Strong Harvard Eleven Meets Favored Yale In Seventieth Anniversary of Series Today

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 20--Probably the most confident underdog in recent years, the Harvard varsity football team, with a chance to tic for its first Big Three title in 13 years, went through a brisk pre-Yale workout in the Yale Bowl here today.

The Crimson hasn't beaten Yale in the Bowl since 1941; the oddsmakers give seven points that the Elis will win today; certain doubts surround the right arm of Captain Dick Clasby. But this is the seventieth anniversary of a rivalry which has no real favorites, and over 60,000 people should jam the Bowl at 1:30 p.m., many of them hoping to see the strongest Harvard team in six years display the sustained scoring power which it has flashed only occasionally this year.

Today it will face a once beaten, twice tied Yale team with a smooth offensive backfield which moves behind a mammoth line. It is a good Yale team, one which on its own performances rates a touchdown edge. But against a Harvard team which possesses a truly fine backfield, a constantly improving line, and 12 years of incentive, there should be no favorite. Certainly the Crimson, which hasn't been outplayed all season is a very imposing underdog.

Strong Crimson Line

Harvard has the East's best halfback in Clasby, a smashing fullback in John Culver, and a very accurate if very small passer in Carroll Lowenstein. And it also has an experienced line which has repelled all opposing attacks, stopping even Princeton's Homer Smith. One of the big reasons for the line's improvement guard Bill Meigs, was only a freshman standout last season; the last time Harvard won at New Haven he was in the second grade. Along with Meigs, guard Tim Anderson and center Jeff Coolidge have made the inside of the line particularly difficult to penetrate.

The Anniversary Supplement, celebrating 70 years of Harvard-Yale football, is included in today's CRIMSON.

Added to this very good football team is the bitterness which has been contained at Soldiers Field since last year's Yeager incident. The first opportunity for relief appears today, and the feeling is that Yale may well regret this afternoon not scoring its final 1952 point in a more conventional manner.

Only Two Men Out

A full autumn of hard work, long afternoon sessions and frequent disappointments goes on the line this afternoon for both teams. The Yale season started last Saturday. The Harvard season starts at 1:30 p.m. and most Crimson supporters hope it will last for three hours.

Physically, the Crimson is at its strongest point since early in the season. Only first string quarterbacks Bob Hardy and reserve guard Bill Frate are definitely out; the condition of Hardy's immediate successor Joe Conzelman is somewhat doubtful. But with Coolidge, a defensive standout all season, and two ends available, the Crimson will have more depth than recent games. At end, Bob Cochran, the team's best pass catcher who has been sidelined all season with a leg injury, and Harvey Popell, sick since Columbia, will both be ready to play.

For Yale, a last minute touchdown pass against Princeton Saturday ended both a six-year era of Big Three mediocrity, and some newer 1953 discouragements. Starting with the pro-season injury to Ed Eolloy and extending to disheartening ties with Cornell and Colgate, and an amazing 32 to 0 loss to Dartmouth, the Elis, picked as one of the East's best teams in August, had shown a disturbing fall impotence.

But they have also displayed a powerful defense and strong line. And against the Tigers, Jim Lopez, up to then a second string paser in a first string backfield, suddenly won a ball game. Since then Eli hopes have been high, and the new found confidence of Lopez, coupled with the probable return of Molloy, have made the task of sophomore coach Jordan Olivar a good deal easied. But no Yale manager will play today.

Various injury reports, ranging from Lopez's left hand to Olivar's ulcers have filtered out of New Haven in the great old Yale tradition. But medical reports and publicity man Charlie Loftus to the contrary, it is a reasonable assumption that most of the Yale team that started last week will start again today.

Culver, Clasby Bow Out

This will be the last time that Harvard football fans will watch Culver and Clasby play for the varsity. Starting as sophomores after the Crimson had won two games in two years, they have, as much as anyone, been responsible for bringing respect back to Harvard football. Clasby, a breakaway runner who always gets extra yardage, and Culver, who gained often by just knocking down opposing linemen, have never had outstanding days against Yale.

YALE--11, M. Armstrong (E); 12, Lopez (QB); 18, Molloy (QB); 19, Fortunate (HB); 20, Banks (HB); 21, Pruett (HB); 24, Poole (HB); 25, Buss (HB); 39, Jones (FB); 40, Morgan (HB); 42, Mathlas (FB); 50, Hopewell (C); 52, Coker (C); 55, Malloy (C); 60, Phillips (RG); 64, Beers (LG); 65, Golden (RG); 66, Buzzard (RG); 67, Hawkins (LG); 69, Johnson (RG); 70, Lovejoy (LT); 71, Shulman (LT); 73, Catlin (LT); 74, Tarasovic (LT); 75, Gallaway (RT); 77, Henderson (RT); 78, Koplow (LT); 80, Hansen (LE); 82, Campbell (RE); 84, Lemire (RE); 85, Scott (LE); 86, Schainman (LE); 87, Smith (LE); 88, Rene (RE); 89, Gilfillan (LE).

HARVARD--10, Lewis (HB); 12, White (HB); 14, Oehmler (HB); 15, Fyock (HB); 16, Cheek (HB); 21, Conzelman (QB); 23, Michelsen (QB); 30, Volmer (FB); 31, Messer (FB); Reynolds (FB); 33, MacDonald (FB); 41, Lowenstein (HB); 42, Murphy (HB); 43, Hoffmann (HB); 44, Crosby (HB); 50, Meyer (C); 51, Culbert (C); 52, Coon (C); 63, MacDowell (G); 65, Anthony G; 66, Caimi (G); 68, D. Wober (G); 69, Templeton (G); 71, Koch (RT); 72, Rosenthal (T); 73, Tice (LT); 74, Fremont-Smith (LT); 76, Pfahl (T); 77, Maher (RT); 79, Volkert (RT); 80, Cochran (LE); 81, Popell (RE); 82, Yoffe (LE); 84, Morrison (LE); 86, Clark (RE); 87, Armory (E).Read to open in the Bowl this afternoon is the backfield of FRANK WHITE, JERRY MARSH, JOHN CULVER, and DICK CLASBY and the line of JOE ROSS, ORVILLE TICE, BERNIE O'BRIEN, TIM ANDERSON, JEFF COOLIDGE, BILL MEIGS, and BILL WEBER.