Playing Favorite

It makes sense, in a Harvard football sort of way: the last time the Crimson beat Dartmouth was during the Green's Ivy championship season of 1978.

That was three years ago, and ever since, a favored Harvard squad has annually dropped a game it should have won. It has become a tradition, losing to a mediocre Dartmouth team, as if Joe Restic was playing Simon Bar Sinister, to the fired-up Big Green's Underdog.

Saturday, the visitors make it even more exciting, falling behind, 10-0, to make you think this year might be different. Then, the Dartmouth offense (playing without its quarterback and leading running back, of course) struck for two quick touchdowns and the punting team recovered a fumble and before you knew it, Sweet Polly Purebread was safe in Joe Yukica's arms and Dartmouth had done it again.

Engineering the comeback was a man who had launched all of six varsity passes before this weekend, Frank Polsinello. The sophomore would have been charting plays on the bench if starter Rick Stafford hadn't hurt his knee last week, but that's the way things go in Harvard-Dartmouth games.

Polsinello, the fourth sophomore quarterback Harvard has seen this year, completed nine of 13 passes for 117 yards, and, despite his inexperience, didn't let a 10-0 deficit ruin his afternoon.

He threw five times to Shaun Teevens for 77 yards. He hit sophomore Jack Daly four times for 37. He picked apart the Harvard secondary with sideline passes that split the seam for medium-length gains. Granted, that probably wouldn't have happened if All-Ivy cornerback Rocky Delgadillo hadn't broken his nose in the first quarter and played with pain the rest of the way, but again, that's the way this series seems to go. * * *

Harvard doesn't lose to better teams these days, it loses to big plays. For the third time this year, the Big Play--not an overwhelming opponent--did the Crimson in.

"That punt turned the ball game around," said Restic about a third-quarter fumble by Scott McCabe. The Crimson, down 14-10, had stopped Dartmouth deep in its own territory and was about to get the ball back inside midfield. "Scotty wants to hold on to the ball more than anybody else, but it's just one of those thing," Restic said.

Instead of Harvard going to work 40 yards from paydirt, Dartmouth had a 30-yd. gain and a first down. Harvard didn't get the ball back for eight minutes and when it did, it was 21-10 and already in the fourth quarter.

"We would have had the momentuim," says defensive lineman Save Sauve, "but instead they got a long gain and the ball."

It takes a certain kind of team to lose a game on a big play. It can happen to anyone once--like the fumbled snap on the punt against Holy Cross. It can happen to any but the best twice--like the near interception that turned into a long gain for Army.

But--and you hate to say it--it is not a good sign when it happens three times. Harvard played Dartmouth even statistically (two more first downs, only 16 fewer passing yards, two fewer fumbles, the same penalty yardage) but came up on the short end again. It makes you wonder. Maybe it's just bad luck, but maybe not.

Next week is Princeton, another team Harvard should beat, a team that lost to Army, 34-0. If it happens again, the wondering will be over because the question will have been answered. It is happens again, Harvard is not a good football team.