It's That Time of Year Again

"Michael, there's one thing you haven't been able to do for me. You haven't been able to control the weather."

Joe Restic, who uttered the above quotation yesterday afternoon, has a great deal on his mind this morning. For one thing, he has the weather, which hasn't lived up to expectations on a Saturday since, well, it's been so long who can remember?

For another, he has Dartmouth, that Ivy school up in New Hampshire that prides itself on beer drinking and, this year anyway, the fact that it boasts a 4-0 record nemesis, the Harvard Crimson.

The Crimson, like the Big Bad Green, is undefeated in the Ivy loop, and while today's game would be a knock-'em-out, show-'em-who's-boss affair if the two combatants were 0-4, their undefeated status adds legitimacy to the war that is sure to result.

The rivalry itself is ingrained. It's an urban-rural affair, and the last three times it's been contested, the urbanites have won out.

Restic, though, calls this Dartmouth outfit "the best he's seen since coming to Harvard," and with Curt Oberg running through the middle, Nick Lowery booting field goals from the New Hampshire line and massive (6 ft. 5 in., 245 lbs.) Gregg Robinson eating opposing ball carriers, Restic might be right.

Then again, he might be wrong. Destiny, it seems, is on Harvard's side, for the Crimson has been far from perfect thus far this season, yet it is one triumph away from sole possession of first place, and who would have thought that possible based on Harvard's other performances at the Stadium this fall, the embarrassment against UMass and the shellacking administered by Colgate.

Indeed, the fact that the game will be played in Cambridge is a distinct Dartmouth advantage, as the Crimson hasn't won here in well over a year, yet hasn't lost on the road since 1974.

Also serving as a Big Green plus is the fact that last week at Cornell, Harvard suffered enough injuries on the scorching Polyturf to last a season. Joe Kross, the starting tackle who suffered a knee injury, is definitely out, and others are probable at best.

As for the weather, a rainy day would favor Dartmouth's fullback-oriented offense. Larry Brown will again be behind center for Harvard, but the last time it poured--against the Minutemen--Brown was ineffective. If you're a Crimson rooter, then, pray for rain to hold off.

The importance of this game on the final Ivy standings cannot be overlooked. Dartmouth has already defeated Yale, and a win today would put the Big Green in the driver's seat, as Cornell, Columbia and Penn represent three of Dartmouth's final four opponents.

As for the Crimson, a victory would mean a lot of red faces for those who watched the Colgate game and called it a season. The offense has shown progress since then, the defense--assuming the opposition has less than an excellent passing game, and Dartmouth does--is good, and it's the fifth week of the season, the time when Harvard always seems to find itself.

If Restic survives today on the winning side, the rest of the season could very well prove a nice little present, the weatherman notwithstanding.