Crimson Eleven to Meet Cornell In Decisive Ivy Struggle Today

All other action around the Ivy circuit takes' a back seat today to the featured clash at Ithaca between Harvard and Cornell. Yale and Dartmouth will be trying to keep their shares of the League lead with the winner of the Ithaca tilt, and Princeton and Penn will attempt rebounds from their first defeats of the season, against non-League rivals.

Brown Down

Poor Brown went from a narrow defeat by Rhode Island to a larger loss to Penn to a rout by Yale. In the process the few reliable veterans the Bruins could count on sustained injuries. Now rookie Coach Len Jardine's squad, one notch below hapless, is called on to face undefeated Dartmouth. About all the Bruins, in turn, can call on is Providence, but if I happened to be there I'd stay clear of the football stadium. A merciful score would be 38-0.

Eli's Up?

The Yale-Columbia game in New York could decide first place in the Ivy League's second division. The Eli's built up momentum last week against Brown, while the Lions suffered their second straight disheartening defeat. Unless quarterback Marty Domres has wised up considerably since last Saturday's Harvard game, Yale should win a low-scoring battle, 14-7.

Winless Colgate visits Princeton in a contest teams that did nothing right between them last week. For the Tigers, this game marks the start of their schedule's soft middle. Young players have to jell in this three-game stretch to be ready for the late-season showdown with Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth. Colgate should fall, 28-3, but can look forward to playing Brown next week.

Penn Wins

Bucknell upset Harvard when they last met in 1964, and the Crimson seems bent on gaining revenge by comparative scores this fall. The Bisons have lost to two teams Harvard has beaten and to a third the Crimson plays today. Another similar situation will be set up this afternoon when Penn downs Bucknell, 27-14. If Harvard ends the season beating four Bison tamers, more than revenge will be sweet.

The biggest obstacle to that double sweep is the Big Red eleven awaiting Harvard today. In its first three wins, Cornell has shown a better ground game, a better passing attack, and a defense that's inexperienced but as effective as the Crimson's. And possibly more significant, the Ithacans are playing on their home field before a raucously partisan home crowd against a foe that doesn't travel well in its first away game of the year. John Yovicsin has never tasted victory in four appearances at Schoellkopf Field.

There will be tow significant, firsts at Ithaca this afternoon. Cornell will be the first team to score more than two touchdowns against the Crimson defense in 26 games, and Harvard will win its first game at Ithaca since 1956, 23-21.

Last week: 4 right, 0 wrong

Overall: 10 right, 0 wrong