Yale Daily News
New Haven, Connecticut •
Friday, April 19, 2024 •
Vol. CXLVI
Tickets for the 129th Yale-Harvard game will go on sale 9 a.m. Monday morning, and will be distributed by the Yale Ticket Office near the Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
They cost $20 per student and $35 for guests.
According to the Harvard athletic website, there are still a limited number of tickets available from Harvard, with prices ranging from $35 for endzone seating to $60 for premium seating. Parking tickets are already sold out, according to the website.
Kickoff will be at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday on Nov. 17 at Harvard Stadium.
Playing without a true quarterback, the Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3 Ivy) were unable to come out of the Big Apple with a win Saturday afternoon, blowing a fourth quarter lead to fall 26-22 to Columbia (2-5, 1-3 Ivy).
Last week the Bulldogs had to deal with the loss of starting quarterback Eric Williams ’16. This week, the Elis were without any of their three quarterbacks.
Running back Tyler Varga ’15 took the majority of Yale’s snaps, but he was occasionally spelled by WR Henry Furman ’14. Furman had not played quarterback since high school, where he was a three-year starter and 2009 first-team all-leaguer for Lincoln High in Portland, Ore.
Columbia drove down the field on the first drive of the game, but the Yale defense held firm on its own 11-yard line to force a Columbia field goal.
After the two teams traded punts, the Elis were finally able to drive the football.
Running the option and a normal running game out of their traditional formations, Varga led the Elis on a 7-play, 94-yard drive that he capped off with a 28-yard scoring run.
Yale’s defense forced a punt on the Lions’ next possession, but punter Paul Delaney pinned the Elis deep on their own 9-yard line. On the next play, Varga could not handle the snap and was brought down for a safety after recovering in the end zone.
With the Yale lead cut to just two midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs responded by forcing the Lions to punt yet again.
Running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 gave the ball right back to Columbia when he fumbled on the second play of Yale’s ensuing drive. Columbia appeared destined to take advantage of the Yale turnover when running back Marcorus Garrett rushed for 6 yards to set Columbia up with first and goal on the Yale 1-yard line.
Four plays later, however, and the Elis had the ball back after a goal line stand.
Reno then called Furman’s number to lead Yale in the two-minute drill. His first two collegiate passes were completions, the second to wide receiver Austin Reuland ’16 for a first down. Furman’s next to passes fell incomplete, however, and Yale punted the ball back to Penn with less than a minute remaining.
Defensive back Kurt Stottlemyer ’13 crushed Columbia’s hopes of a halftime lead by intercepting quarterback Sean Brackett on the final play of the first half.
Yale had the ball to start the second half, but not for long. Cargill fumbled the ball on Yale’s first play from scrimmage after the break. The giveaway was Cargill’s second of the game and fourth this season.
The Lions were again unable to capitalize on Yale’s mistake as the Elis stopped Columbia on a fourth down try on the Yale 26.
Twelve plays and 74 yards later, Varga extended Yale’s lead when Columbia’s defense bit on the fake hand-off, allowing the running back-turned-quarterback to slip across the goal line from 4 yards out.
Columbia responded with a 75-yard drive of their own, which ended when wide receive Jake Wanamaker hauled in Brackett’s 4-yard lob to the back right corner of the end zone.
After forcing Yale to punt, the Lions took the lead with 11:38 to go in the final quarter when Brackett took it in for the score himself from 1 yard out.
The lead changed again on Yale’s next drive. The offensive line pushed right and Varga appeared to follow them, only to turn on a dime and cut back left and run 28 yards before diving just inside the pylon. Reno opted to go for two and Cargill converted by powering his way up the middle into the end zone.
The Elis led 22-19 with 7:30 left in regulation and appeared to be on their way to running out the clock after Columbia’s 41-yard field goal try went wide to the left.
With just 2:05 remaining, Varga rushed for a first down at the Columbia 41, but fumbled the football as he was falling to the ground. Reno and the Bulldogs argued that the play was dead because Varga was down by contact, but the call stood in favor of the Lions.
Brackett orchestrated an eight-play, 59-yard drive that returned the lead to Columbia with a 2-yard pass to Garrett.
