After 20 Years, B.U. Is Ready, But Harvard Is Just Too Good

Over the river and through the woods they really want to get at us.

Ask one of those knee-soxed girls or sweat-shirted boys-this is it. It will happen at 2 p.m. today at the Stadium.

It has been 20 years since Boston University last played Harvard. And all the magnificent hostility of those 20 years is going to be unleashed today. "THE GAME" they call it, as if they were playing Yale or Boston College.

And for them it is "THE GAME" with good reason. They are playing for the New England championship, playing a team that has beaten them every time--playing Harvard, B.U. will be ready.

This year the Terriers were touted to have their best team ever. They are playing their fourth game of the season, and before that they had spring practice (the Ivy League does not allow it). They have already whipped Bucknell, 20-16, and Colgate, 20-14. (Last year Colgate beat them, 34-0.) They have lost once--16.22 against Temple last week. But as a B.U. coach said, "We were looking right past them to the Harvard game."

31 Lettermen

The Terriers have 31 lettermen. They lost only 6. The Crimson lost nearly half its team to graduation. The B.U. men who are back are strong and quick. B.U. relies on a tough, pursuing defense and a bruising offense.

The Terriers run more than twice as much as they pass. Pete Dexter, a 185 pound tailback, has been the workhorse in the last three games. He has run 54 times for 202 yeards. Their running backs are Roger Rosinski, and Barry Pryor, and Neil Smith.

Quarterback Tom Thornton is a scram- bler. He has thrown 12 times a game and hit on half of those, for a total of 302 yards and three touchdowns. He is small at 170 pounds, but he is good. His favorite target is speedy split end Reggie Rucker, who has caught two of those TD heaves.

B.U.'s defense is one of the best anywhere. Tackles Wilson Whitty and 240 pound Ray Norton should pressure Ric Zimmerman all afternoon, and may be able to slow down Harvard's famous ground game. Norton was All-East in 1966, and Whitty may join him this year.

Still, even facing this might, Harvard's main competition today may be about 2000 transistor radios. Last week, a section of fans stopped the band from playing because no one around could hear the Red Sox-Twins game. Today, with the World Series going hot, it will be a lot worse.

Bench Tube

One Harvard halfback reportedly asked the coaches to hook up a television set on the bench.

But nearly everyone is interested. Harvard is healthy. End Joe Cook is back in the lineup after missing the Lafayette opener. Steve Zebal will start at tackle, but Joe deBettencourt is ready to back him up. The rest of the lineup will be the same, except that the first string should be around longer.

Last week's game proved very little. It is hard to agree with Coach John Yovicsin that, "We weren't much better than Lafayette." But even so, the Crimson hardly got a stiff workout. Zimmerman looked confident and sharp toward the end of the first half. But he takes a while to warm up and we will have to wait and see this time.

Last week Harvard was a well-balanced, hard-running, sure-passing team in the second quarter. There were only two problems penalties were far too frequent, and the boys took an awful long time to get going.

This kind of first quarter lethargy--best-evidenced last year in the Brown game--could mean deep trouble for Harvard against B.U. The Terriers no doubt about it, will come racing onto the field incredibly charged-up. The Crimson will have to strike hard, fast, and first. That is the main task today.

If the Crimson gains the upper hand quickly by, say, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, the game will turn into a rout. The Terriers will begin "trying too hard," as Lafayette's coach put it last week. They will make mistakes. And the Yovicsin attack is made to capitalize on enemy mistakes.

But Harvard may make the mistakes. If, for instance, one of those fast but fragile backs, bobbles the ball a few times, the contest could grind on to a two touchdown to two touchdown affair, with the Crimson winning by a kick or two.

I suspect the former will happen, although the latter is a distinct possibility. Harvard doesn't make too many errors. The attack is too sure and diversified. And Yoviesin, no doubt, has a few tricks up his sleeve, like the Strandemo swing passes he used last week.

B.U. will be keying on Vic Gatto, and Will Stargel will see a lot more action, perhaps with John Ballantyne and Ray Hornblower doing some backup. But if Zimmerman clicks and the offensive line give him protection. Harvard should do very well in the scoring department. As for the defense--10 fumbles, 3 interceptions, and holding Lafayette to 26 yards on the ground must mean something.

As for watching it happen at the Stadium or sitting in front of the tube--I'll leave that to you.GEORGE LALICH passes in last week's opener against Lafayette, which Harvard won, 51-0. Things won't be so easy his afternoon, with charged-up Boston University moving into the Stadium. Reservists like Lalich and GREG COLLINS (55 rear) may no see too much action today unless the Crimson strikes hard and strikes early.