2004 Harvard Crimson football team

2004 Harvard Crimson football
2004 Harvard Crimson football
Ivy League champion
Conference	Ivy League
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 13
Record	10–0 (7–0 Ivy)
Head coach	Tim Murphy (11th season);
Offensive coordinator	Dave Cecchini (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Kevin Doherty (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Harvard Stadium
	Seasons ← 2003 2005 →

The 2004 Harvard Crimson football team represented Harvard University in the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Harvard finished the season with an overall record of 10–0, winning the Ivy league championship with a conference mark of 7–0.

2004 Ivy League football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 13 Harvard $	7	–	0	10	–	0
No. 21 Penn	6	–	1	8	–	2
Cornell	4	–	3	4	–	6
Brown	3	–	4	6	–	4
Princeton	3	–	4	5	–	5
Yale	3	–	4	5	–	5
Dartmouth	1	–	6	1	–	9
Columbia	1	–	6	1	–	9

$ – Conference champion Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 18	12:30 p.m.	Holy Cross*		Harvard Stadium Boston, MA		W 35–0	9,513	^[1]
September 25	12:00 p.m.	at Brown		Brown Stadium Providence, RI		W 35–34	9,278	^[2]
October 2	1:00 p.m.	at Lafayette*		Fisher Field Easton, PA	LSN	W 38–23	5,365	^[3]
October 9	12:30 p.m.	Cornell		Harvard Stadium Boston, MA		W 34–24	13,334	^[4]
October 16	12:30 p.m.	No. 19 Northeastern*		Harvard Stadium Boston, MA		W 24–17	11,809	^[5]
October 23	1:00 p.m.	at Princeton	No. 22	Princeton Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)		W 39–14	14,304	^[6]
October 30	12:30 p.m.	at Dartmouth	No. 21	Memorial Field Hanover, NH (rivalry)		W 13–12	6,030	^[7]
November 6	12:00 p.m.	Columbia	No. 16	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA		W 38–0	10,046	^[8]
November 13	1:00 p.m.	at No. 17 Penn	No. 15	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)	CN8	W 31–10	15,123	^[9]
November 20	12:30 p.m.	Yale	No. 13	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (The Game)		W 35–3	30,308	^[10]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
The Sports Network	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	22	21	16	15	13 (1)	12 (2)	13

