Tuesday's notes

Yale sophomore running back Tyler Varga hopes to be back on the field Saturday at Harvard for the 129th edition of The Game, after missing last week’s loss to Princeton with a knee contusion.

Varga leads the nation with 199.4 all-purpose yards per game and tops the Ivy League with 119 rushing yards per game. A Kitchener, Ontario, native Varga has never seen a Yale-Harvard game before. So his first experience will be on the field.

"I’m really excited," Varga said. "It’s one of the most storied rivalries in college football. There’s so much history and a lot of hype. I’ve never played in front of that many people before."

QB UPDATE

Who will be Yale’s starting quarterback once again remains a mystery.

Starter Eric Williams missed last week’s game as he continued to nurse a shoulder and foot injury. Backups Derek Russell and Logan Scott have missed the last three games with injuries. Yale has used Varga out of the wildcat. Junior Henry Furman saw his first full game under center last week with Varga sidelined. Furman looked solid going 18-for-28 passing for 184 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed five times for 28 yards.

"It’s going to be whoever has the best chance to win and whoever is healthy," Yale coach Tony Reno said. "That’s the best answer I could give you there. I’ll know better Saturday at 11:50 a.m."

MISSING PIECE

Harvard is the only Ivy League team this year’s Yale senior class has not beaten. The last time the Bulldogs beat the Crimson was 2006.

"It’s obviously a fun game to play in," Yale senior Will McHale said. "It’s a storied rivalry. It’s a game that a lot of people care about. It’s fun playing in front of a lot of people. And it’s a game that I haven’t won yet. That would be a phenomenal way to go out, to get a win against Harvard would mean a lot to me and the senior class."

CHESHIRE’S RAGONE INJURED

Former Cheshire standout and Penn senior quarterback Billy Ragone dislocated his left ankle on the final play of the third quarter in a 30-21 win over Harvard last week, according to Philly.com.

The Quakers could clinch the Ivy League title with a win over Cornell on Saturday.

SOME YALE-HARVARD STATS...

Yale leads the series 65-55-8. Harvard has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. There have been 55 shutouts. The Crimson have won three of the five games played on Nov. 17. Yale is 7-6 in years ending with two.

IF YALE LOSES...

The Bulldogs will finish 2-8. That will be the Bulldogs worst season since 1997 (1-9) and its fewest ivy League wins (1) since 2001.