Harvard Eleven Struggles to Topple Steep Odds in 63rd Yale Encounter

Starting Time: 1:45 o'clock

Officials: Paul N. Swaffield, Brown, referee; D. Leo Daley, Boston College, umpire; William J. McConnell, Middlebury, linesman; John F. James, Jr., Princeton, field judge.

Raison d'etre of the most hectic resurrection of collegiate tradition, folderol, and general social fireworks Cambridge has seen since the days of the John Held cartoon, the sixty-third Harvard-Yale football game gets under way at the Stadium today at 1:45 o'clock. The Elis are rated a strong favorite to defeat the Crimson and annex the Big Three title.

A sellout crowd of close to 58,000 persons will be on hand to watch the performance, and at least 20,000 others will not be present only because of the Stadium's space limitations.

Seldom in the past have the two elevens entered their climactic struggle with such excellent past performances. The Crimson squad has amassed the best record of any team coached by Dick Harlow in his ten-year reign at Harvard, with seven victories in eight games, while Coach Howie Odell's Bulldogs, regarded as one of the outstanding college elevens in the East, have won six contests, with a 28 to 20 loss to Columbia and a 6 to 5 tie with Cornell the only damaging marks on the record.

Yale Favored

The New Haven team is favored despite the Crimson's slight edge in percentages because the caliber of Eli opposition has been far stronger than the foes faced by the Varsity, and a comparison of scores against mutual rivals gives the Blue a definite margin of superiority--or so it would seem on paper.

The task confronting the Harvard eleven will not be made easier by the injury suffered by its best fullback, Vince Moravec, who is expected to see only limited action today. Bob Cowen, who opened last year's game against the Elis at fullback, will start in Moravec's position.

Only injury of major consequence that has visited the Yale squad is the broken hand sustained by Vaudy Kirk, the regular Eli left-halfback, who is expected to be used only on defense today. His place will be filled by Art Fitzgerald, the former Notre Dame player who arrived at Yale in the middle of the 1945 season and established a modern record by scoring three touchdowns against Harvard a year ago.

Eli Has Strong Line

Much of the Eli strength lies in its formidable, beefy line, which averages 210 pounds from tackle to tackle, and the presence of three excellent backs in the highly-publicized Levi Jackson, Tex Furse, and Ferd Nadherny, who have utilized the T formation to its best advantage.

But Dick Harlow will be relying on more than tradition and sentiment in his quest for an upset victory. The current Crimson unit has displayed considerable improvement with each passing game this season, and its light but mobile line still ranks second in the nation in defense against rushing.

Harvard's offensive rebuttal to the proficiency of the vaunted Yale backs lies principally in the person of Chip Gannon. Freshman wingback who has broken away consistently for long gains on sweeps from Harlow's unorthodox L formation.

The 1946 Crimson team is composed largely of players new to the intricate Harlow system, but a thorough digestion of all the lore the coach has dispensed, plus the natural emotional lift that visits any Harvard-Yale contest could very conceivably produce a Varsity victory.

Whether all of Harlow's subtle maneuvers will be able to overcame the shear brutal power and overwhelming weight of experience which Oiell will be able to produce will be the issue this afternoon.