Harvard Turnovers Give Yale 34-24 Win in 117th Meeting

For the past two years, the only consistency the Harvard football team has maintained is its ability to let games slip out of its fingers.

And it happened again Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 30,898 at Harvard Stadium.

A combination of seven Crimson turnovers, a tough Eli defense and the spectacular play of Yale senior wide receiver Eric Johnson sealed the 34-24 win for Yale in the 117th playing of The Game.

Although junior quarterback Neil Rose, sophomore wideout Carl Morris and senior tailback Chuck Nwokocha set school records during the afternoon, Harvard was unable to capitalize on its offensive feats. Even a 94-yard kickoff return by Nwokocha at the start of the second quarter could not preclude Harvard's second-half woes.

Nwkocha's touchdown set a Game record for the longest kickoff return for a touchdown.

"It was a frustrating loss," Harvard Coach Tim Murphy said. "We were not able to finish things off. We have got to be able to develop a killer instinct."

In the middle of the fourth quarter, with Harvard up 24-17, Yale stopped a Crimson drive deep in Harvard territory and regained possession of the ball on its own 47-yard line. Their ensuing drive would culminate in a spectacular touchdown catch by Johnson and the beginning of the end for the Crimson.

On second-and-6, Yale junior quarterback Peter Lee, who completed 25-of-37 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown, threw as he was hit by Harvard junior defensive end Marc Laborsky. Johnson made the reception over the middle for a long gain to the Harvard 36-yard line. A Lee scramble brought the ball to the 14-yard line and a couple rushes by senior Rashad Bartholomew, who had 123 yards on the day, advanced the Bulldogs to the 8.

Harvard called a timeout to set up its defense before the next play. Whatever the Crimson discussed in the timeout, it didn't work.

Lee dropped back to pass and saw Johnson running a slant route into the end zone. Lee threw the pass to Johnson high and to his left. In what was the most impressive play of The Game, Johnson tipped Lee's pass to himself with his left hand before grabbing it with his right hand just before he went out of the back of the end zone.

Johnson's improbable catch tied the score at 24 with 8:35 to go in The Game.

"Johnson is just a spectacular player," Yale Coach Jack Siedlecki said. "We laugh everyday in practice because he makes catches like that every day."

The Crimson tried to respond with its potent passing offense. However, Rose, who set the Crimson's single season touchdown record, was pressured on every down. On third down, his pass floated in the air too long and junior free safety Ryan LoProto picked off the pass.

In fact, every subsequent Crimson drive would end in a turnover, making it only a matter of time before the Elis took the lead, and they wasted no time.

"You have to give credit to Yale," Murphy said. "They have a fast, athletic defense and they forced turnovers."

Yale took over at Harvard's 44-yard line. On first down, junior defensive tackle Ryan Fitzgerald sacked Lee for a three-yard loss.

Bartholomew rushed up the middle on the next play for a gain of five yards. Lee then found McNamara for a gain of almost five yards that set up fourth down-and-inches at Harvard's 34-yard line. Bartholomew took the ball on an inside run and gained one yard to secure an Eli first down.

The Crimson defense would eventually halt the Bulldogs at the 21, but Yale senior kicker Mike Murawczyk made a 34-yard field goal to put the Elis up 27-24 with 4:31left in The Game.

Harvard again tried to respond through the air and Rose operated from the shotgun with trips to his right and found junior receiver Sam Taylor on a slant at the 50-yard line.

But on the next play, Rose threw a pass down the sideline, but the ball was picked off by junior cornerback Ray Littleton, who returned the ball down to the Harvard 10-yard line before he was pushed out of bounds by Rose.

"I was a curl defender on that play," Littleton said. "They ran double slants, the quarterback didn't like the inside guy and didn't see me, so the ball came right to me."

The Harvard line held for two plays, but on third-and-goal from the 6, Bartholomew took the ball on a run off the left side untouched into the end zone. His run made the score 34-24 with three minutes remaining. With the extra point, Murawczyk became the all-time leading scorer for Yale.

Harvard then took over for one last drive from the 6. On first down, Rose found Taylor at the 23-yard line for a first down. Two plays gained Harvard just one yard and on third-and-10, Rose threw for sophomore wide receiver Carl Morris, who set the single-season record for completions this year, but Rose missed him, and the ball fell incomplete.

On fourth-and-10 at the 24, Rose tried to force a pass down the field, but it was intercepted by senior strong safety Than Merrill at the Harvard 39 with 2:10 to go.

"It's my job to make sure the offense didn't get too over extended," Murphy said. "The turnovers were not for lack of effort and I need to work with my players next year on improving ball security."

Harvard would get the ball back one more time in The Game, but possession was to little avail. Yale took full advantage of the Crimson's turnovers to rattle off 17 unanswered points in capturing its third straight Game. The win now gives the Elis the all-time edge in the series, 64-45-8.

"We just had kids make plays in coverage," Siedlecki said. "The wind was a big factor out there. We took a bit of a gamble, we made the decision to give them the wind [at their backs] in the third [quarter] and challenged our defense to hang tough."

