An Ivy League all-star team defeated a...

An Ivy League all-star team defeated a Japanese all-star team, 49-17, in an exhibition football game in Yokohama, Japan.

“They played really good football,” said Penn’s Mark Ligos, who returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown. “It surprised a lot of us, to tell you the truth.”

In last year’s first Ivy Bowl, William & Mary overwhelmed the Japanese all-stars, 73-3, and prevented them from completing a pass.

In this year’s game, quarterback Kenji Udagawa, operating out of the shotgun, completed 20 of 37 passes for 208 of the 275 passing yards compiled by the Japanese. Using three quarterbacks, the Japanese completed 24 of 50 passes with four interceptions.

“They put some pressure on us with that shotgun offense,” Ivy League Coach Maxie Baughan said. “They got some yardage, but it didn’t amount to much in terms of points.”

The Japanese team consisted of 70 players, while the Ivy League had a 40-man roster. The Japanese tried to keep the Americans off-balance with several offensive looks.

“We knew that the different offensive teams would be a problem coming into the game,” said Johnny Unitas, who shared coaching duties. “But we stayed with a pretty basic defense, and it worked quite well.”