Harvard Triumphs Over Bulldogs, 14-12, Will Share Second Place in Ivy League

Supenb pass defense and an excellent substitute performance by Eric Crone pushed Harvard to an astounding 14-12 upset over Yale to give the Crimson a second place tie with Yale in the Ivy League standings.

After a scoreless first period, Harvard scored two second-period touchdowns and never trailed thereafter.

Both Harvard and Yale ended their seasons with 7 and 2 records.

Dartmouth won the Ivy League title today b dumping Pennsylvania.

The Harvard victor enabled John Yovicsin to achieve his third-best record as Crimson coach. Only his 8-0-1 in 1968 and his 8-1 in 1966 were better.

The wind was blowing steadily from the northwest at 25 m. p. h. with gusts of 35 m. p. h. Harvard coach John Yovicsin tested the wind just before game time by throwing a clump of grass into the air. After swirling around his head seven times, the grass blew up into the colonnade.

The passing and kicking games of both teams were severely hampered by the wind, which added another headache to Eric Crone's already congested nervous system.

Yale won the toss, but elected to kick and take the wind. The kickoff was short and fullback Tom Miller brought it out to the 32-yard line.

On the second play from scrimmage, Crone fumbled the snap from center at the 34-yard line, and after the ball slipped away from halfback Ted DeMars, Yale recovered.

The defense held, and on fourth-and seven place kicker Harry Klebanoff missed a field goal from the 38.

The two teams fumbled four times in the first six minutes of play, and the Crimson got a break when Mark Steiner recovered a stray pitchout from Joe Massey to tailback Don Martin.

Crone went directly at Yale's strength-the middle of their defensive line. With DeMars and Miller alternating on solid gains, the Crimson drove to the Yale 40. On fourth-and-ten., Richie Szaro punted and the ball went dead on the Yale nine.

The teams exchanged punts once more and the first quarter ended with Harvard driving from their own 41-yard line.

A short, partially blocked Yale punt gave Harvard excellent field position on the Yale 32 at the beginning of the second quarter. Crone completed his first pass of the game to Bruce Freeman on a crucial third-and-eight to give the Crimson a first down on the 20. Crone again responded to third-down pressure as he hit Freeman on the Yale 7.

On the next play, Crone faked beautifully to Miller up the middle, and flipped a swing pass to DeMars, who was all alone in the flat. DeMars walked into the end zone, and Harvard led, 7-0, after Richie Szaro booted the extra point with about ten and a half minutes to go in the half.

Yale finally picked up their first down of the game after the kickoff, and Dick Jauron broke a 25-yard run to give Yale good field position on the Crimson's 44.

Harvard's Spencer Dreisharf halted the Eli drive on the next play by recovering Don Martin's fumble. After a brief Harvard drive had stalled at midfield, Szaro boomed a 46-yard punt to put the Elis in a hole at their own four.

A good Yale punt and a clipping penalty gave the Crimson the ball on their own 45. Scrambling and rolling out, Crone moved the Crimson to the Yale 28.

Teddy DeMars then broke loose to the Eli seven, and Crone finished off the drive by skirting left end for the touchdown. Yale alumni sat stunned as they saw their once-beaten team go behind by 14 on Richie Szaro's PAT with less than two minutes remaining in the half.

The Crimson received again in the second half, and Crone drove them to the Harvard 40 before on off-sides penalty stalled the drive. On fourth-and-seven, Szaro's punt was partially blocked and Yale recovered on the Harvard 39.

But the defense, which had played so beautifully throughout the first half, rose to the occasion, and forced a Yale punt. Despite a low snap from center, Eli Jim Nottingham just got the kick off and it was downed on the Crimson two.

Harvard escaped the fix when Szaro punted the Crimson 45 after Crone came up inches short on a third-and-six rollout. A personal foul gave Yale a first down at the 26. But the defense smothered Martin on an attempted sweep.

An offensive interference penalty pushed the Elis back and on fourth down, dropped the snap from center. After a mad scramble, the Crimson's Wes Shofner recovered at the Yale 47.

Harvard gambled on fourth-and-three from the 39 and came up short. On the next play, Martin shot off right tackle for 62 yards and a touchdown. Klebanoff added the extra point, Yale narrowing the gap to 14-7 with 5:46 left in the third quarter.

From their own 15, the Crimson went nowhere and Szaro punted once more to the Yale 45.

Yale got a colossal break when Rich Gatto was speared after catching an Eli punt three plays later and fumbled and the Harvard 18. But the defense held again, and Klebanoff rew a field goal from the 23 to make the score 14-10.

An onside kick was covered by Pete Varney at the Crimson 45, and Crone began a drive into Eli territory as the third quarter ended.

The Crimson drive ended on the Yale 35 as Bruce Freeman dropped a third-down pass and Riichie Szaro's field goal attempt fell short.

Yale set up the Crimson again on fumble recover by Rick Frisbie. Crone immediately started moving the team, hitting DeMars and Bill Craven for successive first downs.

An off-side put the ball on the three, but Bruce Freeman dropped an easy touchdown pass and Harvard was forced to go for the field goal. Szaro's wobbly kick bounced of the goal post, and the Elis survived the threat.

As the clock ran out, Eric Crone was bumped in the end zone for a safety.