Quick kicks
Harvard outlasts Yale in “The Game”
Harvard was running out of chances and daylight in New Haven, Conn.
The sun had begun to set on the Harvard-Yale game, a triple-overtime contest nearly 4 hours long, and the ancient Yale Bowl had no lights.
No matter. Clifton Dawson saw all the daylight he needed and scored from 2 yards out in the third overtime as Harvard (7-3, 5-2 Ivy League) held on for a 30-24 victory over Yale (4-6, 4-3) Saturday, winning “The Game” for an unprecedented fifth straight time.
Thousands of Crimson-clad fans stormed the field to celebrate as Harvard coach Tim Murphy worked his way through the crowd to greet Yale coach Jack Siedlecki after another epic meeting.
“The hardest part was walking over to Jack Siedlecki,” Murphy said. “I told him, ‘You didn’t deserve to lose.’ We made too many mistakes.”
It was a historic day in this storied rivalry – the first overtime game in 122 meetings and the first triple-overtime game in league history.
Linfield crushes Occidental in D-III playoffs
Brett Elliott threw for a school-record 525 yards and seven touchdowns and defending Division III champion Linfield College beat Occidental 63-21 in McMinnville, Ore., to advance to the second round of the NCAA playoffs.
Casey Allen caught eight passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats (9-0), who won their 22nd straight game. Brandon Hazenberg had 13 receptions for 217 yards and two scores.
Quarterback Andy Collins completed 25 of 47 passes for 314 yards and a touchdown for Occidental (9-1), champion of the Southern California Intercollegiate Conference.
Linfield, the lone Northwest Conference team to qualify for the NCAA playoffs, faces Concordia-Moorhead in the second round. Concordia-Moorhead defeated Coe (Iowa) 27-14.
Purdue second-stringer to turn pro
Purdue defensive end Ray Edwards announced that he would enter this year’s NFL draft. Edwards, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound junior, started all 12 games as a sophomore and the first six this season before losing his job to senior Rob Ninkovich.
“It’s time for me to go. Me and my family talked about it, and it’s the best decision for me and my family,” he said.