To the victors belong the spoils.
In the aftermath of a last-minute win over Yale in the 131st playing of the Game, several Crimson players earned more than the emotional satisfaction of a thrilling finish—they also racked up personal honors.
As usual, senior defensive end Zach Hodges led the pack. For the second season in a row, he was named a finalist for Ivy League Football Player of the Year. Hodges, who has the most sacks in Harvard history, won the prize in 2013. If he duplicates the feat, he will be the first Ancient Eight player to receive the title two times in a row since Crimson wide receiver Carl Morris in 2001 and 2002.
The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston went a step further in naming Hodges the recipient of the George “Bulger” Lowe Award. Nicknamed “New England’s Heisman Trophy,” the prize goes to the top defensive player in the region.
Hodges’s continued to rack up prizes on a national scale. Earlier this week, he accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game, which will take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The next day, the team announced that Hodges had also earned a spot on the College Sports Madness All-America team.
On the season, the defensive back topped the Ivy League with 8.5 sacks and placed third with 10 tackles for a loss. His largest play of the year came in the dying seconds of the matchup against the Bulldogs, when Hodges dragged down Yale quarterback Morgan Roberts. Harvard intercepted the ball on the next play.
Predictably, Hodges was a unanimous All-Ivy first team selection. Seventeen teammates joined him on one of the all-conference squads. Junior defensive back Sean Ahern, senior offensive lineman Nick Easton, senior tight end Tyler Hamblin, senior defensive back Norman Hayes, senior defensive tackle Obum Obukwelu, senior linebacker Connor Sheehan, junior running back Paul Stanton, Jr., and junior offensive lineman Cole Toner all got the first-team nod.
Although junior wide receiver Andrew Fischer made the second team, he earned Ancient Eight co-Offensive Player of the Week after racking up 264 total yards and two touchdowns against Yale. In addition, he garnered a New England Football Writers’ Association Gold Helmet. Sheehan won Defensive Player of the Week thanks to a performance that included a 90-yard pick-six at the end of the third quarter.
Players were not the only Harvard affiliates to receive personal prizes. After his third undefeated season with the Crimson, Harvard head coach Tim Murphy was tapped as the inaugural Ivy League Coach of the Year.
