Quakers Face First Real Test

Sure, the Quakers are 3-0 in the Ivies, but what do we really know about them?

They have destroyed cellar-dwellers Dartmouth and Columbia and pasted a Yale team that might be on the verge of 3-1 right now, but will likely finish no better than 4-3 in league play.

For Penn, the true tests lie ahead. The Quakers have Brown on the road this weekend, followed by a visit from Princeton and a trip to Cambridge. Emerging victorious in two out of three would put the Quakers in pretty good shape for an Ivy title, while winning all three would clinch it.

The first step is taking care of a red-hot Bears squad.

With that, let’s get to this weekend’s action.

NO. 25 PENN (-1.5) AT BROWN

For the second consecutive week, the YES Network, by virtue of its attempt to cover at least one game for every Ivy team, will once again miss the game of the week.

But unlike last week, neither CN8 nor any other media outlet has swooped in to provide the Ivy fan base with moving pictures from the game. From a league-wide standpoint, this is an absolute travesty. This contest will likely be this year’s Ivy title game, and there’s no reason to give a network rights to one contest a week if high-caliber showdowns like this fall victim to the ridiculous notion of equality of coverage.

As for the actual game, Brown has been absolutely on fire lately, and so has Penn. Both teams would have come into this game 6-0 if it weren’t for monumental collapses in week two. This one will be an absolute shootout, but the Quakers defense will leave the rest of the Ivy League disappointed. Penn survives on a final defensive stand.

DARTMOUTH AT HARVARD (-7.5)

The Crimson needs some help. A stretch against Dartmouth and Columbia might be just what the doctor ordered.

Harvard running back Clifton Dawson broke the 200-yard barrier last weekend against Princeton and seemed to have shrugged off the injuries that hampered him over the previous four weeks. Quarterback Liam O’Hagan settled down, going two consecutive games without an interception and completing an efficient 11 passes in 16 attempts last Saturday.

The Big Green had difficulty getting past an anemic Columbia squad last weekend. It’s hard to ignore how tough Dartmouth has played Harvard in recent years, including a 30-16 win over the Crimson in 2003. This Harvard squad won’t be taking the Big Green for granted, and that will be the key to victory for the Crimson this weekend.

YALE (-7) AT COLUMBIA

No one should construe this as a vote of confidence in the Bulldogs.

Yale showed its true colors at Franklin Field last weekend, as it looked confused, out-matched, and under-prepared in falling behind 38-0 to Penn after three quarters on Saturday.

The highlight of the Bulldogs’ season thus far is the adventurous illegal kick by the punter, who was bailed out when a Quakers player illegally kicked the loose football, giving Yale the opportunity to re-kick. The play occurred early in the second quarter, when the Bulldogs already trailed 21-0 and had recorded four-consecutive three-and-outs to start the game.

Despite all of this, Yale will still win by more than seven on the road. That’s how bad the Lions are.

CORNELL (+9) AT PRINCETON

The Tigers have grave difficulties containing the run, and that’s going to be the difference in this ballgame.

The Big Red is the 10th-best rushing team in the nation—the only Ivy team in the top 20. Princeton has already struggled with Nick Hartigan and Brown (23rd nationally) as well as Clifton Dawson and Harvard (36th nationally), surrendering 200 yards to both backs. The Tigers still kept themselves in position to win both games and took a three-point win over the Crimson last weekend.

Cornell’s defense, however, is leaps and bounds better than that of Harvard and Brown. Whereas Princeton matched the latter two squads yard-for-yard, the same probably won’t happen against the Big Red. Cornell won’t be able to pull off the road upset, but keeping it within nine isn’t too much to ask.

—Staff writer Michael R. James can be reached at mrjames@fas.harvard.edu.