Tag Archive: Football

  1. HER GRACE'S TASTE: Drop the Bass, Not the Football

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    You woke up with a song in your heart this morning because the WKND you’ve been waiting for all year has just begun. Yes folks, it’s the Harvard-Yale game.

    Though I trust you are already singing Cole Porter’s “Bulldog” and “Bright College Years,” the real question this WKND is — what other tunes will be blaring from your speakers? So here’s a guide for all you musically challenged people to make sure your best H-Y WKND ever will have the best soundtrack ever.

    As soon as you’re done with classes for the week, break out the disco take on Gladiator with Izzy’s “Now We Are Free” — feel that Thanksgiving freedom running through your veins, throw papers to the wind and embrace the fact that you will get no work done over break. Done that? Now let’s move on.

    As the night approaches, transition to some Icona Pop. I recommend “All Night” because you will at this point believe that you can “do this all night.” That is, of course, until you get to Commons for what is in effect the closest thing to a Harvard-Yale rave. Once there, you consider giving up and heading home. But as the temperature climbs, just accept the sweaty bodies and grind along to Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.” But please, do not take off all your clothes. This is Commons, not Toad’s.

    With a little bit of luck, you will not wake up with a Crimson in your bed. But sometimes, somehow, they find their way there, usually with the help of a healthy dose of tequila and that pre-break “slutever” attitude. If it’s too late to prevent this dreadful event, shake it off with a little Lovato-Lloyd combo in “Really Don’t Care” — let’s be real, you really don’t want that Cantab back into your life.

    You might have also gone a little too hard the night before — don’t worry, it’s inevitable. On your way to catch the bus to the Bowl, plug in your headphones and groove (read: stumble) along to “Hangover” by Taio Cruz. And then pour yourself some more, because it’s game day and you will rally.

    Keep killing the game (teehee) on the bus ride over with Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” Not only will this get you pumped up for The Game (HARVARD SUCKS, amirite?!), it’ll emotionally prepare you for the long day of drinking and merriment that lies ahead. Mostly the drinking. If you’re feeling some serious spirit, I recommend replacing the word “Tiger” with “Bulldog” because we’re not about that Princeton life here. Time for that 16–52 score to go.

    On arriving at the Tailgate (shout-out to TD, winning the Tailgate since forever), you might feel a little uncomfortable about starting to drink so early in the a.m. For this, I suggest listening to Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett’s “It’s 5 o’Clock Somewhere.” I think the message here is pretty clear.

    We don’t care if we’re not in the South. Today is the day to show your Yale pride and pretend that we actually go to a big football school. So keep up the country classics and tailgate necessities by swinging around with your friends to “Wagon Wheel,” grilled food in one hand, Solo Cup in the other. Even if it is cold and rainy, dancing/liquor will certainly keep you warm.

    As noon draws near, we are called to the Bowl. In a last effort to swing The Game in our favor, blast DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” because no matter what the outcome of The Game is, you know that Yale wins because “SCHOOL ON MONDAY! SCHOOL ON MONDAY!”

  2. Re: My Term Paper Grade

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    The other day, I learned that I had gotten an F on a final paper for my political science seminar, “Yale After 1845.” My thesis was, “Harvard is better than Yale.” I emailed my TA and asked her to explain the failing grade. This was her response:

    Hi Will,

    Thanks for your question. The first thing that let your essay down was the fact that you printed it on unbleached paper towels. I don’t know whether this was some environmental statement or a prank, but this made the essay very difficult to read. Furthermore, I hear that this is the reason that the printers in Bass Library have been out of order for the past week.  Why did you think stuffing the paper towels into the printer tray would work? That’s not relevant to the grading of the paper, I’m just curious. I’m curious about a lot of things about you, actually.

    Once I transcribed the essay onto normal printing paper, I found some other problems with it. Your central thesis was “Harvard is better than Yale (in every respect so just DEAL WITH IT),” which is, to be frank, quite a lofty claim. I’m not just saying this because I’m a Yale grad student and am therefore partial to the school that I have attended for the past three months of my life (it’s really grown on me, let me tell you… sorry, that’s neither here nor there). It’s too broad a thesis, especially when the paper’s prompt asked you to “examine a single, specific case of Yale’s portrayal in the media.”

