Seeing Combat in the War of the Winds

Northeastern may have fallen to Harvard Saturday, but it was victorious in the War of Winds.

The Crimson pounded the Huskies, 27-24, but it was blown away by the elements.

Harvard scored all its points during the second and fourth quarters, with a stiff breeze at its back. Facing the wind, Harvard was as hapless as a dinghy in a monsoon.

"I threw a couple of balls that were heading straight toward my receivers," Harvard quarterback Tom Yohe said. "And the wind would just take them--right out of bounds."

The Huskies, on the other hand, proved themselves to be true Wind Warriors. Down 27-17 in the final quarter, they battled not only a tough Harvard defense, but a tremendous gale to pull within 27-24.

Before the game, the Huskies had taken to the air about as often as penguins, throwing just 13 times in two games. Down by 10 Saturday, Northeastern--which attacks from a run-dominated Wishbone formation--had no choice but to go the skies.

The Huskies had to give up the 'bone. Running against the wind was no longer an option.

If the actual winds were detrimental, the winds of fate seemed to favor the Huskies with three minutes left. Quarterback Jim O'Leary dusted off his throwing arm and completed seven of eight passes--including an eight-yard toss to Brooks Estadt in the end zone--in an 80-yard, 50-second touchdown drive which closed the gap to three points.

"They went down on that last drive as quickly as anybody that works on the passing game all year," Harvard Coach Joe Restic said. "They did an exceptional job to bring themselves back in the ball game."

But Northeastern, which scored two of its three touchdowns going into the wind, could not do the impossible. When the Huskies got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with just less than two minutes left in the game, they again went to the air.

A strong Harvard defense, and a stronger wind, stopped them this time. O'Leary completed just one of four passes for eight yards in the drive.

The head wind may have been Harvard's enemy, but the tail wind was its good friend. Winds poured into the Stadium from the closed end, ruffling flags, sending balloons sailing out of the open end and sending Harvard passes soaring toward the end zone.

The scrambling Yohe passed for 265 yards, the eighth best passing day in Harvard history. His chief receiver, Brian Barringer, caught seven passes for 112 yards.

"We just were not able to contain Yohe at times, with him running around," Northeastern Coach Paul Pawlak said.

Yohe rode the wind for all it was worth, heaving touchdown throws of 17 yards to Kent Lucas and 23 yards to Bob Glatz in the second quarter. He added a 29-yard post-pattern toss to Barringer, who caught the ball on his fingertips, in the fourth.

"I think the experience of playing in the Stadium, knowing the windfactor, helps," said Yohe, a second-year starter. "It was a tough day to judge the passes."

With the wind, Harvard had smooth sailing.