Blood on the Ivy
There was a time in the Ivy League when losers could usually console themselves that their defeat was likely to be measured by no more than a gentlemanly two, or at the worst, three touchdowns. Not this year. From the high-scoring tortures the Ivies are inflicting on one another, Eli, John and the other chaps don't live there any more.
On average Saturday afternoons, the league's top four teams--Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth and Harvard--are running up a combined total of 112 points.
By contrast, the Pacific Eight's top four teams total only an average 92 points a week, while the Southeastern Conference leaders total 97, the Big Ten has 81, and the Big Eight and Southwest war horses are in the paltry 70s. Only the Western Athletic Conference at 105 per week and the Missouri Valley at 101 come close.
After a slow start, Yale mauled Brown (35-0), Cornell (41-7), Dartmouth (56-15), Penn (44-22) and Princeton (29-7); Dartmouth has averaged 24 points a game, capped by a 41-6 scalping of Brown; Princeton boasts better than 30 points a game, and rates as its finest hour a 45-6 manhandling of Harvard--which in turn warmed up on outsider Lafayette 51-0, then stomped Columbia 49-13 and Penn 45-7.
Their coaches blame this year's scores on the Ivy League's quarterbacks--particularly on their passing skills. Yale's Brian Dowling has 31 completions in 79 attempts for seven touchdowns in five games; Harvard's Ric Zimmerman already has eleven TD passes to his credit compared with seven all last year. Then there is a general inconsistency to contend with. Says Princeton's Coach Dick Colman: "With no spring practice and other things on their minds, our players don't have time to be letter-perfect. On any given day, anything can happen." Adds Harvard Coach John Yovicsin: "Look. We have boys who will take a four-hour exam the day of the game. If they feel good afterwards, fine. If they don't, we're suddenly behind 45 to nothing."
This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.