Crimson Beat Crusaders On Ground Plays

Harvard's 22 to 14 victory over Holy Cross here Saturday was like a good western. It got fairly exciting at times, but somehow you felt everything would come out all right in the end.

This was primarily because the Crusader linemen were as slow as they were big and because the Crimson was really pounding for the first time this season.

Now that the team's timing has been improved and certain key men have recovered from injuries, Art Valpey's plan was to stick to the ground and give his men a chance to "bite." This means that linemen charge their men with extra drive, that backs hit the line a little harder, that everybody gets bumped up a little.

This sort of attack wasn't practical before Saturday but as Valpey said after the game: "You have to pound to win your bread-and-butter games." That's why the spectators weren't treated to a more diversified Harvard offense--the Crimson threw only 11 passes.

West and Roche gained approximately three-fourths of Harvard's rushing yard-age and played a great deal of defense as well. In the line, Valpey singled out Houston, whose ability to go defensively helped considerably, and Stretch Mazzone, who also went both ways for a long time.

Charlie Walsh made a good showing on defense and Paul Shafer, though he only appeared in a few plays, picked up some valuable ground. Valpey rated Shafer and West even.

Towards the end of the game, Valpey employed a helter-skelter "desperation defense," in which one of the guards drops back just before the ball is snapped. The defensive team thus gambles on letting the opposition complete a few short passes; it also has the option of running the ball, but either way the clock keeps running. Naturally, you don't do this when you're behind.

The timing problem is still a reasonably acute one. Although Harvard worked with more precision Saturday than it did a week ago against Dartmouth, the mistakes were less noticeable because Holy Cross was a far slower team.

Behind the meaty linemen, the Crusaders had some fleet backs in Mel Massucco and Johnny Turco, but while they looked great on some plays, they generally did not click as their coach figured they would. The Cross backfield was predominantly sophomore, and subject to the fallibility's thereof. Moreover, the Crusaders hadn't faced a single wing team yet this fall.

But despite the failings of the Holy Cross team, it was good to win, for in the remaining three games Harvard can turn into a mediocre season what started out as a disastrous one.

While people were still moving out of the Stadium Saturday, somebody wrote on the blackboard in the squad's dressing room last year's Princeton score, followed by "Here's where we repay our lumps."JOHNNY WEST is hoisted off his feet by JIM DEFFLEY, as Co-Captain TOM KELLEHER comes up for insurance.