Gridders to Tackle Alert Minutemen

Quick quiz: where have you encountered this scenario before?

The Harvard football team plays a non-conference opponent, a team with a winning record which has flirted with top Division I-AA rankings during the season.

Sound familiar yet?

The team the Crimson plays is led by a solid quarterback, a pair of fine runners who also like to catch passes out of the backfield, and an offensive line whose average weight is more than the weight of any starting Harvard lineman.

Now do you remember?

That's right--today's game is just like the two other times this season Harvard has played non-lvy foes: the Crimson hosted Holy Cross the second week of the season and visited William & Mary the third.

And the cumulative score of those two games?

Non-conference-opponents-with good-offenses-and-huge-lines: 65, Harvard: 0.

Thus, the Crimson may be in a spot of trouble today when it hosts the University of Massachusetts Minutemen at the Stadium (1:30 p.m. kickoff). UMass comes in reeling from a 41-7 drubbing at the hands of Holy Cross--but has a fine 6-2 mark overall.

Meanwhile, Harvard (2-5 overall) is riding a two-game losing streak and trying to salvage some respectability out of this disappointing season. Harvard will also be trying to score its first points of 1986 against a nonleague opponent.

Sophomore Tom Yohe will probably get the nod at quarterback for the Crimson. Yohe--who left the Princeton game two weeks ago with a groin pull--watched from the sidelines last weekend as senior David Landau guided Harvard in its 31-19 loss to Brown. Landau completed 10 of 22 passes for 118 yards but threw an interception and fumbled three times.

Joining Yohe in the Crimson backfield will be fullback Brian O'Neil, wingback George Sorbara and halfback Joe Pusateri. O'Neil had a super day against the Bruins, picking up 132 yards by running mostly straight up the middle. He may have a harder time plunging through the large Mass line today.

Split end Mike Madden filled in for an injured Joe Connolly against Brown and made four receptions, but Connolly--cut again today with a bruised kidney--was certainly missed.

The Minuteman defense, led by inside linebackers Vito Perrone and John McKeown, has been effective but not particularly stingy. The Mass D has yielded 25 points per game this year.

Crimson fullback Tony Hinz, offensive guard Hal Watson and tight end Jim Morris join Yohe as offensive regulars who missed the Brown game with injuries but may return to action today.

Harvard Captain Scott Collins had the best day of his career last week, as he stunted and blitzed his way from his linebacker position to 16 tackles and two sacks.

Minuteman quarterback Dave Palazzi (31-for-65, 339 yards, 6 INT, 2 TD) was injured early in the season but returned to action against the Cross last week. He will probably start, although sophomore Tim Bryant (74-for-145, 981 yards, 4 INT, 5 TD, 214 yards rushing) was very impressive filling in for Palazzi when the latter was injured.

Tailback Kevin Smellie (465 yards rushing, 9 TDs) provides the speed out of the backfield, while 225-lb. fullback Al Neri (466, 2)--who outweighs nearly every Crimson defensive starter--runs over people.

Flanker John Crowley (21 catches, 318 yards) is the top wide-out, while 6-ft., 6-in., 255-lb. Dimitri Yavis doubles as a tight end and punter. One wonders what the original Minutemen, on the Lexington Green back on April 19, 1775, would have done to the British with size like this.

One fears what these Minutemen will do to the Crimson today.