    Another weak point of the essay was the paragraph about this year’s apparel for the Harvard/Yale football game. You write: “Okay, so Yale’s shirts have a bulldog POOPING on clothes and SURE I guess that’s a timely reference, given the whole Poopetrator debacle, but that doesn’t really excuse the fact that there is POOP on our shirts. Like, I don’t want to wear this shirt that has POOP on it because that is DISGUSTING.” This is a fair point, but it shows a lack of depth in your research; you do not seem to be aware that the fabric of this year’s Harvard’s shirts is a blend of cotton, polyester and excrement. Thus, there is actual “poop” woven INTO the shirts, which, in my mind, makes the Yale’s better. Your contention that Harvard is better because of their recent streak of wins in The Game is similarly shortsighted; the series record since 1875 is 65-56-8 in favor of Yale. What confuses me is that the Wikipedia article from which you cited this statistic also contains the series record. Also, Wikipedia is not a proper source for research papers. I thought we went over this in section, that day you wore a cute scarf.

    There were also several mechanical errors. As you can see from the prior examples, you often type in all capitals, as if this would somehow drive your point home (moreover, I’d prefer to read “poop” over “POOP” – the latter is kind of gross, no?). There was also a point midway through the essay where you appeared to have just punched the keyboard repeatedly. I understand that eight pages can be difficult to fill, but this is not the way to do it. Also this: “Harvard kids and their stupid ugly dumb-dumb faces.” This is a fragment.

    And then there was this paragraph: “Mostly, Harvard is better than Yale because I go to Yale and my high school girlfriend Allison Freedman goes to Harvard. She is so smart and pretty. We were friends until college decisions came out, and I realized that she got into Harvard and I got into Yale. And then I said, ‘Why didn’t you apply to Yale so we could go to college together?’ And she said, ‘Why would I do that?’ And I said, ‘So we can keep seeing each other!’ And she said, ‘We aren’t dating.’ And then I said, ‘What? But I thought…’ And then she said, ‘Please stop crying in the middle of our Spanish presentation.’ God, I miss her so much. Allison, if this gets published in The Economist or The New Yorker or whatever smart-people stuff you read and you’re seeing this now, I’m sorry about that time at junior prom when I elbowed you in the face because the DJ played ‘Hey Ya!’ and that’s my favorite song. You’re great. Please call me sometime. Have you been getting my voicemails?” This is a personal anecdote and has no place in an academic paper. Also, get over her. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Ha, not to use a cliché or anything! That would be embarrassing for a TA to use a cliché, right? But also sort of endearing, no?

    Are you taking this class Credit/D? What do you do in the spare time when you could be preparing for the class? Do you have a lot of spare time? Like, for example, Friday night around 9 p.m.? Are you 21? Just curious.

    Please let me know if all this makes sense. I’d be happy to meet with you in person to discuss more. Please consider meeting with me to discuss ways to make up the grade, especially on, for example, Friday night around 9 p.m. Also, maybe consider switching majors?

     

    See you in class tomorrow,

    -Your TA

  3. Sex, Sin, Scandal in ‘The System’

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    When I told friends or family I was currently engrossed in a book about college football, the reaction I always received was: “Really?” Yeah, I’ll admit it; I’m less than even a casual college football fan. I’ll root for Yale over anyone else and I’ll support the University of Pittsburgh out of hometown pride, but I’d be hard-pressed to name a single player or coach. My ability to follow a sports team begins and ends with the Steelers.

    And yet, I was utterly captivated by — and thoroughly enjoyed — “The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football,” by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian. In fact, I may have enjoyed it all the more because many of the stories that would have been familiar to college fans were completely new to me, and thus surprising. Benedict, an acclaimed and prolific investigative reporter, and Keteyian, chief investigative correspondent for CBS News, do an excellent job making the topic digestible even for someone like me.

