"The last couple of years, we've had to fight, scratch and claw for 16-play drives to get a touchdown," Murphy said. "Now we feel we have a quarterback who really understands the system, we have a couple of senior wide receivers and if Troy Jones stays healthy we have a little more speed. The combination of those things gives us more of a chance for bigger plays."
Perhaps more vital to the quick-strike nature of the Harvard offense was the brilliant play of the defense, which in holding the Lions to just 46 yards on the ground provided Linden and his offense with a delectably short field to work with.
Columbia's lone score came on a oneplay, 80-yard drive at the start of the second quarter. With the Lions down 21-0, tight end Bert Bondi beat Harvard cornerback Derek Yankoff over the middle on the first play of a Columbia drive from its own 20-yard line. After that it was a foot-race between Bondi, Yankoff and the free safety, which Bondi won diving into the end zone.
Not including that play, Harvard's pass defense, which was inconsistent last season, yielded just 107 yards in the air all day. Thomason was 9-of-26 passing, with one touchdown and three interceptions.
Two of those interceptions landed in the arms of junior cornerback Glenn Jackson. The second of the two picks occurred at the start of the second quarter and led to Harvard's third scoring drive of the game.
With the Lions attempting to mount a scoring drive with a first down at their own 19-yard line, Thomason took one step out of the pocket and, with senior defensive end Chris Smith bearing down "It was man coverage and the defensive line forced [Thomason] to throw a lot quicker than he wanted to," Jackson said. "I saw him release it, and the receiver wasn't even looking back at the ball so I just came off of him and I caught it." Jackson returned the ball 25 yards to the 13, which set up Harvard's quickest drive of the game. On the first play after the turnover, Troy Jones received the hand off from Linden and swung left, using his breakaway speed to dart into the endzone for the first of his two touch-downs. "The offensive line blocked extremely well and opened up some holes," Jones said. "Once they take care of their job, it's up to me to do my job." Jones actually crossed the goal line a third time. On the kickoff following Columbia's second-quarter touchdown, Jones fielded the ball at the 8-yard line, received some good blocks, and ran untouched 92 yards into the end zone. "I was just shocked that it opened up," Jones said of the gaping hole he ran through. "It was like the Lord parting the Red Sea." Unfortunately the blocking was a little too good, as the play was called back on a holding penalty. Harvard committed a total of eight penalties for 74 yards, many of which were illegal procedure calls and other points that will need fine-tuning in the next week. "There are a lot of things to clean up," Murphy said. "Anytime you get a touchdown called back on a kickoff return, it shows lack of discipline." The passing game also showed room for improvement Saturday, as several receivers dropped catchable balls and Linden often rushed passes, twice getting the ball intercepted. "There were some good plays, but we also made some foolish plays," Linden said. "I thought I forced the ball into coverage a couple of times, but for a first game I was pleased." Indeed when your team opens its season with a 45-7 victory over the defending Ivy League runner-ups, you cannot help but be pleased. If Saturday's showing is any indication of the season that awaits the Crimson, 1987 could quickly become a distant memory.