With the Big Green Teams
THERE is no way to explain the impressive form exhibited by the Big Green as they entered Harvard Stadium and proceeded to build a dominating 20-0 margin over the hapless Crimson during the course of the first three periods. Then, in the closing seconds of the third, and the opening six minutes of the fourth quarter the Indians made some mistakes. Three important errors. You can't unshackle a potent team like Harvard without finding yourself in deep trouble.
When sophomore Bill Koenig went into the game for quarterback Gene Ryzewicz late in the third quarter, everyone expected a pass to reawaken the Indian attack. Earlier Bill had come in to hurl two key completions as Dartmouth drove for touchdowns. This time, however, Koenig had a pass-quick-kick option on third down depending on Harvard's defensive lineup. Back in "shotgun" formation Koenig quickly assessed Crimson strategy and elected to kick. Just as he was about to connect, both feet went out from under him and the punt carried only from Dartmouth's 18 to the 38.
The first Harvard score shortly thereafter failed to raise many eyebrows; the contest had been a dead issue for three quarters and no one believed that what was about to happen ever could.
Harvard Stadium shook with the rising emotions of both sides. Harvard held Dartmouth on downs on the 22 and blocked the Indian punt attempt which skittered to the two-yard line. There was no stopping that touchdown. Harvard players bounced up and down with the electricity of the moment as the Big Green, still ahead 20-14, tried to get back to the business of winning the ball game.
Harvard, which almost always has standouts in depth, then had a second-string safetyman collect a rare interception on quarterback Gene Ryzewicz, who was jostled as he threw the ball. The Crimson were on the Indian 21, and the missed PAT attempt earlier by Dartmouth loomed larger. Harvard halfback, Vic Gatto, who has been the Indians' nemesis for two seasons, ate up the remaining distance to the goal line. With their third successful conversion, the Crimson led in Dartmouth's ball game 21-20.
Dartmouth and Master Ryzewicz were down but far from out. The gridiron skills and abilities which Gene had displayed often in the past were needed now. Despite a painful knee injury, he headed the Indians relentlessly downfield. Dartmouth had to cover the 75 yards from where speedy halfback Bill Donovan returned Harvard's final kickoff, or accept defeat. The Indians took up the challenge, for the seniors perhaps the greatest in their illustrious football careers.
Fourteen plays later Dartmouth drew up forces along the Crimson eight-yard line. Fourth down and a minute to play. Sophomore placement specialist Pete Donovan went into the game to attempt the field goal. Many have said that fortune smiled on Dartmouth in the ensuing sequence of events; to keen observers, however, the reverse seemed true. On second down an Indian running play had spotted the ball at midfield, perfect field goal position. A third-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone. Where does the ball go now? The rule book says back to the point where the play began: midfield on the eight-yard line. But no, in the excitement the ball is placed on the east hash marker. As anyone versed in football knows, a field goal from that angle, close to the goal, is very difficult.
Dartmouth breaks out of their arrowhead huddle up to the line. The ball is snapped, it's placed, it's up ... it's no good, a trifle to the right. Poetic justice, perhaps, intervenes, for the Harvard captain is offside on the play. Dartmouth has a second chance from the four.
Closer to the goal, the sharper angle makes the kick even more difficult as no one has corrected the error in field position. This time, with 57 seconds remaining, the kick is good, though Donovan has to wait for the referee's verdict; the sun was shining in his eyes. So it ended, 23-21 for the never-say-die Big Green.
Unfortunately for the Indians, their classic win over Harvard was not without its price. Defensive roverback Sam Faber was lost for the season with torn knee ligaments. The rover, or "monster back," is the key to Coach Bob Blackman's defensive system. At the time, safety Rick Wallick, also having a fine season, suffered a knee injury, more serious than it seemed at first, and was lost for the remainder of the season. As a result, Coach Blackman was forced to start three sophomores against the passing of Yale's sensational Brian Dowling.
