At end the big problem is finding someone to hold down the tight spot. Last year, John Hagerty took care of everything necessary at tight end, but this season the position is a hide-and-seek proposition. Junior Pete Curtin and sophomore Walt Herbert both have the size, but have limited experience. Restic is thinking of trying lanky wide receiver Pat McInally at the spot. "If McInally is able to block, we may move him over to the other side (tight end)," Restic says. Whether the highly-touted McInally can handle the tough inside work at tight end is questionable. Or rather, the issue is whether his 6 ft. 6 in., 190-pound frame can handle the assignment.
At split end last year's starter Jeff Bone is a solid all-around player with good speed, good hands, good blocking abilities. If McInally goes inside, Harvard will have one of the most explosive pairs of ends in the league. If McInally stays wide, Bone should have the edge, but it could be a spirited contest. All in all ENDS look GOOD TO EXCELLENT.
Kicking
LAST YEAR the greatest inconsistencies in Harvard's performance came in the kicking game. This Fall, since Restic has no new people to handle the job, he is devoting more practice time to improving this facet of the game. Bruce Tetirick handles the short field goals and conversions competently. But Tetirick has limited range, and last year missed some crucial extra points. McInally, who handles kickoffs and long field goals, has a strong leg but is inconsistent. He often booms kickoffs over the end zone only to squib on the next attempt. He needs consistency. PLACEKICKING looks FAIR.
Stoeckel has handled the Crimson punting assignment since his sophomore year. Last year, he averaged 38.2 yards per kick and made the Coaches' All-Ivy team as a punter. Stoeckel doesn't often unleash the 65-yarder, but he gets good height on the ball, has excellent control of where it is going, and is reliable.
Pat McInally was pressed into action last year when Stoeckel was injured and is potentially a powerful punter, but his punting suffers from the same problem as his placekicking--he lacks consistency. He is good backup, though, and can, on occasion, provide excellent kicking. Prospects for PUNTING: GOOD TO EXCELLENT.
In the area of kick returns Harvard is likely to see some new people this Fall. Last year's leading punt returner, Mike Murr, is gone and Dart will inherit some of that responsibility. The person to watch will be Barry Cronin, a speedster who impressed as a freshman.
Kickoff return leader Dart is back this year, but sidekick Rod Foster is gone. Dart averaged 18.4 yards per return but is not fast enough to break the long return consistently. Restic will have to find someone to pair with Dart. Generally speaking, KICK RETURNING seems GOOD, BUT BASIC.
One of the major fiascos of the Crimson kicking game last Fall was coverage. This year, Restic has set aside a daily portion of practice to beef up this important area of the game. Since there are no "regular" kick coverage men, what this season will bring is a mystery. But on the basis of the extra work Restic is devoting to it, it would seem that KICK COVERAGE looks FAIR TO GOOD.
Harvard will have a young team this Fall. It will be strong defensively as Harvard teams have traditionally been strong. Restic's offense may be toned down to a more conservative ball-control style, partly due to lack of a breakaway runner or a long passer, and partly to get maximum mileage out of the defensive strengths. Harvard fans can expect a lot of low-scoring ball games.
The most compelling problem is an overall lack of depth. Restic is going to have to rely heavily on untested sophomores and juniors just to fill his lineup card. This thinness in personnel will hinder Harvard's chances to push up into the top layer of teams in the League: Cornell, Yale, Penn. The Crimson should be somewhere in with Columbia, Dartmouth, Princeton, and (yes!) Brown. But if people start getting hurt the way they did last year, Harvard can forget it--1973 will be a long and bleak season