IN THE EAST: YALE FORGETS TO WATCH THE CLOCK
It was the breaks. We got the breaks, Yale didn't," drawled Colgate Coach Hal Lahar in a soft southern accent. His team had just spoiled Yale's perfect record for the second year in a row and, to tell the truth, Lahar looked a little sheepish about it. Well he might, for Coach Jordan Olivar's Bulldogs outgained Colgate 244 yards to 150 rushing and pumped out 19 first downs to Colgate's 10 but Colgate won 14-6. Except for two momentary defensive lapses—a pass interception for a 78-yard touchdown run and later a 14-yard touchdown pass—Yale owned the game. Early in the first quarter, the Blue marched in short, methodical bursts to Colgate's 22-yard line, and a touchdown seemed inevitable. But, as Yale Quarterback Dean Loucks delayed too long on a short jump pass over the line, someone jarred his arm. The ball wobbled a few yards into the hands of Colgate End Al Jamison, who ran to the midfield stripe and, just as he was tackled, lateraled to Halfback Walter Betts, who continued on for the touchdown.
The second half was more of a ball game as each team scored once. First it was Yale's turn, and their season-long inability to capture the elusive point after the touchdown hardly seemed important as they demonstrated it to the 38,236 witnesses. But, when Colgate scored again and converted successfully, Yale needed two touchdowns to go in front, and time was running out. With less than eight minutes remaining in the game, Yale took possession and reverted to its plodding ground movement, even though it was obvious to the most naive football fan that daring, fast-scoring plays were needed to erase the eight-point deficit. Quarterback Dean Loucks was apparently the only one in the huge Yale Bowl who was not watching the clock, and he wasted five of those valuable minutes bringing the ball in slow stops to the Colgate 15, where he lost possession on a fumble.
Though the Colgate loss does not affect Ivy League standings (Yale and Princeton are still tied for the lead with undefeated records), Princeton must now be considered the new favorite on the strength of its 28-20 win over Colgate a week earlier. The only other apparent threat to the conference crown is Harvard (3-1), which in recent years has grown November muscles and used them in knocking over either Yale or Princeton or both. It could happen again this year too, when Harvard has shown surprising early strength.
As usual, the real strength of the East lies in the independents—this year Penn State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. These teams have provided the area with the kind of stature that is acknowledged even in such lofty football temples as those of the Big Ten and the South. Penn State, so far the most impressive of this trinity, has beaten Ohio State, and last week upended West Virginia 16-6. Both Army and Navy have failed to uphold their normal prestige so far, and the feeling grows that they are saving themselves for each other. Army can pile it up against the little fellows—as they did 60-0 against Columbia last week—but they do not have it against teams like Michigan and Syracuse. The same holds true for Navy, which lost to Tulane but flattened Pennsylvania 54-6.
The Yankee Conference has continued to gain in stature thanks to Connecticut and Maine. The UConns very nearly upset Yale in the Elis' opener this year and are still unbeaten in their own bailiwick.
Williams, the class of the Little Three this year, suffered its first loss of the season last Saturday to Tufts 40-20, but that is scarcely a disgrace. Tufts is still undefeated and ranks with the finest of the small college teams anywhere. That early win over Harvard was no fluke.