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Yale beats Harvard to 24-3 to win Ivy League championship

NEW HAVEN — Kurt Rawlings threw for 177 yards and a touchdown to lead Yale over rival Harvard 24-3 on Saturday, securing the Bulldogs’ first outright Ivy ...
Harvard v Yale

NEW HAVEN — Kurt Rawlings threw for 177 yards and a touchdown to lead Yale over rival Harvard 24-3 on Saturday, securing the Bulldogs’ first outright Ivy League championship in 37 years.

Running backs Melvin Rouse and Zane Dudek combined for 106 yards rushing for Yale (9-1, 6-1 Ivy), which beat Harvard for the second straight season after losing nine in a row in the rivalry known as The Game.

Yale held Harvard scoreless after a 29-yard field goal on the Crimson’s opening possession. Harvard managed just 164 yards of offense, and Yale sacked freshman quarterback Jake Smith six times.

Dudek’s 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter capped an eight-play 81-yard drive that put the game out of reach.

Rawlings and receiver J.P. Shohfi got Yale on the board in the second quarter, connecting on a 46-yard pass, followed three plays later by a 9-yarder into the left corner of the end zone.

Yale quickly built that lead when Harvard’s Smith made a bad decision on an option, fumbling a late pitch. Linebacker Malcolm Dixon picked up the ball and ran 19 yards for a touchdown.

Another errant pitch by Smith on the next Harvard possession set up a 25-yard field goal on the last play of the first half, giving the Bulldogs a 17-3 lead.

Yale players rushed the field after the final whistle, where they were surrounded by thousands of fans who streamed from the stands.

THE TAKEAWAY

Yale: The Bulldogs had already clinched a share of their 15th Ivy League title with a win over Princeton last week. They last held the title outright in 1980. Yale’s last winning streak against the Crimson came when it won three in a row between 1998 and 2000.

Harvard: Harvard had won 14 of the previous 16 meetings. This was the second straight game the Crimson has failed to score a touchdown, the first time that has happened since 1986.

UP NEXT:

The Ivy League does not participate in the FCS playoffs, so the season is over for both teams.

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