At 10 p.m. last night Art Valpey called a halt to the Varsity's wind sprints, his squad headed for Dillon Field House, line Coach Butch Jordan shouted "Get a good night's sleep," and Harvard's preparations for Princeton were finished.
Between now and Kickoff time in Palmer Stadium tomorrow no offense can be strengthened, no defense tightened. Although Valpey has been pressed for time this week because of hour exams, necessitating two nocturnal practice sessions, he reported that "we're as ready as we can get."
The team leaves by train this morning for Princeton and will hold a brief workout there before retiring to Plainfield for the night. It is Harvard's third and final road trip of the season; the first two resulted in losses to Cornell and Army.
Big Three Opener
Tomorrow's game, the 41st renewal for the classic, opens 1948 competition for the Big Three Title and for the tenth time since the series was started in 1877 Princeton is defending champ. In its nine previous attempts at defending the crown, it has succeeded only once, and nine years ago, when Nassau last held the title, it was Harvard that upset the apple cart by holding the Tigers to a scoreless tie.
The Tigers hold a decided edge in the series record. They have triumphed 21 times to Harvard's 14 and there have been five ties. However, the Nassaus haven't stopped the Crimson in Palmer Stadium since 1939. In 1941 Franny Lee went 86 yards for the winning touchdown and two years ago Emil Drvaric's place-kick gave Harvard a 13-12 victory.
There was good news in both camps this morning. From Princeton came word that Jack Davison, a fullback who sees considerable action on defense, had recovered from an injury suffered in the Rutgers game. Meanwhile Jim Kenary appears to have worked off the effects of his shoulder injury, although Sam Butler's stains is still in doubt and Doug Bradlee will definitely not play
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