Gridders Battle Dartmouth For 1st Place in Ivy League

Showtime.

Last Saturday, the Harvard football team (2-4 overall, 2-1 Ivy) jumped back into the Ivy race with a convincing 24-21 victory of then- unbeaten Princeton.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth (4-2 overall, 3-0 Ivy) sacrificed its third Ivy victim--a 31-25 downing of Cornell-- to maintain its stronghold of first place and solidify its reputation as the toughest team in the Ivies this year.

Today, the two teams collide at the Stadium in what promises to be a tough competition, matching two sophomore quarterback sensations and two potent halfbacks.

Indeed, there is more at stake today than there has been in the past: this game is not just about pride and honor; it may decide the Crimson's season.

With last week's victory, the Crimson dramatically recovered from its four-game slide, erasing virtually all the problems--the fourth-quarter collapses, shaky defense, tempermental offense--that plagued it before.

The next two weeks promise weak opponents--Brown and Pennsylvania--so today's game will stand as the true test of whether Harvard has the intensity, determination and talent to take the Ancient Eight crown.

Dartmouth matches up perfectly against Harvard. The Big Green boasts a solid rust-defense, cemented together by senior linebacker Harry Wright, who virtually silenced Cornell's superstar tail- back John McNiff last week.

The Dartmouth line contains three different players who have already received Ivy Player of the Week honors.

Last year, Dartmouth relied on its strong defense to capture the Ivy title. The Big Green brutalized the Crimson offense in 1990, unceremoniously clubbing Harvard, 17-0, in Hanover, N.H.

Harvard will need a total effort from its offensive line--which has thus far played erratically--if the Crimson hopes to advance the ball on the ground.

Look for Coach Joe Restic to continue with last week's game plan: the Mike Giardi-Robb Hirsch connection ran like clockwork against Princeton, with halfback Hirsch barrelling for yards and snagging Giardi's passes in fine form.

To counter Dartmouth's stingy ground defense, Harvard would do well to took to the air and exploit the talents of tight end Andy Lombara and split end Colby Maher.

Defensively, the Crimson will have its hands full with the Big Green's explosive, multi-talented offensive squad. Sophomore Jay Fielder beat out last year's Ivy Rookie of the Year, Matt Brzica, for the role as quarterback, and has shown himself worthy of the honor.

Fielder had a monster 18-for-23, 204-yd. game against Cornell last week. Watch for him to go deep to senior Mike Bobo, the fourth all time receiving leader at Dartmouth.

Fielder's other main weapon is half back 730-yds. On 145 carries. The speedy senior is fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 129.8 yards-per-game.

Harvard will rely on leading tackler David Stires and the rest of the Crimson line to shake up the Big Green offense, pressuring Fielder--as it did last week against top-rated Chad Roghair--and stopping Rosier.