Hamilton, NY--Four out of five dentists may prefer Colgate, but it left a bad taste in Harvard's mouth Saturday afternoon.
For the second straight weekend, an injury-plagued Harvard football team was unceremoniously bounced from the Empire State, dropping a 34-14 decision to the 1997 Patriot League champion Red Raiders in front of 9,355 at Andy Kerr Stadium.
Despite forcing seven turnovers--six fumbles and one interception--and starting four drives in Colgate territory, Harvard (0-2, 0-1 Ivy) could not capitalize, as the Raiders (2-1, 1-0 Patriot) outgained it 474-297 yards. HARVARD 14 COLGATE 34
"I'll be surprised if we play a better team all year," Harvard Coach Tim Murphy said. "You have to defend so many things against this team. You have to defend the dive, the pitch, the quarterback, and they've got an excellent passing attack."
Colgate junior quarterback Ryan Vena, who missed last week's Patriot League opener at Towson State, marshaled an option-heavy offense with poise, completing 16 of 25 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns and carrying 19 times for 80 yards.
Vena's favorite target, senior flanker Corey Hill, added seven catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Raider attack.
This week, the Crimson was without starting tailback Chris Menick, who broke his left thumb and sprained his right ankle on consecutive days in practice this week.
His replacement, sophomore Chuck Nwokocha, battled to shoulder an increased rushing load, finishing with 18 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.
But the blowout final score was deceptive. The Crimson hung with an explosive Raider offense for the bulk of the afternoon and trailed 20-14 at the start of the fourth quarter.
On the opening drive of the quarter, Colgate drew two penalties for 19 yards and ended up in a 3rd-and-17 situation at its own 43-yard line.
With the blitz on, Hill beat Crimson safety Aron Natale--who had fallen in pursuit--on a square out pattern to the right sideline. Vena's pass went for 23 yards and a crucial first down that kept the drive rolling.
Three plays later, on 3rd-and-10, Vena connected with Hill once more, this time hitting the flanker in the left flat at the 15-yard line.
Hill crossed the field in front of the Harvard safeties, then broke back to the middle for a 34-yard scoring strike. Vena's quarterback keeper on the two-point conversion opened the lead to 28-14 with 12:55 to play. "Colgate just poured it on," Murphy said. "At20-14, we had a hell of a ball game. If that[drive] wasn't the nail in the coffin, it gavethem the adrenaline they needed to finish us off." On the ensuing possession, senior cornerbackKane Waller returned the kickoff 47 yards to theColgate 46-yard line, but the Crimson's ugliestoffensive series of a long afternoon broke itsback. Junior quarterback Rich Linden--who was sackedfour times for 26 yards--hit the dirt on twoconsecutive downs for 15 yards in losses. Onfourth down, junior punter John Patton could nothandle a high snap. He recovered, but his hurriedpunt went for a four-yard loss. All three of the Crimson's subsequent drivesended in turnovers. Linden was intercepted twice,once at the Colgate 22-yard line, and backup BradWilford had a Hail Mary intercepted on the game'sfinal play. Once again, the Crimson offensive line haddifficulties creating a passing pocket, as Colgatepressure, particularly from right ends AhmadRussel and Barry Hoaire, forced Linden into anumber of rollout patterns and backfieldscrambles. "[Colgate] put some really great pressure onthe quarterback," Murphy said. "We didn't have ananswer for [Russell]. They put a great athlete outthere, we put a sophomore tackle [Mike Clare] outthere, and he got taken to school." Consistently hurried, Linden completed 17 of 33passes for 183 yards and a touchdown but wasintercepted twice in the fourth. Junior flankerTerence Patterson, an offensive key with thegraduation of receivers Colby Skelton and JaredChupaila, was not integrated into the offense,catching only five balls for 39 yards. Sophomore flanker Josh Wilske enjoyed thebiggest day of his young career, with fivereceptions good for 77 yards. "It was Josh's second game, but we consider hima veteran receiver," Linden said. The primary wrinkle Colgate threw at theCrimson was the option-based offense, whichVena--two-time