The Scouting Report

HARVARD

Quarterback: Rod MacLeod jumped from the bench last Saturday and led the Crimson to a 28-3 victory over Brown. Afterwards, he was on cloud nine. But this week, he may come down to earth. Brown wasn't ready for his option style. B.U. will be. MacLeod ran well against the Bruins, compiling 52 yards and a touchdown. He also threw well (10 of 19 for 171 yards and one TD).

Running Backs: The backfield might look a little strange this week. Regular QB Tom Yohe is gone. So is star halfback Tony Hinz. But Art ("The Dart") McMahon, who rushed for 126 yards against Brown, will be plugging away from the fullback spot. And Jim Reidy, who scored one of the Crimson's four touchdown last Saturday, will be dipping and gliding at his wingback position.

Receivers: Three players (Don Gajewski, Neil Phillips and Hinz) have more than 20 catches this year, the first time a Harvard trio has gone over the 20-catch mark since 1980. Unfortunately, Hinz will be on the bench today. But Phillips, the Crimson's eighth all-time leading receiver, and Gajewski, Harvard's number 10 on the all-time pass-catching list, are fine threats.

Offensive Line: Big, bad and beautiful. Last week, these guys ran over Brown. Ask Art McMahon, who was full of praise for the men in the trenches. Out-of-league opponents tend to be bigger than Ivy League foes, do it will be interesting to see what Maurice Frilot, Shawn Sensky and company can do against the Terriers.

Defensive Line: The Crimson's 5-2 defense is led, appropriately, by the team captain, Don Peterson. Peterson leads the team in sacks with six, four shy of '87 Captain Kevin Dulsky's record. The other guys up front are Jim Bell, Greg Gicewicz (famous for his interception against Holy Cross), Mike Murphy and Ray O'Hare.

Linebackers: Greg Ubert and Brian Burns remain the most active members of the Crimson defensive unit. Ubert leads the team in tackles with 63. He and Burns will be used to stop B.U.'s potentially devastating pass attack. Look for the Terriers to toss a few over the middle. Look for Ubert and Burns to be there.

Secondary: Ten, nine, eight, seven...The countdown has begun for this group's biggest test of the year. Will the Crimson secondary blast off or blow up? Safety Jim Smith (two interceptions) is the best of an inexperienced bunch. Against Brown, cornerback Henry Olson was tested frequently and came up with four pass break-ups.

Kicking Game: Alan Hall is perfect, at least when it comes to extra points. He has nailed 16 of 16 PATs. He is five-of-nine on field goal attempts, his longest good for 34 yards. Hall does the punting, too, and averages 31.8 yards per kick.

Intangibles: Harvard is riding a one-game winning streak and is looking to improve its home record to 3-2. Harvard's goal now that it is out of the Ivy League title race is to finish with a 5-5 record. The Crimson does not get much respect from local football squads. A big win over the B.U. would get the Terriers' goat.

Coach: It's been a tough year for Joe Restic, the gray-hair mastermind of the Multiflex. The Crimson's chief was looking for victory number 100 this season. He will get it only if Harvard goes undefeated the rest of the way. Restic is 97-65-5 overall and 3-2 against the Terriers. Will he be able to direct his backup QB to glory?

BOSTON U.

Quarterback: Jim Schuman has never met a pass play he didn't like. He'll throw short, he'll throw long, but he won't throw in the towel. Forget B.U.'s 2-6 record. Schuman (who averages more than 50 passes a game) will keep the scoreboard operator working. He needs nine yards passing to move over the 2000-yd. mark this year.

Running Backs: B.U. plays with a one-back set, preferring to keep four wideouts on the line of scrimmage. If the Terrier running backs went on strike, no one would notice their absence. Have gun, so don't run. Jay Hillman has carried the ball 97 times for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Receivers: Terrier wideouts should file for overtime. Two receivers (Daren Altieri and Steve Kennelley) have chalked up more than 500 yards receiving this year. Both players have three touchdowns. Flanker Guy Batchelder is the team's third-leading receiver (13 catches for 145 yards).

Offensive Line: You want big? The Terriers will give you big. The offensive line in anchored by tackle Mike Graybill, who is 6-ft., 7-in. Graybill came from that high school basketball factory, DeMatha, where he was a cage star for the Stags. One question: how does Schuman see over him?

Defensive Line: The defensive line holds its opponents to an average of 144 yards rushing per contest. Defensive end Ben Cowan is Peterson's cross-town counterpart. He is a fierce pass rusher and an intimidating run-stopper. The rest of the line includes Darrow Patton, Bill Caraher and Arnie Galvez (6-ft., 3-in. and 260 pounds).

Linebackers: Jack Reybold (6-ft., 1-in. and a lean 210 pounds) leads the Terriers in sacks with five. Do you think he likes to blitz? He is also second on the squad in tackles. Dennis Carson leads the squad in tackles with 90. And with Pat Faucette at the other linebacking spot, this group seems leak-proof.

Secondary: The B.U. defense has given up an average of 28 points per contest. If the front four is surrendering just 144 yards rushing per game, how are opponents scoring so many points? B.U. opponents have averaged more than 200 yards passing per contest. Cornerback Mark Seals, a Division 1-AA All American last year, leads the team in interceptions with seven.

Kicking Game: Matt LaPolice (no relation to Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland) is 10-of-13 on field goal attempts and 18-of-19 on PATs. Steve Jones (another famous name in rock) does the punting and averages 41 yards per kick with a long of 70 yards.

Intangibles: The Terriers are not used to playing on grass. If the weather is poor, the Terriers will "run and shoot" and slip and slide. Still, beating Harvard is something every team wants to do in whatever sport. Stick it to the Ivy Leaguers.

Coach: Chris Palmer, the Restic, spent some time in the pros. He was an assistant coach for the New Jersey Generals (1984-85)and the Montreal Concordes (1983). He is in his first season at B.U. after coaching at the University of New Haven the past two years. His offense is wild and crazy, but it hasn't brought great results.