Gridders Must Overcome Cadets And Odds Today

Thirty-four points. That's the latest line on how brutally Army (1-1) is supposed to pummel the Harvard football team (1-0) today at West Point, NY.

Maybe the oddsmakers don't realize that the Crimson has historically won the game against the Cadets. Harvard has beaten Army 19 times--and lost 17 times--in the 96 year-old-series.

More likely, the Vegas gurus are looking at the cards stacked against the Crimson. In fact, it resembles a full deck.

Army, which plays big-time Division 1-A football, clearly outsizes the Division 1-AA Harvard.

The Crimson's last victory over the Cadets was eight years ago, a 24-21 battle at the Stadium. In 1989, the last time the two teams met, Army rolled over Harvard, 56-28, in a shootout at West Point.

Perhaps the most revealing statistic is the Crimson's record on turf. Harvard is a shocking 1-10-1 in its last 12 games on turf.

Then again, with a four-week respite from Ivy competition, Harvard has virtually nothing to lose.

"Although they may be bigger, we're definitely going out there to win," said halfback Kendrick Joyce, the Crimson's leading rusher. "Personally, I'm not intimidated."

Rushing and Passing

If Harvard hopes to knock off Army, the Crimson must put the pressure on early, exploiting its newly recharged offense to gain an early lead.

Traditionally, Army has played Harvard easy in the early going, only to pour the offense on as it falls behind. In 1989, Harvard jumped out to an early 14-0 lead but soon fell to pieces as the Cadets rattled off 48 straight points.

The pressure to keep the Crimson alive will fall on starting quartberack Mike Giardi, who put in a fine 12-24, 174-yd performance against Columbia last Saturday. With solid rushing and crisp passing, the scrambling Mather sophomore led the Crimson to 21 points in the first three quarters.

The lone blot on Giardi's performance was the Crimson's inability to score for much of the second half. Giardi will be called on this time to engineer a more consistent offensive attack if the Crimson hopes to keep pace with the Cadets.

Harvard's main offensive threat is its stellar crop of junior backs Mike Hill, Robb Hirsch and Joyce. Against Columbia, Joyce picked up 66 yards on 22 carries, while Hirsch recorded 86 yards on four receptions, including one touchdown.

Option, Option, Option

Even if the Crimson puts the points on the board, it will be along day at West Point if the defense cannot contain the bruising Army attack.

True to their occupation, the Cadets avoid the air and keep to the ground. Their wishbone offense includes three standard plays. Option. Option. And more option.

In 142 plays, Army has run the ball 135 times. Against North Carolina and Colgate, the Cadets threw the ball a mere seven times.

Quarterback Willie McMillian leads the Cadets' one-dimensional, but curiously potent, offense. In two games, he has carried the ball 50 times, collecting 308 yards and four touchdowns.

The Cadets, however, have been known to spice up their offense with the long pass. If Army does decide to go long, senior Edrian Oliver will most likely be the target. Oliver's one reception this year was a 30-yd. gain.

The Crimson has been gearing up for the Cadets by working exelusively on defending against the option and the big pass.

"We have to keep them from getting the big play," said leading tackler Greg Belsher. "We were overaggressive two years ago and that let them break it open. That really burst our bubble."