Holy Cross Eleven Smashes '54 Football Squad by 40-0

A rough, hard-hitting Holy Cross team ran through and over the freshman eleven Saturday, walloping the Yardlings 40 to 0. The freshmen have now lost four straight, after a season-opening win.

The Yardlings ran and passed fairly well, but their blocking was light, and their tackling ineffective. High grabs and and one-arm stabs were common, and it usually took two or three men to down the Holy Cross ball-carrier.

Three of the Purple scores resulted from long runs. On each of these, at least two groups of tacklers had clear shots at the runner, but no one could hold him. After the first few plays, the Holy Cross backs would wait for the shoulder tackle, then spin out of the arms of the tackler.

Poor Start

The freshmen got off to a poor start, as Cross quarterback Don Jolie flipped a 25-yard touchdown pass to Pete Biocca less than a minute after the game started.

On the next series of downs, the Yardlings fumbled and Holy Cross recovered. Jolie faded to pass on the first play, but linebacker John Culver broke through, batted the pass in the air, stepped around Jolie, and caught the ball before it hit the ground. He then ran 56 yards for the apparent tying touchdown.

But the referee, thinking the ball had been downed, blew his whistle and ruled as incomplete pass. Upon conferring with the other officials, he then awarded the ball to Harvard, but refused to allow the touchdown, claiming that the play had stopped before Culver could score.

The disheartened Yardlings yielded another score when Howie Nolan, back to pass, could find no receiver, so ran 43 yards for a score. Chick Murphy counted the next two Purple scores, one on an 80-yard punt return, the other on a 77-yard end run. Two long passes by Nolan set up the final scores, in the third and fourth quarters.

To add to the Yardlings' woes, fullback Warren O'Donnell left the game just before the half with a shoulder injury. O'Donnell's running had spearheaded the freshman attack until he was hurt.

About the only cheering items for the Yardlings were O'Donnell's hard running and the rushing of Captain Dick Clasby. But Clasby's passing was limited by his bad finger, so the Yardlings lost their best offensive weapon. He completed only two long passes all afternoon. On one, end Harvey Popell made a brilliant catch; the other was ruled complete because of interference.