Yale's defense was rendered ineffective by the forceful Bear offense, and Brown scored a further 17 points in the final two quarters.

A second Bulldog touchdown in the fourth quarter was simply too little, too late.

Yale 0

UConn 28

A 38-point loss, followed by a shutout, is not exactly the way Yale wanted to start it's season.

Unlike the Brown contest, Yale played fairly well throughout the match, particularly on defense.

The Bulldogs were, however, unable to keep up with their opponents' big plays and powerful drives. The Huskies took full advantage of these temporary lapses to score four touchdowns for the win.

Yale did regroup late in the first half, tightening its defense and yielding no points in the final 36:55 of play. But, by then, the damage had been done.

Yale 34

Valparaiso 14

The first win of the season always has a special sweetness to it.

It appeared that the Yale offense was finally starting to click.

The Bulldogs demonstrated from the outset that they meant business, as quarterback Chris Whittaker ran in the first score of the day just minutes into the game.

Four additional touchdowns, coupled with a solid defensive performance, cemented the Bulldogs' first triumph of the 1997 season.

Unfortunately for Yale, this win would stand alone for the remainder of the season.