HARVARD WINS 18-14 TO CLINCH 2ND SPOT

A 46-yard touchdown dash by Bobby Leo broke up a close ball game and gave Harvard a victory over Yale at the Stadium today. The score was 18-14.

With Yale leading 14-12 late in the fourth period, the sophomore halfback took a handoff from John McCluskey and sped around right end. McCluskey gave him one block. Pete Hall eliminated Yale's corner man, and Leo outran three defenders, scoring untouched.

The score climaxed a 60-yard drive for Harvard, with Leo getting most of the yardage. Just before the scoring dash Leo had picked up a first down on a third-down play.

The victory gave Harvard second place in the Ivy League.

Yale's top rusher, fullback Chuck Mercein, dressed for the game but limped noticeably coming onto the field and did not start. Neither did Greg Weiss, a guard.

For Harvard, right tackle Joe Jurek and right guard Gene Skowronski did not start but both got into the game later. The Crimson's starting backfield was shuffled too, with Wally Grant moving to right half, Bobby Leo playing left half, and Stan Yastrzemski starting at fullback. Leo played with both the first and second teams on offense, while Dave Poe played almost exclusively on defense.

Lost Opportunity

Harvard lost a scoring opportunity early in the first quarter after Hiram Carey's punt traveled only to the Crimson 45.

A pass from John McCluskey to Paul Barringer, who leaped high to take it on the left sideline, put Harvard on the Yale 40. Two plays later, halfback Bobby Leo got behind Jim Groninger and was open at the five-yard line, but McCluskey threw short and Groninger intercepted for Yale.

The Crimson got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter after a 72-yard drive. Yastrzemski ate up 36 of them on bucks over the middle as John O'Brien, Dick Berdik, and Chuck Reischel cleared out the Yale line. A penalty set the Crimson back to the Yale 19 after Grant had picked up a crucial first down. But McCluskey fired a flare pass to Frank Ulcickas, who carried to the Yale six.

On the first play McCluskey sent Grant off left-tackle and the speedy halfback gained only a yard. Then McCluskey pitched out to Grant; the Crimson's right halfback moved outside left end, got key blocks from McCluskey and Ulcickas, and dived into the corner of the end zone. Maury Dullea's kick was wide and it was Harvard 6, Yale 0.

71-Yard Drive

The Elis came back to take the lead away, marching 71 yards as Ed McCarthy's passing ripped Harvard's defense apart. McCarthy started by throwing to Bill Henderson for a 24-yard gain to the Harvard 40. Two running plays later, McCarthy went to the air again and found his split end, Bunky Carter, wide open at the Harvard 15.

Henderson took it to the five in two carries for a first down. From there, Pete Cummings bowled over the middle to the three, and Dick Niglie burst through a huge hole at left tackle for the score that tied it.

Yale called on Bill Vance, a JV who had never place-kicked in varsity competition, to try the extra point. He made it and put Yale ahead, 7 to 6.

Pat Conway gave Harvard another chance to score by returning the kickoff to the Harvard 44. But the Crimson couldn't move and Jerry Mechling punted out of bounds at the Yale 19.

Guzzi Intercepts

McCarthy went back to the air, but with less success this time. His first pass, intended for Carter, went straight to Harvard halfback Paul Guzzi, who charged back to the Yale 34.

After one pass failed, McCluskey rolled out to his right, and raced 14 yards to the Yale 20. Grant got a first down at the seven, but an offensive penalty put Harvard back at the 12.

McCluskey sent Grant off-tackle to the right. Then he took it himself and charged around right end behind a huge wall of blockers. Yastrzesmki gave him the last block and he vaulted into the end zone for Harvard's second touchdown.

McCluskey liked the rollout so much he tried it again on the extra point, but this time Yale linemen closed in to stop him at the five. It was Harvard 12, Yale 7.

Punts and Fumbles

The Crimson couldn't stand the success, however. They forced Yale to punt; Carey fumbled the pass from center and then raced up the sideline for a gift first down. Again Yale was forced to punt. This time the kick was downed on the three, and on Harvard's first play, McCluskey fumbled the pass from center.

There were just 19 seconds left in the half when Yale's Chris Beutler recovered the ball at the Harvard seven. It took only six seconds for McCarthy to fade back and pass, notice a huge hole in the right side; and run seven yards for the score. Vance's perfect kick made it Yale 14, Harvard 12.

Both Harvard and Yale put together long drives during the third quarter, but neither could push over a score.

The Elis took the second-half kickoff and showed their best running form of the day. Cummings, Niglie, and McCarthy picked up big yardage around the Crimson's left side, where the limping Jurek was holding down the tackle position for Harvard.

Eli Drive Stalls

The Elis picked up four first downs, moving to Harvard's 17 on a draw play midway through the period. But there the drive stalled; three running plays netted only eight yards. On fourth down, McCarthy faded to pass, but Jim Driscoll hit him before he could do more than cock his arm, and John Hoffman smashed him down at the 13.

Harvard took over and Yastrzemski bowled through the middle for a 30-yard gain on the first play.

Bilodeau Takes Over

At this juncture, Tom Bilodeau took over at quarterback for the first time. Two running plays failed, but the Crimson found Grant open at the Yale 34 for a first down. It was Grant's 20th catch of the season, a new Harvard record.

Bilodeau tried three running plays, and on fourth down John Yovicsin sent in Dullea to try a 45-yard field goal. The wind was with him, and the kick was almost good; the ball bounced off the right upright just where the crossbar meets the upright.

Leo's tounchdown came with 12 minutes left in the game and gave Harvard an 18-14 lead. Once again, McCluskey disdained the kick and tried for two points, but Pat Conway's sprint around right end was stopped short of the goal line.

Harvard's line play was outstanding all day, but it reached its peak when Yale got the ball again. Barrett and Reischel slammed Eli's ball-carriers down with short gains, and the Elis were forced to punt.

The Crimson got one first down, but Leo was stopped short of another. Mechling's punt was rolling dead on the 30 when a Yale man was detected clipping, and the ball went back inside the Yale 20.

Now McCarthy went back to the air and found Bob Kenney wide open at midfield. But Guzzi, playing his bset game at corner linebacker, charged up, wrapped his arms around the ball, and pulled it away from Yale's end before Kenney had run five yards.

The ball rolled only to the Yale 27, but a holding penalty put the Elis even deeper into their own territory and out of scoring range.