Crimson Eleven Smashes Losing Streak, Downing Princeton 34-6

Smashing the worst losing streak in Harvard grid history, the Crimson Varsity gave the Tigers a 34-6 tail twisting in Palmer Stadium on Saturday. It was the first time Harvard has downed Princeton since 1923, the first major game victory since 1933, and Dick Harlow's first big league triumph since he has come to Cambridge.

In winning this game, Harlow conclusively proved to all skeptics that it is possible to turn out victorious teams at Soldiers Field. "It has happened here again" is the composite thought of the thousands of Crimson rooters who made the Princeton pilgrimage.

Overdue Bombshell

Judged long overdue by those who have been close to the team during the last two seasons, the Crimson attack burst like a bombshell a few minutes after the opening whistle. Vernon Struck kicked the ball into play, and it was he who was to keep it in play most of the afternoon. After two exchanges in which Princeton had the edge, Harvard took the ball on their own 35-yard line where it was placed by a 15-yard penalty called for interference with a free catch.

In the four plays which followed, Struck made three first downs. In seven more plays, before the Harvard stands had time to realixe what was happening, Macdonald and Struck took turns marching the ball down the field for a score.

Eight Minute Drama

Princeton received the kickoff again, ran a couple against Booth and Allen, and decided to kick. Don Daughters blocked the punt, Bobby Green picked it up and raced to the one-yard line where Struck walked over for another tally. And all this in eight minutes of play.

Those two touchdowns really decided the game. Although the Crimson spectators couldn't, and the Princeton team wouldn't believe they were licked, they were. And in making those two touchdowns, the team accomplished two feats it has rarely been able to do in the past and which it was to repeat several times before the closing whistle. On the first they marched 65 consecutive yards without throwing a pass, penetrating pay territory without stalling; and on the second they capitalized on a break without any fooling around.

That neither of these feats was a fluke was later demonstrated. Two other 60-yard processions were staged, and the most outstanding break capitalization was on the last touchdown. Torh Macdonald intercepted a pass on the 47-yard stripe and before he had taken two steps a phalanx of Harvard blockers had formed. Those tacklers who weren't blocked out he easily eluded and crossed the goal standing up.

Struck Strikes

Only one pass was trhrown by the Crimson all afternoon, most of the ground being gained between the tackles. The play which worked with almost monotonoun regularity was Struck's tackle jab on which he reversed his field as soon as he crossed the line of scrimmage. But this does not mean that no deception was employed. Struck often travelled several yards before the Princeton secondary turned from chasing a decoy tail back busy rounding one of the flanks. That Struck did most of the ball carrying was strategy in itself. The whole Princeton attack was designed to stop Torb Macdonald.

Also conspienous in the team's offensive was the down-the-field blocking. "Precision" has been a much used torm on Soldiers Field, but it certainly cashed in on Saturday. The line holes opened at just the right moment, and split seconds later orange-striped jerseys could be seen falling in the secondary like nine pins. Harvard played a running game which for the first time in many long years really carried conviction.

Captain Russ Allen was carried off the field early in the second half with a torn ligament after having played an lace game. He is definitely out of the Army game and whether or not he will be able to return to the lineup before the end of the season is not yet known. Wilson, who suffered a shoulder bruise, is ready to go.

The weekly Yale scout was on hand, of course. He didn't have much to say, though. Just once did he speak, and that time it was only to ask Frank Ryan whether or not there was a capital "D" in Macdonald.

The Harvard goal-posters got the jump on Princeton after the game, all right. One reason was that not one son of Nassan left his place before the band had finished playing the Alma Mater.

There can't be much in this band-baton-over-the-goal-post business. The Harvard baton wiedler missed twice before the game, making it only on the third try, and the team did all right. But maybe it was meant to symbolize Harlow's two unsuccessful and third triumphant crack at the Tigers