    College football is, according to the authors, “the biggest game in the United States, in terms of overall impact.” While the NBA or MLB or NFL may have higher salaries and better coverage on ESPN, they have fewer teams, which cover less area, than college football; the only television program more watched than the 2013 BCS College Football National Championship was the Super Bowl. College football “is everywhere.” It is a glorious, monstrous, nearly religious system that is as widespread geographically as it is in its fan base.

    And, for all the excitement, college football exists within a highly flawed system. Sex, sin, scandal, and billions of shady dollars stuff its hidden underbelly.

    With the rigor of professional journalists, Benedict and Keteyian demonstrate how student athletes are working full-time jobs in a system that does not pay them. College athletes are far more likely than non-athletes to commit crimes, including and especially sexual assault, but much of this misconduct is covered up by team “janitors” (highly paid fixers) or even the police. Injuries — especially head injuries — are everywhere and nearly inevitable. A staggeringly high percentage of players who never go pro also don’t graduate college, and a black player is far more likely than a white player not to receive a diploma. Top-tier high school recruits — 17-year-olds — are sometimes offered illegal recruitment packages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they are frequently seduced by “hostesses” — leggy college girls who are explicitly directed to flirt (or more) with the boys in order to recruit them. Many teams have budgets over $100 million, and many coaches are the highest paid public employees in the state. Yet for all the money flooding the game, 90 percent of major athletic departments operate at a loss.

    It’s crazy. And it’s also highly entertaining. The authors create a gripping narrative through a series of profiles — of coaches, players, recruits, NCAA investigators, agents, strippers and more. We meet Ricky Seals-Jones, the most sought-after recruit in the country, who is being stalked, bribed and threatened by big-name schools. We see Mike Leach, one of the most controversial and successful coaches in the game, who took a nothing team at Texas Tech, made it into a powerhouse, and then was forced to resign in disgrace. We learn about Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah, a Mormon from Africa who, after walking on to the BYU team (never having played the game) and starting for just a half a season, is catapulted into the NFL as the fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft. We hear the tales of donors who make Charles Johnson look tight-fisted and players who make Patrick Witt look like a choirboy. And the money, oh the money.

    Benedict and Keteyian, who have both written for Sports Illustrated and numerous other publications covering athletics, make good use of their contacts, gaining unprecedented access to the 2012 season. At times hyperbolic, at times self-congratulatory, their coverage is nonetheless fresh and eye opening.

    “The System” is ultimately more of an indictment than a celebration. It dwells more on the scandal than on the glory. Its authors do not, however, provide many concrete policy suggestions. The system of tutoring college athletes, recruiting college athletes, paying administrators and funding teams is a little scary, but, even after reading “The System,” I wouldn’t know where to begin trying to fix things. Hopefully, “The System” will serve to start a more productive conversation among a wider audience.

  4. Elis trounce Big Red

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    The Bulldogs stormed the Yale Bowl on Saturday to seek revenge for last season’s 45–6 loss to the Big Red in their Ivy League opener — and revenge they found.

    Yale’s defense forced Big Red quarterback and 2011 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year Jeff Mathews into three turnovers while quarterback Hank Furman ’14 and wide receiver Deon Randall ’14 combined for five touchdowns as the Elis powered past Cornell 38–23. Yale’s Ivy opener was all about composure; the Bulldog defense frequently forced Mathews to scramble, while the Yale attack remained stoic as it marched down the field.

    “Every year is a new year,” head coach Tony Reno said. “The carry over from last year that we had was growth.”

    Captain and defensive end Beau Palin ’14 said he has been happy with how the Bulldogs have been performing but added that there was still room to improve after Yale’s season-opening win at Colgate. On Saturday, Yale (2–0, 1–0 Ivy) proved it could dominate through the air as well as on the ground, picking up a total of 566 offensive yards and attaining 30 first downs.

    Reno stressed the depth of Yale’s wide receiving corps as an essential part of spreading out the defense and creating opportunities on offense. Randall, wide receiver Chris Smith ’14 and wide receiver Grant Wallace ’15 combined to catch 22 passes for 296 yards.

