Just Fumblin' Around

ITHACA, N.Y.--Remember that guy who used to lead cartoon characters and their viewers in rousing choruses of "Oh, Susannah" or "I've Been Working On the Railroad" with the immortal words, "Follow the bouncing ball"? Well, those old cartoons are long tucked away in the annals of after-school TV, but the song leader has found himself a new job--as the football color commentator at Radio Cornell, where the ball never stops bouncing.

During Saturday's 27-10 loss to Harvard, Cornell's backs, especially quarterbacks, managed to mumble, bumble, stumble and tumble to the tune of seven fumbles, including five in the first half. Of those, only two were turned over to Harvard, but the first Crimson recovery resulted in a scoring drive that ended with a Jim Villanueva field goal late in the first quarter. And Jim Callinan slammed into the Cornell endzone only five plays after the second turnover midway through the third period, to break a tight game wide open.

Actually, were it not for a Harvard fumble early in the second quarter--one that set off the most bizarre series of plays you'll ever see on a football field--Saturday's game would never have been close.

It all started after Harvard's first drive of the quarter moved from its own 38 backwards to its own 36. Villanueva came in to punt on 4th and 12. Except that Villanueva bobbled and then booted Turner Swan's snap, and Cornell defensive tackle Steve Duca fell on the ball at the Harvard six. It seemed that once again the big play--remember the blocked-punt touchdown by Holy Cross--would spell Harvard's doom.

Trailing 6-0 at that point, and apparently fed up with starting quarterback Chris Metz's performance, Cornell coach Bob Blackman sent back-up Doug Fusco out to get the ball into the end zone. Or at least toward the end zone.

But on the first snap, Fusco fumbled the ball back five yards and then fell on it. Unshaken, he took the next snap from center and fumbled again, this time for a one yard loss.

Conceivably, the new quarterback's troubles may have been a result of just entering the game and not having a chance to get acquainted with center Gene Edwards' rear quarters. One observer guessed that Fusco had probably been intently studying the films of the Harvard-Army game all week, and was trying to duplicate the success Ron Cuccia had using a fumble to roll out wide and then throw a left-handed pass. Whatever the reason, Blackman had seen enough after two fumbles in a row.

Metz came back in the game on third-and-12 at the Harvard 12, and promptly fumbled the ball back for another six-yard loss. Blackman disappointingly settled for a field goal. The numbers on the Cornell scoring drive read: four plays, minus 12 yards, three points.

Believe it or not, on Cornell's next play from scrimmage, Metz fumbled the center snap, recovering it himself for a two-yard loss. And early in the third quarter Fusco returned for one more series and, yes, fumbled the ball again. Metz returned and fumbled a third time late in the fourth quarter.

And the day's biggest fumble took place in the stands. The Cornell students have a thing for passing coeds through the crowd. All went well as many an unwilling female travelled up and then down the stands on her back, until the passers, like the passers on the field, got just a little overanxious, tumbling one unlucky coed down amidst the people in the rows below. A concerned crowd scanned the section anxiously, until finally her head popped up, unscathed.

More than could be said for the football team.