Middlebury's eleven, outweighed, out-generaled and outplayed, was in no way a match for the University football machine last Saturday. Harvard, with an offense the equal of which has not been seen in the Stadium since pre-war days, paraded down the field for 10 touchdowns, which together with the kicks for the extra point, brought the total to 68. To find an equal for this total, it is necessary to go back more than 30 years, to 1891, when Harvard downed Wesleyan by the score of 124 to 0.
No Punts on Crimson Program
The power of the Crimson offense is shown most clearly by the fact not once did the University punt, and only once did they relinquish the ball on downs. Twenty-seven first-downs was the University total, and during the first half the Crimson's gains totaled 321 yards.
Middlebury fought to the end, but did not seem so well organized as in former years, and doubtless the 53--0 beating received at the hands of Yale a week ago took something out of the Vermont eleven. Still it seemed doubtful if even the Middlebury teams of the past four years could have done much against the alert, and well drilled eleven that Coach Fisher put on the field on Saturday.
Both Passes Succeed
Together with smashes through the line and sweeps around the ends, Harvard, for the first time this fall, tried to gain ground via the aerial route. In spite of the poor weather conditions, two forward passes were attempted, and they both succeeded. The first, Barker to Baldwin, put the ball in scoring position, and the second, Barker to Zarakov, put the oval over for a score.
Except for a slightly greater precision in carrying out their assignments, no slowing up of the offense was noticeable to the casual observer. Coach Fisher used three full teams, and the score by period shows that the University machine functioned effectively no matter what eleven men formed its cogs. In the first period, with the regulars in, 21 points were scored, and the the constant substitutions in the later stages did not prevent the scoring of 14, 13, and 20 points in the second, third, and fourth periods, respectively.
Reserves Going Strong at End
The strength of the reserves may be gauged by the fact that they were able to score just as many touchdowns in the final period as the regulars were able to put over in the opening stanza.
Now that two days have elapsed, and the exhilaration of Harvard followers at seeing their eleven pile up point after point has somewhat absted, reason dictates that the score of the game can hardly be taken as a criterior of the team's prowess. Middlebury was hardly represented by an eleven which could test the Crimson's power, nor did it possess the substitutes necessary to relieve the badly baltered line. Holy Cross, undefeated, is to be faced this Saturday, and promises to provide the first severe test.
Suffer Only Minor Injuries
To face Holy Cross, Coach Fisher will have, unless injuries occur during the week, all his men available for action. The squad came out of the Middlebury fray with only minor injuries. Moseley and Coady, removed from Saturday's game with bruises, will be ready, and at yesterday's practice, Maher, Chauncey, and Daley were present. None of them showed any ill effects from their injuries and they should be fit to face the Worcester invaders on Saturday.
Another back has been raised from the Second team, so that Coach Fisher will be well supplied with carriers. The most recent scrub to be awarded a red shirt is J. A. Nordberg '28, star athlete of last year's Freshman football, hockey, and baseball teams.
It has perhaps been fortunate that the University team has so far not been forced to depend on a kicking game. Coady has been doing well enough with his punts, but with the return of Chauncey and Maher, both considered capable punters the coaches will probable feel more strongly intrenched should they be forced to play a waiting game against strong opposition.
The summary of the game follows:
Read more in News
Cheerleaders Not Yet Chosen
