For one period Saturday it seemed certain that the Varsity would crack Dartmouth wide open. Then three men--Sullivan, Schreck, and Armstrong--and heartbreaking bad luck ruined the Crimson in the next 45 minutes.
It was a tough, clean game all the way, with the final decision hanging fire until only a minute of play remained. Chip Gannon and Charley Roche played magnificently on both offense and defense; Howle Houston and Phil Isenberg lived up to the expectations of their first three games.
The pattern of the game was exactly the opposite of what the 46,000 spectators were expecting. Dartmouth, rated as an aerial power, made all its yard-age through the middle; and Harvard's passing game suddenly found itself to the extent of 112 yards gained in seven passes.
Planned and Runs
Coach Tuss McLaughry explained his half of this phenomenon after the game. "We had expected to go around the ends, but we couldn't, so we tried the other way." He was as high on Houston as Red Blaik and Lou Little have been previously; he admitted almost apologetically that his team made its yardage "by trapping the middle of the line."
Except for passing and punting, the Big Green manufactured a decisive edge in the statistical department. Dartmouth made 16 first downs to Harvard's 11, and gained 224 yards rushing, twice as much as the Crimson total.
Gain in Center
The story of the game lies in the fact that except in two cases, Dartmouth did its gaining between the 30-yard lines. Harvard only stiffened in front of its goal, with the result that the visitors rolled up big midfield gains.
The events of the last quarter put the game on ice, but significantly did not crack the Varsity's organization. They grabbed the initiative after the second Green touchdown to roll back down the field; after a wobbly pass was intercepted, they came down again to score, only to have an offside nullify Chip Gannon's fine touchdown run; and at the last, Charley Roche ripped off thirty yards to bring the ball deep into Dartmouth territory before losing it on an attempted lateral.
Roche played beautiful ball all the way. His punting was superb, with one long shot to the Dartmouth four-yard line far and away the best of the day. He ran well many times, and his touchdown pass to Ken O'Donnell was a masterpiece of timing and execution.
Chip Gannon was the other man who Stood out in the backfield. He contrived a series of gainers, including the scoring run, and might have really gone wild except for the work of Captain Dale Armstrong at end and George "Iron Man" chreek backing the line. These two were poison to Crimson backs all afternoon.
What gain may accrue from the game will be in organization and poise. For two weeks now the team has lost tough games, but has retained its group co-ordination to the last. Sooner or later, this will pay off in winning scores
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