Harvard Upends Princeton, 34-17, in Wild Battle

PRINCETON, N.J.--The Harvard football team, showing an awesome display of offensive firepower for the second consecutive week, turned aside a sky-high and determined Princeton squad, 34-17, before more than 31,000 sun-drenched fans here at Palmer Stadium Saturday.

Despite the final score, the game was no Harvard romp. The Tigers matched the Crimson's offensive ferocity for three quarters, but two key plays turned things around in Harvard's favor.

Harvard took the opening kickoff, and under the field generalship of quarterback Milt Holt, marched 80 yards in just nine plays for a touchdown, but missed the extra point.

Paper Tiger

The opening series presaged the rest of the game as far as the Crimson offense was concerned. Quarterback Holt mixed his plays well, and running backs Tom Winn and Neal Miller consistently cut out huge chunks of yardage against the lethargic Tiger front wall.

Holt was also hitting his receivers against the porous Princeton secondary, with a 31-yard toss to All-American wide receiver Pat McInally, a key play in the drive.

However, Princeton came right back, with their super halfback Walt Snickenberger leading the charge. He gained 29 yards in the 77-yard drive, including the touchdown, making the score 7-6, Princeton, halfway through the first period.

"Snickenberger is really tremendous," said Harvard adjuster George Newhouse after the game. "He doesn't have great speed, but he's great at hitting the holes. He's just a fine all-purpose runner."

Harvard rose to the challenge of one-upsmanship, and when it got the ball, Holt and company went right to work. Milt hit McInally with a 15-yard pass, to get the Crimson ball rolling. Alternating runs and passes, Harvard bulldozed its way to the Princeton ten. There, a beautiful Holt-Pete Curtin combination made it 13-7 at the end of the first period.

Princeton tried to match Harvard's offensive prowess, but a 51-yard drive stalled at the Crimson 16. The Tigers had to settle for a shanked line-drive field goal attempt, which tipped the crossbar and flipped over, making it 13-10, just into the second period.

The Princeton defense finally tightened up and stopped the Crimson. Harvard was forced to punt, and the Tigers took over at their own 26, looking to regain the lead.

Princeton almost accomplished this goal. Tiger halfback Snickenberger continued to run over the lax Crimson front line, and Princeton brought the ball all the way down to the Harvard one-yard-line in just seven plays. It was at this point that the game's momentum turned around.

With a first and goal at the one, Tiger quarterback Ron Beible called a Snickenberger sweep to the right side. But Crimson adjuster John Clarke broke in to the Tiger backfield, and nailed Snickenberger for a four-yard loss at the five.

Beible tried two passes that failed, and Princeton decided to settle for a field goal. However, Tiger kicker Scott Morrison's attempt went wide, and Princeton came up empty handed for all their hard work.

"That play changed the whole momentum of the game," said Newhouse. "Up to then Princeton had been matching us score-for-score, but when they got nothing out of that drive, it really got them frustrated, and gave our defense a big boost."

The Crimson defense finally did come to life, and after an exchange of hands, penned the Tigers deep in their own territory. Tiger punter Mike Stein then got off a bad kick, and Harvard took over at the Princeton 39 with only 1:19 left in the half.

Holt, again demonstrating the aggressive confidence he's developed over the course of the season, hit sophomore receiver Bill Curry with two lightning-quick slant-in passes in succession that moved the ball all the way down to the Princeton three. Milt tried a keeper that failed, and then was sacked for a seven-yard loss. With the clock running and Harvard having two time-outs, Holt, in a quick formation play, hit McInally with a nine-yarder for the touchdown, with just 14 seconds left in the half. The point after was wide again, but Harvard walked off to the locker room with a commanding 19-10 lead.

The second half opened with the Princeton offense again running right over, and outhitting, the Crimson defense, with the result being an 80-yard TD drive that narrowed the Crimson's margin to 19-17.

But, just as at Dartmouth, a cool Holt refused to let the tide change. Holt directed Harvard 67 yards for a touch-down, hitting tight end Curtin with a pass in the endzone. That made the score 26-17 Harvard, but with the way Princeton was moving, it looked as though the Crimson would need a lot more than that to ensure the victory.

But the Crimson defense again got tough and held the Tigers. After another exchange of possession, came the play that clinched the game for Harvard. It was Clarke again making the key move, intercepting a Beible pass at the Princeton 39, and taking it all the way down to the Tiger ten.

Harvard halfback Steve Dart went around right end for seven. Then Holt, after an offside against Harvard, went in on a keeper from the six. Milt got the two-point conversion and school was out for the Tigers and their charged-up followers. Ivy League Standings   W  L  T Harvard  5  0  0 Yale  5  0  0 Penn  2  2  1 Princeton  2  3  0 Brown  2  3  0 Dartmouth  2  3  0 Columbia  0  5  0