However, much like last week, when Viviano first had his name called, he guided Harvard downfield like a man possessed.
On his lone appearance in the first half, Viviano led a 38-yard drive, 37 yards of which he personally contributed. He threw for 31 on three attempts, targeting junior Justice Shelton-Mosley twice and senior Ryan Antonellis once, and he also picked up six yards on the ground.
“Just felt like [Viviano] could give us a spark,” Murphy said. “At times we had played well offensively. At times we sort of stalled, and it wasn’t necessarily completely attributable to the quarterback.”
“We’ll figure it out, but we’re getting better every day at the quarterback position,” Murphy added.
Overall, Viviano was 5-of-10 for 66 yards and a touchdown. Smith completed 16 of 30 passes for 214 yards, though he was also picked off twice.
RECORD RETURN
On the opening kickoff, Justice Shelton-Mosley fielded Hoyas kicker Brad Hurst’s strike at the 3-yard line. In a flash, the junior had nearly crossed midfield, ultimately being dragged down at the Crimson’s 46.
Shelton-Mosley’s first return of the game was a sign of things to come. After a three and out for Georgetown, Hurst attempted to pin Harvard deep on the punt, but Shelton-Mosley had other plans. The Sacramento, Calif., native circled left behind his blockers and burned down the sideline, taking the punt 91 yards to give the Crimson a 7-0 advantage.
On the play, Shelton-Mosley broke Harvard’s record for longest punt return for a touchdown, and this feat solidified his case for Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week.
Shelton-Mosley posted 169 all-purpose yards against the Hoyas, and he leads the Crimson with 127.3 per game.
“We’ve been talking about that as a unit this whole past week, trying to be the best… punt return team in the country,” Shelton-Mosley said. “It all starts with Coach Craw [Ryan Crawford]... and then executing on the field with the guys that are out there.”
—Staff writer Jack Stockless can be reached at jack.stockless@thecrimson.com.