Harvard and Yale Play for Pride in 117th Game

During what has come to be known as Rivalry Week, millions of college football fans will gather in stadiums and around television sets throughout the nation to watch such marquee match-ups as No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 4 Florida and No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 8 Oregon State.

But only 31,000 lucky people will be able to witness personally the epitome of the college football rivalry tomorrow--the 117th playing of The Game between the Harvard Crimson and the Yale Bulldogs.

"This game is what college football is all about," said sophomore tailback Nick Palazzo. "There is so much history and tradition involved. This game is one of the reasons I came to Harvard."

Of the 116 prior contests, which date back to a 4-0 Harvard win in 1875, Yale leads the series 63-45-8, and has won the last two versions of The Game. The Harvard-Yale rivalry is the third most played in collegiate football history, ranking only behind the 136 games between Lafayette and Lehigh and the 123 games between Princeton and Yale.

Although this year's installment of The Game will not feature the possibility of an Ivy title for either school for the first time since 1996, both teams understand the significance of the annual contest.

For Harvard (5-4, 4-2 Ivy), The Game represents an opportunity to close out a dominating season with a win at Harvard Stadium. Despite two disappointing one-point losses to Cornell and Penn, the Crimson can finish tied for second in the Ivy League and with its best Ivy mark since 1997 if it tops the Elis tomorrow.

For Yale (6-3, 3-3), a win in The Game would end a sobering season in which the Elis were picked to finish first in the league in most preseason polls. The defending Ivy champs were also the victims of a couple of close Ivy defeats as they lost to Cornell by one and to Princeton by five.

Either way, both teams will want to win for reasons beyond records or standings.

"I try to treat every game like every other game, but this rivalry is so great that we're really playing for pride out there," said freshman linebacker Dante Balestracci.

In addition to pride or bragging rights, Harvard, which is 1-3 at home this season, will also be seeking retribution for last year's Game with one final home win this weekend.

In 1999, the Crimson traveled to the Yale Bowl to face the Ivy-leading Elis with the hope of playing the role of spoiler and denying Yale its first Ivy title in 10 years.

Despite being ahead 21-17 with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter, Harvard could not hold on for the win. Then-senior Joe Walland, Yale's all-time leading passer, drove the Elis the length of the field and then hit wide receiver Eric Johnson for the winning score with only 29 seconds remaining in The Game. The now-infamous catch was Johnson's 21st reception of the day, and the junior ended up with 244 receiving yards--both numbers shattering existing Yale records.

The stinging come-from-behind defeat was typical of the Crimson's 1999 campaign. Last year, Harvard was either ahead or tied in the fourth quarter of all of the games it lost. In addition, its five losses last year came by a combined margin of only 18 points. Such frustration leaves indelible marks and one wonders if memories of last year will effect tomorrow's performance in The Game.

"Last year is definitely in the back of my mind," said captain Mike Clare. "But it won't be an issue the day of The Game."

Psychology aside, the season statistics for both teams point to many interesting subplots and match-ups that will undoubtedly make this edition of The Game one of the more explosive in recent years.

Harvard comes into this weekend ranked third in the Ivy League in scoring and has put up more points than any Crimson team in the 20th century. The potent Crimson offense, led by junior quarterback Neil Rose, has scored more than 30 points in a game six times, equaling a mark set in 1894.

Rose, who stayed in Cambridge this summer to learn the Crimson offense, has reaped the dividends of his off-season work this fall. In last week's game at Penn, Rose became Harvard's single-season leader in completions, passing yards and total yardage, eclipsing such Crimson luminaries as Tom Yohe '89 and Mike Giardi '94.

One reason for Rose's success this season is the complement of top-notch receivers at his disposal. Headlining the receiving corps is sophomore Carl Morris, who set the Harvard single-game receiving yards record with 224 against Brown early in the year. His efforts garnered him Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors.

After that breakout performance, many of Harvard's opponents decided to double-team the elusive Morris. This proved to be a fatal strategy, as Rose was able to spread the ball around to other receivers, such as sophomores Kyle Cremarosa and Sean Meeker, and juniors Dan Farley and Sam Taylor. Also, senior tight ends Chris Stakich and Brandan Kramer provided additional threats for the prolific Rose.

"I believe that we have more depth at receiver than any other team in the Ivy League," Morris said. "We have multiple receivers who have led the team in receiving in different weeks including two very talented tight ends. Our depth makes it tough to defend us."

Perhaps the most surprising element of the Crimson offense is not the thriving wide-open passing scheme, which is ranked 10th in the country, but rather the hard-nosed run game that has come as a great surprise this season.

After the loss of Harvard's all-time leading rusher, Chris Menick '00, and the early injury to returning starter Chuck Nwokocha, the Harvard running game seemed doomed to falter.

In fact, the only backs healthy enough to start behind Rose were third-string sophomore Matt Leiszler and fourth-stringer Palazzo. Although the two sophomores weigh in at a combined 360 pounds, their style of aggressive north-south running has established the Crimson's rushing offense as the best in the Ivy League

"I think that all year we've been at our best when we've made defenses defend both the run and the pass," Leiszler said. "Obviously, Neil and all of the receivers have done a great job this year in passing the ball, which I think has helped open up some of the running game. Hopefully, we can do the same against Yale."

The success of both Harvard's running and passing games will depend on arguably one of its best components--the offensive line. Anchored by left guard Clare, the O-line has thoroughly dominated the opposition this year, giving Rose extra time to find open receivers and providing large holes for Leiszler and Palazzo. In order to roll on offense, Harvard will have to be strong up front.

"We've always tried to own the trenches in order to establish the run and then develop the pass," Clare said.