    “We’re a team that has a multitude of weapons,” Reno said. “Randall and Smith, Wallace — you have to defend all those guys at the perimeter. It’s very frustrating to try to defend our offense.”

    Yale shocked the Cornell defense from the opening kickoff. After Smith returned the opening kickoff 46 yards to the Cornell 49-yard line, a series of punishing runs from tailback Tyler Varga ’15 and a 34-yard strike to Wallace brought Yale to the doorstep. Furman then punched it in on third-and-goal to take a 7–0 lead early in the first quarter.

    Trying to keep Yale’s explosive offense on the sidelines, Cornell (1–1, 0–1 Ivy) ran a no-huddle offense but came up empty on its first possession.

    The Big Red then caught an early break when outside linebacker Tre’ Minor blocked placekicker Kyle Cazzetta ’15 as he attempted a 36-yard field goal halfway through the first quarter.

    On the ensuing drive, Cornell kicker John Wells knocked down a 31-yard field goal to narrow the gap to 7–3.

    With the Big Red facing third-and-13 on the Yale 43-yard line at the end of the first quarter, Mathews was hit as he threw the ball and defensive tackle Jeff Schmittgens ’15 intercepted the errant pass to stop the drive.

    The Elis did not capitalize on the opportunity, however, and Cornell’s offense came out like a Big Red machine on its next drive.

    A big pass interference penalty against linebacker Will Vaughan ’15 negated a third down stop for the Bulldogs. Another third down conversion for Cornell brought the ball to the Yale four-yard line. Mathews made the Bulldogs pay two plays later, throwing a nine-yard strike to wide receiver Lucas Shapiro to take a 10–7 lead with 0:51 remaining in the half.

    The Elis, refusing to finish the first half behind on the scoreboard, had a few more tricks up their sleeve.

    Smith made a big play just before halftime, breaking a 33-yard catch-and-run to take the Elis inside Cornell territory. Wide receiver Myles Gaines ’17 then gained 24 yards along the right sideline, and Cazzetta’s 25-yard attempt knotted the game at 10–10 at the break.

    Yale continued its offensive efficiency in the second half, outscoring Cornell 28–13 after the break. The Elis’ offensive line created holes for the running backs and gave Furman time to find open receivers.

    “We have a great culture on the line,” offensive lineman Ben Carbery ’15 said. “We communicate well together … What really impressed me about today was that we didn’t have the easiest first half, but the way we came out in the second half, we took over that game. The offense moved so smoothly.”

    Also crucial to the Yale attack was Yale’s consistent and relentless defense.

    On Cornell’s opening drive in the second half, Bulldog linebacker Andrew Larkin ’16 sacked Mathews for a nine-yard loss. Defensive back Cole Champion ’16 championed the Yale defense with 10 solo and five assisted tackles, and Palin had three solos and one assisted.

    In addition to strong defensive play and a versatile offense, the Bulldogs made spectacular plays in tough situations.

    On a crucial fourth down at the Cornell 47, Varga broke multiple tackles and spun through a hole in the line for a 19-yard gain. Three plays later, Yale converted a third down into a touchdown as Furman hit Randall for an eight-yard touchdown pass.

    Randall went on to catch two more touchdown passes to tie the school record with three receiving touchdowns. The last player to have three receiving touchdowns in a game was wide receiver Ashley Wright ’07 in 2005 — also against Cornell.

    Time was of the essence for the Yale offense — only two of its scoring drives lasted more than three minutes. On one drive, the Elis ran seven plays for 66 yards in 41 seconds.

    “We talked a lot about controlling the controllables: turnovers, penalties and third-down conversions,” Reno said. “The kids did a great job — it’s all them. I can’t say how proud I am of this group.”

    Yale managed to attain a 54-point swing from last year’s defeat to this year’s victory.

    The Elis will travel across the country to face no. 18 Cal Poly (2–2, 1–0 Big Sky) on Saturday, Oct. 5.

