Their backs are still against the wall, but their Ivy chances aren't shot.
A new quarterback and an old linebacker provided the stay of execution, guiding the Harvard football team through a 28-26 squirmer over Princeton Saturday at the Stadium.
"A loss today would have definitely put us out of [the Ivy race]," said veteran linebacker Joe Azelby, whose two second-half interceptions squelched the Princeton comeback. "We're still in the picture," he added.
Yet from a Harvard view, the league picture is no Rembrandt. For the Crimson to capture the Ivies. Dartmouth can't win more than two of its four remaining games and Harvard must down Brown, Penn and Yale.
It's not impossible, though, and Saturday's game leaves reason for optimism that the gridders can fulfill their part of the bargain. Heading the list of good tidings is the news that the Crimson has found a quarterback...for the third time.
Chuck Colombo seemed to be the answer early in the year, then Brian White earned a start, but suffered an injury.
Senior Greg Gizzi resuscitated an offense that had produced just 15 points in its last two outings. In his first start and his third varsity quarterbacking appearance, the 5-ft., 10-in., 185-pounder completed 12 of 19 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 87 yards on 17 carries, including a 47-yard touchdown off a broken play.
"He was the difference, he really was," Azelby said.
"He was courageous, inventive and exemplified everything our games stand for," Princeton Coach Frank Navarro said.
Gizzi started working his magic after Princeton took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. After moving Harvard 24 yards in the two plays following the Princeton kickoff, Gizzi made the running play of the day. Gizzi rolled right-on what was supposed to be a pitch to tailback Mark Vignali. Vignali wasn't there, so the senior signal caller tucked the ball away, sped around right end, cut left and ran for the goal line.
Forty-seven yards and a Jim Villanueva PAT later, the game was tied.
The Harvard defense stopped Princeton cold, and the Crimson quickly moved to its own 49-yard line. The drive could have stalled three plays later, but on fourth and one from the Princeton 42 Gizzi rolled across right tackle for first-down yardage.
A 24-yard Steve Ernst run and a 27-yard touchdown pass over a linebacker and into the arms of tight end Peter Ceko gave Harvard the lead.
Another fourth-down play gave Harvard a 21-7 advantage early in the second half. Needing two yards, Crimson Coach Joe Restic called a reverse. Split end John O'Brien sped into the end zone untouched, and the Crimson had the makings of a runway.
But Princeton hadn't lost in Cambridge since Richard Nixon was President, and the Tigers weren't about to concede.
Azelby's first interception brought Harvard to the Princeton 30, but the Crimson attack moved the ball only four yards in three plays and Villanueva's 44-yard field goal attempt failed.
The Princeton offense switched into comeback mode soon after, putting together a 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive. But it was the 11th play that burned the Tigers.
Princeton tried a two-point conversion, but Azelby teamed with Kevin Garvin to stop quarterback Doug Butler short of the goal line.
"I didn't want to get in the situation of making the decision [to go for two points for a win] later on," Navarro explained after the game. "I didn't want the game to come down to that level."
As a result, the Tigers' found themselves needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion just to tie. The touchdown came 1-27 into the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion didn't.
Meanwhile, Butler was passing almost every play in his way to a 424 yard day, 30 for-50. Defensive end Morgan Rector and Mark Mead pressured Butler continually, and Azelby blitzed often. The inevitable happened late in the fourth quarter. Azelby hit Butler, the ball popped loose, and Mead recovered on-the Princeton six.
Three plays later Gizzi gave Harvard what turned out to be the winning touchdown when he faked to Ernst over the middle and took it around left end himself.
Princeton was down, 28-19, with just under four minutes left. Butler used almost two of them for the final touchdown drive, and when Chuck Shirey recovered the outside kick all Harvard had to do was run out the clock.
THE NOTEBOOK: Ernst carried 19 times for 115 yards, a 6.1-yard average...Villanueva punted eight times for a 40.5-yard average...Linebacker Andy Nolan saw action for the first time since the Columbia game, when calcification of a thigh bruise took him out of the lineup. Also back in action was defensive tackle Barry Ford, who hurt his abdomen against UMass. Cornerback John Dailey had a ligament taken out of his knee Thursday. He is doubtful for Saturday's game at Brown. Quarterback Brian White is still out after doctors removed a blood clot from his throwing arm...Azelby had 12 tackles and five assists. "I like beating the boys from Jersey," he said, explaining that he knew Tiger tailback Ralph Ferraro from his high school days in the Garden State. P--Mike Coveny 2 run (Mike Miskovsky kick) H--Greg Gizzi 47 run (Jim Villanueva kick) H--Peter Ceko 21 pass from Gizzi (Villanueva kick) H--Steve O'Brian 2 run (Villanueva kick) P--Ralph Ferraro 9 pass from Doug Butler (Butler run failed) P--Coveny 2 run (Butler pass failed) M--Gizzi 2 run (Villanueva kick) P--Ferraro 1 run (Miskovsky kick) Att.--19.500
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