Holy Cross’ rushing attack features the same 1-2 combination smothered by the Crimson defense when the two squads last met. Steve Silva and Gideon Akande managed just 47 yards on 17 carries in Harvard’s 43-23 victory—a tandem effort abbreviated by the Crusaders’ decision to abandon the run altogether late in the game. The woeful numbers were less the product of lackluster running than poor protection from the offensive line. The Crimson recorded nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage and applied pressure in the backfield on virtually every down.
The battle for control of the line of scrimmage will again decide the fate of Holy Cross’ running game, but the shape of the scrum will be decidely different this go around. The Crusaders return none of their offensive linemen from last year’s matchup with Harvard. The corps is composed of two sophomores and three juniors, with the two underclassmen both lined up left of the center. What the quintet lacks in experience is offset by its collective girth. Averaging just under 287 lbs.—right tackle Lee Chase alone weighs 309 lbs.—the five have had little difficulty opening holes for Silva and Akande, who are averaging a combined 144 yards rushing per game after two weeks.
The rate of success in using that heft to neutralize the Crimson front seven should dictate the pace of the Holy Cross offense. If Harvard’s linemen, anchored by veteran defensive tackles Matt McBurney and Coesen Ngwun, should gain the upperhand, as they did last year, the Crusaders will likely face a mounting deficit and need to fall back on a frantic—and rarely effective—pass-always offense. The Crimson front four, tipping the scales at 252 lbs., on average—a full 35 lbs. lighter than their adversaries—will rely on their quickness to circumvent the protection. As he did throughout last season, Harvard coach Tim Murphy will rotate through eight defensive linemen throughout the contest to ensure that fresh rushers maintain a constant level of pressure on that front five.
Should the Crimson penetrate the backfield, Holy Cross quarterback John O’Neil poses a negligible threat with his legs. He has rushed just 10 times this season for a measly 20 yards, and hesitated to abandon the pocket’s protection in the face of Harvard’s rush in 2003, when he gained eight yards on two carries.
Even if the Crusaders open sufficient holes at the line, blocking linebacker Bobby Everett presents a challenge not easily matched. Stopping his charge will be a tall order for fullback Brian Gavin, despite his 30-lb. advantage, and protecting Silva and Akande from linebackers Matt Thomas and Sean Tracy as well figures to be nearly impossible.
WHEN HOLY CROSS PASSES THE BALL
If Holy Cross hopes to avoid a repeat of last year’s 20-point drubbing, the Crusaders’ wide receivers will need to better establish their presence between the hash marks. The Crimson linebackers and secondary owned the center of the field last year, punishing route runners as they cut across the middle. That left Holy Cross with little option but to attempt high-risk passes along the well-guarded sidelines. By the fourth quarter, Harvard defenders had so thoroughly beaten their opponents that Holy Cross all-American wide receiver Ari Confesor actually stopped running for a pass floating towards Crimson linebacker Dante Balestracci ’04 to avoid taking the hit.
Confesor has since graduated, leaving the task of taming the Harvard defensive backfield to Sean Gruber, who has emerged as the Crusaders’ most reliable receiving option in the wake of his departure. At 6’0, Gruber provides a large target for quarterback John O’Neil, who failed to hit much of anything last season against the Crimson. Struggling mightily in the first half, O’Neil was lifted in favor of his backup, who enjoyed little more success.
O’Neil hasn’t encountered any similar roadblocks this season, particularly when winging the ball in Gruber’s direction. After connecting three times for 80 yards in the season opener against Duquesne, O’Neil completed nine passes to Gruber for 159 yards and two scores against San Diego, all new personal bests for the up-and-coming-wide receiver.
But beyond Gruber, the Crusaders fail to muster much of a downfield threat. Confesor’s replacement, Bob Turkovich, has been largely ineffective this season, forcing O’Neil to look for additional passing options closer to the line of scrimmage. So far, that has meant more touches for running back Steve Silva, who averages over 100 yards of total offense per game thanks to two outings with at least 40 yards receiving. His able hands have provided a much-needed safety outlet for O’Neil—one which might be especially necessary this weekend when, say, linebacker Bobby Everett is within five yards and closing.
Harvard’s cornerbacks, Keith Howell (6’0) and Gary Sonkur (5’9), cede fewer inches to opposing wide receivers than Crimson defensive backs have in the past, making O’Neil’s margin for error even smaller than last year, when Sonkur and Benny Butler ’04 (5’8) prowled the defensive backfield.
—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.