AROUND THE IVIES: Ivy League Matchups Raise Some Questions

I have more questions than answers.

As if you didn’t know that already, given my now-.400 winning percentage against the spread and my decision in the previous column to focus on the mystery that is Richard Irvin, only for him to be benched at the last minute in favor of quick-healing Chris Pizzotti.

And you know what? That’s OK. I can be at peace with that. The universe is composed of myriad mysteries, and by mysteries I mean blogs, and I stand in awe.

The Ivy League football season, if not as humbling or intricate, possesses many of its own uncertainties and topics for inquiry. With that in mind, let’s acknowledge a few of the more pressing ones on the cusp of Week 4:

Will Harvard stay on pace and win 10 games?

Will Clifton Dawson stay on pace and score 30 touchdowns? (I’m not even doubting the all-time rushing record right now. The guy’s a machine. He’ll dust Marinaro by Veterans’ Day.)

Could Princeton actually be the second-best team in the Ancient Eight?

Will Columbia, under the energizing leadership of Norries Wilson, resist the temptation to start sucking again?

Will Dartmouth, in fear of a winless season and under pressure from the Anti-Defamation League, reinstate suspended quarterback Josh Cohen?

Speaking of questions and answers, people in charge of the Jeopardy! test, if you’re reading this, why no post-test e-mail? What is...because you know I’ll win your stupid College Tournament?

NO. 19 HARVARD (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) VS. CORNELL (1-2, 0-1)

Two weeks ago, I advised Cornell skipper Jim Knowles to give more touches to tailback Luke Siwula, after the junior carried just 13 times in the Big Red’s season-opening loss. That Saturday, Siwula tallied a mere 15 rushes as Cornell lost again. Last week, Jimmy Boy finally figured it out and Luke made like Si-mule-a, toting it 32 times on his way to racking up 162 yards and a TD. And guess what? The Big Red picked up its first victory. Coincidence? I think not.

Which isn’t to say that if Siwula carries it 30 times at the Stadium tomorrow, Cornell will win. This time, he’s going up against the top statistical rushing defense in all of Division 1-AA. Not many teams can say that. Through three games, Harvard has allowed a sum total of 101 running yards.

A quick aside here though: Is the factoring of sacks into rushing yardage in college football not one of the ten stupidest things currently happening in the world? A major reason Lehigh netted only 26 yards rushing against the Crimson D was Brad Bagdis’ game-ending sack of brain-farting Sedale Threatt for an 18-yard loss. The Mountain Hawks gained 87 yards on the ground and “lost” 61, 56 of them on seven sacks.

The game also features the top-ranked aerial attack in the Ivies, led by (as of now) Pizzotti and the somehow underrated Corey Mazza, against the Big Red’s number one pass defense. They’ve never had to guard this many weapons.

Prediction: Harvard 34, Cornell 20

DARTMOUTH (0-3, 0-1) VS. YALE (2-1, 1-0)

Statistically, Dartmouth’s clash with Penn on Saturday was a dead heat. Borderline uncanny. Both teams ran exactly 64 plays. Time of possession went to the Big Green—by 12 seconds. Dartmouth out-passed the Quakers by 14 yards and was out-run by four. And it only lost by a touchdown, in Philadelphia no less. These are causes for celebration, and signs of improvement.

So I think Cohen-sub Mike Fritz and the rest of the Big Green will keep it close against the surging Bulldogs, fresh off a big-time non-conference win at Lafayette.

Prediction: Yale 23, Dartmouth 11

BROWN (1-2, 0-1) AT HOLY CROSS (3-2)

My head says Holy Cross, but my heart is screaming Brown. Note to the Bears: this isn’t your curriculum, it’s football, and there are requirements. Like running the ball or stopping the other team’s run with some semblance of effectiveness.

Rhode Island took a page out of the Harvard playbook last Saturday by adopting a smash-mouth strategy. One week after Clifton Dawson and the Crimson embarrassed Brown’s run defense for 261 yards on the ground, the Rams gained 234. URI attempted only 10 passes on the afternoon, versus an astounding 59 carries. And, on the flip side of the coin, the Bears’ inability to establish the running game on offense haunted it yet again. This time, “Oy vey” Oyalowo rode the pine and junior Derrick Knight stumbled to 61 yards on 16 carries.

Unlike the Crimson or the Rams, however, the Crusaders don’t really have the kind of backs to pull it off.

At the end of the day, I just can’t envision the defending champs falling to 1-3.

Prediction: Brown 27, Holy Cross 24

COLUMBIA (2-1, 0-1) VS. IONA (1-4)

Is history repeating itself? That’s the worry of sporting fans across the five boroughs. Subway Series, Bubway Series. Will the Lions, after winning their first two games for the second straight year, suffer another debilitating eight-game slide to close it out? Or can Big Man Wilson right the ship?

I’d say yes to the latter against this weak opposition. Is there a more difficult to say short school name than Iona? That’s three syllables in four letters! And the Gaels? More like the Gails, if you know what I mean. Singer/songwriter Don McLean, author of the plaintive classic “American Pie,” is the college’s most famous alum.

Prediction: Columbia 16, Iona 13

PENN (2-1, 1-0) AT BUCKNELL (3-2)

After a trying week for Eastern Pennsylvania, let’s hope for some diverting pigskin in Lewisburg tomorrow. Penn, no stranger to heartache, gets back on track after a sluggish performance versus Dartmouth.

Prediction: Penn 28, Bucknell 14

PRINCETON (3-0, 1-0) AT COLGATE (2-2)

With a Princeton win here and a Harvard victory against Lafayette next Saturday, the Ivy League can affirm its season dominance over the Patriot League. Road losses by Dartmouth and Cornell against Colgate and Bucknell, respectively, are the only blemishes on the Ivies’ sparkling 9-2 head-to-head record. Given that the outclassed Patriot annually sends one or two teams to the 1-AA playoffs, wouldn’t it be just a little fun to see an Ivy squad in the postseason?

Prediction: Princeton 20, Colgate 10

And one final question: How many question marks appear in this column?

Reccord to Date: 9-11.

Against the Spread: 8-12.

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.