NOTEBOOK: Last-Minute Touchdown Propels Football to Historic Victory

The 131st edition of The Game had it all. From championship implications to a late comeback to dramatic, pressure-packed moments, the 31,062 fans that crammed into Harvard Stadium on Saturday afternoon were treated to a historic affair.

As Harvard fans stormed the field after the final whistle blew, Crimson players celebrated knowing they had secured an undefeated season, sole possession of the Ivy League title, and a 31-24 victory in one of the most thrilling Games in recent memory. And its most enduring image came with under a minute to go.

Let me briefly set the stage. Harvard (10-0, 7-0 Ivy) was sitting pretty at the beginning of the fourth quarter, leading its archrival, 24-7. But Yale (8-2, 5-2) rattled off 17 straight points to tie the game and silence a previously boisterous Harvard crowd.

The Crimson offense took over possession and utilized runs from junior Paul Stanton and short completions from senior quarterback Conner Hempel to march to the Yale 35 with exactly a minute left.

That’s when junior wide receiver Andrew Fischer stepped up.

On first-and-10, Hempel dropped back to pass. Lined up to the right, Fischer burst off the line and ran a slant-and-go route. According to Hempel, the Crimson offense had relied on slants over the middle all game. When Fischer broke vertical on the double move, Bulldogs defensive back Dale Harris bit.

By Robert F Worley

Hempel lofted a high throw down the right sideline. While the quarterback had underthrown deep receivers on multiple occasions earlier in the game, this pass was right on the money. Fischer reeled it in despite a diving effort from Harris and leapt into the promised land for the 35-yard score.

Fischer ran around the end zone until his teammates caught him to join the celebration. Hempel leapt into the arms of senior lineman Anthony Fabiano. The Crimson bench nearly exploded off the sideline. While Harvard fans rejoiced, Yale supporters stood utterly shocked.

In just five seconds, Harvard had taken a 31-24 lead it would not relinquish—and had provided fans with a highlight to be watched for years to come.

“It was a great play,” Fischer said. “There was no doubt in our minds that we were going to go out and execute.”

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK

Although the Crimson found itself trailing at halftime, 7-3, the home team finally began to light up the scoreboard in the third quarter. In 15 minutes, Harvard scored three touchdowns to finally create separation from the Bulldogs.

Faced with a 24-7 deficit to begin the fourth quarter, Yale coach Tony Reno gathered his entire team. With his players on a knee and Reno in the center, the coach attempted to inject some energy in a Yale squad that been held scoreless for two straight quarters.

“Team 142 is a very resilient group,” Reno said. “We don’t quit. This team doesn’t quit, and this team never will quit. I brought them all together and reminded them of who they are.”

Entering Saturday’s game, Yale’s offense ranked first in the Ivy League with an average of 43 points scored per contest. While the FCS-best Harvard defense had clamped down on its archrival thus far, the Bulldog attack finally came to life with three consecutive touchdown drives.

Yale needed less than three minutes to march 79 yards down the field as the fourth quarter began. After a diving, 38-yard reception by Mike Siragusa brought Yale to the one-yard line, it took senior running back Tyler Varga just a single play to bust into the end zone.

Down just ten points now, the momentum continued to drift in the direction of the blue-and-white when the Crimson racked up 25 yards of penalties on the ensuing offensive possession. After a 14-yard punt resulted in great field position for Yale, a Roberts pass found Varga for the senior’s third touchdown of the afternoon.

Clinging to a three-point lead with eight minutes to go, the pressure now fell on Harvard to grind down the clock. But on the second play of the Crimson drive, Stanton bobbled a Hempel handoff for his second lost fumble of the game. A few minutes later, the Bulldogs tied the game with a 33-yard field goal.

After Fischer’s dramatic touchdown, Yale had one last chance to mount another potential game-tying drive. But an errant Roberts pass instead landed in the outstretched arms of junior safety Scott Peters. In the end, the Crimson defense had the last word.

A GAME FOR THE AGES

The Harvard offense may have provided the lasting images for Saturday’s national audience, but the defense that carried the team all year long showed up as well.

Yale’s 24 points scored marked the team’s lowest total of the entire season. The Crimson defense bent throughout the game, but it never broke.

By Robert F Worley

Senior linebacker Connor Sheehan’s 90-yard interception return marked his third pick-six of the season, along with an all-time program record. Harvard career sacks leader Zack Hodges added another two to his impressive ledger.

“We’re the best defense in the country, and we’ll graduate being the best defense in the country,” Hodges said.

The victory capped a historic season for Harvard football. In addition to an outright Ivy League title, the Crimson achieved its third undefeated season in the past century along with eight consecutive victories over Yale. For Harvard, there couldn’t have been a better way to go out.

—Staff writer David Steinbach can be reached at david.steinbach@thecrimson.com.