"There were really so many kegs and so many people, many of whom were underage and drinking to excess, many of whom were endangering their lives, that the Masters had to take this seriously," he said.

Several students said they thought the keg ban was illogical and would be counterproductive.

Seth D. Familian '01, the organizer of this year's Eliot House tailgate who runs the House Stein Club, said emphasis should be placed on responsible drinking rather than on keg restrictions.

"At the end of the day I think alcohol consumption at games like the Harvard-Yale Game is inevitable," he said. "If you want to get technical, [danger] doesn't come from drinking beer, it comes from drinking hard alcohol...if you're going to crack down, I don't know if beer from kegs is the real issue."

Incoming Eliot House Committee President Emily R. Murphy '03 said banning kegs would permanently change the nature of the Harvard-Yale Game.

"Part of the reason so many people come out for The Game is because it turns into a social thing," she said. "Banning kegs will kill a lot of the spirit that comes out during The Game--banning kegs would basically equal no tailgate."

While no official data was available regarding the number of students admitted to the hospital for alcohol-related incidents, Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) Sergeant Bill Chipman said the behavior of Game-goers this year was "extraordinarily difficult."