Lopsided Win Doesn't Provide Base for Analysis

Few people expected Harvard to lose to Columbia. But just as few would have predicted a 57-0 annihilation of the Lions on Saturday. And after it was all over, it was difficult to decide whether Harvard was really that good, or the Lions that pathetic.

Harvard just had too much for Columbia. The Crimson defense has coalesced into as formidable unit as has been seen in New England this fall, and that meant nothing but pain and frustration for the Lion squad.

The Harvard defenders walled in the Lions at every turn of the game Saturday, and the kick coverage units were so stingy doling out field position that the Lions were repeatedly forced to begin with their shoulder pads backed to the wall.

And when the Columbia offense did manage to run some sort of attack, the Crimson D, having perfected the arts of team pursuit and gang tackling, thwarted every thrust the Lions attempted.

Harvard had little trouble maintaining its hold on first place in the NCAA nationwide team defense ratings. What was surprising was the ease with which the Crimson held onto the top spot.

But how much can a 57-0 tally really reveal about the 1973 Crimson squad? It was difficult not to score against Columbia, a team that demonstrated an uncanny ability to cough up the ball in ideal field position for further Harvard scores. Harvard is not to be faulted for this.

Columbia is not much to measure the season by, although the Lions were touted as a competent defensive team. So 57 points, no matter how they were scored, is an impressive showing. But it is less certain whether the clear-cut Harvard mastery of the Lion offense was due to Harvard finesse or Columbia's abject lack of it.

Harvard has already surpassed what many people felt a sophomore-laden team could achieve. It has won its first three games of the season, something that no Harvard team has done since 1968. But how far the good feelings and performances carry through the rest of the year, will depend heavily on an enormously important game next Saturday. And how Harvard responds to Cornell's talent-laden assault, especially in Ithaca, N.Y., will reveal the legitimacy of Harvard's claim to the title-contender role.