Slow start dooms Lions in 23-7 loss to Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—When you don’t score for the first 42 minutes, you’re not going to win an Ivy League football game. Two missed field goals, a key fumble, and a huge red zone interception doomed the Lions to a 23-7 defeat against Harvard on Saturday.

Columbia’s rushing game was slow from the start, but the Lions hung tight with a strong Crimson team through almost two quarters. Harvard eventually got its offense going, and Columbia never made it close after the break.

Harvard had the game’s first scoring opportunity after a 45-yard pass from quarterback Collier Winters to wide receiver Adam Chrissis. But placekicker David Mothander missed wide right from 36 yards out and the teams remained scoreless through one.

Columbia quarterback Sean Brackett had a strong start, going 7-8 in the first quarter with 74 passing yards. The Lions moved into Crimson territory early in the second, but a holding call backed them up and they had to settle for a 49-yard field goal attempt. Luke Eddy, who had hit from 48 yards against Penn, found the distance but put it wide left.

The Crimson finally broke the deadlock on the next drive, moving the ball 56 yards on 11 plays with key 11- and 13-yard rushes by running back Gino Gordon. This time Mothander was able to connect from 29 yards for a 3-0 lead.

The Lions started to run out of gas after the Crimson put a dent in the scoreboard. They went three and out on the ensuing possession, and Harvard responded by driving deep into Columbia territory. The defense forced a fourth-and-ten situation from the 35, but Harvard head coach Tim Murphy elected to go for it. In a bizarre play, Winters’ pass up the middle was tipped and picked off by cornerback Craig Hamilton, but Crimson wide receiver Mike Cook forced him to fumble and recovered it, giving his team a first down at the Columbia 19. The Crimson didn’t waste this opportunity, and Gordon put Harvard up by 10 with a five-yard rush to the left side with just under four minutes remaining in the half.

The Crimson weren’t content to wait until halftime before finding the end zone once more. Columbia punted after failing to move the chains, and the Crimson put together a 9-play, 49-yard drive in under two minutes. Winters capped it by carrying it himself up the middle for another six. Mothander clanged the PAT off the upright, but the Crimson still held a 16-0 edge heading into the locker room.

The Lions received after halftime and marched into Harvard’s zone behind a 9-yard Brackett rush and two mid-range passes to tight end Andrew Kennedy. On third and six from the 29, Brackett floated one to running back Zack Kourouma, who hauled it in and got down to the two. The Lions had four chances to go two yards, but they couldn’t do it. A second-down pass attempt was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by linebacker Alex Gedeon.

Harvard pinned the Lions at their own nine with a deep punt and had excellent field position after another three-and-out. The Crimson pushed it 57 yards in just 1:25, and running back Trevor Scales found a hole from 11 yards out for another touchdown. This time Mothander didn’t miss, and the Crimson went up by 23.

At long last, Columbia answered with a scoring drive of its own. Two completions to wide receiver Kurt Williams and an 8-yard carry by Brackett brought up first and 10 from Harvard’s 36. Out of the shotgun, Brackett looked long down the right side to Williams. Harvard had two men in the secondary nearby, but blown coverage left Williams all alone in the end zone for a 23-7 deficit in the waning moments of the third.

Columbia’s mini comeback stalled in the final quarter. Halfway through the fourth, the Lions reached the enemy 18-yard line on fourth down and three. Trailing by 16, head coach Norries Wilson somewhat surprisingly sent his field-goal unit out for a 35-yard attempt. Eddy yanked it left and the Lions wouldn’t threaten again.

The Light Blue falls to 3-5 on the season and 1-4 in league play while Harvard keeps its title hopes alive by improving to 6-2 (4-1 Ivy). Brackett was 26-42 in the losing effort for 284 yards, one touchdown, and 2 picks. Williams led the Light Blue in receiving with 123 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.

Columbia is back in action next Saturday at home against Cornell at 12:30. It will be the last time this year’s seniors see action at Robert K. Kraft Field.