This Is a Game

Cambridge, Mass. – Harvard quarterback Chris Pizzotti (Reading, Mass.) is this week’s recipient of the New England Football Writer’s Gold Helmet Award, presented Wednesday at the New England Football Writers luncheon at Harvard’s Dillon Fieldhouse.

Pizzotti threw for a career-high 376 yards and four touchdowns – all in the first half – as Harvard topped Columbia on Saturday, 42-28. In the process, Pizzotti moved past former teammate and current Cincinnati Bengals QB Ryan Fitzpatrick into second place on Harvard’s all-time passing yardage list (5,410). Pizzotti completed 25 of 40 passes in the without an interception against the Lions and has thrown just one interception in his last seven games.

Pizzotti, who is 18-2 as a starter in his career, has 15 touchdown passes this season which is the sixth-highest total in school history. He is just one TD pass out of third, two passes from second and three behind Neil Rose ’03, who had 18 passes in 2000.

With his 25 completions against Columbia, Pizzotti moved into second place on Harvard’s single season list with 165, surpassing his old mark of 164 set last season. He stands one completion shy of 400 for his career.

The Gold Helmet award is the third career helmet for Pizzotti. Two weeks ago, teammate Eric Schultz (Alpharetta, Ga.) earned the award. 

No. 19-ranked Harvard is back on the road this weekend, looking for their seventh straight win in a pivotal contest at Penn. The two teams are tied with Brown atop the Ivy League standings – all with 4-1 league records.  

2008 Boston Globe Gold Helmet Weekly Winners

Date                      Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)            Division II/III

Sept. 3                  Tony Nelson, RB, UMass                                          Travis Poole, WR, American Int’l

Sept. 10                Liam Coen, QB, UMass                                             Jeff Mack, RB, Plymouth State

Sept. 17                R.J. Toman, QB, New Hampshire                              DeRon Brown, RB, MIT

Sept. 24                Buddy Farnham, WR, Brown                                      Bruce Rich, QB, Framingham State

Oct. 1                    Nate Thellen, FS, Northeastern                                Jim Bower, RB, Maine Maritime

Oct. 8                    Derek Cassidy, QB, Rhode Island                             J.T. Harold, RB, UMass Dartmouth

Oct. 15                  Dominic Randolph, QB, Holy Cross                           Luke St. Marie, RB, Saint Anselm

Oct. 22                  Buddy Farnham, WR, Brown                                      Will Forde, RB, Tufts

Oct. 29                  Eric Schultz, LB, Harvard                                           Brian Morrissey, RB, Williams

Nov. 3                   Liam Coen, QB, UMass                                             Bruce Burley, RB, Bridgewater State

Nov. 10                 Chris Pizzotti, QB, Harvard                                       Eric McGrath, QB, Trinity