Wilford seizes QB role for Crimson

Harvard will start Brad Wilford at quarterback against the Quakers. When Harvard's quarterback takes the field this Saturday, it might look like something out of the movie Trading Places. That's because after three years of living in the shadows of senior quarterback Rich Linden, it will be Brad Wilford who will start Saturday's game against Penn. It has been a long road for Wilford, who watched as teammate Linden became the first-ever freshman starting quarterback in Harvard history. Then, in '97, Linden led the Crimson to the top of the Ivy League as Harvard won its first title in 10 years. Linden also threw his way to No. 2 on Harvard's all-time passing lists. But the Crimson went 4-6 in '98 and Linden was benched this season and Wilford emerged as the starter after three years in the shadows. Does Linden's benching mean that the Quakers' prayers have been answered? Don't count on it. Wilford was named the New England Division I Player of the Week as well as the Ivy League's Offensive Player of the Week after Harvard beat Dartmouth, 63-21, on October 30. He broke two school records in that game -- one for passing (398 yards) and one for total offense (387). That's not to say that Wilford is an Ivy League superstar. After all, he threw four interceptions in last weekend's Brown game, which helped contribute to Harvard's 17-10 loss to the league's first-place team. Wilford's transition to starter might be a sign of Harvard's attempt to try something new in the face of an obvious decline after the '97 season. The loss to Brown suggests that maybe that new strategy is not working. Then there is the question of how Wilford and Linden are getting along after trading places this season. "We joke about it all the time, it's not a big deal," Wilford said. "But it's definitely a weird situation. [Linden] is like 150 yards short of the all-time school passing record." Wilford currently ranks fifth in Ivy League passing with 1,593 yards and fourth in total offense with 1,717 yards. He is roughly comparable statistically to Quakers quarterback Gavin Hoffman, who ranks third in passing with 1,736 yards and fifth in total offense with 1,586 yards. So how does Wilford feel about this weekend's game versus Penn? "After we lost last week against Brown, [it] definitely hurt our chances for the Ivy League Championship but we're statistically not out [at 3-2 in the league] so we just want to have our best game," Wilford said. "We know Penn is really good. We've seen them on film, so we're preparing. It is definitely the biggest game of [the rest of] our season.