Gridders Spoil Yale's Perfect Year, 37-20

NEW HAVEN--It was a Game to remember.

In the 106th rendition of The Game here this afternoon, the Harvard football team held off a third-period third quarter Yale charge to win going away, 37-20.

"They executed to perfection," said Yale Coach Carm Cozza, who is now 12-12-1 against Harvard in his 25-year career at Yale. "We had spurts, but we could not do it for 60 minutes."

The loss dropped the Elis (8-2 overall, 6-1 Ivy) into a first-place tie with Princeton, which defeated Cornell today, in the final Ivy standings. After closing out the season with its third straight victory, Harvard (5-5, 5-2) finished in third place in the league.

After a scoreless first quarter, Harvard jumped out to 14-0 advantage at intermission on two touchdowns by running back Silas Myers--one on a 3-yd. sweep off right tackle, one on an 18-yd. pass play from Harvard signal-caller Tim Perry, who completed 10 of 17 passes on the day for 182 yards.

Perry's 3-yd. quarterback sneak then lifted the Crimson to a 21-0 lead with 9:31 left to play in the third quarter. The Crimson defense was playing out of its mind, but Harvard Coach Joe Restic knew his squad could not count on shutting down the potent Bulldog offense forever.

"Our defense was playing great, but Yale's too good a football team to get shut out," Restic said.

Sure enough, Yale quarterback Darin Kehler led his unit to three quick touchdowns, delighting the Eli faithful among the 59,263 souls who braved the Yale Bowl chill.

After the Perry touchdown, Yale returner Reggie Sellars brought the ensuing kickoff back to the Yale 45. Three plays later, Kehler found wide receiver Pete Caravella open over the middle for a 35-yd. touchdown pass. The three-play drive used up a grand total of 1:03 on the clock.

After Harvard's offense could generate nothing for three plays, the Elis began a long march down the field, eating up large chunks of yardage on a Harvard personal foul and a 17-yd. Kehler-to-Caravella connection. Yale running back Chris Kouri capped off the 10-play drive with a 1-yd. plunge off left tackle. Harvard led, 21-14, but the Crimson contingent was getting nervous.

Perry then chose an inopportune moment to make his only mistake of the day. Under a heavy rush, the senior quarterback's screen pass was deflected by a Yale lineman and intercepted by linebacker Chris Gaughan at the line of scrimmage--which happened to be the Harvard 26.

Kehler--whose 76 yards rushing gave him 903 for the season, breaking the Ivy League season rushing record for a quarterback--single-handedly drove his team down to the I on five keepers. He then let running back Tom Callahan finish the drive, traveling the final yard to bring Yale within one point.

The Elis never got that point. Bulldog kicker Ed Perks, who had missed a chippy field goal in the first quarter, had his PAT blocked to keep Harvard's lead intact.

The momentum had switched.

"Somebody has to establish control of the game at that point, and we did that," Restic said.

From then on, it was all Harvard, as the Crimson drove the field with ease. Myers rumbled for 17 yards on one play, Perry passed to tight end Kevin Collins for 31 more on another. Finally, running back Art McMahon swept around right end for the score. Kicker Brian Kotz connected on his point after to give Harvard an 8-point lead it would never relinquish.

"When we scored, but couldn't stop them, that was the key," Cozza said.

Harvard's defense then held the Bulldogs, and the Perry-Myers team went back to work. Highlighted by a 36-yd. pass from Perry to Adam Lazarre-White and four Myers ground gains, the Crimson drove 67 yds. to put the game away. Perry scored the game-clincher on another keeper, his fifth touchdown in the last four games.

"Timmy executed our game plan as well as any quarterback I've ever had here," Restic said. "I'm proud of him and I'm also proud of the Multiflex."