By Jake Hamilton
NEFJ Correspondent
CAMBRIDGE – It was a game of many firsts for the Harvard Crimson in a 45-13 season opening victory over the University of St. Thomas Thommies on Saturday.
The first game of Harvard’s 150th season, the first career start for junior quarterback Charles Deprima, and the first meeting between the University of St. Thomas and the Crimson.
So, it was only fitting that on Harvard’s first offensive play, junior tailback Shane McLaughlin took a handoff 79 yards to the house to break the game open for the Crimson. McLaughlin finished with 100 yards on five carries, and the Crimson rushing attack totaled 255 yards on the day. And McLaughlin’s touchdown run set the tone for what would be a huge day on the ground.
On the impact McLaughlin’s run had on the team, Deprima said with a chuckle, “When that happens, you’re going to feel much better. That was a really cool moment for us to get rolling that well so early. Shane (McLaughlin) is a really good friend of mine. He works real hard. It definitely got us juiced up.”
Following McLaughlin’s touchdown scamper, the Crimson never looked back on offense and defense. Adding another two touchdowns on the ground from sophomore quarterback Jaden Craig and Isaiah Abbey in the first half, the Crimson defense got in on the offensive action, as sophomore safety Ty Bertrum took a deflected pass 96 yards to the house just before the end of the half. Going into the half, a Cali Canaval 42-yard field goal lifted the Crimson to a lead of 31-0 and capped off a wall-to-wall dominant performance.
Head Coach Tim Murphy said of their first-half performance, “Obviously, great stuff. Not sure we thought it would be a score like that. We came out and played great defense. And when you’re going into the fourth quarter, and you’ve got a goose egg, you’ve got a chance to win.”
Murphy continued, “Really happy how offensively we made some big plays. We’ve got some kids who can run the ball, athletic quarterbacks, and the offensive line played really well.”
Starting the second half, Harvard refused to take their foot off the gas. After receiving the kick, a 69-yard touchdown run from Deprima reignited the crowd on their second play of the third quarter. And while the Thommies would eventually get on the board off of a goalline touchdown by tailback Hope Adebayo, the Crimson’s defensive line was relentless all afternoon with monster games from senior defensive tackles Thor Griffith and Kwaku Adubofour.
“If you don’t stop the run, you can’t stop the rest,” Murphy said. “That’s momentum. That’s Mojo. That’s physicality. If you stop the run, you make it a lot harder for the team.”
At the start of the fourth quarter, as the sun peeked through the clouds from Hurricane Lee, St. Thomas went down quietly. Backups on both sides saw action, and Harvard let the clock dwindle after their dominant and overmatching performance.
But, Harvard established their 2023 identity as a tough defensive and ground-and-pound team, something senior captain and defensive lineman Nate Leskovic knows is important to start the season.
“Definitely a lot of things to improve on. Definitely could have stopped the run a little bit better,” Leskovic said. “That’s kind of our identity. We’ll enjoy this one for a little bit, but then we’re right back to work. We’re excited to get after it. No doubt.”
The Crimson’s strong start to the season will serve them well as they start the Ivy League portion of their schedule next Friday against Brown University. Even as the competition ramps up, Harvard will lean on the identity it found in its first game.
“We found out today our guys can make plays,” Murphy said in closing. “We found out today our guys will fight. One week at a time, we can be a good football team.”
