AROUND THE IVIES: Families Unite in Historic Weekend

It’s a hazy memory: there are flashes of a crowded N.J. Transit train, glimmers of a vantage point high above the 20-yard line, and echoes of a brassy fight song. Most vivid are the Eion Hu jokes. Childish stuff, the kind of humor a 10-year old could revel in:

“Hu scored that touchdown?”

“Yeah.”

“No, who was it that scored?”

“Hu!”

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon at the old Palmer Stadium in Princeton, a football expedition into the wilds of New Jersey. The laughs were based on plays on word, riffing on the last name of the Crimson’s standout tailback in a pale imitation of Abbott and Costello. Unfortunately, Wutt wasn’t playing quarterback that day. But the experience is memorable because it united father and son in a shared fondness for sports, for settings and trips like that one. Across the bleachers, across the country, football brings families together.

On the field, too. Tomorrow, the Ojukwu brothers (junior running back Randy and freshman linebacker Victor) and the Pilconis brothers (junior guard Ryan and sophomore wideout Steven) may stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the Harvard sideline.

The Berry twins, junior cornerback Andrew and Princeton receiver Adam, may stand toe-to-toe over the line of scrimmage. And then, somewhere in the vicinity of Harvard Stadium, in the aftermath of the Crimson’s clash with the Tigers, both will find their parents and embrace.

HARVARD (3-2, 2-0 Ivy) VS. PRINCETON (2-3, 1-1)

This game marks the 100th meeting between the two storied rivals. Princeton has won the last two meetings, including a 27-24 nail-biter at the Stadium two years ago. But the Tigers have dropped their last two in 2007, while Harvard has strung together consecutive wins for the first time since last November.

It’s something of a full-circle occasion for quarterback Chris Pizzotti, the top-rated passer in the Ivy League. Last year, the Pizzotti-led Crimson spotted Princeton an early 17-7 lead. Liam O’Hagan came on in relief, and Pizzotti held the proverbial clipboard for the final three quarters of an eventual, bitter 31-28 defeat. Now, it’s Pizzotti’s game alone to win or lose, as the suddenly high-flying Tigers, who are averaging close to 500 yards per game in their last three outings, will try to turn this one into shootout.

It’s that or run the ball into the teeth of the fourth-best run defense in the country; Harvard is allowing a meager 75 yards per game on the ground. Its own ground attack is on the rise, with freshman Gino Gordon, the reigning Ivy Rookie of the Week, now sharing time atop the depth chart along with sophomore Cheng Ho.

Entering the soft part of its schedule—Dartmouth and Columbia are on deck—the Crimson can cement its status as a top-two team in the Ivies with a win.

Prediction: Harvard 30, Princeton 20

PENN (2-3, 1-1) VS. NO. 16 YALE (5-0, 2-0)

With every passing week, by running every week, Yale looks more and more primed to finish the season undefeated. Mike McLeod broke his school single-game rushing record for the second straight time last Saturday, taking 40 handoffs against a tough Lehigh defense for—wait for it—276 yards. With 10-0 on the horizon and a 2,000-yard campaign not out of the question, McLeod can be considered a top contender for the Walter Payton Award annually bestowed upon the top player in Division I-AA.

It speaks to how impressive the Bulldogs have been to this point that this game, arguably the biggest test on their schedule, seems so non-threatening. Quakers tailback Joe Sandberg is the second-best runner in the conference, and the stout Penn defense, anchored by linebacker Joe Anastasio, allows a league-low 2.4 yards per carry. Yale has been averaging 5.8.

Prediction: Yale 28, Penn 21

CORNELL (3-2, 0-2) VS. BROWN (2-3, 1-1)

This intriguing matchup pits the two most active throwers in the league against each other. Brown’s Michael Dougherty and Cornell’s Nathan Ford are both liable to throw over 30 passes, and spurred on by the opponent’s air show, that number may reach 40. The Big Red has the more reliable running back in senior Luke Siwula, but he’s been on the shelf lately with an injury. Cornell also possesses the superior defense, which ranks second in the Ivies against the pass (the Bears are dead-last in that category).

Showers are predicted in Ithaca for tomorrow, and a slippery Schoellkopf Field is good news for the Red.

Prediction: Cornell 25, Brown 17

DARTMOUTH (1-4, 1-1) VS. COLUMBIA (1-4, 0-2)

The dregs of the conference, even though Dartmouth could conceivably—if the previous picks are correct, at least—move into a third-place jumble with a win. What the heck? All the cool kids are going Green these days anyway.

Prediction: Dartmouth 31, Columbia 17

Record to Date: 27-6

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.