Eleven Opens 1967 Season Vs. Lafayette

Harvard opens its 94th football season here this afternoon with a rollickingly easy assignment: to tame the Lafayette Leopards.

The Middle Atlantic Conference representatives visited Harvard Stadium for the first time last fall and were soundly trounced, 30-7. This year the Leopards should be even less of a threat and they are pitted against a Crimson squad that is confident, deep, and after four weeks of practice, raring to go.

Despite a chance of scattered showers and more publicized television clashes between the Red Sox and Twins, Damascus and Dr. Fager, Benvenuti and Griffith, and Dartmouth and Massachusetts, a crowd of 12,000 is expected to show up for the debut of the 1967 Crimson.

Spectators will see an unveiling, but the game itself will prove very little. Harvard fans will have to wait until next Saturday's game with Boston University before they can accurately gauge the strength of this year's squad and the chances of hogging the Ivy League title Harvard had to share last fall.

For Harvard, the big difference going into this year's opener is the increased confidence derived from playing on an 8-1 championship team. Typical is Ric Zimmerman, who had to win his quarterback position in pre-season practice last fall and then was feeling his way to stardom for the first four and a half games. This year he is starting off as one of the best play-callers in the East.

The other plus over last year is depth. Behind practically every starter, including such important ones as Zimmerman and Captain Don Chiofaro, are strong upperclass reserves who can do almost as dependable a job. Today may be the season's best chance to see the second-and third-line performers in action: when the Crimson piles up an early lead, Coach John Yovicsin will want to give his subs game experience and protect his first unit from unnecessary injury.

Same Old Sweeps

Harvard fans will have to be satisfied with seeing new faces, for there is little chance that Zimmerman will vary from the familiar and successful pattern of power sweeps, mixed up with passing and seasoned with inside reverses and halfback options. Harvard won't need any new plays to topple Lafayette and will save the surprises for B.U. and later, tougher foes.

Lafayette's biggest problem, and it is huge, is its offense. Last year the Leopards gained 301 yards against Harvard, more than any team except Dartmouth. But it was a one-man show, and that man, quarterback Gary Marshall, has graduated.

Marshall, most valuable player in his conference, made the vaunted Crimson defense look sick with his passing and option sweeps. In Marshall's place is senior Gerry Facciani, who was a bust as a sophomore and missed last season with a knee injury.

In spilt end Dave Robertshaw and flanker Chris Yaniger, Lafayette has two excellent receivers, but Facciani, a converted halfback, is not noted for his passing.

Nothing Up Front

The Leopard signal-caller has a reputation as a runner, and behind him in the "Pro-I" formation will be tailback Rick Craw and fullback Joel Crossrow, both of whom started all last year and averaged just over three yards a carry.

But unfortunately there is nothing in front of him. At guards, Coach Harry Gamble is using a sophomore and a former reserve fullback. Both the tackles are also brand new. Lafayette's starting interior line is a big question mark, and behind the front five there is barely a comma.

On defense, Lafayette boasts ten lettermen, but it will take a lot more than monograms to contain Harvard's explosive attack.

The Leopard secondary, led by Captain Bob Albus at rover, is a veteran group, but gives up from two to seven inches in height against Crimson ends Carter Lord and Fritz Reed. The Lafayette linebackers are both 5-8 and weigh 175 and 180. That's a lot of size to make up for in toughness.

The Leopards' defensive strength is in the middle of the line, most notably at right tackle with Al Piergallini, who was All-Conference and made the weekly All-East team for his performance against Harvard last year.

But with no one to replace fullback Tom Choquette's inside power, Harvard is counting less than ever on piling up the middle for yardage. Halfbacks Vic Gatto and Will Stargel and fullback Gary Strandemo are all long-distance threats who can throw, catch, and run to day-light.

Dumped In Hempstead

A good Lafayette team would be playing out of its league against Harvard, which has almost three times the enrollment of the Easton, Pa., school. But this Lafayette team is probably worse then last year's, which compiled a 3-6 record. Last week the Leopards succumbed 28-0 to Hofstra, a little-known Long Island college that suffered through a 2-8 season last year.

So unless your roommate is the third-string tackle, you might end up spending the second half of the afternoon in front of the tube.TOM WILLIAMSON Secondary Spark