With just 45 seconds to go, Furman again went under center for the Bulldogs. Although he was able to pick up a first down at the Yale 42 with a 17-yard strike to wide receiver Cameron Sandquist ’14, time ran out on Yale’s hopes of a comeback.
Varga led the Elis with 220 rushing yards and three touchdowns. His total set the record for most yards on the ground by a Yale quarterback Nick Crawford ’92 with 204 yards against Penn in 1991.
Yale will hit the road again next Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Providence, R.I. to face Brown.
Pat Moran ’12, a two-year starter for Yale as a defensive lineman, resigned as field director for his father’s — U.S. Representative Jim Moran — reelection campaign after the younger Moran was caught on tape discussing a plan to cast up to 100 fraudulent ballots.
In a taped conversation, Pat Moran is approached by an undercover reporter who pitches a plan to vote in the place of 100 registered voters in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District — which Rep. Jim Moran represented — who rarely voted. The plan would call for forged utility bills and bank statements to meet proper identification requirements for Virginia’s voter registration laws.
“Look at the law,” Pat Moran says to the undercover reporter in the video. “It has to be a utility bill or something like that … so you have to forge it.”
Though Pat Moran initially expressed doubts about the plan, he eventually tells the undercover reporter to “look into it,” even offering tips on who the undercover reporter should contact and recommending that he call the 100 individuals to ensure they are not planning on voting.
The campaign released a statement about Pat Moran’s resignation on Wednesday, attributing his actions to an “error in judgement.”
While at Yale, Pat Moran was a two-year starter for the Bulldogs. In 2011 he was named the Yale Defensive Lineman of the Year, finishing that year with 12 total tackles, one sack and one blocked kick.
The Bulldogs went into the locker room at halftime with the lead, but Lafayette came back in the second half to deny Yale its first home win of the season.
Yale held a 10–7 advantage at the half, but Lafayette (4–2, 1–0 Patriot) stormed back to win 20-10 at the Yale Bowl this afternoon.
Quarterback Eric Williams ’16 threw two interceptions in the first quarter, but each time the Bulldog defense forced a punt on the ensuing Leopard drive.
Yale (1–4, 0–2 Ivy) opened the scoring 30 seconds into the second quarter when tight end Michael Leunen ’14 hauled in a 25-yard pass from Williams, then forced his way into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Lafayette quarterback Andrew Shoop’s 5-yard toss to fullback Greg Kessel knotted the score at seven apiece with 8:02 remaining until halftime. The Elis would retake the lead on the foot of kicker Philippe Panico ’13, who drilled a 24-yard field goal with 4:39 left in the half.
But the second half would be all Lafayette. After both teams traded punts at the start of the half, the Leopards drove 78 yards on a twelve-play drive that ended with a 10-yard Mark Ross touchdown reception.
Running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 drove the Elis forward with 21 rushing yards on the ensuing drive to set up third-and-one on the Lafayette 20, but center John Oppenheimer’s ’14 snap sailed over Williams’ head back to the 31-yard line. Panico’s try from 48 yards out had the distance but was wide right and Yale came away with no points.
After another three-and-out by the Leopard offense, Yale drove all the way to Lafayette’s 15, but Williams was intercepted by defensive back Shane Black for the second time on the day.
Yale was still within four when the defense sacked Shoop at the Yale 34 to set up fourth-and-twelve. Shoop was able to get the first down and more on the next play when he found Ross for a 32-yard pass to the Yale two. Two plays later, tailback Ross Sheuermann punched it in for the score. Defensive end Nick Daffin ’13 blocked the extra point attempt, but Lafayette had a 20-10 lead with 2:19 to go. Yale’s chances ended for the day when Williams was picked for the final time by linebacker Chris Brockman with 38 seconds remaining.
Williams threw a career-high four interceptions while his Lafayette counterpart Andrew Shoop passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Tyler Varga ’16 led the Bulldogs with 100 rushing yards in his return to the field. Yale had withheld Varga from last week’s 34-14 loss to Dartmouth while the NCAA investigated his eligibility following his transfer from the University of Western Ontario.
