A Sophomore Writes His Own Story--Almost

PRINCETON, N.J.--That's why they're called story-book finishes. Miracles only happen in stories. And at Notre Dame.

So Harvard discovered Saturday afternoon, when a fifth-string sophomore quarterback made his first varsity appearance with 3:12 remaining in the game and the Crimson behind, 7-3.

Coach Joe Restic knew it would be Harvard's last chance to score, and as he said afterwards, "I wanted to give Donnie Allard a chance." With his top three quarterbacks out with injuries and his number four man unable to put the ball across in more than three-and-a-half quarters of play, the coach made the dramatic move to the untested sophomore.

"Anybody would be nervous," the Winchester native said of his debut. "But as soon as that ball snapped into my hands, all the butterflies left."

It seemed that way when Allard took over at his own 38 yd. line. Everyone in the Palmer Stadium knew he would have to put the ball in the air, and the Princeton defense adjusted accordingly. Both linebackers had dropped ten to 15 yds. off the line, limiting the opportunities for the long ball. Allard had to pass nonetheless.

After a straight drop back, the pocket soon evaporated and Allard had to run for his life. Poised and alert, he found a whole to the left side and slithered for seven yards.

An illegal motion penalty (the Official Penalty of the Multiflex) and an incompletion later, Allard was faced with third and eight from his 40. He then looked to someone he had seen many times before--but under considerably different circumstances.

All last spring, Allard stood among the dynamite freshmen that helped spark the Harvard baseball team to an Eastern League championship. He started in left field; the right fielder was Chuck Marshall, whom Restic had just brought in to play tight end. The usual first-stringer, Marshall had played only two plays during the previous three quarters because Restic and offensive coach Al Bruno had decided to go with their two biggest tight ends to aid the flourishing running attack in the heavy weather.

But when Allard came in to throw the ball, Marshall joined him. Marshall said yesterday, "I knew from baseball how competitive and totally in control of himself Donnie is." And in that crucial third and eight, Allard found Marshall with a perfect aerial over the middle to a seam in the zone, and the Crimson had a 21-yd. gain at the Princeton 39.

Then with 1:55 showing, Allard missed on two straight passes and he was looking at third and long again. This time he found no one open. The Tiger line converged on him and tackle Steve Hart grabbed a piece of his jersey. Allard escaped, however, picked up a block from Mike Durgin and set off crossfield.

"I saw I had some blockers and one man to beat, but I just couldn't pick up the block," a disappointed Allard said, but others were impressed at the run that gave Harvard a first and ten at the Princeton 23 with 1:31 remaining. Princeton coach Frank Navarro said, "We were marvelling at how well he was running."

Alas, the miracle comeback story ends there. Twice this season in junior varsity games Allard had been able to bring the Crimson back to victory late in the game, but not Saturday with the big boys.

The young quarterback went to the endzone three times in his next four passes, but the Princeton prevent defense proved resilient and the Harvard hopes for victory lay drowned amidst the muddy brown turf.