Safety Mike Jacobs deflected Brown quarterback Larry Carbone's pass for a two-point conversion with 1:53 remaining in the game to give Harvard a 17-16 victory over the Bruins before 16,000 fans today at Harvard Stadium.

Senior quarterback Brian Buckley's pair of screen pass touchdown tosses to Paul Conners and Tom Beatrice gave Harvard its triumph. Rick Villella's 25-yd. run highlighted an 88-yd. Brown scoring march late in the fourth quarter, but Brown coach John Anderson chose to go for the victory instead of the tie.

The Bruins twice came from behind to tie the score at 3-3 and 10-10, but Beatrice's touchdown with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter put the Crimson ahead to stay.

On Brown's second possesion of the game, Harvard's defense--its most effective weapon in its opening four victories--resurfaced, specifically cornerback Rocky Delgadillo. Brown quarterback Larry Carbone went back to pass on second down and look for flanker Mitch Metz on a short down-and-out pattern at the Brown 27. He found him, but Delgadillo simply grabbed the ball out of the Bruin's hands and took it back to the 25.

The golden opportunity to score seemed to go for nought when Paul Connors lunged into the line and went nowhere and Buckley missed on a pair of passes--the second a strike to tight end Linus O'Donnell, which he dropped.

But kicker Dave Cody came in and nailed a 42-yd. field goal, equalling his longest ever. The boot gave Harvard a 3-0 lead with 8:35 remaining in the first quarter.

The breaks kept coming Harvard's way. After a perfect Steve Flach punt pinned the Bruins at their 5, Brown's highly-touted running back Rich Villella then came up with his third fumble of the first quarter--Brown recovered the other two--and Dave Otto's recovery gave the Crimson the ball at the Bruin 13.

But Buckley coughed the ball up on second down, recalling the lost to Princeton last week when the Crimson repeatedly failed to take advantage on opportunities.

The deja vu became even more vivid when Buckley led another drive deep into Brown territory, and then threw an interception. He went back to pass on second-and-ten, a minute into the second quarter

The deja vu became even more vivid when Buckley led another drive deep into Brown territory, then threw an interception. He went back to pass on second-and-ten, scrambled look for a receiver and fired the ball directly to Brown's Mike Audie, whose interception killed the drive at the 18.

The interception seemed to invigorate the Brown offense, entirely ineffective to this point. Carbone made a perfect fake to Villella and bootlegged around right end for 26 yards to the Harvard 41.

But Mike Jacobs broke up a potential Brown TD in the endzone and Brown had to settle for a 42-yd. Bob Granfors field goal and a tie score halfway through the second quarter.

The similarities to the Princeton game ended there. With ten minutes remaining in the half. Carbone went back to pass at his own 30, and under heavy pressure, lofted a feeble screen towards Villella. Linebacker Brad Stinn, playing his best game of the season, picked it off.

With the third turnover of the half, Brown had to know it would have to pay soon. On second down, Buckley and Paul Connors made sure the Bruins did.

Under heavy pressure at the Bruin 27, Buckley unloaded a delicate screen pass to Conoors, who set off down the right sideline. Shucking two tackles along the way, the halfback found paydirt with 4:51 to go, to seal the Crimson's 10-3 halftime lead.