  5. Double Team

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    In high school, many of us wore — willingly or unwillingly — at least one, or maybe two or three, different jerseys. Jock or not, many high schools required us to play one sport per year, if not one sport per season. Playing soccer in the fall, hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the spring, was not strange then, but, now, in college, the idea of joining the roster of three varsity teams seems almost impossible. Not counting students who are on both the Track and Field and Cross Country team, students that play on two varsity teams are pretty exceptional across collegiate sports, especially in the Ivy League.

    At Yale, where only about 20% of students play on an intercollegiate sports team, students that play on more than one team are an anomaly. This year, Charles Cook ’15 will become one of those rare individuals. When Cook signed as a football player for the Bulldogs in 2011, he had no idea that less than two years later, he would find a second home on Yale Field.

    A Texas native, Cook spent his high school years playing both football and baseball the Parish Episcopal School in Dallas. In high school, Cook was captain of both teams. A star safety on the football team, Cook led the Panthers to a state championship his senior year while hauling in a state-record of 16 interceptions. Cook was no less impressive on the baseball diamond. He mashed his way to a .416 batting average his junior year, all while splitting his time between shortstop and the outfield. Despite earning a spot on the all-district teams for both sports, Cook felt his football abilities would fare better in the college recruitment process.

    “At that point, I gave up summer baseball after my junior year of high school and decided to focus on football,” he said. “I did get calls and letters from multiple schools about baseball, some in the Ivy League, but football remained my focus.”

    After catching the attention of former football coach Tom Williamson, Cook quickly scaled the positional ranks once he got to Yale. Throughout the 2012 season, he was the Bulldogs’ starting safety, and his efforts produced a critical interception for Yale during The Game last fall. But even with his rising status in the Yale Bowl, Cook remained intent on picking up the baseball bat he had put aside two years before.

    “When the football staff at Yale recruited me and gave me an offer, I expressed an interest in trying to play baseball as well,” Cook explained. “I had always wanted to pursue the opportunity.”

    This spring, he did just that, earning a walk-on spot on the team and cementing his status as a two-sport athlete. Cook attributes the rarity of athletes on two varsity sports teams to the “rigorous” time commitment that sports impose on a student’s life. It’s certainly not easy. Just like all other student athletes, two-sport athletes have to balance a full schedule of schoolwork and a social life with the demands of playing on two teams at an elite level. One commitment like that is tough enough; doubling it is a formidable task, but one that Cook believes he’s up to.

    “Time management will definitely be very important for me to balance the demands of both sports as well as the classroom,” he said. “But I think it will be more rewarding than anything … I grew up playing both sports, loving both, and decided I didn’t want to give up either.”

    So far, Cook seems to be handling the transition into the dugout seamlessly. Ben Joseph ’15, a pitcher for the Bulldogs, spoke highly of the benefits Cook stands to offer the team as a two-sport athlete. Despite, or perhaps because of the differences separating football and baseball, Cook’s teammates believe he will bring a new approach to the game that could help them both on the field and off it.

    “Charles will definitely have a unique impact,” Joseph said. “He has already brought some of the no-nonsense, warrior mentality of football onto the baseball diamond.”

    Perhaps the unique demands of a two-sport athlete require flexibility in athletic ability as well as a flexible disposition. For Joseph, Cook’s presence on the team has been defined not only by his athletic talents, but also by his “easygoing” personality. “He gets along with everyone … All the guys on the team are glad to have him, and everyone is ready to see what he can do.”

    This season, the Bulldogs will look to Cook’s natural athleticism to help them rebound from a 2011-’12 campaign that saw them go 13-31-1. It remains to be seen where he will spend his playing time, but his teammates feel certain that wherever he is on the diamond, he will bring both skill and competitive fire. It does take a special kind of athlete to excel on such disparate fields, but no matter whom you ask, Cook is that kind of athlete. As he prepares for Yale baseball’s March 9 season opening three-game series against Army in Tampa, FL, Cook will take his first step toward fulfilling a longtime goal: fulfilling his love for both football, and baseball, in a college setting.

    “Ultimately, I decided to give baseball a shot because I don’t want to have any regrets fifty years from now,” Cook said. “I realize that in two years I will never have this opportunity again, so I am going to do everything I can to make the most of it.”

     

    David Whipple contributed reporting.

