Gridders Battle Brown Today

Who would have thought it at the start of the season? Who could have known that today's football contest between the Harvard Crimson and the Brown Bears would be such an even matchup?

Yes, this may just be the Crimson's most anticipated game of the year. Not because it's shooting for an Ivy League title. Not because it's trying to keep a winning streak alive. But rather because it"s time for a win, and the Bears are having just as woeful a season.

Harvard (1-6-0, 0-4-0 Ivy) enters the game at Brown Stadium having lost five games in a row and desperately seeking a victory to ease the pain of consistent heartbreak. Four of the Crimson's six losses this season have been by less than one touchdown, and all have been hotly contested battles where the ball just hasn't bounced Harvard's way.

"We need a win," captain Justin Frantz said, "Ivy League or not. We deserve a win, and we fully expect to win."

This team does deserve a win, without question. After enduring such disappointment throughout the season, the Crimson players are not simply hungry for a victory; they're famished.

And Brown just may be the perfect dish to satisfy their appetite. The Bears (3-4-0, 0-4-0) are tied with the Crimson at the bottom of the Ivy standings, also winless in League games. The bright spot for Brown this season has been senior quarterback Jason McCullough (1,619 yds., 16 TD, 9 INT) who has placed Brown's passing game atop the Ivy League with 244.4 yards per game.

"Their quarterback is a good athlete," Frantz said. "He's a good scrambler especially. We put some special things in this week to stop him and to stop their big plays."

McCullough leads an offense that has scored at least three touchdowns in every game this season, while the defense is giving up an average of 29.6 points per game. This should make for an offensively explosive affair as Harvard brings in junior tailback Eion Hu and his 766 yards rushing. The last six meetings between these two teams have averaged a combined 59 points per game.

The Crimson offense, however, will have to make a turnaround from its recent performances if this year's game is to live up to these high-scoring standards. Harvard has managed to score a total of only ten points in its last two losses to Princeton and Dartmouth. Maybe the Bears' pitiful defense will provide some good medicine for the Crimson.

Regardless of the final score, all eyes should be on Hu this afternoon. With 1,777 career rushing yards, Hu is currently ranked fifth on Harvard's all-time rushing list, and he could move as high as second today--he is just 112 yards shy of second place rusher Ted DeMars '73 (1889 yds.) and 353 yards shy of leader Vic Gatto '69 (2,130 yds.). By the way, Hu is only a junior.

It's a game with much promise--two evenly matched teams, potential for profuse scoring, and the possibility of a record-setting individual performance. It sounds very much like the Super Bowl, and don't be surprised if Harvard, desperately seeking an Ivy League victory, plays like it is.