Personnel

2004 Harvard Crimson football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`2`	Liam O'Hagan	Fr
WR	`4`	Corey Waller	Jr
QB	`7`	Garret Schires	Sr
WR	`11`	Danny Brown	So
WR	`12`	Todd LaFountaine	Jr
QB	`13`	Peter Wood	So
QB	`14`	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Sr
QB	`16`	Mike Jones	So
QB	`19`	Chris Pizzotti	Fr
RB	`29`	James Velissaris	So
RB	`30`	Charles Baakel	Fr
RB	`32`	Noah Van Neil	Fr
TB	`33`	Clifton Dawson	So
RB	`36`	Nick Carrington	Sr
WR	`38`	Peter Scully	Jr
FB	`42`	Will Bailey	Fr
WR	`42`	Ryan Tyler	Jr
FB	`44`	Kelly Widman	Jr
C	`54`	Andy Smith	Sr
OL	`56`	John Bechdol	Sr
OL	`57`	Will Johnson	Jr
G	`58`	Adam Kulczycky	Jr
OL	`62`	Beamer Eisele	Fr
OL	`63`	Dustin Stevens	Sr
OL	`65`	Tom Rodger	Fr
OT	`67`	Frank Fernandez	So
OL	`68`	David Paine	Fr
OL	`70`	Jon Medley	So
OT	`71`	Max McKibben	Sr
OT	`72`	Andrew Brecher	So
OT	`73`	Mike Frey	Sr
OT	`75`	Ryan Browne	So
OT	`76`	Nik Sobic	Jr
OT	`77`	Bennett Kowalk	Jr
OT	`78`	Brian Lapham	Sr
OT	`79`	Joe Kawczenski	Sr
WR	`80`	B. J. Merriweather	Fr
WR	`82`	Brian Edwards	Sr
WR	`83`	Corey Mazza	So
WR	`84`	Ryan Darnell	Fr
TE	`84`	Dan Lane	So
WR	`87`	Clayton Gibson	So
TE	`88`	Mark Higgins	So
WR	`89`	Matt Lagace	Fr
TE	`98`	Adam Jenkins	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`5`	Keith Howell	Jr
LB	`6`	Dylan McCrory	So
DB	`8`	Gary Sonkur	Sr
DB	`9`	James Harvey	Sr
S	`10`	Brian Niemczak	Sr
DB	`18`	Joe Murt	Fr
DB	`19`	Daniel Turner	Fr
DB	`20`	Ricky Williamson	Sr
DB	`21`	John Scott	Jr
DB	`22`	Mike Finch	Fr
LB	`23`	Doug Hewlett	Fr
DB	`24`	Sean Tracy	Sr
DB	`25`	Steven Williams	Fr
LB	`26`	Robert Balkema	Jr
LB	`27`	Joaquin Sanchez	Jr
DB	`28`	Tep Royster	Fr
LB	`28`	Neil Sherlock	So
DB	`31`	Keegan Toci	So
DB	`34`	John Hopkins	Fr
LB	`35`	Adam Miller	So
S	`37`	Ryan Tully	So
FS	`39`	Russel Schober	Fr
LB	`40`	Matt Thomas	Jr
LB	`43`	Bobby Everett	Sr
LB	`45`	Mike Lucas	Jr
LB	`46`	Alex Lewis	Fr
LB	`47`	Gary Garcia	Jr
DB	`48`	Geof LeBus	Jr
DT	`49`	Coesen Ngweun	Sr
DE	`51`	Michael Plumlee	Fr
DT	`52`	Eric Kester	Fr
DT	`53`	Wainwright Wint	Jr
DT	`55`	Luke Lippai	Jr
DE	`59`	Sam Workman	So
DT	`60`	David Kunst	So
DT	`60`	Dave McDonald	Fr
DT	`61`	Matt Drazba	Fr
DT	`64`	Felipe Heiderich	Fr
DT	`66`	Matt McBurney	Sr
OLB	`71`	Alex Obrecht	Fr
DE	`81`	Brad Bagdis	Fr
DE	`90`	Desmond Bryant	Fr
DE	`91`	Matt Farbotko	So
DE	`92`	Jason O'Neill	Jr
DE	`93`	Doug Bennett	Sr
DE	`94`	Grant Jacobs	Jr
DE	`95`	Erik Lawler	Fr
DT	`96`	Michael Berg	So
DE	`97`	Erik Grimm	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K, P	`1`	Matt Schindel	Fr
P	`15`	Clem McDavid	So
P	`17`	Mike King	Jr

Head coach

Tim Murphy

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Dave Cecchini
Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide receivers
Kevin Doherty
Defensive coordinator/Associate head coach

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: January 11, 2024

Game summaries

Holy Cross

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crusaders	0	0	0	0	0
Crimson	7	22	6	0	35

Statistics	HC	HARV
First downs	9	17
Total yards	131	325
Rushing yards	61	246
Passing yards	70	79
Turnovers	5	0
Time of possession	25:15	34:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Holy Cross	Passing	John O'Neil	10/26, 70 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Steven Silva	5 rushes, 31 yards
	Receiving	Brian Gavin	3 reception, 19 yards
Harvard	Passing	Ryan Fitzpatrick	7/15, 79 yards
	Rushing	Clifton Dawson	21 rushes, 184 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Brian Edwards	3 receptions, 28 yards

At Brown

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crimson	3	7	18	7	35
Bears	21	10	0	3	34

Statistics	HARV	BRWN
First downs	19	25
Total yards	447	563
Rushing yards	184	250
Passing yards	263	313
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	27:03	31:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harvard	Passing	Ryan Fitzpatrick	18/25, 263 yards, TD
	Rushing	Clifton Dawson	23 rushes, 142 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Corey Mazza	9 receptions, 140 yards, TD
Brown	Passing	Joe DiGiacomo	18/33, 313 yards, TD
	Rushing	Nick Hartigan	34 rushes, 175 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jarret Schreck	10 receptions, 253 yards, TD