  6. Varga ’15 named honorable mention by sports network

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    Running back Tyler Varga ’15 was often a bright spot in a bleak season for the Bulldogs this year. And now, the Yale football player has added another honor to his trophy case today after being named honorable mention Football Championship Subdivision All-American by the Beyond Sports Network.

    Although he missed a few games — one while his eligibility was being reviewed after he transferred from the University of Western Ontario, and another while he handled a leg injury — the running back still managed to lead the Ivy League with 116.2 yards per game.

    Varga also led the FCS with 194.2 all-purpose yards per game and was fourth in the Ancient Eight with eight rushing touchdowns.

    In addition, he has filled many holes on the Bulldogs’ roster. When all three Eli quarterbacks were injured in the 27-13 victory over Penn in October, Varga filled in as quarterback, in addition to almost leading the Elis to a victory over Columbia the following week. Varga also returned kicks for Yale, averaging 23.6 yards per try.

    Varga has also been named to first team All-Ivy and in New England.

  7. FOOTBALL | Varga ’15 named first team All-Ivy League

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    Running back Tyler Varga ’15 has been awarded first-team all-Ivy League recognition, becoming the only Yalie this season to receive the honor.

    The youngest player on the Elis’ offense, Varga averaged 116.9 rushing yards per game and ended the season with 935 yards total for the Bulldogs. His performance on offense earned him his first team all-Ivy League and his performance as a kick returner earned him second team all-Ivy on special teams.

    Though he missed two Ivy League games, Varga still ended the season as the 13th ranked player in the Football Championship Subdivision for his average rushing yards.

    Varga is also a finalist for the Bushnell Cup, the award granted to the Ivy League’s best offensive and defensive player of the year.

    Right tackle Roy Collins ’13 was a second-team all-Ivy pick and left tackle Wes Gavin ’14, center John Oppenheimer ’14, running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 and corner back Colin Bibb ’13 were honorable mentions for the Ivy League.

    Varga was elected Most Valuable Player by his teammates Monday night.

  8. FOOTBALL | Bulldogs name new captain

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    The Yale football team chose defensive end Beau Palin ’14 to serve as the program’s captain in 2013, bringing to an end the team’s first season without a captain in its 140-year history.

    The selection was announced at the annual team banquet in Commons on Monday, just a few days after team members cast their votes in Cambridge, Mass., the night before The Game.

    “Beau Palin bleeds Yale Blue and has demonstrated exceptional leadership and motivation on and off the field,” Yale head coach Tony Reno said in an interview with Yale Athletics. “He always places the team and his teammates before himself. He is a tireless worker and is willing to raise the bar every day to achieve our goals. I am excited for Beau and for all of Yale Football.”

    Palin, the first Wisconsin native to be named captain of Yale’s football team, played on defense for the first time in his collegiate career this fall and started every game as a defensive end, before making his switch at the encouragement of Reno. Though defensive ends are usually the smallest players on the D-line, the 6-foot-3-inch, 247-pound ecology and evolutionary biology major made his presence known with five sacks, 25 solo tackles and 43 tackles overall. Palin was also selected to receive the 2012 team’s “hammer” award for hardest hits.

    Palin is the 136th elected Yale captain as well as the seventh straight defensive player to hold the position.

  9. FOOTBALL | Bulldogs fall to Harvard

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    Harvard was a 33-point favorite over the Elis coming into the 129th playing of The Game. In rivalries like these, however, Yale proved that predictions mean nothing.

    Yale (2–8, 1–6 Ivy) stuck with Harvard (8–2, 5–2) for 60 minutes but ultimately fell 34–24. The Cantabs extended their recent string of successes over the Bulldogs, winning for the sixth straight year.

    Yale battled the Crimson to a 3–3 tie at the halftime break. The defense started the day on a high note when linebacker Dylan Drake ’13 sacked Crimson quarterback Colton Chapple on the second play from scrimmage.