Patriot League Player of theYear--ran beautifully. Vena took the snap from multiple sets,including an I-formation with running backsRandall Joseph and Tim Lavoie and a split-back setin third and fourth-down packages. Although Vena is sometimes criticized for beingtoo greedy with the football, he excelled atrunning the quarterback draw and beating theCrimson defense around the ends. The best example came on two successivefourth-down attempts during a late second quarterdrive. Vena converted from a shotgun split-backset, once on a seven-yard draw and once on afive-yard out. The drive ended with an eight-yardtouchdown pass to Hill that upped the lead to20-7. "[Vena] kept hurting us with the quarterbackdraw," junior linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski said."And in the shotgun split-spread, he just took off.We were blitzing up the middle and he kept takingit outside and beating us. We hadn't seen theoption that much." Colgate gave the Crimson a brusque welcome toupstate New York, opening up a 14-0 lead midwaythrough the first quarter. Harvard's opening drive, which went for 48yards on eight plays, was its longest of the game.The Crimson stalled out at the Colgate 33-yardline when Linden and sophomore tailback ChuckNwokocha failed to net one yard on consecutivethird and fourth-down plays. Vena promptly marched the Raiders backdownfield, connecting with Hill on a 22-yardcrossing pattern, then split end R. J. Gregory ona five-yard slant that Gregory broke upfield for36 yards to the Harvard two-yard line. The paircombined for 16 receptions and all of Vena's 254passing yards. "Those two receivers are outstanding," Murphysaid. "Everybody knows who Corey Hill is, but[Gregory] is becoming a go-to guy for them aswell." Fullback Tim Lavoie pounded in a two-yard runthrough the line of scrimmage for a 6-0 lead, butthe Crimson responded with the first of twoblocked extra points on the afternoon. Less than three minutes later, the Raidersincreased the advantage to 14-0 with a 90-yardpunt return. Patton's first punt of the afternoonbounced 40 yards to the Colgate 10-yard line,where junior free safety Jesse Boyd bobbled thefootball. Several Crimson men downfield broke coveragefor the potential fumble, but Boyd recovered andbeat the initial rush, turning upfield withdaylight ahead of him. Boyd was stopped at the Harvard 38-yard line,but lateralled off to his left for cornerbackBrandon Tinson, who broke up the left sideline forthe score. "It was an ad-lib decision," Colgate Coach DickBiddle said. "It's something that, if it worksout, is great, but we really don't teach it." The Crimson cashed in on one Raider turnoverearly in the second quarter for its first pointsof the season. Junior defensive end Brian Howardstripped Colgate running back Randall Joseph atthe Raider 28-yard line, where Waller recovered. An illegal procedure penalty pushed Harvardback to the 33, but the Crimson recovered to drivethe ball into the end zone. After a 14-yard completion to Wilske, Nwokochacarried on four consecutive plays for 19 yards,culminating in a one-yard run off right tackle forhis first collegiate touchdown. "It hurts to lose a good player like Menick,"Wilske said. "But we have some great players rightnow. We have confidence in our backups." But Vena's courageous 12-play, 43-yard drive atthe end of the second quarter sent the Crimsoninto the locker room down 20-7. Linden's five-yard touchdown pass to sophomorefullback Grady Smalling--also his first careerscore--with 9:07 remaining in the third quarterpulled the Crimson to within 20-14, but Colgate'sopening drive in the fourth effectively closed outHarvard's chances. The pair of road losses makes Harvard 0-2 forthe first time since 1958. The Crimson's homeopener is Saturday afternoon at Harvard Stadiumagainst Lehigh, also of the Patriot League. First QuarterCol--Lavoie, 2 run (Kutschke kick blocked), 8:04.Col--Tinson, 38 punt return (Hill pass), 5:42. Second QuarterHar--Nwokocha, 1 run (Patton kick), 13:24.Col--Hill, 8 pass from Vena (Federico kickblocked), 1:36. Third QuarterHar--Smalling, 5 pass from Linden (Patton kick),9:07. Fourth QuarterCol--Hill, 34 pass from Vena (Vena 1 run), 12:55Col--Gregory, 15 pass from Vena (Vena passfailed), 5:51.
Read more in Sports
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
