Cornell Invades Harvard in Ivy Clash

The high-powered Big Red of Cornell, leading the Ivy League in total offense, invade Soldiers' Field today at 1:30 p.m. for one of the biggest games of the young football season.

The unbeaten Cornellians, 2-0-1 on the year, are coming off an impressive 28-28 tie with powerful Penn in which they racked up, 455 yards in offense, 233 rushing and 222 passing.

"They are an excellently balanced ballclub," Harvard coach Joe Restic said yesterday, "strong in every phase of the game. This will be a tough test for our team."

That may well be an understatement, as the Big Red come to Harvard hungry for revenge of last year's bloody 21-15 Crimson victory at Ithaca, N.Y.

All eyes will once again be focused on Cornell's great halfback Don Fanelli, who blasted for 154 yards rushing and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass last week.

Fanelli has scored eight touchdowns this year, and ranks as the national leader in that category. They amazing junior has collected 331 yards on the ground in the first three games.

Pressure on Defense

"The pressure will be on our defense," Restic said, "but I think we can do it. We've had an excellent week of practice, and are ready, mentally and physically, to do the job."

While the mental condition of the squad will not be known for sure until this afternoon, the physical picture seems to be clearing up.

Fullback Neal Miller, who gained almost 700 yards last season, has finally recovered from numerous injuries, and will see action today. "Neal has been working hard all week, and he felt as good yesterday as he has all year," Restic said.

Meanwhile, the status of tight end Pete Curtin remains in question. The current problems is finding a protective casing for his injured finger which will be accepted by the officials. According to Restic, "If we find one, he will play."

It also appears that senior fullback Ed Cronin, who suffered a minor shoulder separation against Holy Cross, will see some playing time.

On the negative side of the situation, middle guard John Friar will not be available because of an injury, and sophomore linebacker Tom Joyce also appears doubtful as a starter. Loss of these two from the defense will damage the Crimson's hopes of stopping the Big Red offense.

Helping out Fanelli in the Cornell backfield will be fullback Dan Malone, who has picked up 132 yards in 27 carries this season for a 4.9 average, and quarterback Kevin Sigler.

Many of Cornell's problems were solved this year when Sigler took over at quarterback. The senior has hit on over 60 percent of his 54 passing attempts and, in Restic's words, "may be one of the best in the league." Sigler connected on 12 of 20 aerials against Penn last week.

Unknown Defense

Harvard hopes today will be pinned on the performance of the Crimson offense against a Cornell defense of unknown quality. "Their defense is not as strong as their offense, but that doesn't make it bad," Restic said. "They couldn't stop Penn very well, but then who can?"

Bolstered by the addition of Miller, Cronin, and possibly Curtin in the lineup, the Harvard offense should pose a number of problems for the Big Red defenders. The Crimson romped for 413 yards against Columbia last Saturday, and rank second in the Ivies in total offense.

For the sake of comparison, Cornell's offensive line outweighs Harvard's defensive front by an average margin of 224 lbs, to 205. The Big Red's defensive line averages 220 lbs., while Harvard's offensive blockers only go about 213.

Two powerful offenses go at it today, with a shot at the Ivy title hanging in the balance. A typically exciting, crucial encounter.