"Obviously, it's very tough to defend," he said. "Are you aggressive with run support on the screen and then who has got the verticals? And obviously, that's a staple of our screen and screen-pass complement."
DEFENSE
Harvard employed a Cover 3 defense for much of Friday's game. In the scheme, the cornerback closest to the sideline was responsible for staying on the deepest route, with the inner cornerback staying close to the receiver opposite him at first and then backpedaling to cover the area left open by the outside corner backing up.
For visual learners, here is a depiction of that cover scheme for the two corners, along with the safety who can provide help to either.
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Holy Cross was able to attack the coverage with a play called Flood in the Harvard system, in which three receivers attack the two corners’ zones, forcing the defenders to make a choice and leave one of the three open. On two occasions, it was the middle receiver who got open for a medium gain.
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In both instances, the inside corner devoted too much attention to the receiver in the short flat.
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“When you have a young secondary, the emphasis has to be, ‘Don’t give up the big play,’” Murphy said while watching the play Wednesday. “Especially against an outstanding quarterback, especially early in the season with young guys, you are going to give up some flat routes, maybe some deep flat routes, and some easy throws, but it’s better than just getting beat over the top by playing too aggressive.”
Murphy added, “I think the thing we might do a little better is play that deep flat route—the No. 2 guy—a little better and giving up the flat, and then come up and tackle.”
The young secondary improved up as the game went on. In a big spot, you can see the corners man their zones perfectly. The inside corner stays on the receiver opposite of him at first, and then buzzes back to get in front of the receiver running the out route. Crusaders quarterback Peter Pujals was forced to check down for a short gain.
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On Wednesday, junior cornerback Sean Ahern explained that the defense wanted to challenge Holy Cross to put together long drives. Bend but don’t break. The Crusaders did go on a couple extended marches down the field, but they only managed six points in the second half as Harvard’s defense ultimately helped the Crimson pull away for another season-opening win.
—Staff writer Jacob D.H. Feldman can be reached at jacob.feldman@thecrimson.com.