Obviously, this was a gamble that paid off for Yale. Murphy denied that the wind was a factor in The Game, despite the fact that Rose's passes seemed to hang in the air longer when he was throwing into the wind in the fourth quarter.

"The wind wasn't a big factor," Murphy said. "If you're down in the middle of Harvard stadium, the direction changes, it swirls. Our guys didn't think it was a big factor."

Yale's defense was able to step up and shut down the Harvard offense throughout the third quarter. Though Harvard was able to get in the red zone on a couple drives in the third, the Crimson came up with no points in the quarter.

On Yale's opening drive of the quarter, Lee found Bartholomew on a middle screen for a gain of seven yards. On second down, Bartholomew ran for a loss of two through the middle of the Harvard defense. Lee then completed a pass to McNamara two yards short of the marker, which forced a Yale to punt.

On Yale's first play, Lee dropped back to pass, stayed in the pocket, but when he tried to scramble, R.D. Kern hit him hard.

On second-and-10, Fitzgerald sacked Lee. On third-and-13, Lee found McNamara on a drag route. Harvard blitzed on the play, but failed to put any pressure on the quarterback.

Bartholomew carried on the next play to the left side for a gain of one.

On the next play, Lee passed to Johnson, who was hit hard and fumbled directly into the hands of Harvard cornerback Andy Fried, who returned the ball to the Yale 15-yard line.

The first play of Harvard's second drive was a swing pass to Palazzo from Rose, which fell short. On second down, a slant pass to Morris was incomplete, as the ball was thrown well behind him.

On third-and-10, Rose found sophomore wide receiver Dan Farley on a hook route after Rose eluded the rush of three Yale players who chased him out of the pocket.

Rose kept the ball on the scramble and ran to the Yale six-yard line on fourth down, one yard short of the first down.

Yale took over on downs and gave the ball to Bartholomew, who was stuffed by the interior of the Harvard defense on the first play of the next drive.

Lee then dropped back, faked the play action to Bartholomew, then rolled to his right and kept the ball, gaining three yards, even though junior fullback Tim Keppel was uncovered down the sideline.

On third-and-6, Harvard was called for an offside penalty, which gave Yale a free five yards and a third-and-1 situation. Lee dropped back and threw the ball to the 37 on a short out route for the first down.

Bartholomew ran up the middle on the next play for no gain. With second down and nine yards to go, Yale lined up in a five-receiver set and ran a middle-screen play to Johnson that gained 20 yards. On the ensuing play, Johnson caught the ball on a slant route for nine yards.

Bartholomew again took the ball up the middle and again got stuffed. On third down with one yard to go, Yale ran a naked bootleg to the left and Lee found senior tight end Jeff Ditman for the first down on an out pattern.

On first-and-10 from the Harvard 30, Johnson caught a screen pass that gained three yards.

On second-and-7, Bartholomew ran untouched through the right side of the Yale offensive line and sprinted past the Harvard defense for a 27-yard score.

On the kickoff to start the next half, Yale squibbed the kick to the Harvard 35-yard line. On first-and-10, Harvard was called for a false start. On first-and-15 from the 30, Rose pitched to Leiszler on an option to the right that gained eight yards.

On the next play, second down with eight yards to go, Leiszler gained eight yards off the left side. Leiszler then picked up the first down on third-and-short with a tough run behind captain Mike Clare to end the first quarter.

On first-and-10 from the Harvard 47-yard line, Leiszler ran for a loss of two. Harvard then came out with four wide receivers and passed the ball on a wide receiver swing pass, which gained five yards.

On third-and-7, Rose dashed through the middle of the Yale defense on a quarterback draw that just barely picked up the first down.

On first-and-10, Rose found Nwokocha on a deep post. On the next play, Rose found Morris on an identical deep post to bring the ball down to Yale's 7-yard line.

Leiszler was stopped quickly on first and goal, but Rose found Morris for a score on second down. Morris, who was running a wide receiver screen, ran untouched into the end zone. With freshman kicker Robbie Wright securing the extra point, the score was tied with 11:48 to go in The Game.

On the kickoff after the score, Harvard squibbed the ball to the Yale 37-yard line, where the Eli offense took over.

Bartholomew ran off tackle to the right for a gain of to Harvard's 40-yard line.

On the next play, Lee found Ditman in the flat for a gain of four yards. Yale then gave the ball back to Bartholomew, who took the ball down to the Harvard 25 off the Yale left side, eluding several would-be Crimson tacklers.

Bartholomew ran again over the left side on the next play for a gain of three yards. Lee dropped back to pass on second-and-7 and found Johnson who took the ball to the Harvard 11-yard line. Bartholomew ran on first and ten to gain one yard on the play.

Lee dropped back to pass on second-and-9, but not liking his options downfield, took off running and got to the Harvard 6.

On third-and-4, Lee found McNamara, who took the ball to within inches of the first down marker. On fourth-and-inches at the 1, Lee faked the ball to Bartholomew up the middle, the rolled to his left and found Johnson who was running an out route in the back of the end zone. With the pass, Lee put Yale up 14-7 with 8:19 to go in The Game.