Ivy football's best players

Compiled by DP Sports Staff Below Penn (7-0, 5-0 Ivy League) in the league standings, there is Cornell at 3-2, and then a six-way tie at 2-3. Out of this pool of mediocrity, however, came some outstanding performances. Beyond Quaker quarterback Mark DeRosa, who was named Offensive Player of the Week, Dartmouth linebacker Josh Bloom excelled in a Big Green 14-13 victory over Columbia. Among Bloom's 13 tackles against the Lions were two for losses and a quarterback sack. Bloom, a second-team all-Ivy performer last season, helped the Dartmouth defense hold Columbia on a couple late rallies, which would have given the Lions their first victory in Hanover, N.H., since formal Ivy League play began in 1956. The Lions fumbled on the Big Green one-yard line late in the game. Columbia fell to 0-20 there. One running back who has rarely fumbled this season is Harvard freshman sensation Elon Hu. In a losing effort against Brown Saturday, the tailback ran for better than 100 yards for the fifth time this season on his way to being named Ivy League Rookie of the Week. Hu's 109-yard performance on 31 carries brought his season rushing total to 814 yards. He also caught two passes for 10 yards. Two other running backs had notable performances this past weekend. On the opposite side of the ball of Hu was Brown's own standout running back, Marquis Jessie. The sophomore from San Jose, Calif., racked up 105 yards on 8 carries. Jessie also scored two touchdowns, from five and 18 yards out. Bob Nelson, a Yale tailback, ran for three TDs in the upset of Cornell. The senior from Michigan carried 21 times. Big Red quarterback Per Larson and Columbia signal caller Jamie Schwalbe had standout performances and were named to the Ancient Eight Honor Roll. Larson completed 11 of 25 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort to the Elis. Schwalbe passed for 269 yards in the loss to the Big Green. Harvard defensive back Matt LaBonar made his first interception and sack in a loss to Brown. Penn's Pat Goodwillie was also named to the Ivy League Honor Roll. The senior linebacker had 12 tackles, seven solo, a sack and broke up two passes in Penn's victory at Palmer Field against Princeton. The Tigers' Marc Ross was a one-man offensive show. The senior from nearby Sharon Hill had 202 all-purpose yards against Penn in 13 attempts. He had a punt return of 50 yards and a kick return of 41 yards.