As Harvard coach Tim Murphy enters his third year, his first recruiting class has finally come of age. A last-minute win over Yale provided an uplifting conclusion to a disappointing season, giving Harvard fans reason to hope in 1996. With All-Ivy selection Eion Hu poised to break Harvard's all-time career rushing records, the Crimson may finally have the talent to contend for the Ivy title.

In the post-game conference following Harvard's dramatic 22-21 shocker over Yale, then-junior Eion Hu was asked about his reaction to the victory in the face of so many disappointing losses.

"This doesn't make up for the whole season," Hu said. "[But] It's a great feeling...for now."

Ten months later, the euphoria of The Game has worn off and Hu and his teammates are preparing to repay last season's wounds which smart even now.

Led by Hu, the running game is clearly the Crimson's strength. Hu has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons and stands poised to break Harvard's all-time career rushing records. One of the hardest-working players on the team, Hu is a powerfully-built, between-the-tackles type runner.

A perfect complement to Hu, sophomore Troy Jones has the speed to get outside on halfback sweeps and matches up well one-on-one against opposing linebackers in passing situations.

Harvard's fullbacks had a restricted role in the Crimson's offense last season, serving primarily as blockers in both running and passing situations. By giving seniors Nate Storch and Rich Thomas an expand- ed role in the offense, the Crimson might keep opposing defenses off-balance, limiting their ability to key on Hu and Jones.

But if Harvard is to emerge as an Ivy League contender, junior quarterback Jay Snowden will need to provide timely passing to counterbalance the Crimson's potent ground attack. Although the 6-1, 200-pound Snowden possesses the physical tools, the jury is still out on his passing accuracy. Used primarily as an option quarterback in two-point conversion situations last season, Snowden quickly gained the respect of his teammates, who seemed equally comfortable with him as with Ferrara.

"Jay's going to have to throw the ball," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. "He's been a very capable passing quarterback [in pre-season]. We need to maintain a diverse and balanced offense."

Snowden's primary target this season will be junior flanker Colby Skelton, who led Harvard in receptions with 35. Skelton runs the out pattern as well as anyone in the league and has the toughness to catch quick slants over the middle.

An ideal complement to Skelton's short-to-medium range patterns, sophomore Kadar Lewis is the Crimson's deep threat. Unfortunately, Lewis has been hampered by health problems during the pre-season and his ability to play has yet to be determined. Nevertheless, the Harvard coaching staff is aware that the Crimson did not complete a pass of more than 40 yards last season--expect that to change this year.

"Our biggest need to recruit when we came here was speed," said Murphy, who cited the additions of Lewis and Jones in that area.

Protecting Snowden and opening holes for Hu and Jones, Harvard's offensive line developed little cohesiveness last season due to multiple injuries. An offense which averaged over 20 points per game during the first four contests ground to a halt during the middle of the season when the line wore down.

"The offensive line played pretty well early [last season]...but at Cornell it all came apart," Murphy said. "We have good people up front. If they stay healthy, they'll be a very solid unit."

Captain Sean Riley, one of the Crimson's emotional leaders, anchors the strong unit which returns four of its five starters.

However, the success or failure of Harvard's season will most likely rest on its defense--while the offensive unit will put points on the score-board, it remains to be seen if a young Crimson defense can hold the lead.

With linebackers Justin Frantz '96, Brian Borg '96 and Rupen Soultanian '96 all lost to graduation, the competition for the starting spots in Harvard's 4-3 defense has been fierce.

Junior Mike Layden, a projected starter, recently underwent arthroscopic surgery and is expected to miss at least one month. Sophomores Scott Larkee and Joe Weidle are two of the leading candidates for the openings.

"We're going to be very green at linebacker, but we've got excellent athleticism at that position," said Murphy, noting that Larkee runs a 4.65 40-yard dash. "They're a lot faster than what we've had in the past."

Harvard's front four are as battle-tested as its linebackers are unproven. A host of juniors including Jason Hughes, Chris Smith, Tim Fleiszer, Chris Schaefer and Brendan Bibro team with senior left end Mike Kent to form the Crimson's deepest and most talented unit. With a total of eight sacks last season, Bibro, Smith and Hughes are Harvard's top pass rushers, while the 6-5, 250-pound Kent excelled against the run, racking up 52 tackles.

The Crimson secondary should remain adequate--junior Jeff Compas and senior Matt Bradley return as starters, though Compas shifts from his position of right cornerback to free safety. And while the graduation of Clete Johnson and Kevin Dwan will certainly be felt early in the season, sophomore strong safety Cory Costanzo was impressive in nickel situations last season and should make his presence felt by mid-season.

Replacing Compas at right corner, sophomore Glenn Jackson (6-1, 180 lbs.) has great physical tools but might be pushed by fellow sophomore Derek Yankoff, who was limited last season due to a severe ankle injury.

Harvard's special teams--specifically the kicking game--are questionable; sophomore Ryan Korinke has emerged as the Crimson's kicker, while Murphy has yet to determine who will face the difficult task of replacing Tim Griffin (perhaps the greatest punter in Harvard history).

"Ryan Korinke has improved tremendously and gotten stronger," Murphy said. "The kicking game has the potential to be a strong part of our game."

Of the three years which comprise coach Tim Murphy's brief tenure at Harvard, this season is perhaps the most pivotal. He has firmly established his offensive and defensive schemes, and most of his starters are players he recruited over his first two seasons.

As a result, coach Murphy's expectations are high; anything less than a winning season--which would mark the first time a Crimson team finished over .500 since 1987--would be disappointing.

"I think we stack up fairly well [against the rest of the league]," Murphy said. "If we stay healthy, we'll be exciting. We feel we can line up and beat anybody on any given day."

OUTLOOK * FOOTBALL

RECORD: 2-8

IVY LEAGUE: 1-6 (Eighth)

COACH: Tim Murphy

CAPTAIN: Sean Riley '97

KEY RETURNEES: Eion Hu '97, Jay Snowden '98, Troy Jones '99, Coby Skelton '98, Jeff Compas '98, Mike Kent '97, Brendan Bibro '98

KEY LOSSES: Vin Ferrara '95-'96, Brian Borg '96, Kevin Dwan '96, Justin Frantz '96, Mike Halligan '96Crimson File PhotoQuestion No. 1 for the Harvard offense: Will junior JAY SNOWDEN be able to pass effectively?