Cargill was right behind Varga, running for 98 yards on the day.
Yale will be at home for the fourth week in a row next Saturday against Penn (2-3, 2-0 Ivy).
Yale was informed by the NCAA today that running back Tyler Varga ’16 is eligible to play football for the Bulldogs this season.
“The University has worked closely with the Ivy League and the NCAA to obtain a waiver regarding [Varga’s] status as a transfer student from a Canadian University that resolved all eligibility issues,” Associate Athletics Director for Sports Publicity Steve Conn said in a statement.
Varga was held out of last week’s 34–14 loss to Dartmouth after the University received word that his eligibility had been called into question by the NCAA the night before.
Varga played for the University of Western Ontario last season. He was named the Canadian Intervarsity Sports Rookie of the Year after rushing for 799 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Since Varga received athletic scholarship money as a student athlete for Western Ontario, he was eligible for the FCS one-time transfer exception. The exception allows players to waive the one year in residence requirement when transferring from a scholarship institution to one that does not support athletic scholarships.
Varga will return to the field at noon tomorrow as the Bulldogs host Lafayette.
Hold on to the football: In the two games the team has played this season, Yale has coughed the ball up nine times. An early interception and fumble gave Cornell all the momentum in the Elis’ blowout loss to the Big Red last week. In quarterback Eric Williams’ ’16 defense, he is only two games into his collegiate career and several of the interceptions have not been his fault. One resulted from a busted screen play and several others were the result of tipped passes. The fact remains, however, that the Blue and White cannot expect to win many games if they continue to lead the Ancient Eight in turnovers. Opponents have cashed in on Yale’s mistakes — scoring 35 points on drives beginning with Bulldog turnovers. Not only are turnovers taking away scoring chances for the Elis, they are also putting points on the wrong side of the board. Taking care of the football could prove to make the difference tomorrow.
Hit the ground running: If there is one thing the Elis have shown they can do this year, it is run the football. The offensive line has done a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage, and Yale’s talented backfield has taken advantage — averaging 4.3 yards per carry in the two games this season. Mordecai Cargill ’13 says that he is good to go after leaving last weekend’s contest against Cornell with a shoulder injury, so he will join fellow backs Tyler Varga ’16 and Khalil Keys ’15 in the Yale Bowl tomorrow. Cargill and running backs coach Larry Ciotti call the trio the “three-headed monster,” and they will get an opportunity to wreak havoc on a Colgate defense that has given up 5.4 yards per rush so far this season.
Have faith in Williams: Last week’s game was one that everyone associated with Yale football would love to forget — being beaten by 39 points is nobody’s idea of a fun Saturday afternoon. But one positive aspect that head coach Tony Reno and several of his players pointed to was that the team kept fighting, and Williams was leading that charge. The rookie signal caller shook off two first-half interceptions and kept his composure. He showed poise in leading the Bulldogs down the field even though Yale had trouble finding the end zone. For now Yale will have to live with mistakes, like Williams’ tendency to stare down his receivers, but he has shown flashes of good things to come. Williams has a strong and accurate arm, is a dual-threat with his feet and demonstrates good decision-making when he has the football. If Williams gets the support he needs, he has the ability to lead Yale to victory.
It is a new week for Yale football as the Bulldogs take the field for their home opener.
The Elis (1-1, 0-1 Ivy) are looking to put last week’s 45-6 loss at Cornell behind them as they open play at the Yale Bowl against Colgate (1-3, 0-0 Patriot).
“We just have to correct the little things [for this week],” offensive lineman William Chism ’15 said. “The good news is that the effort was there.”
Despite the score last week, running back Mordecai Cargill ‘13 was impressed that the team did not give up against the Big Red. He added that previous teams he has been a part of at Yale might have stopped fighting last week, so the team’s resilence is a good sign for upcoming games.
The Raiders visit New Haven coming off their own disappointing loss. They came within one point but ultimately fell to Stony Brook 32-31 last Saturday.
Despite its three losses, Colgate has been outscored by only seven total points through four games this season. Coach Reno said that the Raiders have been in every game.
