Bruins Edge Varsity, 29-22

A couple of untimely 15-yard penalties and a fumbled fumble cost the Crimson football team its chance for a brilliant second-half comeback Saturday. Brown finally nosed out the varsity, 29 to 22.

Down 23 to 6 and apparently out at halftime, the Crimson charged back into an attack that had the Bruins reeling helpless before it. Two plays after the kickoff, fullback Sam Halaby raced the ball 84 yards into the Brown end zone, and at the end of the third quarter Charlie Ravenel scored after a 54-yard drive.

With the stage set for a deciding Crimson touchdown, Brown kindly obliged by twice giving up the ball in its own territory--once on a pass interception, once on a fumble. But the varsity returned the favor both times by incurring 15-yard holding penalties on its first play from scrimmage, killing both opportunities.

Fumble Chance Missed

The Bruins made one last effort to give the game away, only to be foiled again. This time halfback Bob Carlin fumbled on his own 40 and the ball bounced tantalizingly at the feet of three Crimson players. But in his rattled attempt to pick it up and run--an illegal action anyway--one of them booted the ball out of bounds and back into Brown's possession.

Probably disheartened by these muffed chances, the varsity then gave way be- fore the Bruin's relentless touchdown march, the score coming on the game's last play, a roll-out by quarterback Frank Finney.

This was Finney's third touchdown (he passed for his team's other one) and this climaxed one of the most brilliant quarterbacking performances ever seen in the Stadium. For despite the Crimson's third quarter heroics, the first half was all Brown's and in effect all Finney's.

He completed 12 out of 20 passes in the half, all of them flat and bullet-fast, arrowing directly into the hands of his receivers. He carried the ball only three times, but these netted him 25 yards and two touchdowns. And his play-calling showed real cleverness and poise, especially in the clutch.

But Finney's passing is undoubtedly his outstanding skill. Faced with a third down in his own territory, he would almost consistently take to the air, and his passes were almost consistently complete.

Here he is blessed with probably the best receivers in the Ivy League. Left end Bill Traub in particular seemed able to pick the ball from any spot Finney threw it to, and he scored the Brown's third touchdown with three Crimson defenders fighting him for the ball.

Despite Finney's outstanding show, the Crimson backfield turned in some excellent performances of its own. Halfback Larry Repsher showed fine speed and drive, and Chet Boulris returned to form, using his shiftiness and a neat sense of timing to register some long and important gains.

But Halaby was clearly the Crimson's star of the game. Breaking away from tacklers as he did so well last year, he covered 146 yards on the ground, with an average of 10.5 yards per carry. Most of this, of course, came on his astounding 84-yard scoring dash, the longest Harvard run from scrimmage in the memory of most spectators.

After almost breaking away on the previous down, Halaby ran the same play, bulled through left tackle, was tripped, but staggered and recovered. Then, racing down the left sideline, he picked up two key blocks on about the Harvard 35 and continued all the way, with Repsher speeding alongside and cutting down Brown's John McTigue at the last moment.CRIMSONHarry S. ParkerFRANK FINNEY (18) brings down LARRY REPSHER (14) on the Brown five-yard line in the last minutes of the third quarter.