Entering Saturday’s game, Yale’s offense ranked first in the Ivy League with an average of 43 points scored per contest. While the FCS-best Harvard defense had clamped down on its archrival thus far, the Bulldog attack finally came to life with three consecutive touchdown drives.
Yale needed less than three minutes to march 79 yards down the field as the fourth quarter began. After a diving, 38-yard reception by Mike Siragusa brought Yale to the one-yard line, it took senior running back Tyler Varga just a single play to bust into the end zone.
Down just ten points now, the momentum continued to drift in the direction of the blue-and-white when the Crimson racked up 25 yards of penalties on the ensuing offensive possession. After a 14-yard punt resulted in great field position for Yale, a Roberts pass found Varga for the senior’s third touchdown of the afternoon.
Clinging to a three-point lead with eight minutes to go, the pressure now fell on Harvard to grind down the clock. But on the second play of the Crimson drive, Stanton bobbled a Hempel handoff for his second lost fumble of the game. A few minutes later, the Bulldogs tied the game with a 33-yard field goal.
After Fischer’s dramatic touchdown, Yale had one last chance to mount another potential game-tying drive. But an errant Roberts pass instead landed in the outstretched arms of junior safety Scott Peters. In the end, the Crimson defense had the last word.
A GAME FOR THE AGES
The Harvard offense may have provided the lasting images for Saturday’s national audience, but the defense that carried the team all year long showed up as well.
Yale’s 24 points scored marked the team’s lowest total of the entire season. The Crimson defense bent throughout the game, but it never broke.
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Senior linebacker Connor Sheehan’s 90-yard interception return marked his third pick-six of the season, along with an all-time program record. Harvard career sacks leader Zack Hodges added another two to his impressive ledger.
“We’re the best defense in the country, and we’ll graduate being the best defense in the country,” Hodges said.
The victory capped a historic season for Harvard football. In addition to an outright Ivy League title, the Crimson achieved its third undefeated season in the past century along with eight consecutive victories over Yale. For Harvard, there couldn’t have been a better way to go out.
—Staff writer David Steinbach can be reached at david.steinbach@thecrimson.com.