The Harvard Crimson FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2016 FIRST TO FOUR A year removed from a third consecutive Ancient Eight crown, Harvard football returns with an eye on obtaining the first ever four-peat in Crimson history. INSIDE AROUND THE IVIES - Page 3 | UNDER CENTER AT LAST - Page 5 | MAKING THE OFFSEASON COUNT - Page 9 2 The Harvard Crimson Football Preview / September 23, 2016 ON THE COVERS PREVIEW front cover Designed by Stella Tu 2016 Photo by FOOTBALL Y. Kit Wu back cover Photo by Mark Kelsey spread Designed by Caleb Y. Lee STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE FOOTBALL EDITORS SAM DANELLO ’18 GANT PLAYER ’19 JACK STOCKLESS ’19 DESIGNERS CALEB Y. LEE ’17 NATHAN Y. LEE ’19 STELLA TU ’17 PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS SPREAD Y. KIT WU ’17 WHAT TO WATCH FOR MEGAN ROSS ’18 As Harvard football looks to claim its fourth consecutive Ancient Eight crown, SPORTS CHAIRS the team deals with integrating a new JULIO FIERRO ’17 quarterback, as well as the loss of 14 All- ARIEL SMOLIK-VALLES ’17 TABLE OF CONTENTS Ivy selections. EDITORS 3 A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN 8 O’ CAPTAIN OUR CAPTAIN TROY BOCCELLI ’18 Wade “Gant” Player takes a One of 23 seniors on the squad, KURT T. BULLARD ’17 look at the first weekend of Ivy captain Sean Ahern will adorn FROM THE EDITORS STEPHEN J. GLEASON ’18 League play in the first ATI of the ‘C’ on his uniform in hopes Football season is always an exciting time THERESA C. HEBERT ’17 the season while contemplating of becoming Harvard’s first at The Crimson. School is finally starting to JAKE T. MEAGHER ’17 the Ancient Eight’s football class to be Ivy Champs four fall back into its usual pace, the leaves are KATHERINE H. SCOTT ‘18 pedigree and movie dates. years in a row. starting to change, and Harvard-Yale marks the one time the entire board feels like we PRESIDENT go to an actual sports school. For the seniors MARIEL A. KLEIN ’17 4 NO CONTACT ZONE 9 FOCUS ON FITNESS on the board especially, we have come to Though injuries are a common Off the field training has expect nothing less than excellence from our MANAGING EDITOR occurance in football, become as important as on the three-time Ivy League Champs during our time MEG P. BERNHARD ’17 increased research into CTE field preparation for the team, here in Cambridge and would like to finish our has led the Ivy League to alter as athletes have hit the weight tenure without giving up the title. BUSINESS MANAGER its approach towards football room with hopes that stength The Ivy League may have taken measures LEIA N. WEDLUND ’17 and player safety. will give them the winning edge. this season to change the game such as make modifications in practice style and moving the kickoff of the 40 yard line, but The Crimson 5 VIVA VIVIANO 10 QUEST FOR THE CUP sports board will look past those changes to In his first season as the starter Check in and see what’s in have the same expectations of dominance for Harvard football, a healthy store from the other seven from the boys from Cambridge as there have Joe Vivano will be counted on teams in the Ancient Eight been in the past. to live up to the hype and lead along with predictions for their a dangerous Crimson offense seasons. to new heights. — SD, GP, JS, JF, ASV September 23, 2016 / Football Preview The Harvard Crimson 3 A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN dle of the pack in the Ivy League after a [in- sert adjective here] 2015 campaign. But it is 1-0 after eking out a victory against a Lafay- ette team it demolished last year. So while Tiger fans should be able to rest easy know- ing their team beat Lehigh 52-26 last sea- son, think again! Also, Lehigh beat Penn last week, and those Quakers are supposed to be the Crimson’s biggest challenge this season. Prediction: Lehigh 35 - Princeton 24 PENN AT FORDHAM So this game is actually interesting for Harvard fans. Not that it matters. Non-con- ference games are pretty dumb. But Penn lost last week to Lehigh, so the Crimson’s biggest opponent this season might end up BACK AT After its (perhaps) long awaited absence, Ivy League being themselves. We’ll see if Penn can beat football is back. Y. KIT WU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER IT AGAIN Fordham. The Quakers are supposed to be pretty good, but what does that mean any- By W. GANT PLAYER Yeah, it feels a little weird at first. But once article. It’s a pretty