Bulldogs Show Powerful Offense

NEW HAVEN--With about a minute left in the Princeton-Yale game last Saturday, the announcer told the season's top Ivy crowd of 62,528: "Final score, Harvard 22, Brown 8." There was no audible response whatsoever--not even a groan.

Yale fans couldn't care less about Harvard. The 43-22 win assured them of a tie for the title at worst, for should Harvard upset the unbeaten, untied Bulldogs, and Princeton beat Dartmouth this Saturday, Yale and Princeton will tie for the championship with 6-1 records.

Nevertheless, after a season of such offensive feats as the incredible 386 yards churned out against Yale, Princeton has proved itself an "irresistible force," and most observers feel that the Tiger will take Dartmouth in stride.

Thus all eyes will be on Harvard Stadium this Saturday, to see if the Bulldogs can turn in their first unblemished season record since 1923 and win the Ivy title hands down.

Colman Gives Opinion

"If Yale sits back and relaxes, they're going to lose to Harvard," Princeton coach Dick Colman, who has seen both clubs first hand, warned Yale mentor Jordan Olivar after Saturday's game in a press conference.

It will take more than that, though, for the Crimson to knock off the powerful Yale eleven, one of the four major teams in the country still unbeaten and untied (along with Missouri, Utah State, and New Mexico State).

In the first place, the Crimson interior linemen will have to stop fullback Bob Blanchard and his impressive understudy, Ted Hard, who, along with a powerful line, have given Yale its reputation as a bread-and-butter "grind-it-out-up-the-middle" team. Blanchard and Hard, who get the ball at least 60 per cent of the time, usually hit to the left of center Hardy Will, over guard Ben Balme and tackle Mike Pyle, standout linemen. The play usually goes for about five yards.

Offense Well-Balanced

Quarterback Tom Singleton showed the Crimson scouts and everybody else Saturday that Yale must be reckoned with on more than just line plunges, however. Opening the game with the expected hand-offs to Blanchard--occasionally on quick counts that caught Princeton off guard--the 6 ft., 1 in., 200 pound senior in the second quarter took advantage of the tightened Tiger defense, which had adjusted to stop bull Blanehard.

Rolling out to the right, Singleton pierced through Princeton's 7-2-2 defense (with the defensive halfbacks only six yards back from the line of scrimmage) for 22 yards, moving the ball from the Tiger 22 to the five. Three plays later Singleton took the ball over from the three for Yale's first TD on a roll-out run to the left over Pyle.

Then, having established a double threat of the fullback plunge up the middle and the roll-out around the end, Singleton came up with Princeton's biggest problem of the afternoon--the pass. With a third and four situation on the Princeton 12 yard line (after Yale and Ruly Carpenter had tackled Tiger Hugh Scott and stolen the ball from him on a punt return) Singleton rolled out to the left. Just as he was cutting up over left tackle, he threw a precise TD pass to left end John Hutcherson.

Shortly thereafter, John Sullivan scored from the 12 for Princeton, climaxing a 66-yard, 11-play drive. It was Princeton's only touchdown until the 16-point fourth-quarter barrage in which Scott and Don Kornrumpf ran 25 and two yards for TD's after long drives of 93 and 62 yards.

On the kick-off after Sullivan's score, Yale right halfback Ken Wolfe showed why he was chosen Ivy bask of the week last week and why he will be a definite thorn for Harvard on kick-off and past returns. Taking the ball on his own goal line, he faked a reverse to halfback Lou Muller and snaked his way 53 yards up the right side of the field to the Princeton 48.

When Singleton took ever the reins so one was sure whether he would keep the attack inside, sweep to the outside, or pass.

With a third and five situation on the Princeton 48, when Blanchard off tackle would have been the most likely call, Singleton put the ball is Blanchard's gut as the fullback smashed over right tackle. Just when everybody--including the Princeton defenders -- thought "there goes Blanchard," Singleton pulled the ball out, stepped back, and threw to his right halfback Wolfe, who had had no trouble sneaking down the right side of the field behind Kornrumpf. The pass went 33 yards: Wolfe could have walked the last five. Singleton then passed to Muller for the extra points. Halftime score: Yale 22, Princeton 6--with all of the scoring done in the second quarter.

On the opening series of plays in the third period, Singleton decided to try the same belly-pass play. After working up to the Princeton 43, with first and ten, Singleton bellied to Blanchard off right tackle and threw 23 yards to the lone Wolfe, who made up the distance untouched. Blanchard drove over for the extra points.

Singleton wasn't through yet. On the next Yale series of plays he set up the Bulldogs' fifth touchdown by way of a thrilling roll-out run to the right which moved the ball from the Princeton 30 to the five. On that play he should have been tackled four times before he was finally brought down. He hadn't forgotten about the end run. Nor had he forgotten about Blanchard: Blanchard took the ball over from the 2, two plays later.

After Blanchard's touchdown (midway in the third quarter), Oliver slowly emptied his bench. Junior quarterback Bill Leockonby, who had a lot of fun completing five of 11 passes for 47 yards, scored Yale's last touchdown on a three yard run. Ed Kaake toed the extra point.

During the last period Hard looked like Blanchard, and Princeton's Scott ran and threw, and ran and threw some more in the Tigers' long touchdown drives.

When it was all over, Colman summed up the Bulldogs pretty well: "Yale has a very, very good team. They're tough to stop, with their inside fullback attack, roll-outs around end, and belly pass." Yale rushed for 251 yards and passed for 167 more for a total of 418 yards against Princeton.

Olivar was asked if he didn't agree that this was the best club he had over coached at Yale in his nine years as head coach. "It's starting to look that way," he answered