It naturally follows that in order to win games, you need to score points. On Saturday, Harvard lacked in this particular category, especially when compared to previous seasons. In 2015 and 2016, the Crimson put up 41 and 51 points, respectively, in its season-opening games. On Saturday, the program barely hit double digits.

One factor contributing to this lackluster offensive performance was the field positioning that the team faced on nearly every drive. The Rams’ freshman punter, Satchel Dento, was exceptional. Out of his five punts, four landed within the Crimson 20. In contrast, Harvard’s punter, senior Zach Schmid, landed only a third of his six punts in the red zone.

Denton didn’t just land the ball in the red zone, though—he pinned the Crimson solidly against its goal line and left Harvard’s explosive returner, junior receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley, with only one attempted punt return. Denton dropped kicks at the 12, 7, 35, 12, and 14. Shelton-Mosley attempted a return on the punt by the 35, earning a hard-fought 13 yards. The rest of the kicks either were fair-caught, downed, or rolled out of bounds, stymying any opportunity for the Crimson to start at a favorable position.

A LEAKY FRONT

Field position wasn’t the only hindrance to the Harvard offense. The Crimson’s blocking upfront proved weak. That weakness disrupted nearly every play. Many times, senior quarterback Joe Viviano was flushed from the pocket. And many times, junior running back Charlie Booker III hit a wall at the line of the scrimmage. Harvard couldn’t secure the backfield, and the whole offense suffered as a result.

“Offensively, we just weren’t in sync enough. No excuses for that. First game or not, we just weren’t in sync,” Murphy said. “We know on our schedule [that] everybody’s good,everybody’s well coached, and every game is going to be a dog fight.”

In a stark comparison to Rhode Island, the Crimson’s backfield was sacked five times for 33 yards. The Rams lost only seven yards on two sacks. Viviano finished with negative rushing yards on the game. The senior lost a total of 36 yards and picked back up enough to finish with -19 on the afternoon.

The most salient instance of the breakdown of the offensive front came at Harvard’s time of greatest need. The drive began at the team’s own 14-yard line. The Crimson drove the length of the field to the Rhode Island 16. A few short runs landed Harvard seven yards from the goal. With just above six minutes left to play, the team faced a fourth-and-one conversion. In unison with the snap of the ball, two defenders broke immediately through the line, hitting Viviano as he faked a handoff. The quarterback coughed up the pigskin into the chest of the awaiting defensive back Momodou Mbye. That turnover ended a drive that had bled 5:23 off the fourth quarter clock.

—Staff writer Cade Palmer can be reached at cade.palmer@thecrimson.com.