A Big Day For D.A.

Don Allard had been a starter at the most important position on the football field--quarterback--for nearly four seasons, three in high school and one on the Harvard freshman team. Come sophomore year, he all of a sudden was no better than fourth string, playing back-up to Brian Buckley, Mike Buchanan and a wide receiver named Ron Cuccia. Last season, as a junior, he was the first runner-up, mopping up for Cuccia when the Crimson won big, and entering the tight games on third-and-long when Harvard went into its two-quarterback alignment.

Today, against the University of Massachusetts at Soldiers Field, the Winchester native returns to the starting corps. After two years of watching somebody else ease the game-day jitters by taking the first snap from center, Donnie Allard will be out there himself.

"It will be funny, starting again," he admits. "It's a lot different than going in the middle of a game. The preparation is different, starting with the quarterback meetings and the pre-game plan. For the first time, everything is directed at me, rather than shaped to fit somebody else."

Last week against Columbia, Allard filled his accustomed role of entering a game already in progress, though the circumstances were somewhat different from what they had been in the past. Midway through the second quarter, starter Cuccia took a hard shot and suffered some bruised ribs. For the rest of the day, the Multiflex was Allard's to control.

The senior quarterback completed five of nine passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. The Crimson, which had led, 7-0, upon his entering the lineup, went on to win going away, 27-16.

So when Cuccia found his injury was serious enough to keep him out of practice this past week. Coach Joe Restic had no reservations about starting Allard.

"We're very happy to give more work to Donnie at this time," Restic said yesterday. "It's never a luxury [to have two capable quarterbacks]. You have to have that second guy who you know can play for you. If we had moved one of those people out of there [the oft-suggested move of Cuccia back to wide receiver], we'd be in trouble right now.

Allard will be running the Multiflex a little bit differently than Cuccia would this afternoon ("We adjust it to play to Donnie's strengths," Restic says), and hoping to move the ball on the ground against a tough UMass defense. Just because coach and quarterback are hoping to run effectively against the Minutemen, however, don't think the Crimson offense will be featuring a Callinan-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense. "I'm not afraid to throw the ball on first down," Allard says, and you can bet he will, especially off of a lot of play-action fakes.

There will be one final incentive for Allard today. His father, Don Allard, Sr., who quarterbacked the Boston College offense for three seasons in the late '50s, will be on hand to watch his son in his varsity starting debut.

"Yeah, my father's excited about it," Donnie Allard says. "I am, too."

HARVARD 21, MASSACHUSETTS 17--There are plusses for both teams. UMass got beat up pretty bad last week by Holy Cross, especially along the defensive line. Harvard's greatest strength is its offensive line--especially since Greg Brown is back at his right tackle spot. All of which means Crimson halfbacks Scott McCabe and Tim McGugan may be in for another field day--a big Crimson plus. On the other side. UMass has running back Garry Pearson, who has averaged nearly 160 yards rushing through his first two games. One for the Minutemen. Then there's the fact that Dr. J went to UMass, and my dad--one of the great people in this world--graduated from there. Still, you gotta love that Harvard offensive line. Sorry, Dad.

LAFAYETTE 26, COLUMBIA 14--Lafayette's nickname is the Leopards. Columbia, of course, is the Lions. If you ask me, I'd say this game will be a real cat fight.

COLGATE 41, CORNELL 7--Oh, how these two schools love to hate each other way out in the New York State boonies. Colgate, though, has just a little bit more hate, and a whole lot more firepower.

HOLY CROSS 21, DARTMOUTH 0--Was it Dartmouth that Playboy picked as the third worst team in the country? Oh, right, it was Penn. Funny things sure do happen on the way to Hanover, don't they?

DELAWARE 61, PRINCETON 8--These two teams met for the first time last year, and Princeton suffered its worst loss since 1953. At least the statisticians won't have to go back so far this time.

RHODE ISLAND 58, BROWN 55--The Yankee Conference is really too much. This game will be won in triple overtime. URI quarterback Dave Grimsich will hit a last-second three-pointer from 15 yards out to ice it for the Rams. The Yankee Conference is really too much.

YALE 17, CONNECTICUT 10--Those Elis are a tricky lot, aren't they? Brown took a 28-7 lead last week, but Yale scored two TDs in the fourth quarter and just missed a last-play-of-the-game, desperation pass into the end zone. The Elis will be there come Game day. You can count on it.