By Jake Hamilton
NEFJ Correspondent
CAMBRIDGE – It was an early season battle in the Ivy League for sole possession of first place – at least for the night – when No. 19 Harvard hosted Cornell Friday under the lights at historic Harvard Stadium.
But, soon after the game started, it was clear there was no competition, as the Crimson took down the Big Red 41-23.
Now sitting atop the Ivy League, Harvard’s dominant performance centered around junior quarterback Charles DePrima, who cemented himself as the frontrunner for Ivy League Player of the Year.
After stifling the Big Red zone-running-based offense on their first drive, DePrima did what he has done best all season: make plays. Connecting with halfback Tim Dowd over the middle for a 28-yard gain, Deprima took it in himself on their first drive to lift the Crimson to an early 7-0 lead. It would be the first of six touchdowns overall for the QB in the game, three on the ground and three through the air.
On his performance and comfort level at the helm of the Crimson offense, Deprima noted, “That starts with all the guys around me, coaches included. We come and prepare every single week. Nothing changes. Just putting trust in the guys around me.”
The Crimson continued their dominance on the ground in the second when DePrima pulled it down and took the snap 42 yards to the house on an ankle-breaking, eye-popping touchdown run. DePrima finished the game with 152 yards on the ground and 209 through the air.
Not to be overlooked was the Crimson defense in the game. Harvard held the third-ranked offensive-efficient Big Red to only seven points in the first half. Behind a strong push by the defensive front and steady play in the secondary, Harvard held Cornell to only 165 yards passing under junior starter Jameson Wang. The Crimson entered the half leading by eleven, up 21-10, with the game seemingly in hand.
“We need to know our opponents more than they know us,” senior Nate Leskovec said, praising the Crimson’s defensive game plan. “The scout teams do a really good job at simulating what the other teams run. They’re really the unsung heroes of our team…without having watched the film yet, it seems like we played pretty well. We’ll enjoy this one tonight and start thinking about Howard tomorrow”
Harvard started the second half with the ball and, coming out of the gate, looked uncharacteristically sloppy. The Crimson committed three penalties in a row, two false starts, and a hold to stamp out the first drive of the second half.
But the Crimson defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out to return the ball to DePrima and the offense. A handful of plays later, DePrima hit senior tight end Tyler Neville up the seam for a 17-yard touchdown. Head Coach Tim Murphy – who is now tied with former Yale coach Carm Cozza for the most Ivy League wins in history (135) – praised the all-around effort by the team, highlighting their complimentary football.
“Really well-balanced game,” he said. “Offensively, defensively, special teams. But the big key was having explosive plays. We did a good job keeping them out of the end zone. Very balanced effort, kids played really hard.”
DePrima’s big night continued with another huge breakaway run, going for 58-yards to end the quarter and putting Harvard up 41-17. It would prove to be the nail in the coffin and ushered the backups into the game.
Following the game, with Harvard now garnering national attention and remaining undefeated on ESPN2, junior wideout Scott Woods II, who hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass, noted that the team has a bit of a target on its back.
“I definitely think there’s a target on our back,” Woods II acknowledged. “When you climb up to the top of the mountain, people want to see you fall off. Fortunately, they’re not going to see that happen. Definitely think there’s a target, but we take that as it is and keep performing every week.”
Harvard looks to remain unbeaten next Saturday with another big game at home against Howard University, where we will see if the target continues to grow.
