Single Wing Lives On With Tigers; Harvard Must Stop Ancient Attack

Harvard's football squad runs head-on into a galloping anachronism tomorrow--Princeton's single wing offense.

If the Crimson loses, however, it won't be simply out of respect for the single wing's age or its long and glorious history; Princeton's attack is as potent today as it was in the age of the drop-kick.

All over the country, the last strong-holds of the single wing have been falling. Among the major colleges, Penn and Tennessee have been the most recent to switch to the T-formation. Now Princeton and its own peculiar institution stand practically alone.

Downfall of Single Wing

The rise of passing and the use of deception in the backfield have been the downfall of the single wing. Its tailback and fullback, alone behind the center, can provide little opportunity for faking or sufficient pass blocking for each other. Yesterday's tailback was primarily a runner, but today's quarterback must be able to throw the football and execute sleight-of-hand as well.

The two-on-one power blocking that once opened holes for the single wing's runners has also suffered. Defensive line-men are now bigger and faster than ever before, and many of them are specialists at their positions, making them hard to shove out of the way with brute force alone.

Then why has Princeton kept its outdated offense? And why, if the single wing is no longer suited to modern football, is Princeton the undefeated leader of the Ivy League?

The answer is twofold. First, since the single wing is practically extinct, teams no longer construct defenses to cope with it. Princeton's opponents must hastily slap together new defensive formations, with no time for the players to learn them well.

Tigers' Backs Excel

Also, the Tigers display a disturbing ability to find outstanding backs who can make the single wing work. At tailback is Don McKay, whose rushing and passing put him second in the Ivy League in total offense. At fullback is Cosmo Iacavazzi, third in total offense and first in rushing among the Ivies, and last year's national scoring leader.

Iacavazzi and McKay even dress for the part. With their high-topped shoes and striped-sleeve jersies, they look like backs of yore as well as act like them. Football at Princeton is strictly Neanderthal, but the team doesn't seem to realize it. It's up to Harvard to convince the Tigers of the folly of their ways, a hard lesson to teach indeed.