Something Bruin Saturday

"We've been there before, and we've been successful. That's the mark of a real champion. We've been in big games in the past few years and we've won almost all of them. There just aren't too many teams around that can make that claim." --Joe Restic

Crimson football teams have a reputation. It is represented numerically by such scores as 17-14 (Harvard-Dartmouth), 10-7 (Harvard-Yale) and 45-26 (Harvard-Brown). It amounts to a long string of success when success is demanded.

That string will get a chance to add a few strands this afternoon, when Harvard takes on the Bruins of Brown at the Stadium. There will be no need for pumping artificial emotion into the game: The two teams are tied for the top spot in the Ivies, the winner will get a good opportunity to win the title outright this year, and if that's not enough, there are memories of last year's confrontation to kindle the flame.

The scene was Providence, R.I., and the conditions were such that a Bruin victory would deliver the first Ivy League title in the school's history into the anxious hands of coach John Anderson and his front-running outfit. A loss to Harvard, oddly enough, would virtually eliminate Brown from the race.

ABC trotted its cameras up to Rhode Island with the expectation of a close game, and got what most television executives would call a nasty slap in the face. With the score Harvard 38, Brown 13 in the middle of the third quarter, viewers were seeking entertainment elsewhere and the Bruin starters were on the bench looking for a place to hide. There was no joy in Browntown. Final score: 45-26.

Brown comes to Harvard today strutting much the same stuff that made the team a contender last year. A tough defense, a solid quarterback and a talented wide receiver have brought the Bruins a 5-1 record thus far and a chance to make up for last season's breakdown.

"There's very little that's different about them," Restic said yesterday, "with the possible exception that their quarterback this year, Paul Michalko, can run with the ball as well as pass. Bob Bateman couldn't do that."

Though his outside running and option performance are significantly superior to those of Bateman, Michalko's passing ability has yet to set anything on fire. His Ivy League stats show 37 completions in 83 attempts for 391 yards and one touchdown, but Restic believes there's still room for some concern.

"He's a better thrower than statistics alone would indicate. They rely on short passes to Bob Farnham quite a bit, though, and that's one of the aspects of their offense that we're going to concentrate on. If we can take that away, they're in trouble."

"We'll concentrate on the Farnham aspect," he said, "because we want to force them out of their offensive pattern. They don't like to throw to anybody else, really. After Farnham (23 catches this year), Watkins has caught seven and their tight end has five. That's it."

Possibly the biggest problem that Brown will have to overcome in today's match-up is its lack of diversity on offense, one which has led Restic to believe that there are three keys to stopping Brown. "If we can contain Michalko, that is, keep him from getting outside on the run stop their fullback Wally Shields, and cut off Farnham, we'll win," he said.

Wally Shields, the number two rusher in the Ivies with 312 yards in 63 carries, will be handling the majority of Brown's inside game, and Restic is confident of Harvard's ability to handle that facet of the Brown attack. "If they control the ball inside on us, I'll be very surprised. Our defense has been excellent along the line, and I don't expect Shields to cause too much of a problem," he said.

Joining Shields in the backfield will be Seth Morris, who has rushed for 224 yards in 51 Ivy carries, with three touchdowns. The final aspect of the Brown offense is the running and pass catching ability of flanker Charlie Watkins, though he is sparingly used.

While delegating some thought to Brown's potential weaknesses, Restic has also concerned himself this week with some failures in Harvard's attack over the past few games. Specifically, the Jim Kubacki-led aerial attack has not been as sharp as expected, and much of the Crimson's practice week has been devoted to refining the passing game.

"There have been some breakdowns in our patterns in the past two weeks," Restic said. "Problems like men not getting off the line effectively and failing to clear defenses have hurt Kubacki's chances of getting the ball to them. We can't have that happening this weekend, and we won't. The receivers will be open: I can almost guarantee that. I just hope Jimmy has a good day throwing the ball."

Harvard's running attack has been less than spectacular over the recent weeks, and Restic has planned some changes in that mode of offense as well. Of particular interest will be some new sets designed to spring Kuback while maintaining the effectiveness of Tommy Winn and Chris Doherty's inside running.

Physically, Harvard is as healthy as can be expected of a contending football team. Andy Puopolo will be close to 100 per cent for the game after hobbling around down at Princeton last week. On the negative side, it appears that Ralph Polillio will not be seeing any more action this year due to a severe injury sustained in the Dartmouth game.

Finally, there's that aspect that no one can predict in a big game, the one under the heading titled "breaks." If things hold up as they have in the past, it won't be Harvard making the key errors.

"It's part of winning the important game," Restic said, "just like running and passing are. We can't afford to make the big mistake, and I don't expect we will. You have to handle the pressure by staying with your game plan and avoiding mistakes. We've done it in the past, and I know we can do it on Saturday."

And there just aren't too many coaches around who can make that claim.