Brate continued to shine throughout the season, tying his mentor with a team-high seven touchdowns. Juszczyk, meanwhile, led the team in receptions while establishing himself as one of the most dynamic players in the league. The then-junior capped his season with seven receptions for 107 yards and a 60-yard touchdown against Yale and later earned the College Football Performance Award as the top tight end in the FCS.
“Juice was able to play a little bit more receiver, which I know he was really thankful for,” Brate says. “He’s so versatile; having him on our offense really opened things up for everyone.”
This season, both players went right to work establishing themselves as senior quarterback Colton Chapple’s go-to targets.
Juszczyk had seven catches for 86 yards in this year’s contest against the Bears, while Brate had eight for 72. In the following game, against Holy Cross, Brate scored two touchdowns and Juszczyk had one in the highest-scoring first half in Harvard history.
Two weeks later, each had a touchdown against Bucknell, including a 59-yard score by Juszczyk in which he shed one would-be tackler, bounced off two more, and stiff-armed a fourth to the ground with ease before steamrolling into the end zone.
“As a little kid, I was told it will hurt less if you hit them before they hit you, so I just tried to stick by that,” Juszczyk said after the game.
That mentality has allowed the tight end to break innumerable tackles during his Crimson career. And while he and Brate have continued to shine on the field, they have also become close off of it.
“That’s kind of unique because I think most people would look at the roster, and it says tight end for both of us, so you’d think we’d be more in competition with each other than friends,” Juszczyk says. “But it’s turned out to be the complete opposite.”
Both players believe that their off-field relationship has improved their on-field performance.
“We’re always on the same page,” Brate says. “If there’s ever a question either of us has to ask on the fly, we can always turn to each other.... Just having that on the field helps me a lot in making adjustments during games.”
“We’re competition in that we push each other,” Juszczyk adds. “I think that competition has brought us close, and I think we work really well together on the field because of that.”
But with Juszczyk’s Crimson career coming to an end—he hopes to play in the NFL next year—Murphy is already dreading trying to replace his star tight end.
“We’re constantly trying to find the next Kyle Juszczyk, and it may be many years before we do,” Murphy says. “He’s going to go down as one of the legendary players in Harvard history.”
And when it’s his turn to graduate, Brate’s presence will be missed as well.
“Cam is one of those guys who’s always there for a lighthearted contribution, and it’s truly appreciated by all of us,” Scales says. “He’s just awesome at what he does.”
Indeed, with just one game remaining to utilize its dynamic two tight-end set, the team is well aware that it has been very lucky to be able to feature such a package at all.
“It’s a luxury we aren’t going to have forever,” Murphy says. “[We know] everybody would love to have two great tight ends the way we do.”
—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.