Harvard, however, held the ball for only four plays, and Taylor once again punted. Using a well-executed draw play, Yale gained a menacing number of yards, but linebacker Brad Stephens' tackles and the clock, which ran out, prevented any serious damage. The half ended with Harvard prevailing,7-0.
The complexion of the game changed sharply in the third period. No one knows what Eli coach Jordan Olivar told his boys at halftime, but whatever he said, it worked.
The Bulldog defensive became suddenly restrictive, and their offense began to click Harvard received the kick, but despite a fine runback by Armstrong, made little progress Taylor's punt was short, and the Elis got the ball for the first time of the half at their 40.
Captain Higdon gained some yardage, on off-tackle runs, but it was not enough to allow the Elis to hold the ball for long.
Bill Taylor continued to demonstrate why he belongs on the All-Ivy starting backfield, as he picked up impressive quantities of yardage on sweeps and cuts through the line. No one else was able to go through, however, so Harvard's drives were abortive.
Late in the quarter, the sun suddenly ducked behind a cloud and so did Harvard's luck. Taylor went 12 yards through guard. Another first down was impossible at this point, though, necessitating yet another punt.
The boot was short, but not disastrously so. The disaster came after the kick. Yale halfback John Cirie took the ball and started to cut to his right. Much to his surprise, and greatly to the astonishment of the stands, no Harvard man came up to block his pass.
In an excellent demonstration of blocking, the Elis completely eliminated the entire Harvard team, giving Cirie ample running room. By the time he had stopped 59 yard later, he had reached the end zone, and Yale was back in contention.
Yale decided to go for two points on the conversion, but quarterback Brian Rapp was trapped deep behind the scrimmage line, allowing Harvard to maintain a slim 7-6 lead.
Hank Hatch returned to kickoff 20 yards to the Harvard 30, and followed this run with another for ten. Armstrong was gang tackled way behind the line, though, stopping the offensive.
Harvard picked up its second touchdown, to the overwhelming relief of its fans, after six minutes of the final period. O'Connell's short punt from his own ten was caught by Scott Harshbarger, who went 15 tortuous yards before being downed on the 17. Two more Harshbarger carries brought the ball within the 10.
Taylor made a valiant attempt to score, but it was second unit fullback Fred Bartl who got the touchdown, breaking through the tackle slot for three yards. Hartranft's kick boosted the Crimson margin to 14-6.
A Yale fumble on their first play after the kickoff returned the ball to Crimson hands. Taylor and Armstrong penetrated the Yale lines for gains of ten and eight yards respectively, putting the ball on the Bulldog six. A holding penalty cancelled a touchdown run, and Hartranft's field goal attempt was short. Taylor, after a magnificent afternoon, left the game on a stretcher with a leg injury, but the victory, thanks to his exemplary efforts, was by that time secure.