The annual Harvard-Yale rivalry to end the football season is so old that it's known simply as "The Game." But since Yale and Harvard both kept their perfect league records intact last Saturday, the stage is set for the biggest Game in decades.
On Saturday, the rivals will face off for the League championship at the Yale Bowl in an atmosphere that should be as bowl-like as one could find in the Football Championship Subdivision. And even though the Ivy League does not have an official championship game and prohibits its teams from playing in the post-season, players from both teams know that in the Ancient Eight, this is as good as it gets.
"There's no better way to go out your senior year," Harvard captain Brad Bagdis told reporters. "Unbeaten in the league, winning at home, and going to Yale to play for basically everything."
It's certainly been a while since the season unfolded in this way. In fact, "The Game" hasn't served as the Ivy League's title game since 1968, the same year that George W. Bush graduated from Yale.
Though Harvard dropped two non-conference games earlier this year, Yale has the chance to do what no Bulldogs team has done since before even George Sr. was born - go a perfect 10-0 for the season.
"The stage is set for an amazing game," Yale running back Paul Rice said. "This is why you play football. When you're a little kid and you think of playing college football, this is what you think of. This is the stage you want to play on."
Do-it-all. What didn't Brown wide receiver Bobby Sewall do on Saturday in the Bears 56-35 win over Dartmouth?
As usual, he was a threat through the air, catching 18 passes for 141 yards, the fourth-highest single-game reception total in program history. But that was just a footnote to one of the most amazing all-around offensive performances by a single player in Ivy history.
The sophomore also rushed for 144 yards, finding the endzone on four of his 15 carries. With time winding down in the second half, Sewall ran a halfback option to perfection, taking a handoff to the right side of the field and then spotting a receiver open across the middle. His pass was on the money for a 41-yard touchdown to give Brown a 28-14 haltime lead.
"I'm always on call, I've played a little quarterback," Sewall told reporters. "I practice throwing the ball a little bit, so when the situation calls for it, I'll be able to make a play."
In addition to gaining 326 total yards, Sewall also played free safety on Dartmouth's last offensive series.
"Bobby turned in one of the most incredible performances I've ever seen," Bears head coach Phil Estes said. "We did everything possible to utilize his abilities."
Notes: Brown's quarterback, Michael Dougherty, also produced: he went 41-of-50 for over 400 yards. His 41 completions were the fifth-best in Ivy history . Brown had 619 yards of total offense while the Big Green had 481 . It was the highest-scoring game in the series since its inception in 1894.
