football-friends-list August 2003

football-friends-list@lists.fas.harvard.edu

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by Paul McNeeley

From this morning's Boston Globe ... HARVARD New quarterback fits bill Fitzpatrick set to lead Crimson By Marvin Pave, Globe Staff, 8/22/2003 Gone are quarterback Neil Rose and wide receiver and two-time Ivy League Player of the Year Carl Morris, who combined to break or tie 27 school records. So Harvard coach Tim Murphy, whose team boasts a 13-1 league record over the last two seasons, will call on junior Ryan Fitzpatrick to step up once again in Rose's place. "We're in outstanding shape with Ryan," said Murphy, who, because he is also breaking in a new offensive coaching staff, expects his defense -- led by three time All-Ivy linebacker and captain Dante Balestracci -- to carry the load early on. But when it comes to replacing the prolific Morris, Murphy is going "by committee," mainly because Morris, according to Murphy, was arguably the most productive and skilled athlete in Harvard football history. The committee chairman could turn out to be junior wideout Rodney Byrnes, a multiple threat who had 50 receptions last year for 482 yards and two TDs and also rushed for 211 yards and three scores as a running back. Sophomore Ryan Tyler, who played well when healthy last season, has the inside track as starting tailback. Tyler became the first Harvard freshman to gain 100 yards in a game when he rushed for 120 on 19 carries in a 28-7 victory over Columbia. Whatever the offensive cast, that group will have an impressive act to follow, since the Crimson committed the fewest turnovers of any school nationally over the past two seasons and were eighth nationally in yards per game (425) last year. Harvard was undefeated and won the Ivy title in 2001 and was runner-up to Penn a year ago. Fitzpatrick, who will be backed up by classmate Garrett Schires, has started five games over two seasons and thrown just one interception in 187 career pass attempts. Last season, Fitzpatrick completed 94 of 150 passes for eight TDs and no interceptions and was also the team's leading rusher with 523 yards on 115 carries. Fitzpatrick was a standout in relief of Rose last year when he became the first Harvard quarterback to rush for 100 yards in more than a decade in a 26-24 comeback win over Brown; threw for a career-best 353 yards to help dispatch Cornell; and rushed for 72 yards and two scores in a 20-14 victory over Yale. Fitzpatrick's targets will include senior wide receiver Kyle Cremarosa and juniors James Harvey and Brian Edwards, as well as a pair of capable tight ends in senior Matt Fratto and junior Adam Jenkins. There is some patchwork to be done on the offensive line with the graduation of a couple of key players, including All-America right tackle Jamil Soriano, but there is experience with the return of senior left guard Joe Traverso, senior right guard James Bakken, junior center Andy Smith, and junior left tackle Mike Frey. Five starters and several veteran players return on defense, including New Bedford's Balestracci, whom Murphy calls "unquestionably our defensive leader. We think he's the best linebacker in the country with a ton of experience. But we still need to find other guys to put pressure on the quarterback." Balestracci, at middle linebacker, is bidding to become the first player in league history to be named first-team All-Ivy four times, and he's coming off a 2002 season in which he led the Crimson with 95 tackles and also had four sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Junior Bobby Everett and senior Juano Queen have the edge for the other starting linebacker positions. Up front, the team's most experienced players are seniors Jon Berrier and Brendan McCafferty at tackle. Senior end Brian Garcia had 31 tackles and two sacks and his interception sealed a win over Princeton. Senior Chris Raftery (73 tackles) and junior Ben Butler (39 stops, 10 pass breakups) are the most experienced members of the secondary, which will include Brian Niemczak, a junior who played linebacker last year. The team's only experienced placekicker is sophomore Jim Morocco, while senior Adam Kingston is entering his fourth season as the punter and will likely handle kickoffs. Byrnes, Harvard's best return threat, set a school record last year with a 25.7-yard return average. Harvard opens at Holy Cross Sept. 20, and Murphy knows his team will be tested right off the bat. "It's our first game and their third," said Murphy. "They'll be ready for us." -- Paul McNeeley Friends Coordinator Harvard Varsity Club Murr Center 65 North Harvard Street Boston, MA 02163 Direct: 617-496-9356 Main: 617-495-3535 Fax: 617-496-8296

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football-friends-list August 2003