OPPONENT SPOTLIGH Chad Levitt: Cornell's Levitt haunted by losses

"I've been asked that question a lot," said Cornell running back Chad Levitt about why the Pennsylvania native did not choose to attend Penn. Levitt's father and three uncles went to the Red and Blue and his cousin, Ross, is a current student and a UTV13 football commentator. But the Penn calling did not hit home enough for Chad Levitt. And although Penn running backs Aman Abye, Jasen Scott, and Dion Camp have performed admirably in Quakers coach Al Bagnoli's three-back attack, Levitt -- arguably the best running back in the Ivy League -- would have done wonders for Penn's offense. But joining Bagnoli's bunch was never in serious consideration. "I wasn't really interested in Penn," said Levitt, who visited several Ivy schools, but not Penn. "I live real close to Penn and I wanted to get away from home. Also, because of West Philadelphia." It was not long after choosing the Big Red -- he cited academics, the people, and location as the reasons -- that Levitt, now a junior, started paying big dividends for Cornell coach Jim Hofher's program. As a freshman, Levitt, taking full advantage of the brand new freshman eligibility rules in the Ivy League, rushed for 475 yards on 88 carries (5.4 yards per carry) and scored six touchdowns. "When he came into his first training camp, he had the physical maturity that allowed him to play in games," said Hofher. "He also had the mental and social maturity." Although Hofher describes Levitt as reserved and introspective, Levitt's actions on the field have rung loudly throughout the league. In only his second year at Cornell last season, Levitt established himself as one of the Ancient Eight's premier backs. That year Levitt led the Ivies in rushing yards (131.9 per game) and scoring (7.8 points). Hofher says that Levitt -- who at 6-foot-2 and 227 pounds has NFL size -- really does not have a weakness on the field, whether it's running on the inside or outside, catching the ball or blocking. But individual accomplishments -- Levitt was named first-team All-Ivy last season -- did not make the Big Red star forget about his team's collapse last season. After winning its first six games and even garnering a first-place vote in the Division I-AA rankings, Cornell dropped its last four games, all to Ivy League opponents. Levitt says those "heartbreaking losses" are what sticks in his mind from that season. The most heartbreaking of those losses was a defeat to Penn in the season finale. Cornell built up a 14-0 lead on the strength of two Levitt touchdowns, the first one a 67-yard run. However, Cornell subsequently collapsed and fell to the Quakers 18-14, enabling Penn to set a division I-AA record with 21 consecutive victories. It was the second time in as many seasons that the Big Red blew a sizeable lead to the Quakers in the season finale. "It was a big letdown," said Levitt about last year's season finale. "It was almost the type of game like in my freshman season. Things kind of fell apart. It sucked ending the season seeing the seniors lose." This year, Levitt and the Big Red seem to be on a mission to erase those bitter memories. Levitt is averaging 146.1 yards a game, which is 43 yards more than his closest competitor, Crimson running back Eion Hu. Cornell has its best Ivy season in years, recording a 5-1 mark, and is guaranteed at least a share of the Ivy title if it beats Penn Saturday. Said Levitt: "This game is probably the biggest I've ever played in."

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