Yale, Dartmouth Romp in Openers; Cornell Trudges Past Princeton, 17-7

Last year, an awesome Yale squad which eventually romped to the Ivy title--its only blemish Harvard's stunning 22-7 triumph--staved off a pesky Brown team at home, 13-21, in the season opener at New Haven. Saturday in Providence, the Bulldogs silenced the Bruins by the less ulcerous score of 45-17.

Training camp hints that Brown was not all forecasters had built it up to be, and similar preseason fears that Yale coach Carm Cozza once again had assembled a powerful side, were borne out. Brown fumbled ten--count 'em, ten--times, and rushed for a pitiful 55 yards, with sensation Rick Villella held to but 21 yards on 12 carries.

John Rogan competently piloted the Bulldog offense, led by tailback Rich Diana and split end Curtis (five catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns) Grieve. Diana trundled for 83 yards, caught four passes for 77 yards, while Brown QB Larry Carbone only labored in frustration. The Elis added a safety to round out the Bruins' tragedy of errors.

In Hanover, N.H., Dartmouth outstripped its offensive total for the first six games of 1979 in its opening celebration of the Big Green's centennial season. For adversary Penn--winless in 1979--the good news was a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. The bad news was Dartmouth's 30-7 halftime lead. The final score was an anticlimactic 40-7, with Big Green QB Jack Kemp pinpointing 68 per cent of his passes. Penn can't wait till basketball season starts.

In another pivotal early-season match-up, Ivy middle level powers Cornell and Princeton hooked up in Ithaca, and the Big Red came away with the best of the skirmish, 17-7.

Cornell stole the Tigers' thunder by playing ball control, piling up 175 yards on 61 carries and limiting Princeton's potent backfield to just 109 yards. Cornell backs Ben Tenuta and Tom Weidenkopf each chalked up touchdowns, laying to rest preseason questions about the Big Red's offensive line and setting the squad up as a good underdog to abscond with the crown.

Two not-quite-Ivy teams suffered weekend ignominy in New England. Stanford came tumbling down at the hands of an upstart B.C. team, 30-13, sending the hometown faithful reeling in delight.

And the nation's second longest winning streak came to an end when Tufts--that's right, Tufts--succumbed to Trinity College of Connecticut, 16-14, on a 34-yd. field goal with 12 seconds left. Jumbo coach Vic Gatto--a Crimson hero of the famous 1969 29-29 Harvard-Yale tie--was frustrated in his bid to establish a school record of 13 straight wins.