Crimson beats Brown in fourth quarter; Morris named Ivy Offensive Player of Week

Harvard seeks its second victory of the season when it travels to Lafayette this Saturday for a non-conference tilt. It is the sixth meeting between the schools in a series that dates back to 1966.

The Crimson used a fourth-quarter burst to defeat defending Ivy League co-champion Brown, 42-37, last Saturday in Providence and even its record at 1-1. The (Lafayette) Leopards, meanwhile, were tripped up at Pennsylvania, 45-28, and are 1-2 on the year.

Harvard’s offense hit stride against the Bears, who had won 16 of their previous 17 games. Junior quarterback Neil Rose, making his first career start, threw for a school-record 412 yards while completing 24 of 38 passes. His favorite target was sophomore Carl Morris, who made 10 catches for a school-record 220 yards and had fourth-quarter TD grabs of 63 and 80 yards to bring the Crimson back from a 10-point deficit. Morris was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Freshman Kyle Cremarosa had seven receptions. On the day, Harvard rolled up 586 yards of total offense, the third-highest total in school history.

This is a fairly young Crimson squad. Saturday’s starting line-up will have five seniors, 11 juniors, five sophomores, and one freshman. Seniors account for just three rushing attempts and three pass receptions this year, and no Harvard defender has a collegiate interception.

Injuries have taken their toll at tailback, where Harvard has turned to sophomore Nick Palazzo, who began the year fifth on the depth chart. Palazzo played the entire second half at Brown and gained 48 yards on 10 carries, including a one-yard TD run.

After turning over the ball five times in its 27-25 loss to Holy Cross, then coughing it up twice in the first half at Brown (when it trailed, 17-7), Harvard’s offense didn’t lose the ball once in the second half vs. the Bears, when it erupted for five TDs to rally for the win.

For up-to-date information on Harvard Football standings and season schedule, visit the Harvard Football web site, http://www.harvardfootball.org/.