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The Harvard Crimson declaws Lafayette Leopards, 27-13
Easton, PA - The Harvard Crimson (2-1) of the Ivy League quickly dispelled the Lafayette Leopards (3-1) claim as the No.1 defense in the College Football Championship Division by scoring 24 points in the first half against a team allowing only 9.7. They held on in the second half to win 27-13. Harvard QB Chris Pizzotti threw for 231 yards and RB Cheng Ho ran for 108 to lead the Crimson in a relatively easy win. PK Chris Long nailed FGs of 41 and 45 yards to add to the Crimson tally. A poor kickoff gave the Leopards great field position to start the game and they capitalized Davis Rodriguez's 23-yard FG. Lafayette's kickoff was not much better and Harvard responded with a 67-yard drive capped by Ho's 1-yard TD run. Long closed out the first period scoring with a 41-yarder. CB Andrew Berry's INT of an errant Rob Curley pass thwarted the next Leopard drive at the Harvard 17. Pizzotti connected with wide-open WR Chris Lorditch for a 67-yard TD pass and a 17-3 lead. Lafayette's next drive resulted in a 17-10 deficit when Curley connected with Shaun Adair down his left sideline on a 23-yard fade pass. After that, however, the Crimson just dominated the supposed stalwart LC defense through the balance of the half. A 70-yard drive finished with a pitchout to Gino Gordon for a 3-yard TD run as The Crimson converted first down in third-down and fourth-down situations on their 14 play drive. Lafayette put three more on the scoreboard with 1:11 left in the half to narrow the gap, 24-13. The two teams remained scoreless in the third, and Long kicked a 45-yard FG in the fourth set up by Ho's 51-yard run. Lafayette's best defense in the second half was provided by P Tom Kondash as four of his five punts settled inside the 20. We left before the end but after the scoring ceased as Guest Game analyst Eric Koreivo was "antsy" as he had a Midget game to get to starting 8:30 that evening. His Lenape Valley Patriots won, 41-0. The Leopards could not stop Harvard's offense and the defense did not live up to its best challenge of the season. Following their first loss, the Leopards play on the road their next five games starting at Columbia (0-3) next week. Harvard hosts 3-0 Cornell, upset winner over Yale two weeks ago, 17-14. Their other two victories were both won by just one point each!
Extra Points: Lafayette honored its 1968 7-3 team which won four games by shut-out here at Fisher Stadium. Speaking of Fisher Stadium, it's now a first-class facility. Since we attended the Penn games two seasons ago, The Bourger Varsity Football House stands at the west end with all the amenities to support a football program. The Leopards ran from the tunnel through the mouth of a huge inflatable Leopard/ Four years ago when we saw them lose to Harvard, 38-23, they came from Kirby Field House and ran from behind the visitors bleachers. The field and stands look in great shape. We witnessed a first ever in the annals of our college football history. A player, DT Michael Phillips of Lafayette, sang the national anthem in uniform before the kickoff! He did a nice job. He shuttled in and out of the game with starter Andrew Poulson. We parked a few blocks off campus walking past many off-campus students' houses. How do we know? Garbage cans full of empty beer cans. When we have time next time we go to Lafayette, we plan to stop by the College Hill Tavern. The Head Coach of the 1968 Leopards was Harry Gamble whom we watched coached Penn during its lean years. He was introduced with other former LC players. The Leopards also celebrated Military Appreciation Day We've seen Lafayette play Lehigh at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium. We'll have to see one of the games from this longest of college football rivalries here in Easton. Sitting atop the Fisher Stadium home stands, theirs a great vie of the surrounding hills and neighborhoods with the fall foliage starting to take over. If Lafayette is one of the best the Patriot League has, expect an early exit from this year's play-offs. They usually line up against a Colonial Athletic Association team. With the loss, Lafayette lost the sixth game that we attended. They are now tied for second with Rhode Island in the non-FBS category with that mark. |