Gridders Even Record at 1-1

The Harvard football team took the Bison by the horns during the second half last weekend and put on a clinic on how to finish a team off.

In the first week of the season, Harvard took a 13-0 lead into halftime against Columbia only to allow 13 unanswered points in regulation. The Lions then secured the comeback with a touchdown in overtime.

This time, the Crimson led 10-0 going into halftime against Bucknell. During a second half that starkly contrasted with its week one counterpart, the Crimson stampeded the Bison, tacking on 20 points to win 30-7.

The Crimson and its suffocating defense return home to play its first game this season at Harvard Stadium, hosting Lafayette (2-1). Harvard leads Division I-AA both in total defense and rushing defense.

"This was, without question, the greatest defensive effort I've seen since coming to Harvard. [We] are solid defensively with talented players at every position," said coach Tim Murphy after his team yielded just 101 yards to Bucknell.

Just last week, Murphy moved the fastest player on the team, sophomore Troy Jones, from tailback to cornerback in an effort to get even more team speed on that side of the ball.

Almost taken for granted was Hu, who is on the Ivy League Honor Roll for his 113 yards and two touchdowns last week.

The team which put the bitter taste in Harvard's mouth, Columbia (2-0, 1-0), might be for real.

Two games into the season, the Lions are in an unfamiliar position, perched atop the Ivy League standings.

In Week Two, Columbia rode sophomore running back Jason Bivens to a 17-10 victory over Fordham (0-4) to stay undefeated.

This marks the first time Columbia is 2-0 since 1978. Saturday, the Lions play Holy Cross (0-4) for the first time since 1983, when they lost by 49 points, 11 touchdowns to four.

Dartmouth (2-0, 1-0) kept pace with the Lions, getting past Lehigh 21-14. Thanks to its exciting 24-22 defeat of Penn (1-1, 0-1) the week before, the Big Green has matched its 2-0 start of 1991.

Attempting to end Dartmouth's nine-game undefeated streak this Saturday is Fordham--but the Rams are 0-4 this season.

Cornell (1-1, 1-0) fell to Lafayette 30-19. The loss came one week after a 33-27 overtime victory over Princeton (1-1, 0-1).

Even senior placekicker John Rodin's new school record for career field goals could not save the Big Red, especially since the Leopard defense held senior running back Chad Levitt to only 76 yards on 27 carries.

Similarly, Yale (1-1, 1-0) came back to earth with a thud as Skip Holtz's Connecticut team bounced them, 42-6. Yale's number one rusher and receiver, junior back Jabbar Craigwell, sprained a knee ligament, and his status for this week is uncertain.

The September 21 shutout of Brown may become just a warm and fuzzy memory for the Bulldogs, who play at Division I-A independent Army. This marks the first time an Ivy League team has played against a Division I-A opponent since 1991. Good luck, Carm.

Penn bounced back from a tough loss at Dartmouth to maul Colgate at home, 38-7.

The Quakers lead the nation in turnover margin and forced nine last Saturday. They will rumble with intrastate rival Bucknell this weekend.

Princeton, like Harvard, recovered from an overtime loss in the first week to even its overall record. The Tigers beat Holy Cross in an shootout, 37-30.

Senior running back Marc Washington won offensive Ivy League co-Player-of-the-Week honors--along with Columbia's Bivens--for his 153-yard, two-touchdown game.

Bringing up the rear of the league once again is woeful Brown (0-2, 0-1), which lost to Rhode Island this time, 28-13. Something figures to give this Saturday, though, as the winless Bears travel to 0-4 Colgate.

Harvard will try to be unwelcoming hosts for Lafayette Saturday at 1 p.m.