Gridders Gallivant Past Yale, 24-17

The Harvard Crimson made up for a season full of disappointment this afternoon by thumping Yale, 24-17, before a capacity crown of 40,000 chilly fans at the Stadium in the 103rd edition of The Game.

The Crimson offense--led by Tom Yohe, the first sophomore ever to start The Game for Harvard Coach Joe Restic--looked as sharp as it has all season long.

Yohe capped a super day with a 53-yard touchdown bomb to George Sorbara late in the third period to put Harvard (3-7 overall, 3-4 Ivy) on top to stay.

Yale (3-7 overall, 2-5 Ivy) got a terrific performance from tailback Ted Macauley, but his efforts went for nought against the finely-tuned Crimson defense, led by a crack corps of defensive backs.

Harvard took its first possession to midfield, but the Crimson's year-long curse--the fumble--again proved its undoing. A pitch from quarterback Tom Yohe to halfback Joe Pusateri never got there, and Yale took over on its own 40.

The Bulldogs, facing a stiff wind, kept the ball on the ground and drove down the gridiron.

Tailback Ted McCauley spearheaded the Eli attack, as he consistently dove off-tackle behind enormous holes. Yale earned four first downs behind McCauley without the benefit of a pass completion.

Without Captain Scott Collins--who missed the game with torn knee ligaments--the Crimson defense couldn't stop the Eli ground assault, and fullback Tom Mercein capped the Yale drive with a nifty, tackle-shedding, eight-yard touchdown scamper.

Kicker John Duryea added the extra point to make it 7-0 with 3:38 remaining in the first period.

Harvard took the ensuing kickoff and nearly scored a touchdown of its own. Three downs picked up only eight yards and fullback/punter Brian O'Neil was called in to punt it away.

The snap was low, but O'Neil showed great presence of mind by picking the rolling ball up and racing down the right sideline for a 26-yd. gain and a first down.

Three plays later, the Crimson seemed to have clicked. On a third-and-10 form the Yale 35, Crimson QB Tom Yohe sent four receivers right. None broke open immediately, but the Crimson offensive line blocked well and gave senior receiver Joe Connolly room to break free. Connolly streaked into the endzone.

Yohe spiralled a perfect pass towards the wide-open Connolly, but the senior--who suffered a foot injury in last week's Penn game--couldn't hold on to the ball as it grazed off his fingertips.

Yale took over on its own 44 and drove 29 yards for a 44-yd. field goal by John Duryea.

The big play of the drive--whick exhibited more of Yale's straight-ahead blasting through the Crimson line--was a Troy Jenkins 10-yard first down run on an inside handoff with Yale in a shotgun formation.

But the Yale drive stalled, and three plays later Duryea sailed his field goal into the jet stream.

Harvard took over on its own 20, and--on the second play from scrimmage--the Crimson set the tone for the drive when Yohe hit a streaking Ed Boyle wide open in the middle of the field. Boyle dropped the ball, but three plays later he made up for it by snagging a bullet from triple-pumping Yohe.

Tight end Don Gajewski then grabbed a Yohe bomb on the same play, and Harvard was inches away from its first touchdown.

Pusateri swept the ball into the corner of the endzone to cut the Bulldog lead to 10-7.

Yale almost struck right back when, on its first play from scrimmage after the Harvard kick, Eli split end Richard Schultz broke open on a long pattern at midfield.

But it seemed to be a day for dropped passes, as the Bulldog let the ball slip through his open arms.

Yale had to punt two plays later--but didn't. The big play that has eluded Harvard all year finally came about for the Crimson.

The snap to Eli punter Don Mahlke seemed fine, but it bounced off his hands--and the Harvard rush swarmed over him before he could recover and get a kick away. Harvard took over 10 yards away from the Bulldog endzone.

Two plays later, Crimson wingback Sorbara gathered a Yohe screen in the left flat, juked past a pair of Yale defenders, and bulled his way into the endzone. Andy Maretz's extra point attempt was true, and, quickly, Harvard had moved ahead, 14-10.

The Bulldogs jumped right back, however. A terrific Buddy Zachery kickoff return gave Yale the ball on the Harvard 48, and once again Macauley led the Eli drive on the strength of huge holes and sloppy Harvard tackling.

Quarterback Kelly Ryan got his first completion of the afternoon to get the ball to the Harvard 20, and from there Mercein was both beast and beauty. He slipped several tackles on one play before blowing Harvard away by running four yards into the endzone. The Elis took a 17-14 lead into the lockeroom at halftime.

For the first half, Yale controlled the ball for over 20 minutes, but still came away with only its three-point lead.

The total yardage stood nearly dead even, with Harvard gaining 143 total yards and the Bulldogs 137.

The teams traded punts during the opening minutes of the second half, until the Crimson took over on its own 36 midway through the third period.

On the second play from scrimmage, Yohe hit Connolly for a first down to bring the ball to the Harvard 47.

On the next play, Yohe sent all his receivers streaking down the field, and tossed a beautiful ball to a wide-open Sorbara. Pusateri laid a great block to spring Sorbara, and the senior sprinted untouched into the endzone to give Harvard a 21-17 lead late in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth period, on second down and eight, Brice carried over the middle for one yard to set up a third and seven. Ryan was intercepted by reserve linebacker Richard Mau at the Yale 43 with 10:23 to go.

Sorbara, on a pitch from Yohe, moved ahead for seven yards to midfield. O'Neil carried for a Harvard first down. On third down and five, Yohe threw for Pusateri, just out of his reach. O'Neil punted into the endzone for a touchback.

Ryan threw incomplete for Schulte, broken up by Kretten. On third down and four, Zachery was dropped at the 29 setting up a fourth and one with 3:20 to go. Zachery was stopped by Thabit, short of the first down, turning the ball over to the Crimson.

Once again, the Crimson stayed on the ground and was unable to move the ball. Maretz connected on a 45-yd. field goal attempt, extending the Crimson lead to 24-17 with 1:56 to play.

After a long completion down to the Harvard 49, Ryan and a short gain by Macauley, Ryan misfired on his next three passes, setting up a fourth down and five. He then had the ball slip out of his and sail well out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Crimson with less than a minute to play.

Yohe handed off to Pusateri over the middle for no gain. After Yale used up its final timeout, Yohe fell on the ball twice to run out the clock and give Harvard its first win in The Game since 1983.

For the Harvard seniors, who had watched their squad lose to Yale for the past two years, today's victory marked a first-ever upset of the rival Bulldogs.