IVY PREVIEW

33-0. Every Penn football fan remembers this score from a year ago, when a superior Harvard team embarrassed the Quakers in a game that had Ivy title implications. Harvard stampeded through the rest of the Ivy season with relative ease on its way to an undefeated, undisputed Ivy League championship season. The Crimson are just as ready to defend that title this season as the other seven league teams are willing to take it away from them. The Red and Blue are one of the leaders of the pack snapping at the heels of Harvard. The Quakers want to rekindle the championship feeling of 1994, but to do that, they must first contend with their Ancient Eight opponents. · Harvard enters the '98 campaign the same way it exited the '97 one, viewed as the best team in the Ivies. The Crimson are predicted to finish first in almost every preseason poll. Returning to their lofty position at the top, however, will be no cakewalk for the defending champs. "We've had a solid camp, but quite frankly, we have more question marks and concerns than a year before," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. "Obviously, we are not as experienced as last year. We lost three All-Ivy and four four-year starters. Our defense is going to be good, but last year, quite frankly, we were dominating." The defensive line was hardest hit by graduation, but all of Harvard's starting linebackers will be back this season, including 1996 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Isaiah Kacyvenski. Second team All-Ivy quarterback Rich Linden will be back in the pocket this year, leading a potent offense that also returns defending Ivy rushing champ Chris Menick and wide receiver Terence Patterson, the Crimson's top pass catcher from a year ago. Harvard averaged 30.1 points per game last season, and with such a strong returning group, Harvard players should find the endzone quite frequently this season. · Harvard may rack up some points this season, but the league's best offense will be in Providence, R.I. Brown returns 10 starters to an offense that tallied 475.3 yards per contest last fall, the best offensive output in the league. Two of these returning starters should connect for many scores. Both first team All-Ivy performers, quarterback James Perry and wide receiver Sean Morey should form a dangerous duo in a superb aerial attack for the Bears. Last season, Morey dazzled football fans across the country. An All-American selection and Ivy League Player of the Year, he scored a league-record 15 TDs and led Division I-AA with 1,434 receiving yards. The Bears will score a lot of points this fall, but their opponents may score just as many. Last year, the Bears finished in the middle of the pack in most defensive categories, and only five starters return this season. Every one of Brown's games could be a high-scoring affair. The Bears' own mediocre defense may be the hardest obstacle for them to overcome. · If 1998 shapes up like the previous 10 years, expect Dartmouth to be near the top of the standings. The most consistent team in the Ancient Eight over the past decade, Dartmouth finished 6-1 last year and has always posed a threat to Ivy opponents. The reason for the Big Green's consistency has always been its defense. This year, however, the defense is a huge question mark for Dartmouth. With only four returning starters, Ivy teams may find the endzone more easily against this inexperienced lineup. Linebacker Jon Gibbs, who earned second team All-Ivy honors, was the team's top tackler last year and will anchor the squad. But with so few experienced players, Dartmouth will need the youngsters to perform at a high level. Another huge question is who will start at quarterback. Senior Mike Coffey, who only threw one pass in 1997, is the favorite and the only candidate with collegiate experience. Tailback Dylan Karczewski, who led the Green with 541 rushing yards last fall, is the only significant contributor to return on offense, as top receiver Zach Ellis was lost to graduation. · Last season, Ivy opponents walked all over Yale. If these same teams think a trip to the Yale Bowl equals an automatic victory this year, however, they might want to think again. As coach Jack Siedlecki returns for his second season, he returns to a much more experienced team. Quarterback Joe Walland will return after injuring his knee last season, as will running back Jabbar Craigwell, who missed all of 1997 with a wrist injury. The Elis' receiving corps should also improve with Jake Borden and Ben Johnstone returning. Although only one starter returns on the defensive line, the Elis have also improved on defense. Linebacker Scott Benton, Yale's top tackler last season, and defensive back Todd Tomich, the defending Ivy League Rookie of the Year, will be the leaders of this more experienced squad. · The road warriors have gone home. After spending all of last season on the road, Princeton comes back to Old Nassau and a brand new house. Princeton Stadium will be a source of excitement for the Orange and Black, but that excitement is not likely to vault them to the top of the standings. "I think the anticipated completion of our new stadium has brought everyone to life," Tigers coach Steve Tosches said. That may be good news for the Tigers, who ranked near the bottom in almost every offensive category and scored only 13 touchdowns all season. For the fifth time in six years, a new player will be taking snaps from center, as senior John Burnham will replace the graduated Harry Nakielny at quarterback. Princeton's defense, which ranked first in the Ivies last year, was also hit by graduation. Tackle David Ferrara is expected to lead the weakened defense after being named second team All-Ivy as a sophomore last season. · For Cornell, the biggest question is whether or not new head coach Peter Mangurian's wealth of football experience will move the Big Red towards the top of the Ivy standings. After spending 10 years as an NFL assistant coach under Dan Reeves, Mangurian returns to the collegiate level for his first head coaching job. Prior to his NFL days, Mangurian spent nine years as a college assistant at various schools. "You always want to be better in certain spots, certain positions, certain situations," Mangurian said. "We have a pretty good feel of what kind of football team we are." The passing game is one of those spots where Cornell will have the most need. After losing wide receiver Eric Krawczyk and running back Brad Kiesendahl to graduation, the Big Red will rely on less experienced players to move the ball downfield. QB Mike Hood will see more time this season, stepping into the starting role after sharing it with Scott Carroll last year. The defense should be better in 1998 after a '97 season which saw the Big Red surrender 26.1 points per game. John Hanson and Jorge Alvarez will lead a tough linebacking corps. Cornell will also return three starters on the defensive line and cornerback Tom Nunes, the team leader in interceptions with four last fall. · For each of the past four years, the team that returned the most defensive starters has won the league title. Expect that trend to end this season. Columbia returns nine starters to a defense that yielded 392.0 yards per game last season, by far the worst in the Ivies. Columbia's offense should be better this year after a subpar '97 campaign. Tailbacks John Toye and Jason Bivens both return from injury and should help the Lions' running game. Tight end Bert Bondi will also return after earning All-Ivy honors last season, catching 39 passes for 516 yards. These improvements, however, will probably not be enough to keep the Lions out of the Ivy basement.