Four Ivies Vie For League Title; Dartmouth, Cornell Are Favored

Each week it becomes more and more apparent that the Ivy League race will turn into a dog fight -- and with Harvard right in the middle of it.

The four teams which are shaping into contenders for the title all won contests Saturday by impressive scores.

Dartmouth, a week after its 7-6 loss to Holy Cross, trounced Princeton, 31-13, and amply demonstrated who is still the team to beat. Powerful Cornell put on another big offensive show against Penn, winning 45-28. Harvard and Yale triumphed over lesser foes, but the margin of victory was sufficient to make folks think twice before endorsing Dartmouth or Cornell.

No Surprise

Although the outcome of the Dartmouth-Princeton game surprised no one, the big score must have raised a few eyebrows. In its first two games against Massachusetts and Holy Cross. Dartmouth could not sustain a single touchdown drive and mustered a petty 23 points.

Any doubts about the Indians' explosive ability, however, can be tossed away now. Against Princeton, they rolled for four clean touchdowns and 511 yards in total offense.

The old familiar Dartmouth backfield, which eluded everybody last year, was at full strength against Princeton for the first time this season. Quarterback Mickey Beard completed eight of 15 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns, although he sat out virtually the entire second half. And next to teammate Paul Klungness, who was supposed to be a doubtful starter because of a shoulder dislocation, Beard was the game's leading ground gainer with 67 yards.

Fullback Pete Walton and halfback Gene Ryzewicz, each scoring a touchdown, contributed their bit to the wrecking of the now-mutilated Tiger defense. Princeton once again flashed its vulner-ability to the long bomb, twice pulled by both Rutgers and Columbia, when Dartmouth end Bill Calhoun hauled in a 52-yard scoring pass from Beard.

Princeton Outclassed

If the Columbia game did not prove the point, the Dartmouth game did: clearly, Princeton is not half the team it was rated before the season. Dartmouth far out-classed the Tigers, particularly in the line, which, by the way, is supposed to be Dartmouth's weakness.

Cornell and Penn must have forgotten what defense is last Saturday, as the Big Red unleashed all its ground power on Penn, 45-28. The 73 points was the highest combined total of the two teams since the series began in 1893.

In a battle between outstanding half-backs, Cornell's Pete Larson and Penn's Cabot Knowlton each scored two touch-downs. Larson gained 108 yards on 22 carries, Knowlton 72 yards on 13 attempts.

Penn quarterback Bill Creeden outgunned Cornell's Bill Abel, setting two Quaker records in Ivy play -- 14 completions in 28 pass attempts for 263 yards and a total offense of 361 yards. Abel hit on eight of 18 passes for 169 yards.

Cornell's superior running game and more versatile attack proved the difference, as Penn, hampered by a few fumbles and pass interceptions, paid the price with its first defeat.

Harvard, which plays Cornell here Saturday, will have to come up with its best performance to slow down the Big Red's high-scoring machine. In the 34-7 victory over Columbia last Saturday, the Crimson defense looked sharp in holding the Lions to seven first downs.

Twice during the game, once under quarterback Rick Ballentine and once under sub Bill Domres, Columbia moved the ball right up the field, but otherwise the Lions were contained soundly. The only question is, how good is Ballentine and the whole Columbia offense. The one big day against admittedly weak Princeton may not be representative.

Yale Has Best Defense

Possibly the best defense in the Ivy League belongs to Yale, which blanked Brown, 24-0. Yale entered last Saturday's contest second in the nation in total defense. Brown, the most punchless Ivy team this year, picked up nine yards on the ground against the Elis -- four yards in the first half, five in the second.

Quarterback Pete Doherty, filling in for the injured Brian Dowling, performed well against the weak opposition, but unless Dowling returns to the lineup in the next week or two, Yale may not be quite the caliber of the other undefeated Ivy teams.

The big Ivy game this Saturday, of course, will be the Harvard-Cornell contest. In other League action, Brown will be at Dartmouth's mercy, and Yale should blank Columbia. Princeton will have another dangerous opponent breathing down its neck Saturday when it faces Colgate. Penn should be able to name any score in double figures Saturday when it faces Bucknell, 82-28 losers to Temple last week.