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No Pain, Big Gain

The Football Notebook

By Julio R. Varela

The line to the trainer's table has not been long this year.

Harvard's ability to stay healthy is one of the reasons it has been so successful this season. Through its first six games. the Crimson had managed to avoid any major injuries to its starters.

So when standout QB Tom Yohe bruised his ribs against Brown. Coach Joe Restic had plenty to worry about. Of all the starters to get hurt, it had to be Yohe, who has been directing a potent Harvard offense all season long.

Restic need not worry any longer. Yohe did not miss practice yesterday afternoon and appears fit enough to start against Holy Cross this Saturday.

Record-Breaking: After all, Yohe still has a few more Harvard single-season passing records to shatter. Besides breaking both the Harvard passing yardage and attempts records against the Bruins, Yohe needs just two more completions and three more touchdowns to set new Harvard records in these categories. He now has 111 completions and 14 touchdowns.

As for career marks, the Crown Point, Ind., native has an outside chance to tie the Harvard record for most touchdown in a career. Yohe would need to average 3 TD passes per game for the last three games of the season to tie Larry Brown's 1977-78 mark of 23 TD strikes.

Although it seems improbable that the junior signal-caller will reach this goal this season, Yohe may break loose against Harvard's final three opponents, Holy Cross, Penn, and Yale.

Most Notable Unnoted Play of the Week: Yohe, holding onto the ball for dear life in the closing seconds of Saturday's win.

One week earlier, Penn led Yale, 22-21, with 30 seconds remaining. All Quaker QB John Keller had to do to run out the clock--and keep Penn's hopes alive for a sixth straight Ivy title--was to fall on the ball.

But Keller fumbled the snap, setting up Kelly Ryan's game-winning 40-yd. touchdown pass as time expired. Yowee.

Goodbye, Penn: Thanks to Keller's bumble, the Quaker dynasty is over. Princeton came into Franklin Field Saturday and defeated the five-time defending (three-time outright) Ivy champs, 17-7, eliminating the Quakers (2-3 Ivy) from this year's tough Ivy race.

Since this year's Ivy champion or co-champion will have no more than two losses on its record, it marks the first time since 1981 that Penn has not been one of the teams to beat in the Ivies.

Even though the Quakers will assume the unfamiliar role of spoilers for the next three weeks, that doesn't mean Harvard will be facing a pushover Penn squad at the Stadium in two weeks. The Quakers have always played the Crimson tough.

The Crimson Crush: While every coach in the Ivy League has been praising the outstanding job the Crimson defensive line has done in stopping the run, they have been just as vocal in commenting how well the line has pressured opposing quarterbacks.

Thanks to Captain Kevin Dulsky's two sacks of Bruin QB Mark Donovan, the Crimson line has now recorded 28 sacks for the season, six shy of the all-time single-season record of 34 set in 1982. In that year, Harvard tied Dartmouth and Penn for the Ivy crown.

The Life of Brian: With his seven receptions Saturday in Providence, senior split end Brian Barringer moved to seventh place on the all-time single-season receiving list with 31 catches. He is almost sure to reach 40 receptions this season, and will become only the fourth Harvard player to accomplish this.

Holy Moly: The Division 1-AA's top-ranked team, Holy Cross, will host Harvard this Saturday in Worcester. This year, the 8-0 Crusaders have been infamous for winning games by huge margins. With its 54-10 shellacking of UMass Saturday, Holy Cross has averaged close to 54 points per game.

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