Gridders Will Battle Imposing Big Red

Harvard will face a stiff Ivy League football test when Cornell comes to Soldier's Field tomorrow.

Coming off a 4-6 season that saw the Big Red finish in a tie for fourth in the Ivy League, Cornell had preseason hopes of returning to the Ivy elite.

Thus far it has not been disappointed. Cornell has compiled a 3-0 record with non-league victories over Fordham and Lehigh and a conference win over Princeton.

The Big Red was particularly impressive last weekend in a 21-17 victory over Patriot Conference power Lehigh.

The Big Red is led by a stingy defense that returned 11 players who started at one point or another last season.

This Cornell defense leads the national I-AA rankings in turnover ratio, intercepting ten passes and recovering seven fumbles so far this season. Senior free safety Chris Hanson leads the way with four interceptions, and linebacker and co-captain John Vitullo is also a major contributor with 35 tackles and one fumble recovery on the season.

Cornell will look to feast on a Harvard offense that has had problems with turnovers this season.

On the offensive side of the ball, Cornell depends greatly on star sophomore tailback Chad Levitt. Levitt, currently second behind Crimson standout Kweli Thompson on the Ivy rushing charts, has been outstanding so far this season with 343 rushing yards and five touchdowns, including a three touchdown 143-yard effort against Lehigh last weekend.

The Big Red also features an adequate passing attack behind a quarterback twosome of senior Per Larson and junior Steve Joyce. The receiving corps is led by senior Aaron Berryman, who has eleven catches in three games.

If Cornell has a weak area in its game, it is found in its special teams play. Punter Tim McDermott has registered a less than impressive 34.1 yard average this season, and the Big Red has only attempted two field goals this season, making one.

Harvard holds a slight edge in the series between the two teams, with a 30-26-1 advantage through the years.

Cornell has had the Crimson's number in the past few years, winning the last eight games played and blanking Harvard 27-0 last season.

If Harvard is to snap the streak tomorrow it must play mistake-free football and avoid the turnovers the Cornell defense lives on.

The Crimson must again get production from its new-found rushing tandem of Thompson and Eion Hu.

Likewise, the porous Harvard defense, currently ranked last in the Ivy League in both total defense and rushing defense, must slow down Levitt and avoid giving up any big plays.

A win against Cornell would be big for the Crimson for more than one reason. It would give Harvard a 2-0 Ivy record and an early lead in the league standings as well as giving the Crimson a great deal of momentum heading into the rest of league play.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. this Saturday at Soldier's Field.