To say that special teams were a factor in Harvard’s 20-13 win over Yale Saturday would be accurate. To call them a disaster would be even more appropriate.

Coaches on both sidelines were left shaking their heads throughout the game, as the swirling wind and bitter cold made special teams an adventure.

“The kicking game today was tough, shaky and unpredictable for both sides,” said Harvard coach Tim Murphy.

The Crimson’s punting game was plagued by low snaps all day, disrupting the rhythm of junior punter Adam Kingston. So much so, in fact, that one snap that hit him square in the midsection caused him the most trouble.

With Harvard punting from its own 41 late in the first quarter, Kingston muffed the snap and faced a fierce Yale rush by the time he retrieved it. Facing disaster at his own 30, he made haste to the right sideline and somehow managed to get off a running punt—a ground ball of sorts—that top-spinned all the way to Yale’s 41.

Kingston’s ability to get the ball at least that far downfield was critical, and the Crimson defense held the Elis to a three-and-out on the next possession to negate the miscue.

“That was not exactly as planned,” Murphy said, “but that was nice improvisation by Adam Kingston.”

Unfortunately for Yale coach Jack Siedlecki, his team didn’t emerge as well from a similar situation in the third quarter.

After Harvard forced the Bulldogs to punt on their first possession of the second half after just one series, Yale punter Ryan Allen mishandled the snap at his own 29-yard line and was taken down by Crimson sophomore Sean Tracy.

The mistake proved fatal. Six plays later, Harvard scored its first touchdown of the day, and Anders Blewett’s point-after gave the Crimson a 7-6 lead it did not relinquish.

“I think he bobbled it,” Siedlecki said. “It didn’t look like a bad snap. He just must have felt that he couldn’t get it off.”

Kingston came up with the biggest special teams play of the game with under three minutes to go, when—standing inside his own 30—he launched a gorgeous spiral all the way to the Yale 15. And though Ralph Plumb’s return brought Yale out to the 27, the Crimson defense held them to a three-and-out.

“That was a nice punt down the stretch when we really needed it,” Murphy said.

Grabbed By The Collar

Yale entered The Game as the Ivy League’s top rushing team, and it showed early—though not effectively enough.