Penn Riding High After Big Victory

The weekend football results are in from around the Ivy League and Harvard is first. And last.

The Crimson is leading the Ancient Eight in offense with an impressive 410.5 yard average per game. However, Harvard is allowing more than 450 yards per game, dead last in the league.

In his first varsity start, Harvard tailback Kweli Thompson put himself on the Ivy Honor Roll with 28 carries and 122 yards.

Cornell, Penn, Yale and Harvard sit atop the league with perfect 1-0 records. After Bucknell's home shellacking of Harvard, only Cornell, Yale and Penn remain undefeated.

In the only league contest of the week, defending Ivy champion Penn escaped Dartmouth, 13-11. With Penn nursing a four point lead, Dartmouth charged down the field to the Quakers' 1-yard line. But Penn's Pat Goodwille would hear nothing of it. On fourth down, the all-Ivy linebacker stuffed Dartmouth tailback Pete Oberle on the goal line, preventing the touchdown and earning Ivy Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors at the same time.

Penn, which is second to last in offense in the Ivy league this season, ran its winning streak to 14 games.

With the exception of Harvard and Columbia, every other Ivy football team playing a non-league opponent walked off the field victorious this week.

Yale decimated Holy Cross, Harvard's opponent next Saturday, 47-22 in a wild one in New Haven, Conn. Bob Nelson's 64-yard rushing touchdown was one of three the Elis scored in the third quarter.

Yale's defense dominated the Crusaders. Linebacker Carl Ricci had 14 tackles while the rest of the defense, missing two starters due to injuries, recorded five sacks.

Brown snapped a five-meeting losing streak by upsetting the University of Rhode Island 32-29 in Kingston, R.I. Brown's Kevin Sharkey ran for 30 yards, caught six passes for 45 yards, and scored a touchdown. The senior running back also tossed a 37-yard touchdown pass to defensive back Joel Elliot off a fake punt.

Brown sophomore quarterback Jason McCullough, making the first varsity start of his career, completed 21 of 31 passes for a school-record 358 yards.

McCullough threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another. For his efforts, the sophomore earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week.

Although Columbia has outgained its opponents on offense in its first two games this season, the Lions still have not garnered a win. Last week, Harvard mounted a last-minute comeback drive and snatched victory from the perenial Ivy League doormats. This week, even two interceptions from senior free safety Jim Hudnall couldn't overcome Lehigh. The Lions settled for a 28-28 tie when the Engineers' Rich Owens swatted away the PAT with 12 seconds left in the game.

For the first time since 1986, Cornell opened the season with two wins in a row. Steve Joyce substituted for injured quarterback Per Lawson in the fourth quarter and led the Big Red 75 yards to a touchdown and a 13-7 victory over Fordham.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week Chris Hanson, who had three interceptions on the day, made the pick that started the winning drive.

Princeton destroyed Colgate 29-3 in New Jersey. Princeton tallied 319 rushing yards in the romp. Sophomore tailback Marc Washington had 116 yards on 15 carries.

Harvard tries to get back on track at Holy Cross this weekend in a 1 p.m. start. Also this Saturday, Yale is looking to extend its perfect record to 3-0 against Connecticut.

In other action, Brown hosts Colgate, Lafayette comes to Columbia, Cornell faces Lehigh, Dartmouth plays Fordham and Princeton meets Bucknell.