Since Yale's football team could pass better, run faster, block harder, and tackle more sharply than Harvard's, it goes without saying that Jordan Olivar's Elis outclassed Lloyd Jordan's Crimson, 42 to 14, Saturday, and took possession of the first official Ivy League title.
There were few in the sold-out Stadium of nearly 39,000 who had expected a Harvard victory, and indeed, there were others willing to give away as many as thirty points, so confident were they of a Yale slaughter. And it is only to the credit of the Crimson players that a higher score was averted.
This was the best Yale team of the decade, and in all around strength, one that should certainly rank with the best Yale teams of the past. The Blue also dispelled the idea that it was not a November team, for it finished the month by defeating Penn, Princeton, and Harvard with 40, 42, and 42 points respectively.
If the Crimson had played the same listless ball that so characterized it most of the season, then the score Saturday might have been closer to 62 than 42. For Olivar's graduating seniors, led by Dean Loucks, Dennis McGill, A1 Ward, and Steve Ackerman wanted as many points as they could get. In addition, junior quarterback Dick Winterbauer dismissed any hasty Crimson optimism about next year by tossing a touchdown pass.
But Harvard, despite the overwhelming pre-game odds against it, played its best losing game of the year, and stayed within contention for three periods.
If the desire to win could ensure victories, then the Crimson would have won on Saturday. In their final game for Coach Jordan, seniors Babe Simourian, Jim Joslin, Tony Gianelly, Ted Metropoulos, and Matt Botsford did all that they could. But the differences between the two teams were all too evident for most of the game.
When the Elis used their favorite plays, the end sweep, or the quarterback option around end, they were ensured of good yardage. The Blue blockers could always take out the backer-up and keep the end in, opening up a tremendous hole, which runners like McGill and Ward could burst through almost untouched.
As had been feared, the Crimson flanks, weak all season, could not hold the Eli running attack. The Blue collected 243 yards on the ground, and the great majority of these were around the ends, or inside of them.
But what impressed observers the most was the difference in blocking between the teams on the pass play. When Loucks or Winterbauer went back to throw, their protection was very strong. It was very rare for a Harvard man to be within arm's reach of the passer. This allowed Yale to complete nine of 17 passes for 140 yards and two TD's.
When Simourian or Dick McLaughlin faded, however, it was usually a race between them and the tacklers. Several times, Simourian was hit as soon as he turned around. Sometimes it was just due to poor blocking, but other times, especially when an end came in untouched, it was because of assignment mistakes.
This same blocking superiority was evident on the open field--best demonstrated by Ward's 79-yard second period kick-off return for a touchdown. He picked up the ball near the Yale sidelines, and got blocking all the way.
The last part of his run was accomplished by pure speed. He had utilized all his blockers, and one defender had a crack at him, but Ward was able to outrace him to the goal.
The combination of Yale speed and blocking ability was used in the second period for another touchdown when, with a second down and nine yards to go situation on his own 22, quarterback Winterbauer, on the option play, pitched out to McGill. The blocking in the line took out the backer-up and the end, and McGill was sprung loose.
Botsford could have brought him down at mid-field, but a twist of his hips allowed McGill to get by the defender, and his own speed carried him the rest of the way.
There were two points in the game when Harvard "had a chance." These were in the second period, after a 39-yard touchdown run by Joslin on an off-tackle smash had made the score 14 to 7 in Yale's favor, and in the third period, when Simourian's off-tackle carry made the score 28 to 14. But both times, the Blue came back quickly. The first time, Ward made his kick-off return, and the second time, Winterbauer tossed a touchdown pass, and then set up the final score a little later in the fourth period.
What was most gratifying from the Harvard point of view was the outstanding play of the sophomores on the team--namely big Bob Shaunessy, quarterback McLaughlin, Nat Dodge, Woody Harris, Hal Anderson, and Pete Briggs. These men showed tremendous spirit, and Shaunessy's play in the line almost singularly forced the Blue outside. Inside the ends, the Crimson was very tough, although it did suffer a tough break when center Marv Lebovitz had to leave the game early with an injury.
McLaughlin, who led the team to its first score, looked very impressive at quarterback. Simourian, the team's best signal-caller, often looks like a halfback playing quarterback, but McLaughlin looks like a man who is a quarterback His hand-offs were very clean and, at the same time, deceptive. When he left the game with the score 14 to 7, the fans gave him a strong hand, and, throughout, there were cries for "number 33."
With a healthy Walt Stahura, the back-field next year should have the same, if not better, potential than this year's. Dodge, Jim Bell, Jim Damis, Stahura, and McLaughlin will all be back as well as some promising freshmen led by Chet Bouris.
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