"Good luck with your lacrosse team," cracked a long-time denizen of the Harvard Stadium press box as Brown's Director of Sports. Information, Mike Scandura gloomily trudged out the door. Scandura had a little difficulty trumpeting the achievements of last year's 0-9 Brown football team, and the Bruins did little to boost his spirits last Saturday, giving up six touchdowns while scoring only one in a controlled scrimmage against Harvard.
Outside the Stadium, on the other hand. Harvard coach Joe Restic gloated over his team's very impressive performance. "I've got no first string quarterback," he said, with the happy shrug of a shiek making his nightly decision outside the harem.
The fourth quarterback on Restic's depth chart, sophomore Milt Holt, had just completed eight of ten passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. He would have gone nine for ten and three TDs had no a wide-open receiver dropped one of his passes near the goal line.
Holt's favorite target on the freshman team last year. Pat McInally, was once again on the receiving end-of most of the Hawaiian native's bullet passes McInally, who has height, great hands and at least against bad defensive back terrific moves, left the hapless Brown secondary in the dirt with six catches for 114 yards and two touch downs.
Last year's sophomore surprise, An Stoecked, also fared well, connecting on three of four passes for 113 yards. One of his shorter passes turned into a 60-yard touchdown play, as junior John Hagerty shook off a tackler and raced 45 yards to the end gone.
The two other quarterbacks were less successful. Yale's nemesis of the Last two years, senior Eric Crone, went three for eight for 28 yards. and Frank Guerre threw a few too many floaters to boost his chances of leaving a three-year seat on the bench.
Harvard's running backs performed very capably. Mark Wheeler, a transfer student who played with Sonny Sixkiller at Washington, picked up only 35 yards in nine carries, but his (and the) best run of the day, a twisting 33-yarder good for a TD, was nullified by a penalty. Two other unfamiliar faces, ex-JV fullback Marc Mayberg and sophomore halfback Steve Dart, the leading rusher on the 71 freshman team, ran well. Mayberg broke a 47-yard touchdown run, while Dart ate up 48 yards in five rushes. Captain Ted DeMars carried the ball only four aimes but he averaged over eight yards a carry.
Line Worries
Restic is worried about the lack of depth on the offensive line, but both of his offensive units heat' he Brown defense into the ground. The defensive line was equally unmerciful to the Bruins, squashing the Brown running game and breaking through to dump Brown quarterbacks six times Harvard's All-Ivy defensive end. Junior Mitch Berger, usually led the charge, making seven lackles for the game. Steve Golden, in his new rover back position, was equally ferocious. Flattening Brown runners eight times.
Harvard's defensive backfield, which may suffer from a serious lack of speed gave off-some ominous warning signs when Brown picked up a 51 yard touch down on its second pass play of the scrimmage. The zone defense tightened up, however, giving up some short passes but cutting off the long threat and making three interceptions.
Although Harvard has its entire defensive backfield returning. Restic may use a few new faces, including JV veterans Dave St. Pierre and Bruce Mickey, Mike Page, a promising sophomore defensive back, is injured, but he should also see action this year, as will his classmate Alex Costello.
Page is joined on the injury list by two key performers, tight end Howard Keenan, a strong blocker and a good short-range receiver, and fullback Rod Foster. If Foster does not come back from his ankle injury to learn his new position, he may take second place to vateran Steve Hall, Mayberg, or sophomore Phil Allon, who has been impressive in pre-session practice.
Harvard's kicking game is in excellent shape. Bruce Tetirick, who matched a Brown field goal with a 33-yarder of his own on Saturday, is very accurate from short range. Receiver McInally, last year's freshman kicker, will handle the long-range attempts.
Read more in Sports
Mother Nature Heals Crimson Wounds