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Defense Stops the Run, But Walland Reigns Supreme

NEW HAVEN, Conn.--Less than a minute away from the biggest Ivy League upset of the year, the Crimson once again proved that there's always enough time left on the clock to lose one last game.

After falling on a Hail Mary pass from midfield, 21-17, against Penn and losing a heartbreaker to Brown, 17-10, Harvard (5-5, 3-4 Ivy) lost its third straight on a four-yard touchdown pass to junior wideout Eric Johnson that capped a 24-21 comeback for Yale (9-1, 6-1 Ivy).

Despite being outplayed most of the game, Harvard was in the driver's seat with less than five minutes to go in the game, up 21-17.

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True to form, however, the Crimson offense went three-and-out with the game on the line and gave star senior quarterback Joe Walland the ball at his own 42 yard-line with 2:53 left on the clock.

With ample time to execute his highly successful run-and-gun offense, Walland marched 58 yards down the field in nine plays for the touchdown and a share of the Ivy Title.

Despite spending the night before The Game in the hospital with tonsillitis, Walland rose to the occasion in the biggest game of his Ivy career.

Completing 42-of-67 passes for 437 yards and picking his way through the Harvard secondary, Walland set Yale records for completions, attempts, and passing yardage in a single game.

Combined with Johnson, who shattered Curt Grieve's single-season reception record set in 1981, with 21 receptions yesterday for a total of 67 catches this season, Walland and the Yale passing game dumbfounded the Crimson pass defense throughout the second-half.

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