    Although Yale was forced to punt on its first ensuing drive, the Eli defensive front was again able to break through Harvard’s protection on the next drive. Linebacker Will McHale ’13 downed Chapple 11 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

    The Crimson managed just two first downs in the opening quarter, but a strong showing by its defense limited the Bulldogs to just three first downs. Quarterback Derek Russell ’13 was under center for the first time since playing against Penn a month ago.

    Yale struck first with 00:21 left in the first quarter. Kicker Philippe Panico ’13 gave Yale a 3–0 lead with a 29-yard field goal.

    Kicker David Mothander responded on Harvard’s next drive, splitting the uprights from 23 yards to knot the game up at three. Neither team was able to score for the rest of the half, thanks in part to penalties on Harvard’s offensive line. Three false starts were called on Harvard in the first two quarters. The Crimson racked up a total of seven penalties for 55 yards before the break.

    The third quarter saw the scoring pick up, starting with 37-yard field goal by Mothander to put Harvard up 6–3 with 8:53 remaining in the third. After the Cantabs forced a Yale punt, Chapple drove Harvard 63 yards on seven plays for the game’s first touchdown. Passing for 28 yards on the drive, Chapple took it himself with an 18-yard scoring run at the 4:51 mark in the third quarter.

    Although Russell completed all seven of his passes in the first half, Yale’s offense was unable to stretch the field. That changed when Reno put Henry Furman ’14 back at quarterback. Furman immediately showed off his arm, finding a diving wide receiver Cam Sandquist ’14 over the middle for 46 yards on his first drive.

    Running back Tyler Varga ’15 then took over as Yale’s signal caller and found the end zone two plays later when he froze Harvard’s defense with a pump fake, then ran in to cut the lead to 13–10.

    A three-and-out by Harvard left Yale with the ball on its own 29-yard line. The Elis then opened up the final quarter of play with a 12-yard touchdown strike from Furman to wide receiver Grant Wallace ’15. Furman was flushed from the pocket, but he threw on the run and Wallace came to meet the ball for the score and a 17–13 Yale lead.

    Harvard took the lead right back in just 1:35 when Chapple finished a 5-play, 64-yard drive with a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Andrew Berg.

    Yale was unable to get a first down and punted, but nose guard Nick Daffin ’13 intercepted Chapple on Harvard’s 33. Yale battled its way down the field to set up third and goal on Harvard’s 2-yard line, then Varga rushed up the gut for a touchdown. Yale took a 24–20 lead with 7:07 to go, but the Cantabs were not done.

    Chapple broke free on a 61-yard dash, but defensive back Collin Bibb ’13 tripped him up at the Yale 9 to prevent a touchdown. Yale appeared to have kept Harvard out of the end zone when linebacker Ryan Falbo ’13 knocked down a pass on fourth and eight, but he was flagged for defensive holding and Harvard was awarded a new first down at Yale’s 4.

    The Elis paid for the penalty two plays later when Chapple hit tight end Cameron Brate in the back of the end zone to put Harvard up 27–24 at the 4:44 mark.

    After Furman’s pass was tipped on second down, Sandquist was dragged down for no gain on third down and the Elis punted on fourth and four from deep within their own territory.

    Harvard’s drive started off with false start to back the Crimson up, but running back Treavor Scales was able to pick up two first downs, the second going for 63 yards and a touchdown. Scales’ run iced the game by putting up 34–24 with just 1:08 left.

    Yale’s attempt at a comeback ended when the ball landed in Crimson defensive back Reynaldo Kirton’s hands for an interception.

    Varga led the Elis with 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns and Furman went 13–20 passing for 158 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

    The Elis lead the overall series 65–56–8.

  11. FOOTBALL | Princeton overtakes Yale 29-7

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    With wide receiver Henry Furman ’14 playing quarterback and running back Tyler Varga ’15 standing on the sidelines, many questioned if
    Yale could run the ball. But that is exactly what the Elis did, gaining 348 yards of total offense. That would not be enough, as Yale (2-7, 1-5 Ivy) fell 29-7 to Princeton (5-4, 4-2 Ivy) at the Yale Bowl this afternoon.

    Yale’s first drive of the game saw two completions by Furman and 16 rushing yards from running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 before the Elis were forced to punt. Princeton’s offense was stalled by the Eli defense and punted to Yale’s 37-yard line without moving the chains.

