Top-Rated Giardi Unlikely Against Rams on Saturday

Harvard QB Mike Giardi was on a roll.

In less than two-and-a-half games, Giardi had already thrown for four TD's, matching the Crimson's meager total in 1990.

Until the Crimson signal-caller suffered a slightly-separated right shoulder against Holy Cross, he looked unstoppable. Although he sat out the second half, Giardi remains the Ancient Eight's top-rated passer after three weeks of play with a rating of 147.7. Trailing by more than three points is Princeton's Chad Roghair, who is ranked second in pass efficiency with a rating of 144.6.

Obviously, Giardi's importance to Harvard--offensively and defensively--cannot be understated. Coach Joe Restic tagged his team's post-Giardi performance a "turnaround complete."

Offense

Offensively, the Crimson sustained only one successive drive, putting undue pressure on the defense.

"We couldn't take the pressure off of the defense," Restic said. "[Giardi's absence] was the reason."

So the burning question remains: when will Giardi return to the line-up?

The answer ultimately lies with Giardi. He said that the injury could sideline him for as long as two weeks, which would mean that he would miss the Fordham and Cornell games. Cornell's hard artificial turf, Giardi explained, would make a return against the Big Red on October 19 in Ithaca, N.Y. disadvantageous.

Restic, meanwhile, wore the haggard look of a visibly worried man at the press conference after the Holy Cross game last Saturday.

"Michael will be back Monday if he wants to," Restic said.

That seems a bit optimistic. Giardi's classmate, sophomore David Morgan, in all likelihood will play against Fordham. Morgan, who is widely considered to have the strongest arm on the team, threw for 37 yards and one TD against the Crusaders.

Hold That Tiger

When the football season began, few, if any, predicted much from the Princeton Tigers. The Tigers were given about as much chance of winning the Ivy Crown as, say, the Atlanta Braves were of winning the NL West.

So much for predictions.

Princeton has jumped out to a 3-0 start, its best opening since 1975. Last week, the Tigers downed Colgate 30-21 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton.

Keith Elias paved the way for high-powered Princeton offense. The sophomore running back collected 200 yards on the ground, including two touchdowns, and made two receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown.

But Princeton's strong offensive showing against Colgate is misleading. The true force behind the 1991 Tigers has been solid defense.

Princeton tops the Ancient Eight in all defensive categories, limiting opposing teams to 248.3 yds/game and 12.7 pts/game. The Tigers defense is currently ranked no. 10 in Division I-AA football.

Princeton brings its top-rated defense up against the top-passing team this weekend, when the Tigers play the Brown Bears in Providence, R.I..

Cardinal Sin

There are mismatches. And then there are games that just shouldn't be played.

This Saturday's Cornell-Stanford game is definitely one of the latter.

Already riddled with injuries, Cornell travels to Palo Alto, Calif. this weekend to play Stanford for what is sure to be a painful drubbing.

Though the pre-season Ivy favorite, Cornell was whipped in its first two contests--18-0 by Princeton, 31-13 by Colgate--before finally securing a win against Bucknell last Saturday. That win came courtesy of Bucknell's two fumbles and three interceptions.

Needless to say, Stanford will prove heartier competition. The Cardinals are 45-point favorites. Earlier this year, the Cardinals upset Colorodo, the defending national champion.