In the fourth quarter of Harvard‘s 45-27 win over Yale, Crimson running back Devin Darrington went up the middle for a 27-yard score, but he wagged a finger as he outran a defender toward the goal line and was called for taunting.
The penalty negated Darrington’s touchdown and Harvard was forced to settle for a field goal.
“The bottom line is: He was wrong,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “He was wrong. It’s that simple. It was the right call; he was wrong. I’m just so grateful to our team that he didn’t have to learn that the absolute hard way of trying to live with that for a year or however many years.”
On the Crimson’s next possession, Darrington again broke loose, gaining 27 yards to the 6. Two plays later, he took it in from the 4 to give Harvard a 37-27 lead.
Darrington, a sophomore, finished with 91 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.