But Buckley and Harvard ignored the point spread and dominated the ballgame. It was the quarterback's best day of the season. With nine completions and 147 yds., it wasn't his best day in the air, but the Buckley obviously had the offense in complete control. Calling almost all of his plays, he ran when he had to (twice for touchdowns, one and 67 yds.) threw prudently, and controlled the clock.
Buckley had begun to look like the definitive Multiflex quarterback--mobile, intelligent under pressure, and strong-armed. Then, late in the fouth quarter, he fought off a pair of tacklers and was hit by a third. After a few minutes, his knee wouldn't straighten out. Knees being knees, by the next Saturday he had had two operations.
He smiles now and says, "This knee was also a tough one," alluding to his high school difficulties with his shoulder. "It was frustrating, playing those two games to get ready for the Ivy season, and then not being able to play."
Buchanan played gallantly in the next week's 20-12 victory over Cornell, but when he too got hurt, Restic ran out of top quarterbacks. Dartmouth blasted Harvard 30-12, and Princeton snuck by, 7-3. "I keep thinking about that loss to Princeton," Buckley says. Small wonder, Until the final minutes, Harvard had 19 yds. passing against the Tigers.
So Buckley began working to come back. Hours on the Nautilus machine. Running. Throwing. Teammates say he is one of the few quarterbacks who want to practice throwing longer than his receivers want to catch. He was finally ready for Brown.
...But Good Enough
Buckley wasn't at his best, he concedes, but the the difference in the Crimson squad was obvious. As Restic says, "He makes our stuff go." He gave up a costly interception and fumble, but Buckley did the job, and because of his two screen pass touchdowns, Harvard hung on, 17-16. Was it too late? For Harvard to have any chance of winning the Ivy League, Yale must lose to Cornell or Princeton.
Buckley seems concerned, but not worried. Clearly not as tightly wound as many other athletes, Buckley doesn't get extremely excited. He doesn't worry. He wants to win one game at a time. He obviously wants to win the League, and especially The Game, very badly, but he doesn't fret. He will confess only to his anxiety about getting enough Yale tickets for his large (five brothers and sisters) family and friends from Marblehead.
He will also make clear that his football ambitions don't end with the Yale game. Compared to Ken Stabler since high school, Buckley has received feelers from the San Diego Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks and BLESTO a pro-football scouting service that works for eight teams. A BLESTO spokesman said yesterday, "We think he's a good prospect."
"I'd like to give it (pro ball) a try," he says, "If it doesn't work out, I'd like to go to law school," he adds, obviously unexcited about the prospect. Buckley yearns to play football, but he knows his plans often have taken unplanned detours. And if the pros don't work out, Buckley probably won't look back and wonder. Looking back is not his style.