BU: This Isn't a Hockey Game

For the last year, Boston University has dominated Harvard in both football and hockey, and coach Paul Kemp hopes to extend that dominance into its second year.

"We think we've got a chance, but we've got to play exceptional football," Kemp says. So far this year, his team hasn't been very exceptional. The Terriers are 1-1, losing their first contest to UNH 13-0 and beating crosstown rival Northeastern 23-20 last week.

Still, Kemp is optimistic. "This is the best group of athletes we've had since I've been here," Kemp, who has been coaching B.U. for the past four seasons, said.

But his great athletes are going to have to contend with a few good Crimson jocks, especially Bob McDermott and Jim Kubacki. "We don't want McDermott behind our secondary," kemp said of Harvard's star tight end.

For the Terriers, the big problem will be containing Kubacki's running. Kemp says his team is working on ways to keep Kubacki inside, not letting him get the running room with which he beat UMass.

B.U. will present Kubacki with a more potent defense than UMass did. Last year, the Terriers held the Crimson to 260 yards, the least yardage Harvard gained in one game all season. And nine of the starting 11 defensive players are back this year.

On offense, the Beantowners have three returning starters. Like UMass, the Terriers run a veer offense, but they prefer to use the quarterback option pitchout instead of the halfback option which the Minutemen preferred. Two of the three touchdowns B.U. has scored this year have been in the air, one each to split end Tom Hailey and tight end Steve Richards.

The three offensive stars of B.U. are quarterback Greg Geiger, who has been disappointing in his passing so far this year, halfback Roger Strandberg, who ran for 99 yards against Northeastern, and end Hailey.

In typical coach's lingo, Kemp concludes that "the game could go either way. We're ready to play physically and mentally."