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A Devastating Weekend Study in Brown

Gridders Come Up Short

play of the Harvard season, Holt was sacked foran 11-yard loss, and place-kicker Jim Curry's long field goal attempt against the wind carried wide to the right.

With victory now clearly within its grasp, the Bruin offense made one last-gasp attempt to give the game away. A third down fumble by halfback Mike Sokolowski was grabbed by Harvard's Joe Sciolla, setting the Crimson offense up at the Brown 24 with 1:09 left in the game.

The play triggered a series of extraordinary events, the last of which would ice Brown's 10-7 victory and kill Harvard's hopes of gaining sole possession of the Ivy League title.

The Crimson began the dramatic final series by moving 24 yards in the wrong direction, the result of a holding infraction at the 33-yard line.

On first down from the 48, Holt lobbed a pass over the middle which was batted around and eventually intercepted. In the midst of a mild Brown celebration, it became evident that the intended receiver, Pat McInally, had been interfered with Harvard was still alive.

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Breaks Galore

Another penalty flag fluttered through the air shortly thereafter, and the ball wound up on the Bruin 13-yard line after a 15-yard markoff for defensive holding.

Having learned its lesson once before in this situation, it was clearly time for the Crimson to play it safe. While a tie might damage some pride, it would have little effect on the outcome of the season.

But once again, strategy and heroism became confused, and a second down pass from Holt to McInally over a well-worn sideline pattern was intercepted by Brown's Tom Clarke. A 5-1 Harvard team walked dejectedly to the lockers, while jubilation reigned among the Bruins, now 3-3.

The potent Crimson offense sputtered all day long, failing even to pick up a first down until the second play of the second quarter. Two calls later, however, Holt flipped a pass over the middle to halfback Winn, and the sophomore sped down the field between defenders for a 60-yard touchdown. An Alky Tsitsos extra point put the Crimson on top, 7-0.

The play was one of the few bright spots for the Harvard offense in a day dominated by superb defensive play, particularly by the rugged Bruins.

Failing Firepower

Both Holt and Brown quarterback Pete Beatrice suffered through the first halves of inconsistency, with the Bruin signalcaller hitting on only one of seven aerial attempts and Holt clicking on just five of 13 throws.

Beatrice, who left the game before halftime with a gash on his forehead, returned for the start of the second half with about 14 stitches in his head. The senior promptly hit on nine of 15 attempts for 133 yards in the last two quarters, the biggest of which was the spectacular 32-yard effort to sophomore end Bob Farnham, spearheading Brown's 84-yard, fourth-quarter drive.

The Bruins came out of the halftime locker room emotionally fired up, surprising Harvard with their domination of third quarter play. The period saw the Providence invaders run off an impressive 31 plays to just 12 for Harvard. The only scoring play was Jose Violante's 27-yard field goal which pulled the Bruins to within 7-3.

Brown Bags It

With five minutes elapsed in the final stanza, a Pat McInally punt pinned Brown deep in its own territory. Moving from the 16-yard line, Beatrice then picked out Farnham racing down the right sideline, and Brown's drive to victory had begun.

Tight end Bob Fitzpatrick provided the next Bruin highlight, snaring a Beatrice toss and carrying it forward to Harvard's 23-yard line. Runs by halfback Kevin Slattery and fullback Bob McNamara took the ball to Harvard's one yard line.

On a tense fourth-down play, Slattery bucked into the line, just managing to pick up the needed footage for the first down. The halfback then hurdled over for the game-winning score with 7:05 remaining.

Holt and the rest of the Crimson offensive corps suffered from inactivity in the second half, as Beatrice and his running backs controlled the game and kept the Harvard defense on the field for extended periods.

Holt managed just three completions in 11 second-half attempts, capping Harvard's poorest offensive showing of the year. Harvard finished with 204 total yards, 136 through the air and 68 in 38 ground attempts.

The Bruins racked up 205 yards on the ground alone, paced by Slattery's 68 yards in 15 carries. Beatrice added 151 passing yards, and the Bruins wound up with 21 first downs to Harvard's meager 12.

No Excuses

There were no excuses for the Crimson, neither unfair officiating nor unlucky bounces. Despite three dangerous fumbles by the Bruins and 86 yards in penalties against them, Harvard managed to mount few threatening attacks. The most disappointing aspect was that Harvard was clearly beaten by the opposition, a team that was in no way in contention for the Ivy championship.

"This must be the greatest win for Brown in the last decade," shouted the Bruin radio announcer into his mike, "and possibly the most dramatic win in its history!"

Without a doubt, it must be one of the most bitter defeats that Harvard can remember. IVY LEAGUE STANDINGS  W  L  T Yale  6  0  0 Harvard  5  1  0 Penn  3  2  1 Brown  3  3  0 Dartmouth  3  3  0 Princeton  2  4  0 Cornell  1  4  1 Columbia  0  6  0

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