Last Saturday, on a breezy and sun-dappled evening, football returned to Harvard Stadium.

Field lights glared, turf pellets sprayed, assistant coaches barked, and on the field, next year’s Crimson roster split into two teams to compete in the annual spring game.

The scrimmage marked the end of offseason practices, a months-long regimen that forces players to wake up early for weightlifting and football drills. With this stage over, Harvard will not reconvene until August, when the program opens training camp.

Saturday’s contest was technically a competition among friends, but it bore many of the markings of a serious game. Full-contact hits echoed around the stadium, and a crowd of local spectators, soon-to-graduate players, and high school junior recruits and their parents filled the stands.

However, various clues indicated the informality of the affair. Quarterbacks donned green non-contact jerseys, and half the special teamers wore orange helmet covers.

Scoreboard duties fell to a pair of injured team members, who played loose with the timing and points. (Since the spring game truly pits offense against defense, the operators decided to score the game that way. As one watcher wryly noted, this arrangement made it rather difficult for defense to win.)

In any case, Harvard football claimed victory after three quarters, with a final score of Crimson 13, White 7.

More important than the result, however, were the storylines that the game revealed.

Starting at quarterback: a mystery

Junior Joe Viviano, the presumed starting quarterback next year, remains an enigma.

Last fall, Viviano battled senior Scott Hosch for the starting role. The competition appeared fierce until Viviano broke his left foot, which not only ended his season but also kyboshed any spectator hopes of getting a glimpse of Harvard’s future.

Next season, Viviano likely has a grip on the starter’s job, but the spring game gave no indication of that. Sidelined by an undisclosed injury, the junior watched the game in sneakers, shorts, and a jersey.

The two quarterbacks on the field were a pair of freshmen: 6’6” Cam Tripp and 6’2” Tom Stewart. Both put up impressive statistics, with Tripp going 8-for-11 for 89 yards and Stewart going 9-of-16 for 136 yards.

Despite similar output, Tripp and Stewart displayed different styles of play. Stewart, a Texas native, showed bursts of speed and led all rushers with 77 yards on eight carries. The lankier Tripp seemed less comfortable on the run but had good zip on his throws.

While Stewart played with the first-team offense, the backup job will likely remain up for grabs until preseason camp, if not later.