Harvard hardly needed 33 points to win on this day

The Crimson put the clamps on Jim Finn, Matt Rader and the rest of the Penn offense. BOSTON -- Before Harvard lined up against the visiting Quakers this past weekend, the attention focused on how the Ivy League's top-ranked Crimson offense would fare against the top-ranked Penn defense. As the game unfolded, Harvard's defensive dominance over Penn's non-existent offense ended up telling the story. In their previous eight games of the season, the Quakers were 5-0 when they scored over 20 points. With the addition of Jim Finn in the middle of the season, they had added a solid running game to quarterback Matt Rader's third-highest Ivy League passing efficiency. Combined with the matchup being Penn's first chance since the first game of the season to take a share of the Ivy League lead, Penn coach Al Bagnoli could not believe the way the Quakers offense crumbled under the pressure and harsh weather conditions in losing, 33-0. "We didn't anticipate this kind of outcome," Bagnoli said. "We thought it would be a much more competitive game. We were disappointed. It certainly was not a pretty game for us in any sense of the word." In making only one first down and netting only seven yards in their first six possessions, the Quakers realized things were not clicking. In the first 20 minutes of the game, Rader was ice-cold, completing two of his first six passes for 15 yards. On several of those passes, Rader was not getting the ball in the vicinity of his receivers, including third-down passes thrown well behind Penn wideouts David Rogers and Brandon Carson. "It was hard to throw out there today," Rader said. "For whatever reasons, the footing or the receivers, it was tough, but we still should have been able to execute." Down 14-0 halfway through the second quarter, the Quakers temporarily established their offense. By isolating Finn in the flat on short passing routes, the Quakers crossed midfield. The Crimson eventually realized the pattern and caused Finn to cough up a crucial pass on fourth-and-five on the Crimson 33-yard line. Among the collisions, Harvard's right cornerback Glenn Jackson picked up the bobbled ball and returned the interception for a 67-yard touchdown. "We were trying to do everything we could," Bagnoli said. "Unfortunately, they had answers for everything. We just did not do a good job of making third and making some fourth-down plays. We had some opportunities and did not take advantage of any of them." In the second half, Tom MacLeod replaced Rader, who had the wind knocked out of him in the second quarter, for a few series in hope of creating a spark. Passes right to the receivers' hands were still carelessly dropped. "We didn't get anything started all day," Rader said. "It was a struggle all day long? We knew they had a great defensive line, and they showed it all day. The other defense totally dominated us." For the majority of the game, Penn's failed air attack came as a result of Harvard's stellar play on the line and in the backfield. Administering six sacks on Rader and MacLeod for a loss of 37 yards, the Harvard defense made both quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket. The restlessness in finding an open receiver led to three interceptions. "Anytime you get pressure on their quarterback, it is frustrating," said Harvard's defensive end Chris Smith, who broke Harvard's career sack record with 1.5 against Penn. "It turned out with their style of play the quarterback jumped up into the pocket and gave us opportunities to close that pocket and get some pressure on him. What really made the difference was that our defensive backs and our outside linebackers were able to get such coverage that he could not get that first pass off right away. He had to look at his alternate receivers." Throughout the game, Penn's rushing offense slumped. A team that had averaged 143 yards on the ground per game since instituting Finn as a full-time back in the Columbia game, netted its lowest of the season, 25 yards. In his first start, Finn tallied his worst rushing game (23 carries for 61 yards) since being moved to the offense full-time. Although Finn did gain 88 all-purpose yards, Harvard minimized Finn's impact. "We changed up our defense a little bit this week," Smith said. "We moved the ends out. We were prepared for their outside zoning and their slant plays. They did not show anything that surprised us." The 33-0 loss was Bagnoli's worst and his first shutout in his six years at Penn. For Harvard coach Tim Murphy, it was his day to enjoy. With his top ranked Ivy League offense he now can add to it his top ranked Ivy League defense, a defense he felt had been underrated all year long. "The bottom line is that we did not need 33 points to win the football game today," Murphy said. "That is how well our defense played. It was one of those days where things went our way because we played so hard."

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