Crimson built a win from the ground up

Zach Copple awoke yesterday morning, prepared to pull on his No. 77 Crimson jersey for the final time, and noted that the flags were fluttering briskly in the frigid winds over Harvard Stadium. A perfect day, with the wind chill in single digits, for Copple and his mates on the offensive line to throw the first punch.

"I told the guys on the line, 'We have to be mean, nasty SOBs,' " said the 6-foot-4-inch, 295-pound senior right guard. "We have to set the tone."

From their first series, which set up the game's only touchdown - a 4-yard burst by Gino Gordon - to their last, with the sun setting on the 125th Harvard-Yale clash, the Crimson controlled the line of scrimmage against a sturdy, relentless Yale defensive unit ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Harvard ran off the first 24 plays of the game. By game's end, the Crimson had nearly doubled up the Bulldogs, both in time of possession (39:15 to 20:45) and plays (79 to 40).

The stiff winds limited senior quarterback Chris Pizzotti (12 of 21, 109 yards) and the prolific Crimson passing attack. But thanks to the grunt work of Copple & Co. in the trenches, Harvard hit the ground running, churned out 261 yards on 58 rushes, and walked off the field with a share of its 13th Ivy League title, third in five years, and second in a row, thanks to a hard-earned 10-0 win.

The Crimson handed the ball to Gordon early and often, and the 5-11, 185-pound sophomore from San Diego delivered a monster 39-carry, 168-yard performance, easily the best of his brief career. It was the most notable outing for a Harvard back against Yale since the incomparable Clifton Dawson in 2003 (32 rushes, 174 yards).

"I feel like the line made this game," said Gordon, who was Harvard's leading rusher through the first nine games (444 yards) while sharing the workload with juniors Ben Jenkins and Cheng Ho. "They just opened up huge holes, and I ran through them. They kept saying, 'Gino, just follow our blocks.' "

On Harvard's opening drive, he certainly did, with seven carries into the heart of the D, including his longest rush of the day, a 16-yard charge that gave the Crimson a lift deep in their own territory.

The Crimson stalled, but just briefly. When Yale misplayed Thomas Hall's punt, Harvard went back to work on the 13, resulting in Gordon's short scoring run for a 7-0 lead, and a boost of confidence and energy.

"Getting the early touchdown was so important, to set the tone, and Gino had a nice touchdown run," said Copple, who limped off the field late in the second quarter when he aggravated a high ankle sprain but returned for the start of the second half with his left foot taped. "And he just got better as the game went on."

By halftime, Gordon had 14 carries for 61 yards, nearly surpassing his season highs for both.

"Harvard always has had a good line, and Gordon made some great cuts," said Yale senior captain and defensive leader Bobby Abare, who wrapped up his magnificent career with a game-high 18 tackles.

That line cleared the path for Gordon and Pizzotti, who finished the day with a season-high 74 yards on 16 rushes, including a 9-yard bootleg in which he deked a flatfooted Abare at midfield in the first quarter. In the third quarter, though, he absorbed a crushing blow from Abare on a 6-yard run.

"We were definitely running the ball more than usual, we had to be patient," said Pizzotti.

Harvard coach Tim Murphy, noting the blustery conditions, said "We had to have a run-first mentality."

So Gordon and the Crimson continued to attack, yard by yard.

"[The conditions] were tough at the beginning, but once you got going it was fine - I love getting the ball," said Gordon. "The coaches challenged us this week that we had to run the ball."

His 11-yard rush to the Yale 6 early in the fourth quarter set up Patrick Long for a 23-yard field goal, and a huge 10-0 cushion.

And as the Crimson continued to take time off the clock, Gordon kept converting first downs with tough inside runs, including a 12-yarder on Harvard's next-to-last drive, and an 8-yard burst in the final two minutes.

On the biggest stage of the season, he was a difference-maker.

Craig Larson can be reached at clarson@globe.com