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For an invading Brown team, today's football game at the stadium is the last and biggest contest of the season. It gives the luckless and virtually winless Bruins a chance to salvage what has been a miserable season even for Brown, which has won just six games in four years of trying. For Harvard, the 1:30 p.m. contest has traditionally been that week-end breather between princeton and Yale.
Unfortunately, the Crimson's tendency to take Brown lightly while preparing for the burly Bulldogs of New Haven has had disastrous effects over the years. The Bruins, always up for Harvard, have taken six out of the last ten games and could conceivably stretch it to seven if the Crimson judges Brown by its present record.
Brown Unimpressive
Coach John McLaughry's Bruins have been unimpressive as usual on paper with an Ivy League record of no wins, five losses, and a tie. But only Dartmouth who has smashed all comers, can claim a clear-cut victory over Brown.
The beatable Bruins lost to Penn by three points and went down before Columbia and Cornell by a collective difference of four. Add a tie game with Yale, and the loyal Brown backer will tell you that his team could be in second place (ahead of the Crimson) if it had scored just eleven more points.
Even if the Bears are in last place instead of second, they are what Crimson coach John Yovicsion calls "a tough team." In quarterback Jim Dunda and left and John Parry, Brown has the best passing combination in the league. When Parry is covered, Danda has Bob Seiple and halfback Jan Moyer to aim for.
No running Game
But Brown's running game is virtually non-existent and should present few problems to the varsity defense that has held stronger opponents (Princeton and Penn) scoreless in its last two outings.
Dunda will have to pass early and often against a stacked defense if Brown is to stay in the game. The Bruins will also be depending on a sophomore riddled first unit that has made "costly mistakes" in other contests.
Yovicsin will field a team that he admits is "in pretty good shipe for this time of year." Guards Charlie Kessler, Bill Southmayd, and Walt Dobrzelecki have all recovered from hampering injuries--putting the varsity at full strength for the first time all season.
The Harvard eleven has played its best football in its last two outings and has shown no sign of losing momentum in practice this week. With a total of 157 points in seven games, the varsity offense is what Yovicsin terms "one of the very best I've had."
All-Ivy fullback Bill Grana leads the team with an impressive average of 5.4 yards per carry and Mike Bassett has provided unexpected passing strength with five touchdowns to date. With additional running talent in halfbacks Hoble Armstrong. Bill Taylor and Scott Harshbarger. Harvard boasts a balanced offense that should keep the Bruins off stride.
Remembering the trouble Brown has caused in past years. Yovicsin maintains. "We'll have to play solid ball to best Brown A run-of-the-mill effort will cost us the game."
Defense Improving
Heartened by the quality of the varsity's defensive play in the past two weeks. Yovicsin added that this year's squad has a "real chance" to match last year's record performance of six wins and three losses. This would require victories over both Brown and Yale.
By way of comparison. Harvard goes into today's contest with a more balanced offense and a strouger defense than frequently beaten Brown. The varsity can lose only if it refuses to take Brown seriously. With anything like the perseriously. With anything like the performances that upset Princeton and formances that up sot Princeton and downed Penn, the varsity should beat the Bruins by two touchdowns
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