were Alive
The best feature of Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium may be its location. Sitting in the stands gives you an imposing look at Harvard Stadium, and during night games, some of the Boston skyline is also visible. But the second best feature, and the most notable tonight, are the hills behind both goals. Sort of like the old European-style terraces, the hills encourage standing and are a natural congregating spot for Harvard undergrads (particularly behind the opposition's goal in any given half.) It was from there that most of the chants originated: the standard "Let's Go Harvard," the "I Believe That We Will Win" that started at Lavietes Pavillion, the "Ole, Ole" of futbol, and even an "It's All Your Fault" transplanted from the ice of the Bright Center. Sure, one minor criticism was that the chants tended to stay on the hill, but that's because the stands were mostly the province of the freshmen, who didn't know any better. Still, the stands got more into it as the game went on, and soon every goal scoring opportunity from the Crimson was met with Harvard fans rising to their feet.

Harvard Fan Comment of the Night
"Give him a Grammy!" - guy in my section after a perceived flop by a Northeastern player. Right idea, wrong awards show.

Oh yeah, the game
On top of the atmosphere, the game on the pitch lived up to the billing. Harvard seems more comfortable in the second year of Coach Junot's system and really pressed Northeastern from the get-go. That said, Harvard lacked the clinical touch in the final third for much of the game, and the best opportunity was actually the Huskies: a diving header in the box that was turned away by star senior keeper Austin Harms. Finally, though, the Crimson benefited from a set piece and in the 83', Brian Rodgers had the ball fall to him off a corner and he slotted it in to the lower left corner of the net.

More, More
Besides the creation of the Crimson rewards program that benefits attending select games, Harvard has really done a great job in encouraging student turnout. The night football games have been such a hit that Harvard is now adding a second to the schedule. Thanks in part to their winning ways, basketball has been one of the hardest tickets to get on campus. And this year, many of the men's and women's soccer games will be played under the lights of Soldier's Field. That said, Harvard should push to have more "big events" like the Fall Fiesta. For example, a "Winter Festival" with either basketball or hockey the weekend students return for the second semester, taking advantage of the relative lack of classes and work for students during "shopping period", much as the Fall Fiesta does, as well as the continuation of the "Spring Carnival" that centers around lacrosse. Again, though, a job well done to Harvard Athletics for getting more students to events. It's a positive trend to see so many budding sports fans don their school colors.