    Furman then led the Bulldogs 63 yards down the field, finishing with a 14-yard bullet up the middle to wide receiver Grant Wallace. Yale took a 7-0 lead with 6:27 left in the first quarter – Yale’s first points since Varga scored in the fourth quarter against Columbia two weeks ago.

    For the second straight series Yale was able to hold Princeton without a first down. Linebacker Dylan Drake ’13 and nose guard Nick Daffin ’13 both had tackles behind the line of scrimmage on the drive.

    The Elis yet again drove into Princeton territory, but running back Kahlil Keys ’15 was dropped in the backfield on third down by linebacker Tim Kingsbury.

    Princeton finally drove the ball on its next drive, but quarterback Quinn Epperly’s apparent touchdown pass was called back due to offensive pass interference.

    Epperly’s next throw was then intercepted by defensive back Collin Bibb ’13 in the end zone.

    Yale could do nothing with the new possession, however, and Princeton finally found the end zone on its ensuing drive. Wide receiver Roman Wilson punched the ball across the goal line with 10:27 to go in the second quarter.

    Linebacker Wes Moyer’s ’13 28-yard kick-off return set Yale up at its own 46-yard line and two plays later Furman dashed for 18 yards to Princeton’s 32. The Elis’ fortunes turned suddenly when Cargill fumbled.

    Three plays later the Bulldogs would get the ball back when Bibb jumped a corner route and intercepted quarterback Connor Michelsen on Princeton’s 39-yard line.

    On third down and 12 yards from the Princeton 29, Furman found wide receiver Austin Reuland ’16 22 yards down the sideline for first and goal at the 7.

    Poised on the Tigers’ goal line, the Elis went to a trick play on second down when Cargill tried to throw to Furman.

    Calamity struck when Cargill’s pass fell short and into the hands of cornerback Trocon Davis. He then ran untouched 100 yards to give Princeton a 14-7 lead with just 1:01 remaining in the second quarter.

    Princeton added to its lead on the first drive after the break when Epperly dove into the end zone from 1-yard out just three minutes into the second half. The Tigers upped the score to 22-7 when the snap on the extra point was fumbled, but kicker Nolan Bieck picked it up and fell across the goal line for the two-point conversion.

    Both sides traded punts before wide receiver Cameron Sandquist’s 21-yard return started the Elis on Princeton’s 34-yard line.

    Yale’s drive ended when Cargill was falling to the ground just outside the Princeton goal line. Just before he hit the ground, the ball popped out of Cargill’s hands into the end zone, where it was recovered by the Tigers.

    Powered by linebacker E.J. Conway’s ’15 6-yard sack of Michelsen, Yale’s defense forced a three-and-out by the Tigers after Cargill’s fumble. The fumble was Cargill’s third turnover of the game and sixth fumble of the season.

    Unable to move the ball on the next possession, Yale head coach Tony Reno called for a fake punt on fourth and five from the Princeton 38. Moyer’s pass fell incomplete, though, and the Elis turned the ball over on downs.

    The final quarter began with the Bulldogs and Elis again trading punts, then the Tigers began to drive once again.

    Starting on their own 31-yard line, the Tigers took six minutes to march down the field for first-and-goal on Yale’s 6. The Elis held Princeton on the first two plays, but on third down Epperly threw a fade to the back right corner for wide receiver

    Matt Costello. The wideout leapt into the air and kept his feet in bounds to give the Tigers a 29-7 with 4:23 left in the game.

    The Elis just barely missed a touchdown yet again on the next drive. Faced with fourth and 12 from the Princeton’s 31-yard line, Furman threw deep down the left sideline for Wallace, but the referees called Wallace out of bounds in the end zone. The Tigers were then able to run the clock out on just their third win over Yale in the last 11 years.

    Furman finished the day 18-28 for 184 passing yards and a touchdown in addition to 28 rushing yards. Cargill paced Yale’s running attack with 101 yards on the ground. Sandquist led all receivers with nine catches for 103 yards.