“[Colgate has] played three playoff football teams in the first four weeks,” Reno said. “You can make an argument that they could’ve won all of them.”
Reno cited Colgate’s balance as its strength and called the team Yale’s most balanced opponent to date. He added that they have a very “active” defense.
One weakness that Colgate has had this year is defending against the run. The Raiders have given up 5.4 yards per carry this season.
With the Bulldogs averaging 168 yards on the ground themselves, the matchup on the ground favors the Blue and White.
Although tomorrow will be the first game in the Yale Bowl for the class of 2016, defensive back Cole Champion ’16 said that Reno and the coaching staff have gotten them prepared for the atmosphere.
“I’m excited to get out there on a Saturday,” he said. “We’ve scrimmaged in there twice always so that will kind of help us get a feel for what it’s going to be like on Saturday.”
The Yale Bowl will not be the first big stage that Champion has played on. When Champion was playing for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida, his team traveled to Dallas to play in Cowboy Stadium.
The Bulldogs and Raiders will kick off at noon. Tomorrow will be Youth Day at the Bowl. All children participating in Youth Day will receive free admission to the game.
Almost four years ago, running back Mordecai Cargill ’13 ran for 99 yards and a touchdown to lead Glenville High School in Cleveland to a 30–6 victory over John Marshall High School. The win propelled Glenville to No. 9 in the ESPN Rise national rankings for Oct. 7, 2008.
Lounging while on duty at the Yale Laundry Service room in Swing Space, Cargill acknowledged that a lot has changed since his high school days in Cleveland.
“As a senior in high school I was a little bit wild and unrestrained,” Cargill said. “My coaches over the course of four years have kind of reined me in and taught me the intricacies of the position … how to read defenses, set up blocks.”
Cargill’s time at Yale was itself almost blocked. As National Signing Day came his senior season, Cargill had not even heard from Yale. He said that he was considering a postgraduate year at the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., in order to try and play for an Ivy League school the next year.
Then Cargill answered a phone call, and on the other end was Yale’s former head coach Tom Williams. It was a call, Cargill said, “[that] basically changed my life.”
Williams has since been replaced, but new head coach Tony Reno is impressed with the player and leader that Williams left behind.
“He’s got the ability to run people over and he’s got the ability to run by people,” Reno said. “Very few guys have that ability.”
Reno added that Cargill has good vision and makes his cuts well, but it is Cargill’s leadership that is most impressive. According to Reno, Cargill has put the success of the team over his own personal achievements.
Cargill himself emphasized his desire to mentor the team’s younger running backs, continuing the tradition that helped him to learn his craft. Cargill’s efforts have not just been noticed by the coaching staff, offensive lineman William Chism ’15 said.
“It’s an honor blocking for Mo,” Chism said. “He inspires us, especially when things are going wrong.”
But back when Cargill arrived in New Haven as a freshman, he ran into blockers of a different sort — this time on the depth chart. Undeterred, Cargill took advantage of every chance he got. He averaged 3.9 yards his first two years while sharing carries with other running backs, including Alex Thomas ’12, and had a 126-yard performance against Dartmouth in 2010.
Cargill’s crowning achievement, however, came when Thomas was injured in Yale’s 37–25 loss to Penn last year. Playing in an October snowstorm at Columbia the next week, Cargill had the game of his life.
“There is a very real zone that you get in in certain situations,” Cargill said. “The weather was so bad that I just extracted myself from the situation — I was on autopilot.”
Cargill “autopiloted” to 230 yards on 42 carries, both career highs, as Yale defeated the Lions 16–13.
Even as a senior, Cargill has not asked for the spotlight. Reno said that rather than wanting all the carries, Cargill talks about the idea of a “three-headed monster” with tailbacks Tyler Varga ’16 and Khalil Keys ’15.
The result has been a Bulldog ground attack that has averaged 4.3 yards per carry this season.
It was no surprise, then, that Cargill, an unofficial leader, was elected by his teammates to officially represent the Blue and White in the season-opening coin toss at Georgetown on Sept. 15.
The Bulldogs will face Colgate at home on Saturday.