BOSTON – It was the 135th edition of The Game. Yes, that is its real name. Yale-Harvard football.
But The Game was not played in Cambridge as per usual in even years. It was played at cozy Fenway Park. And it was sold out. More importantly,the sight lines were nearly perfect. And the monied fans loved every exciting minute of it.
Harvard, a narrow favorite defeated Yale, the preseason pick to win the Ivies, 45-27. But The Game was much closer.
Harvard led only 28-27 in the second half after a clutch Yale field goal,but went on to score the next 17 points,on the heels of the play of qb Tom Stewart,who threw for 312 yards and 3 tds. The Game was married by a serious hip injury,suffered by Stewart in the last few minutes.
With the win, Harvard finished its season at 6-4 and Yale fell to 5-5.
Princeton won the Ivies with an incredible, undefeated 10-0 season.
Yale leads the overall series, started in the 1870’s,but Harvard owns a 36-26-1 record since Ivy play began in 1956.
Yale won the Ivy title last season and in the process defeated Harvard at Yale Bowl,where next year’s contest will be played.
Rutgers and Princeton may have played the first college football game, but Yale and Harvard clearly perfected it.