Harvard | 32 |
---|---|
Brown | 22 |
PROVIDENCE — After a couple of stutter steps in the first quarter, Harvard piled up 268 yards of offense and three touchdowns in the second quarter in reeling off a 32-22 victory over Brown in the Ivy League opener for both teams Saturday at Brown Stadium.
Harvard (2-0), which has won a program-record 16 straight road games, has won six straight against Brown (1-1). Harvard quarterback Joe Viviano was 17 for 31 for 205 yards and rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked three times but on many plays he was able to scramble away from pressure to gain more yards.
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“For me, this was a typical Brown game at Brown, in that nothing came easy,’’ said Harvard coach Tim Murphy. “Boy they fought so hard. They had a great game plan on both sides of the ball; we just made a few more plays than they did and that was the difference in the game.”
Murphy surpassed Joe Restic (1971-93) by coaching in his 221st game for the Crimson. Murphy boasts a 158-63 record, while Restic was 117-97-6.
Harvard summarily went three and out on its first possession. On its next try, the Crimson moved methodically up the field, only to lose the ball on Noah Reimers’s fumble at the 39.
Brown took the lead on Jacob Wilner’s 27-yard field goal 3:42 into the game.
The versatility of the Crimson offense began to kick in in the second quarter. Semar Smith scored on a 2-yard run to make it 7-3. On the next possession, Viviano ran it in from 7 yards at 10:05. The Crimson sneaked in the 2-point conversion, backup quarterback Cam Tripp holding for the PAT but instead tucking the ball under his arm and scooting into the end zone for a 15-3 lead.
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Brown’s ensuing drive ended quickly when Kolbi Brown picked off Kyle Moreno’s first-down pass and returned it 25 yards to the Brown 20.
Harvard couldn’t punch it in from inside the 5, but McIntyre tacked on a 21-yard field goal to bring Harvard’s lead to 18-3 at 8:26.
Brown scored with 3:30 to go in the half when Moreno connected with Troy Doles on a 20-yard pass. Moreno was 31-of-49 passing for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Harvard responded with another touchdown, Viviano again taking the keeper 2 yards across the line at 1:13. McIntyre’s kick made it 25-10 at the half.
“We made some adjustments and we happened to hit some big plays,’’ said Murphy. “Joe, even when things aren’t perfect, does a great job maximizing the play with his feet.’’
Brown tried to catch up, starting with a 24-yard pass from Moreno to a wide-open Doles at 2:38 of the third quarter. The extra point failed.
Brown was now under a time crunch and Harvard immediately bumped up its lead.
Smith, who finished with 89 yards running, scored his second touchdown on Harvard’s next possession, running 9 yards around the right side at 1:15. Justice Shelton-Mosley got the four-play drive going with a 32-yard run on the right side. After McIntyre’s kick, it was 32-16 for Harvard.
Late in the game, Brown picked up a Harvard fumble on a missed handoff, but the Bears could not take advantage. Instead, Wes Ogsbury picked off a Moreno pass to end the drive.
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Running out of time in the fourth quarter, Brown connected for another score with 3:54 to play, an 8-yard Moreno pass to Garrett Swanky deep in the end zone. After the Bears missed a 2-point conversion attempt, they tried an onside kick but the ball went only 9½ yards, not 10, and Harvard took possession.
“Not looking for any pats on the back because it was closer this year,’’ said Brown coach Phil Estes, whose team lost to Harvard, 53-27, a year ago. “We still have a lot of things that we have to correct. Three turnovers on our part — not good. The red-zone chances, they were 5 for 5 and that’s always going to hurt you. And I think Viviano and his ability to run with the pocket when it collapsed certainly hurt us a little bit.
“We’ve got to make more plays.”