Bulldog Defense Stops the Sweep

Overshadowed by the Brian Dowling-Calvin Hill scoring machine all season, Yale's defense is the unknown variable in the Harvard coaching staff's calculations.

"Perhaps if you broke down their statistics into different categories-before the game was broken open by the offense and after it is broken open-then you might be able to find out how good they are," offensive coach Jim Feula explained.

Yale's offense, in addition to rolling up comfortable winning margins, has consistently scored the first time it has had the ball. "We can't know how much pressure has been on the defense," Feula said.

The Eli defensive alignment is similar to Harvard's. Yale usually has five linemen, two linebackers, and three defensive backs. The difference is their "monster man" who is a combination of lineman, end, and linebacker. Harvard coaches refer to this formation as an "Oklahoma with a monster."

The emphasis in this defense is on stopping the sweep to the wide side of the field. The monster man usually lines up outside the wingback and is responsible for stopping the wide run-Harvard's bread and butter play.

To counter this, Harvard may send fullback Gus Crim into the line early in the game, perhaps using halfbacks Vic Gatto and Ray Hornblower on similar quick openers to open up the outside for their sweeps.

The most troublesome thing about Yale's defensive strategy is their variety of formations. Their unit has been intact all season according to Harvard scouts, so they have been able to use a number of different alignments. "They jump around a lot," Feula said, "shifting into as many as ten different defenses. The idea is to disguise their defense and confuse the offensive linemen who have to adjust their blocking assignments," he said.

Extremely Quick

Feula characterizes them as "fair-sized but extremely quick." Their middle guard, Dick Williams, is especially mobile, and linebacker Mike Bouscaren is also highly respected by Harvard for his agility and quick reactions.

Just as the Yale line is geared to stop the wide run, the Yale secondary plays to stop the long bomb. Their deep safety, J. P. Goldsmith immediately retreats on every passing play and then plays the ball once it is thrown. Cornerback Ed Franklin is a pro prospect as a defensive back.

Yale alternates between a zone and man to man defense against the pass, dropping off one or both linebackers, both ends, and sometimes the monster man. Feula expects little blitzing even in obvious passing situations although the Elis have blitzed frequently during the season.

Harvard's big hope is that the Crimson offense, which has lagged behind the defense, has matured into an explosive scoring threat capable of matching Yale's offense.

The key will be the first quarter. If the Crimson fails to move the ball up the middle against a sweep-oriented Yale defense, it might be a bad afternoon.