BOSTON — “The Game’s” first visit to Fenway Park was a huge success.
The home of the Boston Red Sox hosted Harvard and Yale on Saturday for the 135th edition of the two schools’ storied football rivalry. The Crimson went on to win in convincing fashion, albeit at a great cost.
Fenway might hold the distinction of being America’s most beloved ballpark, but the cathedral on 4 Jersey Street also is a damn good place to watch a football game. Whether it was members of the sellout crowd or the players who participated in the highest-scoring game in Harvard-Yale history, everyone was singing the same tune.
“It’s funny, I didn’t know that Fenway Park could be so intimate for a football game,” Harvard head coach Tim Murphy said after the game. “The way they fit it all together, having people in the monster stands, having people behind us, it was a magnificent environment and beyond our expectations.”
Some players didn’t know what to expect when they learned they would be playing at Fenway, and some were even a little disappointed — at first.
“I know that, initially, some of us were not as excited as we could be because wanted to have our last home game in (Harvard) stadium,” Senior offensive lineman Ben Shoults said. “But once we got here and got a chance to walk around the field and we heard the fans and got into the environment … it was a little overwhelming and more than we ever could have expected.”
Now that’s a big press conference.
Here’s what some Harvard and Yale fans had to say before the game:
All in all, Saturday’s game was an entertaining affair, as well as a historic one. The two teams combine for the most points (72) in the rivalry’s history, and Harvard put up the most points (45) and total yards (578) it ever has in a game against Yale.
The Crimson finished their season 6-4 overall and 4-3 in Ivy League play, while the Bulldogs finished 5-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play. As for the rivalry, Yale still holds the all-time edge with 67 wins to Harvard’s 60. There have been eight ties.
