Harvard undergoes its last pre-season test tomorrow, taking on Brown in a controlled scrimmage. The scrimmage, which will give Crimson coach Joe Restic one last chance to evaluate his squad before beginning preparation for the September 29 season opener with UMass, will be held in Providence, R.I.
The scrimmage will be controlled--the two teams will exchange 15-play series, with limited kicking action. Under the guidelines of the scrimmage, the Crimson's first team will meet Brown's first unit, Harvard's second squad will square off with the Bruin second-liners, continuing down the line until everyone has seen action.
Restic, who acknowledges that he has to find some depth if Harvard is to have a good year, will be watching performances at fullback, offensive tackle and defensive tackle very closely on Saturday.
Offensive tackle is probably the biggest headache for the Crimson coach at this time. While Tim Manna has one side sewed up, the other starting spot and the swing position are still unfilled. "I don't see anyone out of the pack who can stabilize our situation," Restic said. Restic has been working Danny Jiggetts, Dave Burlage, and Bob Wagner the most in his quest to find a solution to his tackle problem.
At fullback the situation is the same. Nobody has taken charge and said "I'm the one." Veteran bruiser Phil Allen, and sophomores Neil Miller, Martin Foye, and John Flood have all been working the position but no one has claimed it thus far. Allen should have the edge on experience, but yesterday Restic said, he "hadn't seen anybody who's a standout there."
At defensive tackle, the other trouble spot, Restic is still looking for a partner for Mike O'Hare. Justin Harrington and Bob Shaw have been getting the most work, and it shapes up (at least for now) with Shaw starting and Harrington swinging between the two positions.
One trouble area that has stabilized is center. Carl Culig, a 200-pound sophomore, has taken charge. "He's been a real pleasant surprise," Restic said. "He's going to be a really good football player for us."
Other areas to watch tomorrow will be the defensive and offensive backfields. The question on defense is how Joe Sciolla, Mike Page, and John Clark can come back from injuries.
On offense, the Crimson backfield merits watching for positive reasons. Sophomore Burrelle Duvauchelle, has moved ahead of everyone at one halfback. Ed Cronin holds down the other slot. "Duvauchelle may not be the fastest man on the football team, "Restic said, "but he runs behind his blockers better than anyone we have."
At quarterback, Jimmy Stoeckel and Milt Holt have looked impressive. In last Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage Holt completed seven of nine passes and Stoeckel six of seven. "I don't know whether that means our defense is weak or what," Restic said. "But you can't complain about that kind of execution."
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