Black Knights MX Gridders, 27-13

Army's star running back Gerald Walker ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cadets to a 27-13 victory over Harvard at Soldiers Field this afternoon.

Despite an effective pass rush that negated the Army aerial attack, the Crimson defense was unable to shut down the Cadet's offense, which amassed over 300 yards in total offense on the day.

Army took a 10-6 advantage into the clubhouse at halftime, but it was in the second half that Walker began to strut his stuff, gaining more than 100 of his yards after intermission.

Harvard, now 1-2, was not out-classed by the favored Cadets, but rather could not stop the tailback, who burned Brown for 170 yards last weekend.

The Army victory revenged last year's 15-10 Crimson triumph, the first meeting of the teams in 29 years. After the contest ended, the 1300 Cadets that made the trip from West Point stood at attention as the United States Military Academy band played the Army alma mater.

Harvard scored first on a remarkable drive early in the first quarter. After a pair of unsuccessful possessions by both teams, the Crimson's Joe Margolis recovered a Warren Waldorff fumble, and the gridders took over for the third time on their own 23.

Workhorse fullback Jim Callinan started the drive off, bumping over the right side for six yards. With Harvard in a second-and-13 situation on the 30, courtesy of a holding call, Ron Cuccia hit Paul Scheper at the yard-stick for a first down.

The following play was probably the most unusual of the afternoon. Cuccia took the snap and turned to roll left. On his second step across the field, the ball squirted loose, hit the quarterback's knee and bounded toward the sideline, some 25 feet away.

Pursued by a trio of Cadets, Cuccia picked up the bouncing ball, transferred it to his left hand and hit Scheper, cutting to the outside nine yards upfield, with a southpaw fling. Halfback Jim Acheson then bolted through a hole to the left of center John Francis for a first down.

On the next play, Cuccia showed he can throw a fine conventional pass as well, hitting flanker Steve Bianucci from the pocket for a 41-yard gain down to the three. Acheson hit paydirt on the next play, but Jim Villanueva missed the PAT, and the Crimson took a 6-0 lead.

That lasted until the Cadets put together a 15-play ball-control drive that used up six-and-a-half minutes of first-half time. Army took over on its own 20 after a Villanueva punt had reached the end zone for a touchback with 1:06 left in the first quarter.

With starting sophomore quarterback Bryan Allem replaced in favor of senior Jerryl Bennett, the visitors started to move. Gerald Walker carried twice for a first down, a Harvard facemask penalty meant another first down, and Bennett hit freshman Jarvis Hollingsworth for eight more yards as the first quarter ended.

Then it was Walker to the Crimson 41 and another first down, and Bennett for five, and--after an incomplete pass--three more, setting up a fourth-and-two deep in Harvard territory.

Army coach Ed Cavanaugh elected to go for the first down, and his decision was justified when half the Crimson defense jumped offside on a long count to give the Cadets a first and ten at the Crimson 28.

A screen pass to Waldorff gained eight, and Bennett carried for a first down to the 18.

The Harvard defense tightened--Andy Nolan stopping Bennett after a one-yard gain, then a gang of tacklers holding Walker to four on second down--and after Walker carried to the ten on third down, Army was faced with its second fourth down of the drive.

Again, Cavanaugh chose to go for it, and again a Crimson penalty rewarded the Cadets with a first down, although Waldorff had juked for four even without the personal-foul call that moved the ball to the three. From there, it was a simple matter for Walker to run around end and tie the score. Dave Aucoin made it look even simpler, converting the PAT and putting Army ahead, 7-6.

After Scott McCabe fumbled away the ensuing kickoff on the Harvard 34, Aucoin booted a 47-yard field goal for a 10-6 lead that held up through halftime.

Harvard ate up yardage on the ground on its first possession of the second half, with Acheson galloping to a ten-yard gain and a first down.

The Crimson had only converted on one of six third downs in the first half, but on a third and three at the Army 38, Callinan fought his way for nine yards to rejuvenate the drive.

Three plays later, Cuccia continued the ground assault by sprinting for a 13-yard gain on a third and four to give the Crimson a first and ten from just outside the ten yard line.

Harvard took back the lead on the next play, as Cuccia rolled right and hit Scheper in the end zone with the first pass of the drive. Villanueva drilled this PAT home for a 13-10 lead.

The Crimson continued to dominate the third quarter, forcing Army to punt from deep in its own territory. But a 53-yard punt by Army's Joe Sartiano put the ball solidly into Harvard territory, and another fumble on the runback--this time by John Daley--gave the Cadets the ball back.

Army got the ball back after an abortive Harvard drive, but appeared to stall on its own 22 in a third-and-13 situation. Allem--who had replaced Bennett on the last possession of the first half--then threw a 25-yard pass to midfield, where split end Al Wynder and Harvard defensive back Rocky Delgadillo both got a hand on it.

Wynder wrestled the ball from Delgadillo and broke free, romping all the way to the five where he was finally dragged down from behind by Chris Myers. Two plays later Allem dove in for the score and Aucoin's extra point put the Point up by seven with under a minute left in the third quarter.

Harvard moved goalward aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty on Army's Kevin Dodson and a 12-yard run by Acheson. But offsetting penalties (roughing the passer on Dodson; ineligible receiver downfield on Harvard) muted the threat, and Villanueva punted into the end zone with ten minutes left.

Again the defense held, with Joe Azelby and Pat Fleming stopping Walker on second and seven, and good pressure forcing Allem to throw incomplete on third down. Sartiano punted to McCabe at the Crimson 20 and Cuccia took over with eight-plus minutes left in the ballgame.

Two plays later, Cuccia almost connected with Scheper for a long gain over the middle, but Cadet strong safety Joe Hampton jolted the senior split end as he reached high for the ball, and again Villanueva had to punt it away.

And this time, Army rolled. It was Walker, Walker, and Walker again all the way to the Crimson 30, and then again through a gaping hole to the 16. As the clock ticked to under four minutes, Walker burrowed to the eight, where Army faced a key third and three.

None of the estimated 16,000 in attendance at Harvard Stadium were surprised when Walker took the ball in on the run for his fourth touchdown of the year, to give Army a 26-13 lead late in the game. The PAT made it 27-13.