fun read. I make some way? CRIMSON STAFF WRITER you get in the theater and turn of your really interesting comparisons, and frank- Prediction: Penn 31 - Fordham 16 phone, it’s like you’re in another world. ly it’s just really well composed. God, I’m a There’s something special about fall. Mil- When you go with people, you’re always gifted writer.) DARTMOUTH AT HOLY CROSS lions of kids across the country begin wondering what they’re thinking. God for- There’s more, too. For the past two sea- Picture this: a team is down two touch- school, young adults leave their families for bid you’re on a date. Then you spend the sons, the Crimson has had a defense that downs in the fourth quarter. After a mirac- the first time to go of to college, the leaves first hour trying to figure out some move has shut out more people than male sin- ulous series of drives, the team pulls out a start to turn, and—perhaps most impor- you can use to put your arm around your gle-sex social organizations. It’s almost like one-point victory. One of those teams is tantly—it’s football season. date. And the last hour you end up fidgeting watching the Steelers in the 70s. Except, Dartmouth. Tell me, what’s better than a little Ivy while your arms fall asleep. Another meta- again, it’s not. But close enough. Sounds kind of like the 2015 Har- League action this Saturday? I mean, ex- phor for Ivy League football, I guess. Brown is decent this year. Quarterback vard-Dartmouth contest, right? But that cluding the big SEC matchup of Ole Miss Man, I haven’t been on a date in a while. Kyle Moreno put up some big numbers in was actually the Big Green’s game last week and Georgia. Or Wisconsin-Michigan Something about college and work and all 2015 when Harvard beat up the Bears. The in which they barely beat New Hampshire. State. Or Alabama-Kent State. Or staring at that. Or maybe it’s the fact that all my Sat- ofensive line is full of large men, meaning Pretty interesting circle there, I guess. I’m a blank wall. urdays are spent traveling the Northeast to large enough to outweigh two Gant Players. not really sure what I’m supposed to write Seriously, Ivy League football is boring. watch football (shoutout to my editors). Re- Anyway, the Crimson has beaten Brown about anymore. I really hate thinking about Take it from the guy who has to watch all ally, who knows? for the last five seasons. None of those con- the Ivy League. 10 Harvard football games, most of which But I digress. Ivy League football is back! tests was decided by a single possession. Prediction: Dartmouth 30 - Holy Cross 14 take place during actually good college Let’s get excited! After a shocking opening That’ll happen again this year. football games—like the kind that people weekend in which Harvard won and Co- Prediction: Harvard 42 - Brown 17 COLUMBIA AT GEORGETOWN pay money to watch on TV. Not that I’m bit- lumbia lost, we finally get some league ac- Columbia is bad. Like, my grand- ter. tion. So sit back, crack a beer, and get ready YALE AT CORNELL mother’s desserts bad. For reference, my Here’s a thought experiment: Remem- for some sub-par college football. This game. What a matchup! As per usu- grandma likes to throw together basically ber what it was like to take the SAT? You al, Yale finished behind the Crimson last anything she finds in her house and call it spend hours staring at this blank sheet of HARVARD AT BROWN season. I wonder what that’s like, always a dessert (lemon drywall was a family fa- paper, realizing you forgot to learn trig. So maybe I was a little harsh. Harvard coming in second. At some point I should vorite). So you decide to sit back and stare at the football is exciting. Yeah, all my friends will talk to my older sister about that. Yikes. Luckily for the Lions, Georgetown is clock ticking. The only respite are the snack be in the stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium And Cornell! What a season last year! also bad. Last season, the Hoyas took down breaks. That’s what watching Ivy League watching the top-ranked team in the nation After losing their first eight games, they mighty Columbia in a thrilling 24-16 win, football is like. battle Kent State (bold prediction: Alabama didn’t let it get to them! They came out but don’t sleep on the Lions this year. Ac- Ivy League football is kind of like the wins), but like, this is cool too. strong against Ivy League powerhouse Co- cording to a preseason media pool, the previews at movies.