Clare, who will graduate this year, continues a strong tradition of leadership from the line. His predecessor, Matt Birk '98, is a starting offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings.

All of these offensive elements have allowed this season's squad to set school records in most significant scoring categories. With one game left, Harvard has already equaled the total yardage record for a season and has eclipsed the 1997 team's scoring record to become the most prolific Crimson team in the modern era.

And what makes tomorrow's edition of The Game so interesting will be the competition between Harvard's high-powered offense and Yale's stingy defense. While the Crimson begins tomorrow as the Ivy leader in rushing and third in total offense, Yale will be able to counter with the second best rushing defense in the league and one of the best passing defenses in the country.

The Eli defense is led by captain Peter Mazza, who leads the team in tackles with 98 and has recovered two fumbles, and by junior defensive back Ryan LoProto, who is second with 73 tackles and has three interceptions for the season.

As a team, Yale has racked up 17 interceptions and its +1.56 turnover ratio is third-best in the nation. Compared to Harvard's less-than-stellar -1.11 turnover ratio, it will be worth watching for any costly Harvard mistakes on its first few offensive drives.

"Turnovers have been a major thorn in our side," Clare said. "If we're going to win, we have to protect the ball."

As further proof of Yale's defensive prowess, the Elis have the league's lowest opponent's scoring average with 17.67 points per game. Yale's best defensive performance came against Columbia, when the Elis shut out the Lions en route to a 41-0 romp.

The sharp clash between the powerful Crimson offense and the formidable Eli defense is certainly a marquee match-up. However, the other half of The Game--when the resurgent Harvard defense goes against the solid Yale offense--will be just as interesting, if not more important.

The Elis will be led offensively by junior quarterback Peter Lee. Lee, who beat out fellow junior T.J. Nyland to succeed the illustrious Walland, does not have the mobility of his predecessor, but does possess a powerful arm. On the season, the 6'5 junior has thrown for 17 touchdowns and is just 40 yards shy of the 2,000 passing yard plateau.

One of Lee's favorite targets tomorrow will undoubtedly be the hero--or villain, depending on your allegiance--of last year's Game, senior wide receiver Eric Johnson. Last year, Johnson victimized the secondary in the second half of The Game to help Yale to a share of the Ivy title. This year, playing in his last game, Johnson will look to spark his team to its third straight win over the Crimson. He currently leads the team with 73 receptions and has caught 12 of Lee's 17 touchdown throws.

Rounding off the Eli offensive arsenal is former All-Ivy running back Rasheed Bartholomew. Bartholomew, who perennially ranks atop the league in rushing statistics, enters tomorrow's contest averaging 139.1 yards per game and has rushed for nine touchdowns in nine games.

In contrast with Harvard's offense-by-committee approach, it is clear that Yale counts on three players, one at each of the offensive skill positions, to carry the team and put up points. Far from being an ominous sign, Yale's exclusive use of certain players may be a blessing in disguise for Harvard's defense, which has steadily improved all season.

For instance, the Crimson has been able to focus on shutting down the running game of its opponents this season. Harvard again leads the Ivy League in rushing defense, holding opponents to 111 yards a game.

The Crimson has also demonstrated its ability to shut down dominating running backs. Against Columbia, Harvard kept rushing leader Johnathan Reese under 100 yards for the game, becoming just the second team to accomplish that against the powerful Reese. Ideally, Harvard would pursue a similar strategy in limiting Bartholomew's impact.

"We've done a good job all season of stopping the run," Balestracci said. "If we can control the line [of scrimmage], then we force them to pass and they only have one option."

As Harvard's defense has begun to gel over the last few weeks, a couple of pleasant surprises stand out. First is the play of wide-receiver-turned-cornerback Andy Fried. Fried, a 5'11 junior who played last year on the offensive side of the ball, has contributed impressively to the Crimson "D." He is currently second on the team in both tackles (73) and interceptions (2).

But the real story for the Harvard defense is the player who leads Fried in both of those categories. Balestracci, the true freshman from nearby New Bedford, Mass., leads the Crimson in tackles (80) and interceptions (3). Last week against Penn, Balestracci broke the record of Isaiah Kacyvenski '00 for most tackles in a season by a rookie. For a team that lost its defensive leader in Kacyvenski last year, Balestracci has shown that he can step in and fill those big shoes.

All around, it should be a good tilt regardless of which team has the ball at any given time. With such evenly-matched teams, it is likely that The Game may come down to a field goal or other special teams play. This is a thought that should worry any Harvard fan.

This season, the Crimson placekicking has been deplorable. Freshman Robbie Wright and sophomore Anders Blewett have combined to go 3-for-12 in field goal tries, ranking Harvard last in the league.

In Harvard's only two Ivy losses, a converted field goal would have made the difference in the closing seconds and in the last two Games, converted field goals would have put Harvard on top. Perhaps the only consolation for Crimson fans is that the second worst placekicking team in the Ivy League will be on the other side of the ball tomorrow.

Ultimately, The Game isn't only about football. For each school, it is a brief moment in the spotlight, and for students it is another reason to be, as a Yale alum once put it, "youthful and irresponsible."

But most important for the players involved, it is a time of sincere emotion and focused intensity. Mike Clare will wear his Crimson uniform one last time tomorrow, and he described what he will be thinking about when that time comes.

"It's the last time I'll be able to suit up with 120 of the best guys that I know. Playing football at Harvard has been the best experience of my life," Clare said. "It'll be a sad day for the seniors on the team, but hopefully we can make it a good day and let our seniors go out with a bang."

And despite all of the question marks and uncertainties surrounding The Game tomorrow, one thing is clear.

For the 31,000 people lucky enough to witness the 117th playing of college football's most storied rivalry, there will be plenty of "bang" to go around.