Carm, Darin, Defense and the 'Bone

It has been an unforgettable year for the Yale football team (6-0 Ivy, 8-1 overall), which hasn't won an Ivy title since 1981. The Elis have been as faithful to the wishbone offense as Columbia has been to losing. On defense, Yale has dominated the Ivy League. For 25-year Coach Carm Cozza, life is good.

Here's a recap of the 1989 Yale season:

September 16: The Elis show off the wishbone against Brown at Yale Bowl and produce some impressive results. Yale controls the football for 40 minutes, as it triumphs, 12-3.

Quarterback Darin Kehler rushes for 133 yards and throws for 109 more to led the Elis. Running back Chris Kouri scores the only touchdown of the game.

September 23: The high-flying Lehigh Engineers march into New Haven thinking about a rout, but the wishbone stops them. Yale wins, 33-17.

Kehler continues to astound, this time collecting 168 yards on the ground. Oh, he also threw for 130 yards.

Lehigh loses the ball on two crucial plays early in the game, and the Elis attack to take a 10-0 lead.

This is getting to be a lot of fun.

September 30: Fun's over. But for just a week.

Despite throwing four interceptions, Connecticut quarterback Matt DeGennaro still musters enough fire-power to lead the Huskies to a 31-20 win over the Elis in New Haven.

After Kouri gives Yale an early lead with a 1-yd. touchdown run, UConn rolls off 31 unanswered points. The bragging rights for the Constitution State still belongs to the squad from Storrs.

October 7: Playing its fourth consecutive game at Yale Bowl, the Elis return to their winning ways, defeating Colgate, 36-15.

This time, the defense shines, as Chris Rutan blocks a punt in the third quarter and Rich Huff recovers the ball for a 35-yd. touchdown.

Yale goes on to score 26 more points in the second half. This can't be true.

October 14: Proving that it really doesn't matter where they play, the Elis spoil Dartmouth's Homecoming in Hanover, N.H., with a 24-19 victory over the Green.

With the Bulldogs down, 13-12, in the third quarter, Kehler completes all three of his second-half passes to set up two Kevin Callahan touchdown runs.

October 21: Do you actually think the impossible could occur?

No, Yale breezes through winless Columbia, 23-0, in New York. Kehler (this is getting boring) throws for two touchdowns and runs for another. He finishes the day with 103 yards on the ground and 98 yards in the air.

Next.

October 28: This team is destined.

Yale kicker Ed Perks boots a 28-yd. field goal with 10 seconds left to spark the Elis to a 23-22 win over Penn in New Haven.

Yale takes a 20-19 lead when Rich Caravella recovers Kouri's fumble in the end zone. Penn kicker Rich Friedenberg nails a 30-yd. field goal with less than five minutes left.

But Callahan anchors a last-minute drive to set up Perks' game-winner. winner.

November 4: The Kehler Show makes an encore performance against Cornell in New Haven.

The Yale quarterback rushes for 89 yards and throws for 158 yards to spark a 34-19 win over the Red.

Cornell takes a 3-0 lead, but Yale racks up 17 straight points to put the game away.

The Ivy showdown against Princeton is set.

November 11: Advantage: Elis.

Cozza's 150th career victory, a 14-7 win over the Tigers in Princeton, gives the Elis at least a share of the Ivy title.

Yale sets up the game-winning touchdown when Rich Huff blocks a punt in the third quarter. Two plays later, Kouri scores on a 1-yd. run.

Now all Yale has to is win The Game for the outright Ivy title.