The Yale field goal attempt on fourth down did not travel any farther than the line of scrimmage, as a Harvard defender got a hand on the pigskin.
In Yale's second approach to the end zone, the Crimson secondary stifled Walland and the Bulldog receiving corps.
While Walland would complete a 16-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 17-7, The Game belonged to the Crimson.
With 54 seconds left, Linden knelt twice and delivered Harvard its first perfect Ivy season ever. Before 1997, the 1919 National Champion team won the Rose Bowl and went 9-0-1, perfect save for a 10-10 tie against Princeton.
The victorious portion of the 26,064 in attendance at the Yale Bowl cheered, some mocked the losers, and some charged the field, swarming the unbeaten Crimson.
"It was crazy out there," said Smalling. "All I remember is Ted Kennedy congratulating me."
With neither team in contention for this year's Ivy League title, the 117th playing of The Game still offers 14 seniors the chance to erase the memories of two consecutive Yale victories and begin a new tradition of victory.