Varsity Eleven to Meet Underrated Bucknell

An angry varsity eleven, determined to play its top game of football, will run onto the Stadium turf this afternoon to face an upset-minded Bucknell squad. Starting time for what promises to be a close contest is 2 p.m.

The varsity feels that they would have beaten Dartmouth if they had played their best football. To a man, they want to win back the prestige lost last Saturday by blasting the Blason from the opening kickoff to the final gun.

But anyone expecting a slaughter in the Stadium will probably be disappointed. This Bucknell team is no pushover, no mid-season breather. Although it has lost three of its five games, it boasts a strong offense, averaging better than 20 points a contest.

Leading the Bisons on their offensive rampage is one of the top fullbacks in the nation, 200-pound Bob Ford, sixth in the East in rushing last year.

Another ace for the Thundering Herd is triple-threat junior quarterback Jim Stewart. An excellent passer, Stewart is also an experienced play-caller, a good runner, and the start of the Bison secondary on defense. In addition to these duties, Stewart also does the punting and place-kicking.

Team Has Weak Line

Offsetting the powerful Bison backfield is a woefully weak line. Coach Harry Lawrence lost his entire first line and 11 of his top 14 linemen at graduation. Lack of experience and ability have clearly shown: Bucknell has yielded 15 touchdown in five games this season. Inexperience will probably hurt the Bisons even more today, as the varsity is the first single wing team they have played this year.

The Bisons' two outstanding linemen are right tackle Ralph Riker whom Law rence calls his "hustlingest lineman," and center George Wolfe, named "unsung hero" for his work in the Bison's 38-0 defeat of Temple tow weeks ago.

If this were an early season game, one might well expect the highly rated Crimson line to push Bucknell all over the field. But the season is half over, and the varsity line is a tired group of ball players. With a series of close games and no adequate replacements, Coach Jordan has had to play most of his top linemen--notably Bill Meigs, Orville Tice, and John Maber--55 to 66 minutes each game

Metropoules Returns

Two well-rested players will help bolster the Crimson forward wall. Metropouios will be back in his regular right guard slot, where he played before a muscle pull forced him to sit out the Crimson and Dartmouth games. And the first sophomore to start for the varsity this fall, Marv Labovits, will replace Jan Meyer, out with a pulled muscle, at center.

If the Bisone expect to exploit this new men, they will find themselves sadly mistaken; for while LeDevits does not have Meyer's experience, he has been pushing Jan hard for the starting forth all season.

Whether the varsity backfield will be up to the full strenght in a question that will not be answered until the team makes the field