Third-quarter spark burns Yale, 20-13, in ‘The Game’

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An explosive third quarter lifted the Harvard football team past Yale on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 23), to hand the Crimson a 20-13 Harvard Stadium victory in the 119th playing of “The Game.” Facing 35-mile per hour winds, Harvard activated its ground attack in scoring a trio of touchdowns in the third quarter to overwhelm the Elies. Harvard finished its season 7-3, 6-1 Ivy, to claim second place in the league, while Penn snatched the title outright, blanking Cornell, 31-0.

Amid the afternoon’s blustery conditions, mud, and 13 thrown flags, Yale earned the game’s first tally midway through the second quarter when tailback Robert Carr rushed for a three-yard touchdown. Yale botched the extra-point attempt, however, to take a 6-0 lead. An attempted Harvard comeback, which included a 28-yard pass from senior captain Neil Rose to sophomore Rodney Byrnes, was promptly terminated by a Yale interception to close out the first half.

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who took the reins from Rose to start the second half, wasted little time in orchestrating Harvard’s third-quarter barrage. The play-caller capped a six-play drive with a four-yard keeper to make it 6-6. An extra point by senior Anders Blewett handed Harvard the 7-6 edge. Less than three minutes later, the Harvard offense took to the air, when Fitzpatrick connected with Carl Morris (106 yards on the day) for a game-high 50-yard reception. Morris’ completion set up Harvard’s second touchdown, another short-yardage sneak by Fitzpatrick. After a failed extra-point attempt, Harvard was up 13-6.

Joining 11 other starting seniors playing in their final game, including offensive power combo Rose and Morris, Nick Palazzo (95 yards on 26 carries) scored Harvard’s final touchdown on a one-yard blast with 4 minutes remaining in the third stanza to better the Bulldogs, 20-6. In a bid to play catch-up, Yale notched its final touchdown in the fourth quarter to finish last in “The Game,” 20-13.