Crimson’s Offense Hangs in the Balance

The Harvard offense has managed to strike a rare, consistent balance this season—the kind of balance that Columbia was hoping to develop this year. In the wake of the Clifton Dawson era, this season the Crimson have not seen any real superstars emerge on the field, certainly nothing along the one-dimensional lines of a Dawson or Mike McLeod-style rushing attack.

Instead, the Crimson has a hard-working, solid offense all across the board, and its numbers show it. Thus far this season, Harvard has been able to average an impressive 144.6 rushing yards and 273.9 passing yards per game. Additionally, the team has averaged 25.6 points per game as well; in fact, the team this season has neither scored above 32 points nor below 24 points. Such consistency has certainly paid off, as Harvard is off to a 5-2 overall record and a 4-0 record in the Ivy League, marking it as the only undefeated Ivy League team remaining besides Yale.

After replacing original starting quarterback Liam O’Hagan early on in the season, backup quarterback Chris Pizzotti is having an absolutely stellar season in the air. The senior quarterback stands as the top-rated passer in the Ivy League (144.7), completing nearly 63 percent of his passes for an average of 228.2 yards per game.

On the receiving end of Pizzotti’s passes is the extraordinary duo of wide receivers Corey Mazza and Matt Luft. The two giant receivers (Mazza stands at 6 feet 4 inches, 210 lbs. and Luft at 6 feet 5 inches 200 lbs.) are actually former high school teammates from Sherman Oaks, Cali., and have been producing crucial numbers for the Crimson all year. Mazza, a senior, ranks second on two of Harvard’s all-time receiving records: career receiving yards (2,577) and career touchdown receptions (26). This season, Mazza has amassed 559 yards and five touchdowns, with Luft, who is a sophomore, trailing right behind with 458 yards and three scores on the tally. All in all, the pair has been able to combine for 65 catches for 1,017 yards and eight touchdowns.

As far as the running game is concerned, Harvard is led by sophomore running-back Cheng Ho and freshman Gino Gordon. Following in Clifton Dawson’s footsteps, the tandem has been able to produce some significant numbers. On the season, Ho has rushed for a total of 461 yards and three touchdowns, including his past two 100-plus performances where he ran for 113 yards against Princeton and 114 yards against Dartmouth. Gino Gordon’s presence has been felt as well as the freshman has been able to produce 300 rushing yards this year and has been named the league’s Rookie of the Week twice already this season.

Harvard’s offense is loaded with solid, steady talent. Its passing game of Pizzotti to Mazza/Luft, backed by the ground game of Ho/Gordon makes for the most balanced attack of the Ivy League, with a flawless Ivy record to show for it.