“We had a lot of big plays because we kind of got broken up in the pocket and started scrambling outside,” Fitzpatrick said. “We ran the scramble drill very well today. They were kind of afraid of the run by the quarterback, and that allowed us to throw over the top at some of the defenders that were trying to come up and guard the run.”
The Bears seemed determined not to let Fitzpatrick beat them on the ground after he posted 131 yards rushing against them last year and put up 112 against the Crusaders last weekend. But Fitzpatrick still scored twice, punching the ball into the end zone on a one-yard run at 6:33 in the second quarter and waltzing in on a nine-yard run at 11:16 in the third.
“I mean how many times did we have him, we thought we had him contained or wrapped up, and he got out and made plays,” Brown coach Phil Estes said. “He’s a one-man wrecking crew.”
Fitzpatrick also made a mess of the Bears’ defense by spreading the ball around to seven receivers and hitting four different targets for touchdowns.
After Brown tied the score at seven, Harvard responded by pounding downfield for 80 yards in eight plays. Coming out of the shotgun with four wide on third-and-thirteen, Fitzpatrick hit junior wide receiver Brian Edwards streaking past his defender down the middle for a 42-yard touchdown reception and a 14-7 lead.
The Crimson would never look back.
Fitzpatrick scored his first rushing touchdown to make it 21-7, Harvard, in the middle of the second. On the next drive, he found freshman wide receiver Corey Mazza wide open in the back of the end zone on a third-and-eight, running the score to 28-7 three seconds before the half.
The touchdown was the first of Mazza’s collegiate career and a second chance after he dropped a ball on the same route four plays earlier.
“I was feeling pretty angry about it, and I really wanted a chance to make up for it,” said Mazza, who finished the day with four catches for 81 yards. “Then the same play got called again on the last play of the half with three seconds left, and I got behind the safety. It was the perfect ball—there was no one around.”
Fitzpatrick kept picking apart the defense on third-and-long in the second half. Midway through the third quarter, Fitzpatrick connected with junior wide receiver James Harvey for a 50-yard gain on third-and 15. One play later, Fitzpatrick found sophomore running back Ryan Tyler wide open on the right side for an easy 20-yard touchdown reception to make it 42-14, Harvard.
After senior kicker Adam Kingston nailed a 31-yard field goal, Harvey would add his own touchdown reception less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, capping the Crimson’s scoring at 52.
“The bottom line is that you look at the diversity among the receptions of the receivers,” Murphy said. “It’s tough to defend us, particularly tough when you run the football at least very solidly. It’s tricky and tough to defend when you can also run option and your quarterback’s mobile.”
—Staff writer Brenda E. Lee can be reached at belee@fas.harvard.edu.