Harvard needed a spark a week ago after freshman quarterback Jake Smith threw four interceptions in the first half at Columbia. Fifth-year senior Joe Viviano provided one off the bench, rallying the Crimson to a 21-14 win.
Viviano’s performance at Columbia was the prelude to his first start in nearly two months, which came when the Crimson hosted Penn on Saturday in their final home contest of the season. But Viviano couldn’t inspire the Crimson again, and the Harvard offense limped along in a 23-6 loss.
The loss and Yale’s victory over Princeton on Saturday leaves Harvard (5-4, 3-3) without a chance to challenge the Bulldogs for a share of the Ivy League title when they visit New Haven on Nov. 18.
Coach Tim Murphy, who said he will decide this week on a starting quarterback for the season finale, inserted Smith (8 of 15, 81 yards) into the game at the end of the third quarter with Harvard trailing, 20-6.
“[The] thought process was you’ve got nothing to lose,’’ Murphy said. “We needed a spark. . . . Certainly, when you’re playing two quarterbacks, it obviously is symbolic of you’re not exactly happy with where your offense is. We’re not in a great place, and that’s just the reality.’’
Murphy didn’t pin the blame for the lackluster offensive display on his signal callers.
“It’s not on the quarterbacks,’’ he said. “It’s on us as [an offensive] unit and us as coaches.’’
Penn (5-4, 3-3) thwarted Harvard’s passing attack with tight coverage that left Viviano (6 of 14, 109 yards, 1 INT) with the option of throwing it away or to taking off, which he did 13 times for a team-high 58 yards. The Crimson converted 2 of 13 third downs.
“They mixed things up,’’ Murphy said. “They’re a veteran defense. They did a really good job at pass coverage. There were very narrow margins to throw the ball, and our run game statistically looks like it was very solid, but a lot of it was quarterback runs and sort of scramble stuff.’’
Harvard’s normally steady ground game looked out of sorts, too. Running back Charlie Booker III rushed for a season-low 35 yards on 13 carries and Aaron Shampklin added 39 yards on three attempts.
It took the visitors, who rushed for 281 yards, just one play to earn all the points they would need to win. On the first play from scrimmage, running back Tre Solomon (15 carries, 181 yards) took a handoff to the right, rounded the corner, and galloped into the end zone untouched on a 77-yard score to give the Quakers a 7-0 lead only 17 seconds into the game.
The Crimson mustered 3 points in a defensive first half, and they trailed, 10-3, at the break.
It briefly looked as if the Crimson had found life when they took over at their 22 to open the second half. Two Viviano completions pushed the Crimson into Quaker territory, and Shampklin took them inside the red zone moments later as they searched for the game-tying score.
But the momentum shifted away from the Harvard sideline in a hurry.
Viviano looked to his right on first down from the Penn 14, but his pump fake tipped off cornerback Conor O’Brien. The Penn sophomore picked off Viviano’s late-thrown out route and returned it to the Penn 48.
Solomon then broke a 43-yard run on the next play. And on first and goal from the Harvard 20, quarterback Will Fischer-Colbrie lofted a 19-yard touchdown pass to wideout Justin Watson that extended the Quakers’ lead to 17-3 with 11:33 left in the third quarter.
Viviano’s interception was the Crimson’s only trip to the red zone that didn’t end in a Jake McIntyre field goal.
“At the end of the day, when you’ve got three trips to the red zone you’ve got to come away with 21 points these days,’’ Murphy said.
Nick Ironside can be reached at nicholas.ironside@globe.com.
