BOSTON -- Many things have changed at Harvard Stadium since 1923.
The media assembles in a covered press box with plenty of room for television and radio crews, the skyline of Boston across the Charles River has grown upward and outward and the protagonists in the rivalry known simply as "The Game" have new names and skills.
But one thing remained the same -- no Harvard senior class had graduated without losing a football game to Yale.
Until this weekend.
With a commanding performance by senior quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Crimson steamrolled its rivals to the south, 35-3, and emphatically denied Penn a share of the Ivy League title in front of 30,308 roaring fans.
"This is the perfect ending to the perfect season -- the most perfect season," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said.
For much of the first quarter, Yale was able to hold off the onrushing tide of Crimson points. But Fitzpatrick led the way to the end zone on Harvard's second drive of the game, running twice and completing three passes before sophomore tailback Clifton Dawson scored on a four-yard pitchout.
Harvard's offense had nothing to do with the team's next two touchdowns, the most spectacular of the game.
With 11:56 to play in the second quarter, senior Brian Edwards returned a punt 53 yards to make it 14-0. On the next drive, Elis quarterback Alvin Cowan drove his team to the Harvard 7-yard line, but threw an interception to Rick Williamson a yard deep in the end zone, which was returned 100 yards the other way.
"The two big plays, the punt return and the interception return for touchdowns, just put us in a hole, a big time hole," Yale coach Jack Siedlecki said. "Now we're back and we're in catch-up, hurry-up offense basically for the rest of the game."
Cowan admitted that he didn't see Yale wide receiver Chandler Hendley "all that well, and I certainly didn't see the defensive back, so I probably shouldn't have thrown it."
It was a generally miserable day for the Yale offense. Running back Robert Carr was held to 56 yards rushing on 15 carries, and Cowan carried the ball 12 times for a net loss of nine yards.
Cowan out-threw Fitzpatrick 231 yards to 124, but did so by completing 24 of 46 passes versus Fitzpatrick's 15-for-24 day.
Fitzpatrick, who will play in the Hula Bowl -- a college football all-star game -- in Maui, Hawaii, on Jan. 22, threw for one touchdown, ran for another, and had 67 total yards rushing on the day.
"This was a real special group," Fitzpatrick said of the offense he conducted this year. "I think it's been an exciting offense, it's been a lot of fun for me."
He called Dawson, who had 120 yards rushing on the day, "the most talented running back in all of I-AA, and all those people that are looking for the Payton Award should really take notice of that."
Dawson ended the season with 1,302 total yards, setting a new Harvard single-season record.
Arguably the best action Yale could muster came at halftime. A member of the Yale band stole a giant flag emblazoned with the Harvard "H" from a cheerleader and ran it up into the stands, prompting a roar from the thousands of Yale students who made the trip from New Haven, Conn.
The Yale band then mocked Harvard during its halftime show, parading a cardboard boat called the "H.S.S. Consumption," which was captured by an octopus decorated with the logos of Yale's college houses.
Both Murphy and Siedlecki heaped praise on their senior classes, which have presented many stars to the Ivy League.
"It's a very special group of kids that have worked extremely hard in their four years," an emotional Siedlecki said. "I think we've established a winning program and those types of things, but this season was a big disappointment -- Alvin came back for a fifth year and wanted to compete for an Ivy League title, and we didn't."
Murphy said his seniors "set a goal of making this happen nine months ago and were unwavering in their commitment to see it through."
With Harvard's first 10-0 record since 1901, the Crimson realized that goal in spectacular fashion.
