Crimson's Will-to-Win Pays Off With 19 to 14 Merriwell Victory

Well illustrating the proverb that "a team which won't be beaten can't be beaten," Harvard's football team broke into the win column last Saturday with a stunning victory that jarred 25,000 spectators to their feet and far offset the four previous defeats suffered by the Crimson this season. More than that, the 19 to 14 triumph was a tribute to the spirit of the team and to the coaching skill of Dick Harlow.

When loss after loss was ticked off in the games preceding that with the Tigers, there were those who complained of the Sunday and Monday morning stories which usually said, in effect, "The visitors won, but the Crimson showed lots of fight and Harlow is still a good coach."

Last Saturday, however, those who criticized such stories as dribble and cried for something more than "a moral victory," got what they were yelling for, but it was pure fight and a refusal to know when it was licked that gave the Crimson the most thrilling victory seen around here in many years.

In addition to unbeatable spirit, however, it was also the skill of oologist Harlow that produced the last-second winning touchdown. The Crimson coach noticed that Princeton was playing a six, three, two man defense in which the line and the secondary rushed the ball handler in order to hamper Harvard's passing attack.

Time to Charge

As a matter of fact, Harlow's attack was perfectly suited to this type of defense, for the fullback would usually take the ball, spin, and then hand it to the tailback who would throw the pass. The fact that two players handled the ball gave the hard charging Princeton line plenty of time to hurry the passer.

Harlow, therefore, changed his tactics. Instead of the fullback taking the ball, it was immediately snapped back to the passer, thus giving him more time to toss the aerial. At the same time, Harlow sent out three men deep into Princeton territory, and the Tiger defense was such that there were only two defenders to cover three receivers. The success of this strategy was demonstrated in the last 25 seconds of play.

The usually staid and cynical press box went completely mad when Gordy Lyle caught Jack Comeford's pass . . . Vern Miller, last year's left tackle and now a columnist on the Boston Globe, was so excited that he nearly fell off his perch which was precarious at best.

Harvard paid a fairly small price for its victory as far as injuries are concerned . . . Leo Flynn suffered a leg injury, Steve Mallett received two stitches for a lacerated lip, and Charley Gudaitis acquired a lacerated eyebrow.

Harlow's teams were supposed to click in November . . . This year Dick was one day ahead of himself, for the Crimson certainly clicked last Saturday, October 31