Last-Minute Field Goal Pushes Yale Past HC For Fourth Win

The city of New Haven has an undefeated football team and the men from Yale should be causing their upcoming foes some restless nights. The Bulldogs, after defeating highly regarded Navy last week--a team that lost to fifth-ranked Michigan by only five points--nipped revitalized Holy Cross by a score of 29-28. Holy Cross, if you care to remember, had no trouble in trouncing Harvard, 33-19. Many observers are wondering which teams, if any, can manage to prevent the Elis from capturing the League title for a third consecutive year.

Yale placekicker Tony Jones grabbed the Holy Cross victory when he booted a clutch 32-yard field goal with 35 seconds remaining in the game, keeping the Bulldogs' record spotless at 4-0.

Holy Cross was the first team to score on running back Andy Clivio's 47-yard touchdown run, and the Crusaders easily controlled the first half of play, leaving the field with a 17-7 lead.

Yale head coach Carm Cozza, however, evidently had a productive half-time session with his team, and the Bulldogs started the second half determined to earn yet another victory. On HC's first drive, Jay Snyder intercepted a Dave Boisture pass and returned it for 37 yards to give the Elis a much needed six points. On the next Yale drive, phenomenal tailback Rich Diana kept the momentum going in the Bulldogs' direction as he broke away for an exhilarating 67-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 19-17 lead.

The two teams then traded touchdowns, but Yale gave up an extra field-goal. On their last drive, the Bulldogs found themselves behind 28-26. But Yale quarterback Jon Rogan methodically completed three passes to bring his team within field-goal range, permitting Tony Jones to kick his game-winning three pointer.

In other Ivy League games Saturday, William and Mary narrowly upset Dart mouth (1-3) by a score of 12-7, as the Big Green's defense gave up a costly touchdown with only nine minutes of playing time remaining in the game. William and Mary running back Jeff Powell escaped for the 54-yard touchdown gallop.

Perhaps more costly than Dartmouth's non-conference defeat was the injury of its highly regarded quarterback Rick Stafford, who suffered ligament damage during Guy Crittenden's awesome tackle. Stafford may miss the rest of the season, including this Saturday's Harvard-Dartmouth match.

In Philadelphia, Brown (1-3) had difficulty managing the surprisingly tenacious Pennsylvania Quakers (1-3), but the Bruins held on to defeat Penn 26-24.