At Lafayette

	1	2	3	4	Total
Crimson	6	15	7	10	38
Leopards	7	3	7	6	23

Cornell

	1	2	3	4	Total
Big Red	0	14	10	0	24
Crimson	6	15	6	7	34

Statistics	COR	HARV
First downs	15	22
Total yards	412	495
Rushing yards	127	160
Passing yards	285	335
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	31:31	28:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Cornell	Passing	D. J. Busch	16/38, 285 yards, TD
	Rushing	Andre Hardaway	28 rushes, 130 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Chad Nice	4 receptions, 122 yards, TD
Harvard	Passing	Ryan Fitzpatrick	19/35, 317 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ryan Fitzpatrick	17 rushes, 102 yards, TD
	Receiving	Corey Mazza	9 receptions, 194 yards, 2 TD

No. 19 Northeastern

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Huskies	7	7	0	0	14
Crimson	7	17	14	3	41

At Princeton

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Crimson	3	19	0	17	39
Tigers	14	0	0	0	14

Statistics	HARV	PRIN
First downs	22	18
Total yards	416	204
Rushing yards	244	85
Passing yards	172	119
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	31:22	28:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harvard	Passing	Ryan Fitzpatrick	14/31, 172 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Clifton Dawson	31 rushes, 201 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Brian Edwards	9 receptions, 129 yards
Princeton	Passing	Matt Verbit	12/24, 119 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jon Veach	15 rushes, 69 yards
	Receiving	Greg Fields	3 receptions, 27 yards

At Dartmouth

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Crimson	0	10	0	3	13
Big Green	0	0	6	6	12

Columbia

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	0	0	0	0
No. 16 Crimson	14	7	17	0	38

At No. 17 Penn

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 15 Crimson	7	7	17	0	31
No. 17 Quakers	3	0	7	0	10

Statistics	HARV	PENN
First downs	23	18
Total yards	447	263
Rushing yards	243	68
Passing yards	204	195
Turnovers	2	3
Time of possession	34:07	25:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harvard	Passing	Ryan Fitzpatrick	13/26, 186 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Clifton Dawson	33 rushes, 160 yards, TD
	Receiving	Brian Edwards	4 receptions, 66 yards, TD
Penn	Passing	Bryan Walker	18/30, 178 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Sam Matthews	21 rushes, 57 yards
	Receiving	Dan Castles	6 receptions, 62 yards, TD

Yale

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	3	0	0	3
No. 13 Crimson	7	14	14	0	35

References

^ Chamberlain, Tony (September 19, 2004). "Harvard Wastes No Time". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C21 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Dell'Apa, Frank (September 26, 2004). "Harvard: Never Give Up". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C15 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Chamberlain, Tony (October 3, 2004). "Dawson Drives Crimson". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C19 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Chamberlain, Tony (October 10, 2004). "Victory Makes Balanced Crimson Beam". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C14 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Indrisano, Ron (October 17, 2004). "Harvard Is Perfectly Fine Once More". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. F14 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Blaudschun, Mark (October 24, 2004). "Crimson Find the Range". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C19 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Chamberlain, Tony (October 31, 2004). "Clock Runs Out on the Big Green; Harvard Hangs On for Win". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. D9 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Harber, Paul (November 7, 2004). "Crimson Have 0 Tolerance for Columbia". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. E18 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Reid, Ron (November 14, 2004). "Penn's Ivy Streak Snapped by Harvard". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. D20 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hine, Tommy (November 21, 2004). "Perfect Game: Long Returns Help Harvard Finish 10-0". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. pp. E11, E12 – via Newspapers.com.

[1] Chamberlain, Tony (September 19, 2004). "Harvard Wastes No Time". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C21 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Dell'Apa, Frank (September 26, 2004). "Harvard: Never Give Up". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C15 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] Chamberlain, Tony (October 3, 2004). "Dawson Drives Crimson". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C19 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] Chamberlain, Tony (October 10, 2004). "Victory Makes Balanced Crimson Beam". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C14 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] Indrisano, Ron (October 17, 2004). "Harvard Is Perfectly Fine Once More". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. F14 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] Blaudschun, Mark (October 24, 2004). "Crimson Find the Range". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C19 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] Chamberlain, Tony (October 31, 2004). "Clock Runs Out on the Big Green; Harvard Hangs On for Win". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. D9 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] Harber, Paul (November 7, 2004). "Crimson Have 0 Tolerance for Columbia". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. E18 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] Reid, Ron (November 14, 2004). "Penn's Ivy Streak Snapped by Harvard". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. D20 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] Hine, Tommy (November 21, 2004). "Perfect Game: Long Returns Help Harvard Finish 10-0". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. pp. E11, E12 – via Newspapers.com.

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