Crimson Seeks Stadium Win Over Tigers Today

Buoyed by last week's come-from-behind win over Penn, the Harvard football team continues its quest for the Ivy title today, meeting an inconsistent Princeton squad at the Stadium.

The game, which will close out Harvard's 1973 home football season, brings to town a Tiger team that has tradition going for it, but little else. Princeton has won the last four games played against Harvard at the Stadium, including a 21-10 triumph in 1971.

Along with this home-field jinx, Harvard will have the memory of last year's 10-7 loss to the Tigers as a reminder of the Tigers' ability to play the spoiler.

Princeton hasn't mustered much of anything this year, dropping four straight Ivy games and one out of two non-league contests. The Tigers' only win was a convincing upset of a good Colgate squad, 37 to 21.

The major problem plaguing the Tigers has been a tendency to make the big mistake at the wrong time. Fumbles and interceptions have crippled the Tiger attack, forcing their aggressive defense to carry the load.

Offensively, the main threat is halfback Walt Snickenberger. Snickenberger has averaged a little over 100 yards on the ground a game, and is a solid though unspectacular ground performer.

The passing attack, under the guidance of quarterback Ron Beible, has been inconsistent. Beible has gained good yardage in the air, 525 yards over four league games, but has failed to put points on the scoreboard. He is still looking for his first Ivy touchdown pass.

Beible has an outstanding target in senior end Bill Skinner, who has already broken the Tiger receiving mark this year. Skinner has grabbed 19 passes for 191 yards, and 16 for 139 in Ivy play.

On defense, tackle Tom Schalch has been the most consistent Tiger, leading Princeton in tackles. Halfback Jim Stephens is the top defensive back in both interceptions and tackles.

Last weekend Princeton lost to Brown for the first time in 19 years and has little to lose over the last three games of the season. The Tigers should be loose for today's contest. Harvard, in the thick of the title picture, will be under more pressure, as the Ivy title race heads into its final weeks.

Nevertheless, Harvard should win, if it avoids the mistakes that undermined the Crimson in its loss to Dartmouth.

The Jimmy Stoeckel-to-Pat McInally passing due has proved devastating over the first six games. McInally has gathered in 32 passes for 466 yards and five touchdowns, including 19 receptions for 289 yards and three scores in Ivy play.

Stoeckel has given Harvard its most consistent quarterbacking since George Lalich graduated way back when in 1968. The senior signal-caller has hit on 67 of 122 passes for 903 yards and eight touchdowns, and is second-ranked in the Ivies (behind Cornell's Mark Allen) with 50 for 93 for 660 yards and five scores.

The Harvard defense should have little trouble with Princeton's pop-gun attack, especially if the Tigers continue the inconsistency that has plagued them all season. But if Princeton puts things together, as it did against Colgate, it could be a long, hard contest.