Word: backfielder
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With a shrewdly concocted mélange of backfield misdirections and Nick Hartigan rushes, Bears coach Phil Estes capitalized on Harvard’s commitment to halting Brown’s ground game and transformed the Crimson defense from impenetrable to porous in just over 10 minutes...
...Bears got a break on the Crimson’s next possession when Fitzpatrick was sacked deep in the backfield by Zak DeOssie. Fitzpatrick made a last-ditch attempt to throw the ball away, but it slipped out of his hand and was recovered by Pat Curran, giving Brown possession at the Harvard 20. Once again, the defense locked down on Hartigan to hold the Bears out of the endzone. Kicker Steve Morgan, who had already missed a short field goal in the first half, sent his 30-yard field goal attempt wide right and the Harvard lead held...
...third down, captain Ryan Fitzpatrick was about to be pulled down in the backfield for a loss, but managed to hurl the ball underhanded to the front right corner of the end zone, where junior fullback Kelly Widman stood waiting with open arms. But before the Crimson could celebrate, junior offensive lineman Nik Sobic was flagged for being an ineligible man downfield, pushing Harvard back five yards...
...Hartigan’s a big body and he’s just going to try to run downhill at you,” said Harvard junior linebacker Matt Thomas. “If you don’t meet him in the backfield, he’s just going to try and fall forward to get two or three yards...
...chances that the Crimson can confine Hartigan—who led the Ivy League in rushing last season—to his own backfield are razor-thin. Ensuring that the damage he causes is minimized, however, will ultimately dictate whether or not the Harvard defense can call tomorrow’s efforts successful...