The varsity football team won its first game of the 1949 season yesterday by coming from behind in the second half to defeat Holy, Cross, 22 to 14, before 19,000 Stadium eye-witnesses.
Harvard thus ended a losing streak which began five weeks ago at Palo Alto and extended through the next four games. For the visitors from Worcester, it marked the sixth straight setback of a victoryless season.
The two teams had never before come up to the game without at least one previous victory, but despite their poor records there was a certain tenseness in the Stadium. Something had to give; it turned out to be the Holy Cross defense.
Both clubs desperately needed a win. It served as a tremendous shot in the arm to the Harvards, even though their performance against an inferior football team was nowhere near perfection. As for Holy Cross' dentist-coach Bill Osmanski, he must keep trying to produce what Art Valpey has just achieved--a first victory.
Sputtering
Actually, it wasn't a very good game. "we're still sputtering and stuttering around," Valpey commented when it was over. His main problem now is to bring up to full speed men who have just come move. Of course, a victory after five straight losses goes a long way toward building up both team morale and team speed.
And it should be remembered that yesterday's Crimson eleven was one that hadn't been playing together very long. The first string line had not started as a unit since the Stanford opener, and fullback Johnny West only began working with the Henry-Moffle-Roche combination last Monday.
Indeed, it was West who, along with Roche, carried the Harvard offense. He took the ball 32 times and gained a total of 107 yards, for an average of about 3.3 yards-per-try. It was West over the guards and off the tackles, and West through the middle; when Henry needed
A yard of two for the first down, he gave the ball to his tall back who just put his head down and bulled his way through.
Rovhe played one of the finest games of his career. His punting was the best he has shown all fall; his six boots averaged out to 41 yards--including one that went 96 yards, another that travelled 60, and a 30-yard quick kick which was partially deflected.
With his alter-ego, Jim Noonan, available on extra load. He ran with decisiveness completed three of the five passage be attempted for a gain of 23 yards. On the play which set up the Harvard held goal, West took a lateral from Rocks on a cries-cross play and went 17 yards to the Holy Cross seven. This play, which Harvard had worked once before in the first quarter without such success suggest, seemed to typify the Harvard offense--West and Roche--mere than any other.
Thought was absolutely no breeze when the game got under Captain Houston, who won the loss, elected to receive. West gave some indication of what he was accomplish later on in the afternoon by returning the kickoff it yards on the Harvard 23.
From there, the Crimson made a sustained march of 77 yards in 18 plays, requiring a little over eight minutes, to the first touchdown of the game. Roche made a first down on the 45 and then passed to Dike Hyde to the Crusader 45. He lost nine yards on the next play but then hit stretch Mazzone to get back to the 45 again.
Here, West took up the attack. He made a first down on the 43, another on the 32, another on the 22, and jump passed to Moffle for another, the fifth first-down on the 43, another on the 32, another on the 22, and jump passed to Moffle for another, the fifth first down of this drive, on the nine.
In two tries at the center of the burly Cross line. West moved the ball to the three and on the next play he drove over. Charlie Walsh's conversion attempt was not good, his second miss of the season.
Fumble
There was no further scoring in the quarter. Hyde recovered a Holy Cross fumble on the opposition's 27 but the visitors took over on downs, were forced to kick, and the Crimson moved from its own 20 to the Purple 40 as the period ended.
West gained a first down on the 26 but the attack begged down when Roche was thrown for an eight-yard loss and the Cross took the ball on downs. In two Cross took the ball on downs. In two plays it had a first down on the Crimson.
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