Dowling had fractured a wrist in preseason practice, and without him Yale lost its opener to Holy Cross, and had a hard time downing the University of Connecticut 14-6. Dowling returned against Columbia in good form, and it was the next game that made people take notice, for the Bulldogs whipped Cornell 41-7.
Against this build-up Dartmouth set senior Gordie Rule, sophomore regular Bruce Saylor, and two other sophs, safetyman Jack Roberts and roverback Jon Nistad. Other injuries hampered the Green as they journeyed to Yale, including super-linebacker Norm Davis, with a very sore shoulder, and Ryzewicz, still plagued by the knee injury that kept him out of the Penn game.
Yale was ready, waiting, and healthy. They scored early and often, and by 13:02 of the first quarter were ahead 21-0. Both teams went into the game undefeated in Ivy play and ranked one-two, Yale first, in offense and defense. Dartmouth was undefeated against all comers, but not for long. The Indians' young and short secondary went up with tall Yale receivers time and again, only to be outreached. Dowling unloaded a 68-yard touchdown pass to end Bruce Weinstein before the Green decided how they might handle the Eli passer. After an Indian drive ran out of downs on the Yale 11, Dowling moved his club out to the 26. On the next play he faded back to pass, and pressure from defensive ends Pete Lawrence and Randy McElrath forced him to dodge back into his own end zone, where McElrath finally caught up with him for a two-point safety.
lust before the half Calvin Hill outjumped Indian defenders on the two-yard line to set up another Yale TD on a 56-yard pass play. Dartmouth could not get on the right track after the early Bulldog scores and it was one of those days, according to Coach Blackman, "when absolutely everything went wrong."
Mlakar finally dodged over for a touchdown in the third period, after setting up for the score with a 36-yard pass reception from Koenig two plays before. The Indians, never willing to admit defeat, tried unsuccessfully for a two-point pass conversion. Yale was off their pace and got only 7 points in the period.
After Yale closed out with a strong 14 points in the fourth period, long runs by Mlakar and starting fullback Dave Boyle moved the ball to the Yale six. Sophomore fullback Jim Chartrand bulled across for six points and Pete Donovan kicked the PAT to end scoring at 11:28.
The final score of Yale 56, Dartmouth 15, was, in a way, indicative of the two clubs that day. Yale, all possible "ifs" aside, was by far the better team. On the other hand, Dartmouth had to scrap its game plan and could undoubtedly have reduced the score if it had been willing to play for a close game. By throwing the ball so often the Big Green hoped to gain long yardage to overcome the disastrous first quarter. Yale was able to take advantage of the Indians' necessity, and ran up their own score. That was the gamble Dartmouth took.
Making ready for Columbia, which had yet to win an Ivy contest, was no easy matter. The Lions had been near victors over heavily favored rivals several times. They had almost taken Cornell, had battled Yale to a scoreless tie to within seconds of the halftime gun, and had the Ivy total offense leader in quarterback Marty Domres. Dartmouth's medical report was not encouraging, and it was difficult for a coach to convince a team that an opponent standing 0-4 in Ivy competition was really an underrated rival with the potential to defeat anyone.
The Indians found all this to be very true, almost decisively so. Their narrow 13-7 victory kept Ivy hopes afire, but once again pointed to the serious problems the offense was having. During the first half both offensive and defensive squads had their troubles. On Columbia's third play of the game the Lions broke loose a 52-yard run for a touchdown. Fortunately Dartmouth countered in the second quarter with a 70-yard pass play, Ryzewicz to end Jack Wimsatt, which carried to the Blue's 16. Halfback Bill Donovan scored in two tries.
Somehow Dartmouth's defense organized itself for an amazing effort, three times handing the ball back to the offense after holding the Lions at the goal line. Each time Columbia had first and goal to go, and each time fell short of the end zone. During the second half the greatness of the Indian defenders became apparent. Even the smallish, inexperienced defensive backfield was unrelenting. Jack Roberts (5-9, 165) filled up quickly on one play to stop Domres, a bruising 6-5, 215-pounder, cold behind the line with a bone-jarring tackle that left the powerful quarterback shaken. The Big Green allowed Columbia only three yards rushing and 22 passing during the final two periods.
