Students Disappointed by Bulldogs' Upset at Harvard-Yale

Riding into the Game on a wave of optimism, students said they were disappointed following Yale football's triumph over Harvard on Saturday, ending a nine-year winning streak and the Crimson's chance for an Ivy League title this year.

In the 133rd playing of the Game, Yale closed out in the final quarter with a 21-14 victory. The Crimson's failure was made all the more unexpected by the winning streak Harvard has enjoyed since 2006. Yale leads the overall series 66-59. The two schools have also tied on eight occasions.

Rosa L. Bonilla '17 watches this year's football contest between Harvard and Yale. Students were disappointed as Yale emerged victorious and ended the Crimson's nine-game winning streak in the rivalry. By Megan M. Ross

Leading up to Saturday, many students said they were expecting the Crimson to continue their dominance over the Bulldogs. In preparation, the undergraduate humor magazine Satire V sold shirts with messages that included “Insanit-Y is playing the same team over and over again and expecting different results.”

Some students described Saturday’s loss as only the most recent twist in 2016, a year characterized by unexpected events like the election of Donald Trump to the presidency.

“My friend was comparing it to the Trump victory in the Electoral College, something that is so unexpected that it becomes so much more devastating,” said Rachel C. Sadoff ’19.

Natalie W. J. Hodges ’19 agreed.

“Given the series of events of the last couple weeks, it just felt like one more thing proving that this is the end of the world as we know it,” she said.

Although some students were surprised by the defeat, James M. A. Johnston ’17 said people need to “move on.”

“Obviously it’s not a great result, but that’s sport,” Johnston said. “You win some games, you lose some games and I think Harvard needs to come to terms with that we lose sometimes.”

Austin D. Shifflett ’20 said even though the result was disappointing, “Harvard-Yale is still a fun day, regardless.”

The football game capped off a spirited week for Harvard’s campus with organizations like the Undergraduate Council, College Events Board, and First-Year Social Committee planning events to build up enthusiasm for the Game. The Office of Student Life partnered with House Committees to organize gameday tailgates on Saturday morning.

Though students felt disappointed about the end of the nine-year winning streak, Nicholas R. Wheeler ’19 was still able to make jokes about Harvard’s rival university in New Haven.

“They go to a subpar school, so they’ll take any victory,” Wheeler said.

—Staff writer Hannah Nathanson contributed reporting to this story.