FUMBLES DOWNFALL OF '41 ELEVEN IN OPENER

Coach Skip Stahley's attempt to fashion a winning Freshman football team was rather a disappointment Saturday afternoon when an inferior Exeter team defeated the 1940 eleven 2-0.

But the defeat should not mean too much, for Skip and his boys suffered a season of bad breaks in that one afternoon. Repeatedly the Harvard plays clicked, and the line of scrimmage steadily moved toward the Exeter goal only to have a fumble spirit away a touchdown.

The Exeter tally came within the first three minutes of play in the first quarter. With the ball on Harvard's 16-yard line Gardella kicked; Exeter's left end Wilson rushed the kick and blocked it, the ball rolling into the end zone. Before Gardella could bring the ball out of danger he was tackled and the score read two to nothing.

Thus the game began badly for Harvard. Nevertheless, to spectators at least two touchdowns for the Crimson seemed certain, but fumbles again and again stopped the Freshman march. In the second quarter Harvard fumbled on its second down on the Exeter three yard line after a 52-yard march of five first downs. And again, Gardella was on the six-yard line ready for a score, when he fumbled and lost the ball.

Never did Exeter present a serious threat to the Harvard goal line. Only once was the scrimmage line inside the Harvard 20-yard line, that being the occasion on which Exeter gained two points with a safety.