Football Finds Itself In Ivy Basement

Harvard football has dug itself a deep hole and must turn its season around immediately if it is to have any chance at a winning season, let alone the Ivy League championship.

The Crimson (1-3, 0-2 Ivy) lost last weekend to Cornell (2-2, 2-0) 20-13. The key moment came as Harvard took possession at the Cornell 12-yard line after an interception by freshman linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski with the game tied at 13. On the very next play from scrimmage, Harvard fumbled, and the Big Red then mounted a 78-yard drive to win the game.

Cornell senior tailback Chad Levitt earned offensive player of the week honors for his 139 yard, 33 carry performance against the Crimson. Levitt scored all three of the Big Red's touchdowns and was a major reason why Cornell beat Harvard for the 11th straight time.

Harvard's defense nevertheless played well again and leads the Ivies in rushing and total defense. Kacyvenski was named rookie of the week for the second time this season, making the Crimson's total three out of the four rookies of the week this season.

Earning honorable mention was junior flanker Colby Skelton, who set career highs with his nine receptions and 152 yards against Cornell. His performance included catches of 50 and 46 yards.

While Harvard's defense has surpassed all expectations this year, its offense has not been as productive as hoped and is last in the Ivies in scoring. The running game ranks second in the Ancient Eight because of the emergence of freshman Chris Menick and the determination of senior tailback Eion Hu, who has battled a hamstring and two knee injuries which have not allowed him to practice for weeks.

The Crimson's passing game, which had been the team's Achilles's heel, showed signs of improvement against Cornell, with junior quarterback Jay Snowden completing 18 of 24 passes for 216 yards.

Elsewhere in the league, Columbia (4-0, 2-0) continued its amazing season, defeating Penn (2-2, 0-2) 20-19 in Philadelphia for the first time in 20 years. The game was the Lion's second Ivy League overtime victory, the first coming at the expense of Harvard in the first week.

Columbia kicker Matt Linit made a 44-yard field goal to force the extra period. Although Penn scored a touchdown, the Light Blue blocked Penn's point-after attempt then converted its own after a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Lee.

The Quakers wasted the effort of Mitch Marrow, who got defensive co-player of the week because of his five tackles for loss and four sacks.

Besides Columbia, Dartmouth (4-0, 1-0) is the only other Ivy League team which can lay claim to an unblemished record. Dartmouth extended its winning streak to 11 games by whipping Harvard's upcoming opponent, Holy Cross (1-4), 35-7.

The Big Green has the best rushing offense in the league, with an average of 233.5 yards per game. Quarterback Jon Aljancic ran for three touchdowns and passed for another Saturday and leads the Ivies in scoring with 43 points.

In this week's only head-to-head Ivy League game, Dartmouth hosts Yale (2-2, 1-0), which defeated Bucknell 23-21 because of two interceptions returned for touchdowns. The Bulldogs have a .500 record despite being outscored overall by 30 points--in contrast, Harvard has a 1-3 record although it has given up only one point more than its opponents.

Brown (1-3, 1-1) climbed out of the cellar with a 27-23 upset of Princeton (1-3, 0-2) in Providence. Last season's first team All-Ivy selection Jason McCullough quarter-backed the Bears with 256 yards and three touchdowns. Brown defensive end Matt Simmons split defensive co-player of the week honors with Marrow thanks to an unbelievable game: six tackles for loss, four sacks, a blocked extra point, and an interception.

Despite Princeton running back Marc Washington's 109 yard, two touchdown day and the second-highest scoring offense in the league, the Tigers occupy a place in the Ivy League basement along with Harvard and Penn.

Harvard finishes its season with five Ivy League games but will spend this week trying to gain momentum for the stretch run with an one o'clock visit to the Crusaders.