Down 7-3 going into halftime, Yale coach Jack Siedlecki, who ran only one rushing play the entire second half, abandoned the running game and entrusted The Game to Walland's arm.
"I've never totally abandoned the run until this game," Siedlecki said. "We couldn't run the ball, we just couldn't incorporate the run into our game and make it work."
Led by seniors Isaiah Kacyvenski, Jeff Svicarovich, and Chris Nowinski, the Harvard defensive line effectively nullified the rushing attack of Yale's leading tailback, junior Rashad Bartholomew.
Holding Bartholomew to 57 yards on 13 carries, despite a 42 yard rush in the first half, the Crimson defense held opposing rushers to 114 yards on 101 attempts through the last four games of the season.
But Yale neutralized the effectiveness of the front-seven by simply not running the ball.
Lining up four wide and throwing out of the shotgun exclusively after halftime, Walland came alive with 343 yards passing in the second half as the Crimson defense crumbled in front of the four wide receiver set.
"I knew that we'd shut down the run," Murphy said. "And they'd have to pass 60 times."
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