Football Team Rolls Over Lafayette, 51-0

Harvard did in one half Saturday what it took Hofstra an entire game to accomplish the week before. Two touchdowns by Gary Strandemo and one each by Vic Gatto and Carter Lord--all in the second quarter--put down Lafayette, 28-0. Crimson reserves added three touchdowns and a field goal in the second half to run the final score to 51-0.

The game had elements of evenness in the scoreless first quarter: it took that long for the Harvard offense to adjust to the Leopards' "50 angle" defense, for quarterback Ric Zimmerman to find the passing range, and for the bigger Crimson linemen to wear out their Lafayette counterparts.

The game's turning point came just before the opening period ended. Lafayette flanker Chris Yaniger split the Crimson zone defense and took a pass from quarterback Ed Baker. The Harvard secondary violently converged on Yaniger and Tom Williamson recovered the second of Lafayette's ten fumbles.

Zimmerman moved his team downfield while Gatto's drive and faking picked up one to five yards each carry.

Harvard stalled when it reached the Leopard 2, but on third down Zimmerman dropped back and with a world of time found Lord alone in the end zone.

Catch-up Bomb

Down 7-0, the Lafayette quarterback abandoned his short-passing attack and went for a catch-up quick bomb. The wind-aided aerial overflew the receiver and was picked off by Crimson corner-back Bill Cobb.

An exchange of punts gave Harvard the ball at midfield. Gatto again was the primary instrument of attack. The squat scatter showed all the moves that gained 700 yards last year and, some claimed, a few new ones, as he reversed fields for a 16-yard pickup, then carried 19 yards for a touchdown. On the payoff play, left end Fritz Reed took care of two Leopards, and Gatto's cutting and deception took care of the rest.

Two plays later, Crimson safety John Tyson's head-on tackle jarred the ball from Rick Craw's arms and Williamson recovered again on the 28.

Gatto picked up a first down with a pro-style diving catch, dragging both feet in bounds as he fell.

Zimmerman was on target from the 16, but both Reed and Lord dropped potential scoring passes. On third down, Strandemo released from his blocking position, took Zimmerman's pass, and used his speed to turn the corner into the end zone.

Weak Punt

The Harvard defense pushed the Leopards from the 19 back to their own 2 following the next kickoff. A weak punt under pressure gave Harvard the ball on the 27, only two passes from paydirt.

On the touchdown play, Zimmerman isolated Srandemo on the right flat. Two Leopards had clear shots at the Norse-man, but the converted halfback faked one way and cut the other twice and left both clawing the grass.

Junior Tommy Wynne, who converted after the first four touchdowns, added an impressive 42-yard field goal into the wind in the third quarter.

Gus Grim, John Ballantyne, and Winston Carmichael ran for touchdowns in the fourth quarter against dead, luckless Lafayette.

The Leopards' deepest penetration was to the Harvard 42 in the first quarter. Starting quarterback Gerry Facciani moved his team nowhere on his first two tries, so Lafayette coach Harry Gamble called on Ed Baker, his sophomore passer. Two passes into Cobb's zone and two draw plays picked up 36 yards. But on third and 4, Crimson middle guard Stan Greenidge stormed in to throw Baker for a ten-yard loss, the key defensive play of the game.

Desperate Shape

On Lafayette,s next chance, Baker completed a pass into Harvard territory, but Yaniger fumbled, Williamson recovered, and the rest was all Harvard.

Lafayette was in desperate shape by the fourth quarter--the Leopards fumbled on live of their first nine plays in that period, but the final score attests to the Crimson's depth. Standouts among the reserves were hard-running halfback Tony Smith and linebacker Gerry Marino, who led his team with six tackles and added an interception.

Harvard's kicking, a question mark before the game, was strong. Placekicker Wynne was four-for-five on conversions and consistently reached the goal line with his kickoffs. Left-footed senior John Beaulieu added placements after Harvard's final two touchdowns.

Paul Saba averaged 41 yards on four punts and the Crimson's coverage was excellent, despite the new rule restraining interior linemen at the line of scrimmage.