Word: punting
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Defensive back Mike Jacobs--who chipped in a first-quarter interception--had stickum on his hands and snapped the ball high over Flach. After Harvard's first possession in the second half, Jeff Lawrence's high snap resulted in Flach's punt being blocked and recovered at the Crimson goal line. But the gridders buckled down, tripping Crusader fullback Doug Pietrick for a one-yd. loss and then forcing a fumble which right tackle Tim Palmer recovered...
After an uneventful 32-yd. punt for a touchback following the Crimson's first possession, Flach's day turned ugly. He faced his next effort standing on his own 6-yd. line, his team ahead, 7-0, with 9:06 remaining in the second quarter. He called the signals, then watched Mike Jacobs's snap from center sail widly over his right hand. Flach scampered after it helplessly, but the Crusader's Bob Ireland had fallen on the ball at the Harvard 2-yd. line...
...first possession of the second half, at the Crimson 11-yd. line, Lawrence came on with Flach and promptly sent the ball sailing high to the punter's right--the same side from which a strong Holy Cross surged. Flach lept, snagged the ball, and lurched into a semi-punt. Not surprisingly, a pair of Crusader linemen blocked it and the ball bounced toward the goal line...
...with the ball on the three, his feet inches from the back of the end zone, ten block-minded Crusaders growling at the line, a shanked punt meaning another potential Holy Cross field goal attempt and a safety meaning sure defeat. Flach took the snap. Lawrence fired it perfectly, and Flach hurried a 40-yarder, saving the game...
...punt wasn't as pretty as I wanted--I try and put a priority on aesthetics," Flach said, deadpan. He paused. "It sure is a fine line between saving the game and losing the game." Steven Flach saw both sides of that line Saturday, and--lucky for Harvard--he wound up on the winning side...