Early miscues undo Hornets

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HARVARD – A pair of early mistakes on punt snaps and an offense that could not generate any points in the first half proved too much for Harvard’s football team to overcome Friday night in a season-opening, 16-8 loss to Big Foot (Wis.).

One of the botched punt snaps turned into a safety that put the Hornets in an early 2-0 hole. A second-quarter rushing touchdown by Big Foot’s Mike Walker from 11 yards out gave the Chiefs a 9-0 lead heading into halftime.

Coming out of halftime, the Hornets looked to senior quarterback Dusty Binz to get the offense moving. But after a quick first down, Harvard was forced to punt.

Big Foot capitalized on its first possession of the second half with a touchdown drive that started at its own 33-yard line. Jon Perkoff scored on a 1-yard run to put the Chiefs up,16-0.

“We knew we had to make some adjustments to get around Harvard’s blitzing defense,” Big Foot coach Rodney Wedig said.  “They still did a great job, though.”

The Hornets got the home crowd back into the game early in the fourth quarter with a blocked punt. Harvard scored seven plays later on a 5-yard run by Vince Gabrys, and quarterback Zach Fiegel completed a pass to wide receiver John MacKenzie for a 2-point conversion.

Harvard advanced the ball to midfield on its final possession, but Fiegel was sacked on fourth-and-16, and Big Foot ran out the clock.

 Binz, who also played running back, gained 57 yards on eight carries, and wide receiver Caleb Johnson made three catches for 21 yards.