Yale ends disappointing year with strong effort

Everyone in blue was hoping for a major upset. Everyone in crimson scoffed at the idea. Unfortunately, there was no big surprise in the 114th meeting of the Bulldogs and the Crimson. After securing the victory, Harvard football stands undefeated in the Ivies, a feat they had never accomplished. And though the Bulldogs finished without an Ivy win for the first time since 1958, they exhibited a fire that proved they certainly could keep up with the Cantabs, which bodes well for future matchups.

The two teams entered the final game with reciprocal Ivy League records--the Elis 0-6 and the Crimson 6-0. These standings suggested that Harvard should have dominated the Bulldogs, but when this legendary rivalry revs up, numbers don't matter. Although the Blue fell 17-7 in front of 26,064 screaming and shivering fans (the highest attendance at the Yale Bowl this season), they prevented Harvard from wrapping up the game until the final minutes of play.

Harvard's Damon Jones fielded the opening kickoff for a 34-yard return. After a 15-yard penalty against Yale, a 21-yard pass completetion, and several smaller plays, the Blue quickly found themselves facing a seven-point deficit.

Julia Tiernan/YH THE 114th GAME: Harvard managed to hold off the fiesty Bulldogs, winning 17-7

The early setback did not seem to deter the Bulldogs. "That's just part of the game," captain Todd Scott, CC '98, said. "Other than the fact that it gave Harvard more confidence, I don't think that it was in anyone's head."

In the second quarter, the Cantabs put another six on the board with a 16-yard pass from quarterback Rich Linden to wide receiver Jaren Chupaila, followed by an extra point by kicker Mike Giampaolo. Giampaolo also had an impressive 41-yard field goal with four seconds left in the third quarter. That marked the end of the scoring for the Cantabs, but it wasn't quite enough to ensure a victory.

Early in the fourth quarter, Yale finally got on the board when quarterback Joe Walland, TD '00, Walter Camp Player of the Game, connected with wide receiver Ken Marschner, SY '99, for an 18-yard touchdown. Within four minutes, Yale had the ball again, but an attempted pass on fourth-and-sixteen from Walland to wide receiver Jake Borden, JE '00, was incomplete, ending the Eli threat.

One of the biggest differences between the the two offenses lay in Harvard's running game, led by Chris Menick. Menick ran for 167 yards, 64 more than the entire Yale offense. Averaging 7.6 yards per carry, he scored Harvard's first touchdown and kept the ball on Yale's side of the field. Yet final statistics reveal that Yale nearly equalled Harvard in total first downs and total net yards while surpassing them in net yards passing, total offensive plays, and possession time.

The Elis felt that the second half, especially the fourth quarter, displayed them at their best. "In the second half, we simply executed better," Marschner said. "We moved the ball a little more, but there was not much more we could have done. A lot of the players on offense really stepped up, but it just didn't turn out for us."

The Bulldogs, although unable to cash in, were successful in moving the ball against the Ivy champions, demonstrating the team's hunger despite their long and disappointing season. They succeeded in holding their own against the squad that shut out both second-place Dartmouth and third-place Pennsylvania.

Scott and the rest of the senior class graduate without having captured a league championship, but the play of the Bulldogs in their final game and the promising new talent put a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. "The game definitely lived up to my expectations," Todd Tomich, CC '01, said. "The score could very well have been in our favor, but the future holds many possibilities. People don't expect very much out of us. But, as shown by the contributions made by the freshman class this year, we are going to be winners."

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