The Football Notebook

The "best-kept secret in the Ivy League" is no longer a secret.

Harvard running back Tony Hinz, lauded by several Ivy League coaches as the most underrated offensive player in the league, was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Crimson's 41-7 victory over Columbia last Saturday.

In less than three quarters, Hinz--who led the Ivy League in scoring and rushing last year--rushed for 96 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Hinz also broke the career 1,000-yard mark and needs 685 more yards to enter Harvard's top five career list.

Last year, Hinz rushed for 789 yards, the sixth best single-season mark in Harvard history, and earned a spot on the first-team All-Ivy squad.

Mr. Everything: The only thing Harvard junior Tim Perry forgot to do Saturday at the Stadium was sing the national anthem.

Perry added new meaning to the word "versatility" against the Lions. Although listed as a quarterback on the roster, Perry returned punts and kickoffs, threw a 40-yd. pass, caught a 43-yd. pass and carried the ball six times for eight yards.

Perry leads all Harvard receivers with a 43.0 receiving average and all Harvard passers with a perfect 1.000 passing percentage.

And Collins Sets the Pick: Harvard senior Kevin Collins, a two-time varsity basketball letter winner, made this week's Most Notable Unnoted Play of the Week.

After Perry caught a pass from quarterback Rod MacLeod, Collins laid a beautiful block on a Columbia back to make way for Perry. Net result: a 43-yard gain.

No foul was called.

Sophomore Jinx: One reason why Columbia lost so badly to Harvard is that the Lions used too many sophomores. At least that's what Harvard Coach Joe Restic believes.

"You can't win consistently and rely on sophomores," Restic said.

Crimson Crush: Harvard's defensive line, led by Captain Don Peterson, dominated the battle of the trenches. The Crimson sacked the Lions' trio of quarterbacks eight times. Since its last win over Columbia, Harvard has sacked opposing passers 48 times.

Home Cooking: Saturday's win over the Lions extends Harvard's home winning streak to seven games. The last time Harvard lost at home was November 9, 1986, when the University of Massachusetts defeated the Crimson, 17-7, in the rain.

The Crimson will face the Minutemen this Saturday at The Stadium.

Who Would Have Thunk It?: Despite defeating the Lions by 34 points, Harvard punted more times than Columbia. Harvard's Alan Hall had a busy day, kicking the ball nine times for 320 yards. His longest punt went a respecatble 44 yards. Columbia's Matt Pollard punted eight times for 244 yards.

How do you explain the disproportionate punting stats? Columbia was intercepted four times, Harvard none.

One Final Thought: Columbia senior Chris Lorentz, who saw some action at quarterback, was once an Ohio Teen of the Month, according to the Columbia press guide.

The 21-year old is no longer eligible for the award.