Waive That Flag

It was the game for the title, the winner guaranteed at least a share of the Ivy crown. And when a little man threw a yellow handkerchief with not even a little time left on the clock, the Harvard-Penn football series had been changed forever.

The flag indicated a roughing the kicker penalty on Harvard, a call both late and questionable that gave Penn placekicker Dave Shulman one more chance to ruin what would have been Harvard's biggest comeback in almost 15 years. Shulman, five of 10 on the season going into the game, had come nowhere near the necessary distance on the original 38-yard attempt.

The clock read:00, the scoreboard showed Harvard winning 21-20, and Shulman booted his second effort, this time from 38 yards, straight through the goalposts and into the history books.

Restic announced a formal protest the following Tuesday and suggested that Penn voluntarily renounce the win. Films of the play were less than conclusive about whether John O'Brien got blocked into the kicker, but the films did show that referee Bob Lynch lifted his head to watch the flight of the ball and took three steps before throwing the flag after the play had ended. The Eastern College Athletic Conference review of the play backed up the call while questioning the technique with which it was made.

"You ask me about one game that was devastating," Restic said yesterday. "That's one game. That's the one it is. When you feel you're successful and it's torn away from you, that's total devastation," Restic added.

That "total devastation" happened a year ago, but you can bet the farm it hasn't been forgotten. Restic won't let it be forgotten.

"I tell [the players], `Just remember how you felt when you came into that locker room,'" Restic said. "That one [last year's game] is gonna help us if you look at it in a very positive way. All those people who were in that game have a chance to even the score."

HARVARD 21, PENN 20--Penn will jump out to a 20-0 lead. Not to worry, though, for Harvard will mount a big fourth-quarter rally with three Greg Gizzi-to-John O'Brien bombs. The last one will come as time runs out. Bob Steinberg will line up for the PAT and miss, but there will be a yellow flag amidst the Penn celebration...

DARTMOUTH 15, BROWN 14--Hanover is a nasty place to be in November, but the New Hampshirer wilds will seem like Eden to the Bruins after their trip to Penn State. The Big Green gridders are not the Nittany Lions, but they will be good enough. Just good enough.

PRINCETON 9, YALE 0--"I wish Yale had won," Restic said after the Holy Cross game when he heard Yale fell to Cornell to remain winless. "I would like to have them win one game before we get there," Restic added yesterday. Sorry, Joe, The worst team in Eli history will be 0-9 when the 100th The Game gets underway next week.

COLUMBIA 28, CORNELL 24--Cornell looked impressive in its 41-7 rout of Yale last week. Then again, the Quincy House football team would look impressive against Yale. The loser of this slugfest is virtually assured of a seventh-place finish in the Ivy League. The winner will be New York State Ivy Champion I'll give that honor to the City.

Last week--2-4, Season-to-date--26-17, .605. I've dropped below the Harvard football team (.625).