New linebacker trio anchors the defense

Last year the undisputed heart of the team lay in the linebacker core, where seniors Matt Koran, Jacob Lindsey, and Eric Medes played virtually every meaningful snap. Against Dartmouth, it was this unit that forced a game-changing fumble late in the fourth quarter, and all three players earned first- or second-team honors in the Ivy League.

Next year Koran, Lindsey, and Medes will all be gone. In their place will step roughly 600 pounds of new muscle: junior Eric Ryan, sophomore Luke Hutton, and sophomore Chase Guillory.

Last Saturday, Ryan filled the middle linebacker role, and the sophomores flanked on either side. Similarly to last year, the plan appeared to be to keep the trio together as much as possible to facilitate the kind of mutual instincts that distinguished Koran, Lindsey, and Medes.

Ryan, Guillory, and Hutton all saw some action last year, with Guillory and Ryan playing in every game. But many of these snaps came in less pressurized situations, when coach Tim Murphy elected to give the seniors a breather.

Shakeup in the offensive line

Throughout their time at Harvard, offensive linemen Anthony Fabiano, Cole Toner, and Adam Redmond specialized in creating big holes. A month from now, when they leave campus after graduation, they’ll create the biggest hole yet.

Just as linebackers anchored last year’s defense, offensive linemen anchored last year’s offense. Two starters—sophomore Larry Allen, Jr. and junior Max Rich—return after making the Ancient Eight second team last year. But the departure of Fabiano, Redmond, and Toner, who is an NFL prospect, hurts in a major way.

Consequently one of the most pressing questions facing next year’s team is whether it can reload such a depleted unit.

Last Saturday’s game provided little clarity. Barring remarkable dominance or ineptitude, it’s generally difficult to judge an offensive line on three quarters of play.

In other words, stay in your seat: Questions surrounding the offensive line won’t find an answer until next fall, when a fresh set of large men lines up for week one.

Buy your Firkser jerseys now

It’s relatively easy to go overlooked in a unit that contains a breakout freshman star, a fourth-round NFL prospect, and a senior duo nicknamed Thing One and Thing Two.

But last year, facing this level of competition from freshman receiver Justice Shelton-Mosley, senior tight end Ben Braunecker, and senior wide receivers Seitu Smith and Andrew Fischer, Anthony Firkser still got his touches. In six of his nine games, he reached 40 yards, including a two-touchdown performance against Penn.

Many of his teammates may be graduating, but last Saturday, Firkser made clear that he is here to stay. He led all receivers with 87 yards on three grabs and caught the first score of the night on a 17-yard slant.