Big Plays Make Difference

There are moments of games where everyone in the stadium realizes that the game's outcome may well be riding on the outcome of the next play.

So midway through the second quarter, when Yale coach Carm Cozza decided to go for the first down on a fourth-and-seven at the Harvard 40-yard line with Harvard having just taken a 7-0 lead, all in the stadium were on the edge of their seats.

If Yale converted, they would be in position to score and even up the game at seven. If the Elis failed to get the first, Harvard would be sitting pretty on its 40-yard line.

On the play, Yale quarterback Blake Kendall dropped back quickly and fired a pass to Heath Ackley on the Yale sideline.

Ackley hauled in the pigskin, and for a moment, it looked as if the gamble had paid off.

But Harvard's Kane Waller provided coverage that was just too tight, and Ackley was ruled out of bounds.

Waller roared off the field with his fists pumping and his hands in the air.

He knew. Harvard knew.

This moment was the Crimson's window of opportunity. Another touchdown would give Harvard a 14-0 lead before the Yale offense even got into the game.

Despite this, the Crimson offense sputtered. Two plays from scrimmage gained the Crimson no yardage.

On the third play of the series, freshman quarterback Rich Linden hooked up with junior wide receiver Colby Skelton on a little outside screen pass. Skelton took the pass and ran back into the inside of the field but could not find daylight and was downed at the line of scrimmage.

Perhaps the gods were on Harvard's side Saturday.

Like manna from heaven, Yale was penalized for grabbing Skelton's face mask on the way down. Harvard got five yards, and third down was repeated. Instead of a fourth-and-ten on which they would have punted, Harvard had a third-and-five at their own 47.

Harvard converted on the next play, thanks again to the largess of the Yale defense, which coughed up a ten-yard holding penalty. And then came the reverse.

Linden rolled off to the right, handed off to senior tailback Eion Hu, who completed Harvard's first reverse of the game by handing off to Skelton, who carried the ball for a whopping 38 yards to the five.

Thus, thanks to the failed risk taken by Yale and the subsequent gift from the men in stripes, Harvard found itself five yards away from possibly putting the game out of reach. Two plays later, Harvard broke the plane on its second straight drive as Hu barreled in from two yards out to give Harvard the 14-0 lead.

That three minute, 60-yard sequence--the blown fourth down conversion, the facemask call, the reverse and the score--combined to put Harvard in position to win its second straight Game with only part of the second quarter gone. The tenor seemed to be set for Harvard's Game triumph.

Many in attendance were ready to write off the Yalies. How premature that was.

Yale scored a touchdown in the third quarter and another in the fourth, and suddenly, the score was 26-15 for Harvard.

And then came another of those moments where the game just changed. Completely. Following their second touchdown, Yale recovered an on-side kick. Cozza's second big gamble of The Game paid off.

But Yale's drive started slowly, and the team was faced with a fourth-and-six. Again, the stadium was on its feet. If the drive died, the game might well have been over. Other wise, who knew.

Yale quarterback Kris Barber took the snap and tried to find an open man downfield, but couldn't. Under pressure, Barber ran our of the pocket and leaped. The chains came out--it was that close--and Barber had the first down.

Yale scored, but their two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Harvard leading 26-21 and Yale in need of another touchdown. And stopping that conversion proved to be the final pivotal moment of The Game.

On the failed conversion, Barber pitched out to back Jabbar Craigwell, who then attempted a forward pass. But the Harvard defense swarmed him, and he launched a dying quail that didn't reach the line of scrimmage. That was key, for now Harvard needed only to get the ball back and maintain possession to seal the deal, as time was running out on the clock.

The final big play, therefore, came on the next play, as Yale attempted another on-side kick. But Harvard was prepared, and junior safety Jeff Compas recovered the ball to end the Yale threat.

The Game of 1996 was a without a doubt see-saw battle defined by seven or eight big plays. But the early sequence that gave Harvard the 14-0 lead was just too much for Yale to overcome.