But Harvard's lead was as temporary as the stands in the end zone.
Although he had carried the ball just 18 times coming into The Game, Spivack got his second score of the day at 9:38 of the second quarter.
The key play of the 8-play, 67-yard drive was a 38-yard bullet from Eli quarterback Mike Curtin to Kevin Moriarty.
The Moore conversion gave Yale a 17-14 advantage.
Bulldog Coach Carm Cozza caught the Crimson napping and particularly Brain Cooke with a surprise onside kick following the score.
Mike Flannery recovered the kick off Cooke's chest at the Harvard 42.
After the Crimson defense stymied the Yale running game. Moore hit again, this time on a 44-yard field goal for his longest 3-pointer of the year.
Mistakes continued to plague the Crimson in the second half. In fact, less than a minute into the third periods, a swarming Eli defense caused a White fumble at his own 30.
Lucky for Harvard, though, the Bulldogs failed to advance the ball and Harvard took over, still down by 4 but with plenty of time still to go.
And it didn't take the Crimson long to get back on top. White moved his troops 72 yards on 6 plays in 2:17, with the touchdown coming on a 52-yard scoring strike from the junior quarterback to junior fullback Robert Santiago.
The touchdown pass--which replaced the earlier touchdown as the longest Harvard score of the year--and the ensuing extra point gave the Crimson a 21-20 lead.
The next time the Crimson touched the ball, White capped a 60-yard, 6-play drive with a 16-yard scamper around left end. Yet, after 20 straight successful PATs, Steinberg missed his first of the year and Harvard was holding a precarious 27-20 lead.
The Crimson then held off a furious Yale effort, stalling the Elis after they had moved the ball 70 yards. On fourth and goal from the 2, Harvard defensive end Steve Anderson sacked Curtin for a 13-yard loss.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 27-23, though, with 13 minutes to play after they couldn't advance a Santiago fumble. Moore provided the three points on a 30-yard field goal.