Word: final
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1980
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...might have been the sound of a four-way tie for third place. After the great start, the upsets of Army and Brown, and the comeback over Penn, Harvard's final resting place does not look especially noteworthy. But in all the furor about the potential championship--the "if Yale loses and Brown and Dartmouth tie and we win our last two" speculation endemic in the Houses this fall--it's easy to lose sight of the distance this Harvard football team travelled...
Less than one year after one local publication pondered "The Decline of Harvard Football," and many others asked similarly embarassing questions, the Crimson was battling for a championship. A victory over Yale in the final game of the season would have brought one to Cambridge for the first time since 1975. And even with the disappointing final day loss to the Elis, Harvard (7-3 overall, 4-3 Ivy League) completed its best overall record since the championship season...
...longest since 1951) with a six-game winning streak (longest since 1968) was defense. You can talk about the Multiflex until it rains double-reverses, but defense led Harvard to its victories. Most of the stalwarts were seniors this year, and they exited with a flourish. Coming into the final game against Yale, both the Crimson and the more celebrated Eli defenders had each yielded 124 points in nine games for a 13.8 average. In The Game, Harvard gave up 14 points, almost exactly its average...
...players recognized the importance of the defense and, accordingly, gave its most valuable player honor to the team's captain, senior defensive tackle Chuck Durst. He had missed the final game of his career with bruised knee ligaments. Might The Game have ended differently if the big man had been in there at full strength...they'll have all winter to debate that one at Charlie...
Devine scored again for B.U. along with Kilik and Debbie Gautreau to make it 6-0 after two. In the final period the Crimson regained its composure and again played even with the Terriers. After allowing another goal by Gautreau in the opening moments, the women pucksters put good pressure on Weston. But the Terrier netminder was still equal to the challenge and turned away every Harvard drive to preserve her shutout...