Part of the strong defensive effort may have resulted from the terrific effort of Captain Steve Luxford, who played both ways for the Indians. Steve, who has started at offensive left halfback this fall after two excellent seasons on defense, moved back into his familiar rover-back slot on defense to take up some of the slack with Sam Faber out. Steve had a great day, and scored the final, winning touchdown on a one-yard plunge late in the fourth quarter.
Once again it was obvious that the Indians' kicking game was hurting them. Tom Miller, a sophomore halfback, did the kicking against Columbia. Miller is a speedy kicker, though his distance is not as great as that of Jim Burke who has done most of the punting this fall. The Big Green's punt snaps from center have been unpredictable, and it was hoped that Miller's quicker timing might compensate for this.
It was difficult to assess the type of opponent the Indians were facing next in Cornell. First the Big Red whipped Princeton decisively, then lost a very close game to Harvard, and bowed out before Yale's potent attack. Then, the week before the Dartmouth game, Cornell fought Brown to a 14-14 tie.
The question mark about Cornell disappeared rapidly in the final quarter of the Houseparty game in Hanover. After a quiet opening three quarters, in which Cornell first led 3-0 on a 42-yard field goal and then trailed 7-3, both teams came alive in the fourth to score a combined 35 points in less than 13 minutes.
The weather, which had tried to make things difficult by dumping five inches of snow on Memorial Field during the preceding two days, turned sour again at the end of the third period. Rain, sleet, and finally giant snowflakes mixed into the action. Wet spectators had started to file out, but once it became obvious that this was one game that would go down to the final whistle, many returned.
It was a dramatic struggle. Dartmouth capped a long, third-quarter drive with Luxford scoring from the one at 1:20 of the final period. Cornell proceeded to throw the ball on every play during the remainder of the game, and with stunning success. It was their second touchdown, however, which gave them a genuine chance for victory. The Indians had pushed downfield to the visitors 19-yard line from their own 24. Gene Ryzewicz rolled left on the option play, and for the first time in many, many successful executions, the play went amiss. Hit at the line of scrimmage, Gene turned to pitch back to his halfback, Steve Luxford. Just as he released the ball a Cornell player burst through the Indian line and was surprised to find the football neatly in his arms. Not too surprised, however, to outrace Luxford the 81 yards to the end zone.
The Big Green raced back down the field after the kickoff, on two perfect passes, wet weather aside, by Koenig, and impossible catches by halfback Bob Mlakar. As it turned out, the Indians had scored too quickly, for Cornell also marched down the field quickly. This time the Big Red touchdown proved to be the winning margin, as the Green could not repeat their earlier effort in the remaining 1:12 of the game. Cornell had won, 24-21, on a most remarkable display of passing. Yet Dartmouth had not given in easily. On the play before the final Cornell touchdown, sophomore linebacker Rick Lease came very close to giving the game "back to the Indians." Cornell's quarterback threw a poor pass as Dartmouth's defensive ends closed in on him; and Lease dodged in front of the ball, juggling it momentarily as the crowd held its breath, until the slippery ball eluded his desperate grasp to fall incomplete. Cornell scored on its next play.
When word arrived from Princeton that the Elis had won handily again, 29-7, to clinch the Ivy title, the Green knew that it could expect a close game with the Tigers the following Saturday for the runner-up berth.
It was the first Houseparties loss for a Dartmouth eleven since the formation of the Ivy League, and it was only Coach Blackman's second Ivy League loss in Hanover since coming to the College.
Donovan's second-try field goal on its way to winning the Harvard game, 23-21.
Elusive Gene Ryzewicz escaping Columbia tacklers to keep alive Dartmouth's finaltouchdown drive. He was named outstanding back of the game for his effort.
