Cowies Injured
As for the much publicized Yale injuries, Olivar was without his usual depth, but lacked only one starter, fullback Steve Ackerman. The Crimson lost its star wingback Bob Cowles on the first play of the game. As a matter of fact, probably the greatest Yale injury Saturday was to Olivar's pride.
The game itself saw Yale outplay the Crimson in the first half, with the varsity finding difficulty penetrating the Eli's shifting defense. The Blue were often able to spring its fast halfbacks past the line of scrimmage.
Nevertheless the Crimson line tightened when necessary and despite the Blue's statistical superiority (Yale had 12 first downs to the varsity's six and out-gained the Crimson 220 to 96 at half-time) the Elis hold only a 2-0 lead at the end of the first half.
The Elis picked up the safety in the first quarter when tallback Matt Botsford, with his back to the line of scrimmage, intercepted a Bob Brink pass on the Harvard two and was carried by his own momentum into the end zone where the intended receiver Byron Campbell tackled him.
That safety looked increasingly imposing when the Elis moved 53 yards for a touchdown at the start of the third period. A 28-yard pass from Bob Brink to Al Ward set up the score, and a short flip from Brink to Campbell accounted for it.
Four minutes were gone in the third quarter at that point. Jim Joslin replaced the injured Matt Botsford, and from that time the Blue was only to make four first downs, as the Crimson controlled the game.
Although the 195-pound Joslin did not score, he sparked the Crimson offense from that point on, running exceptionally well, mixing power with shiftiness. Troubled all year by his own nervousness rather than opposing lines, he gained equal amounts of confidence and yardage Saturday.
A 62-yard Crimson drive faltered near the end of the third quarter when the Yale line stiffened on the five, but it became increasingly obvious that despite Yale's nine point lead it was a wide open game. On this march Joslin gained 42 of the yards, including a sparking 27-yard run when, apparently stopped by two Eli defenders, he spun away for 12 more yards to the 7.
Yale took over and promptly kicked to its own 28. Then the Crimson drove for its first touchdown in five plays. John Simourian made eight yards in two tries, and then Joslin reeled off gains of ten and nine yards, reaching the one-yard line. Gianelly, dependable all afternoon bucking for first downs, then plunged over for the score. Ross converted.
On the subsequent kickoff the Elis made their last drive of the afternoon, reaching the Crimson 33 before punting into the end zone.
With a first down and 30 yards to go, Frank White drove off the week side tackle for 16 yards. Gianelly bucked for five, and Joslin brought it over the mid-field strips for an 11-yard gain. Joslin and White alternated rushes for a first down on the 39. Then, with Yale overshifted to meet a strong side smash off tackle, Marsh called the set-up play, the left-handed wingback pass. White broke to his left, stopped and fired to Cochran who juggled the ball for a split second on the 16, then pulled it in and went over untouched for the winning score. The jubilation on the field almost matched that in the stands.
Although five minutes remained in the game the Elis could not control the ball and the Crimson took over and ran out the clock