HOYA SACKS-A
Through three games, sophomore defensive end DJ Bailey has burst onto the scene for the Crimson.
The San Juan Capistrano, Calif., native recorded three tackles in four games his freshman year. This season, Bailey has seen increased playing time and has increased his production in the process. He has 12 total tackles and three and a half sacks.
On one play in the third quarter, Bailey broke to the outside around the Hoyas’ sophomore right tackle Micah Smith. Bailey exploded past Smith, closed the gap to sophomore quarterback Clay Norris, and sacked him for a loss of six yards.
This was one of two sacks on the day for Bailey. The other set Georgetown back five yards, and Bailey added another tackle to bring his season total to 12.
Along with Bailey, the rest of the defense played a key role in the outcome. After Viviano’s departure, Harvard kept the Hoyas at bay, surrendering only 10 more points the rest of the way to match the 10 that the Crimson tallied.
Georgetown only converted one of 13 third downs and finished with just nine first downs after four quarters of play.
“Harvard’s pretty good up front,” Georgetown coach Rob Sgarlata said. “There was definitely a difference between their defensive line and our offensive line, so we struggled a little bit on third down.”
FUMBLES IN THE FORECAST
If there is one thing that Murphy prioritizes when it comes to his offense, it is ball security.
So, when the forecast for Friday called for rain, Harvard’s veteran coach of 23 seasons decided to adapt his game plan to the elements.
“The elements will dictate to some extent what goes on, and I think the team that best adapts to the elements is probably going to win,” Murphy said before the game.
With rain coming down fairly heavily before and during the game, Murphy seemed to rely more on the Crimson’s aerial attack than its ground game to advance the ball downfield.
In the previous week’s matchup against Brown, Harvard ran 74 total offensive plays, 43 of which were rushing attempts. The Crimson rushed 49 times against the Hoyas but had 92 total snaps on offense.
Harvard was intercepted three times on offense and also lost two fumbles. Georgetown was only intercepted once, and the Crimson’s defense was unable to force a fumble.
Harvard managed to limit the damage from these turnovers, and none proved costly as the Crimson rolled to a two-touchdown margin of victory.
Going forward, it will be interesting to note if Murphy further alters the offense in any way when Harvard faces tough defensive teams like Penn and Dartmouth.
Murphy’s prediction was not necessarily true, as the rain seemed to affect the Crimson’s offense more than it did the Hoyas’. However, the slipups occurred when Harvard already held a sizeable lead, and Georgetown failed to mount a comeback.
–Staff writer Jack Stockless can be reached at jackstockless@college.harvard.edu.