Freshmen Edge Holy Cross, 7-6

"Congratulations on a lousy victory," Coach Henry Lamar told his freshman football team yesterday after they remained undefeated by edging winless Holy Cross 7-6 at Soldiers Field.

In one of the sloppiest exhibitions of offensive football at Harvard in recent years, the Crimson fumbled ten times, dropped almost as many passes, and did every possible thing wrong except lose.

The team spent most of the first quarter trading punts. Except for one Harvard drive that stalled at the Purple's ten yard line, neither team penetrated beyond the opposition's 40. The second period was played almost completely on Harvard's half of the field. Time after time the Crimson defense forced Holy Cross to give up the ball only to see the offense fumble it right back to the Purple on the next play.

After threatening for the whole period, Holy Cross finally managed to score on a wobbly 34-yard pass from quarterback Brian Flatley to fullback Ken Kluxen.

The Crimson looked no better in the third period, fumbling away two more scoring opportunities.

The game continued in this manner until the beginning of the last quarter. With ambidexterous quarterback John McCluskey directing the team, the Crimson offense began to move, and finally scored on a 25 yard pass from McCluskey to Leo Swift. Roger Noback booted the extra point, giving the Crimson the slim lead which it managed to hold for the rest of them game.

When the flasco was over, the Crimson showed no jubilation-only relief. "Pitifut," one player called the game. The coach gathered his boys together and warned them. "If we play that way against Yale, they'll murder us."