ALMOST

Upsets are usually stolen rather than claimed. Underdogs rarely swallow games with dominating player; they most often nibble away at them by capitalizing on mistakes and then nervously wait for the trap to snap.

Harvard's 18-13 loss to Cornell on Saturday was a case in which the trap snapped. For 58:58 of a one-hour game, the Crimson (2-2 overall, 1-1 Ivy) floated on the hopes of undeserved victory, only to lose on a touchdown by Cornell super-back Chad Levitt with 1:02 left. Appropriately, Crimson moods after the game were those of disappointed felons rather than violated property holders.

"We were fortunate to keep close throughout the game by playing hard," Coach Tim Murphy said. "After that it was just a matter of time before they caught up to us. In the end, the better team did win."

Number bear witness to that claim. The Big Red dominated in almost every major category but score. It garnered 23 first downs on the day, the Crimson, 12. It amassed 479 total yards (311 rushing, 168 passing, the Crimson, 228 (63 rushing, 165 passing). And it held the ball for 33:41; the Crimson, for 26:19.

Even Harvard's advantage in the turnovers-gained category (3-1)--extremely surprising given the Big Red's reputation as the league's stingiest foe--couldn't take away the sense of inevitability surrounding Cornell's comeback.

"When we scored that final touch-down, it wasn't like we were pulling an upset or anything,' Levitt said. "It was like we were taking what was ours."

Cornell's march to victory, however, was not without drama. After starting on its own 20 yard-line with 4:14 left, the Big Red faced a third-and-four at its own 44. There, junior back-up quarterback Steve Joyce stepped back and threw a wobbly, off-the-mark pass to senior wide receiver Erik Berjerke on a post pattern. Berjerke stabbed at the ball with his left hand, knocked it into the air, hit it again with his right hand, and then, just before touching the ground, gathered the pigskin into his chest for a 14-yard gain.

Just five plays later, after a 31-yard scamper by freshman Terry Smith and a two-play goal line stand by Harvard's heroic defense, Levitt crashed through off-guard for the one-yard, game-winning score.

"We were thinking "just one play at a time, just one play at a time' though the whole drive," Joyce said. "We knew they weren't going to give us much. We were just fortunate to come up with a few big plays."

The Crimson defense not giving up much? To anyone who missed Saturday's game but saw the Crimson's three previous contests, that comment might be chalked up to sarcasm: Harvard's defense has been one of the least successful in the country this season, while its offense has flourished.

But in Saturday's game, the opposite was true. Harvard's defense stood up to a large, powerful Cornell offense, making key tackles and forcing turnovers. It offense, however, was blown off the ball by a Cornell defense allowing only 13 points per game this season, never able to establish either its running or its passing game.

"We knew coming into the game that we couldn't just run over them, or we couldn't just throw over them--we had to mix it up," Murphy said. "We did that in the first half, but the blew us off the ball in the second."

Although Harvard led through most of the game, it was the Big Red who struck first. After stopping the Crimson in three plays on the first drive of the game, Cornell mounted a 10-play, 46-yard drive to put the ball at the Harvard 23. There, sophomore John Rodin booted a line-drive 40-yard field goal to give Cornell a 3-0 lead.

On its very next drive, Cornell extended the lead. After receiving a punt on its 25-yard line, Cornell mounted a long, 11-play drive characterized by the brutal, up-the-middle running of Smith and Levitt. With the ball at the Harvard 24, Joyce split the Crimson defensive backfield perfectly, hitting a streaking Bjerke on a post-pattern for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked by senior Crimson defensive back David St. Peter, and the Big Red led, 9-0.

On the very next drive, however, the Crimson roared back. Mounting one of the longest drives of the game--stretching from the end of the first quarter through the first three minutes of the second--Harvard used the hard-nosed running of sophomore tailback Eion Hu and a 20-yard completion from Ferrara to freshman split end Coby Skelton to drive from its own 32 to the Cornell nine. There, Ferrara hit junior flanker Mike Halligan at the knees on a right post-pattern for the squad's first touchdown of the game.

Two drives later, Harvard scored another touchdown. This one, though, took considerably less time: Harvard covered 46 yards in two plays. First, Ferrara whizzed the ball past two defenders to hit a crossing Skelton, who then advanced the ball 39 yards down the right side of the field. Then, Ferrara sagely hit junior tight end Matt Gargulinski on a button-hook in the end zone. The Crimson led, 13-9.

From the on, though, a Big Red win seemed merely a matter of time. Cornell scored only once before its last-minute heroic--on a 25-yard field goal by Rodin--but managed to generate 303 yards of total offense in the second half. Levitt garnered 163 yards on the ground alone during the period, and ended the contest with 227 total. Meanwhile, the Crimson offense suffered, managing only 78 yards total offense after its last touchdown.

"Things didn't always go well for us today, but you can't help but look at the improvement," Murphy said. "I was extremely proud of the way the team played today."

"This is not directed at anyone in particular--last year's coach or anyone else, but Harvard is a better team strength then it was a year ago," Cornell Coach Jim Hohfer said. "They played hard today, and they almost--almost--snuck away with the game."

Cornell  18 Harvard  13