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Crimson Eleven Shades Columbia, 3-0

By Donald E. Graham

The Samson of the Ivy League got a crew cut Saturday.

The barbers were Harvard's defensive line and the victim was Archie Roberts, Columbia's all-Ivy Quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate. Roberts had the worst day of his career as his team lost to Harvard 3-0 on Maury Dullea's last minute field goal.

But even before Dullea's kick, the Crimson had plenty to be happy about. The defense that had looked sieve-like against Bucknell stopped Roberts cold. He completed only six of eleven passes for a total of 42 yards. Eight times he was thrown back of the line attempting to pass; he totaled minus 16 yards rushing despite one 27-yard carry.

The statistics said he had a worse game (by three yards) against Rutgers as a sophomore, but Lion coach Buff Donelli wasn't buying. "I've never seen him look worse," he said after the game.

Harvard Offense Cold

Offensively, Harvard wasn't looking so hot either. Hustling Columbia linebackers bottled up the Crimson's sweep-pitchout series, throwing Wally Grant and Bobby Leo for losses on the same plays that had been eating up the yards for Harvard in the earlier games.

Harvard got no first downs in the first quarter and only one in the first half. Crimson fans almost gave up hope when two second-half drives were stopped by fumbles deep in Columbia territory.

But with Tom Bilodeau passing and John Dockery, playing his finest game of the year, catching, the Crimson came back with a late drive to set up Dullea's 19-yard field goal with 29 seconds left.

The drive started after Dockery returned a Roberts punt to the Harvard 45 and ran it out of bounds with 1:50 remaining. Bilodeau, looking very much like a professional quarterback, snapped off 10 plays in the next minute and 21 seconds to move Harvard to the Lions' two.

They started with an inside reverse to Dockery, who bulled nine yards. Then he threw to Dockery at the left side- line; Dockery eluded a tackle and went 14 yards and then out of bounds.

Passes to Dockery and Grant got 16 yards and Harvard was at the Columbia 21. Then Bilodeau faked a quick pass to Dockery over the middle, a play he had used twice before. Dockery stopped, then took off, and was behind his man. He was in the end zone, but Bilodeau's pass was just a bit wide. Dockery dragged his feet trying to stay in bounds but an official ruled that he was outside the line. In the press box a pro scout who had come to see Roberts whistled at the catch and penned Dockery's name to his list of prospects.

Bilodeau threw for Pat Conway, but the pass missed. Now it was third down. Bilodeau went back and threw low to Frank Ulcickas who dived, stopped the ball with his right hand, and cradled it at the two-yard line.

From there Bilodeau, remembering the five fumbles Harvard had made previously, kept the ball twice. His first run was into the center of the field, losing a yard but setting up a field goal. A quarterback sneak fell a yard short. Coach John Yovicsin sent in Dullea, and the sophomore bisected the goal posts with his first attempt at a field goal for Harvard.

On the very first Columbia play, Frank Ulcickas spilled Roberts' receiver, Bob Klingensmith, for a 12-yard loss after Archie was hit trying to pass. Then Ulcickas dumped Roberts for a six-yard loss and the pro scout who had come to watch Archie wrote down Ulcickas' name.

Later in the quarter he added the name of Paul Barringer when Harvard's other end dumped Roberts twice. Archie did not lead Columbia to a first down the whole quarter, and the Lions wound up the 15 minutes minus 11 yards.

Both teams had one good shot in the second quarter. A 27-yard Roberts run to. Harvard's 29 brought Columbia as close to a touchdown as it got all day. But the Lions were penalized for offsides, Jim Driscoll spilled Roberts for a loss of three, and a pass was incomplete. A seven-yard completion--Archie's first--set up a 41-yard field goal attempt by John Bashaar that fell 15 yards short.

Everybody Fumbles

Harvard's chance came when Roger Denis fumbled on the Columbia 23. Grant and Bobby Leo got Harvard its only first down of the half on the Columbia 11, but John McCluskey, who played at quarterback until the middle of the third period, missed connections on a center. Grant, running forward, accidentally kicked the ball into the line and Jack Strauch recovered for Columbia.

Roberts stayed bottled up in the second half--the Lions' penetration was to Harvard's 39--but Harvard didn't get another first down until Bilodean took over halfway through the third period. In five plays Harvard moved from its own 27 to the Columbia 30, where Bilodean called a double reverse. His pitchout to Leo was off target and bounced off the halfback's hands: Dick Flory recovered for Columbia.

Moments later a 19-yard pass to Grant and a 10-yard run by Pat Conway brought the ball to Columbia's 33. Leo went through right guard twice, getting five yards both times, but on a third try he fumbled.

Bilodeau wound up completing eight of 11 passes for 100 yards. That makes him 24 of 32 for the season, a neat 75 per cent.

Conway, with 62 yards in 10 carries, was the leading rusher; Dockery caught four passes and Grant three to top the receiving statistics.

After the game Donelli and Yovicsin met the press. Had the pass defense improved, Yovicsin was asked. "We didn't change anything," he said. "Bucknell's coach thinks he has the best ends in the East and only Massachusetts can argue with him."

"What about you?" Donelli asked, thinking of the damage Barringer and Ulcickas had done to Roberts.

"You're crazy," said Donelli.

"I won't fight him," Yovicsin said.

24,708 frozen fans filtered slowly out of Baker Field, knowing that Columbia's second loss had virtually knocked them out of the Ivy League title race. In the press box, the scout packed up and left, with a long list of Harvard names on his pad and a big question mark beside the name of Archie Roberts.TOP: WALLY GRANT (12) misses interception of wild Roberts pass. BOTTOM: TOM BILODEAU (18) drags down Columbia defender as PAUL GUZZI (25) grabs the pass.

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