Harvard's forward wall will be out weighed seven pounds per man when it digs in against Holy Cross today.

The Crimson linemen who will have to absord the weight disadvantage are tackles Chief Bender (205 pounds) and Doug Bradlee (200 pounds).

They will be bumping shoulders with 230-pound Tom Donnalley and 254-pound Tony Palmer, says the program.

The fact that Holy Cross has a heavier line than Harvard's may be turned to advantage by the Crimson backs, if the Crusader two-ton trucks can be sabotaged by Bender and Bradlee.

Elsewhere along its line, the Purple has average-size football players. There is Jim Dieckleman, a 5-foot-9, 192-pound end who starred in the 1945 Holy Cross-Boston College game, and won the Edward O'Melia trophy for his performance. The other end is Tom Kelleher who shines on defense and specializes in circus catches of the forward pass.

Hard Tackler

At center, Holy Cross has 202-pound Jim Deffley, playing his third year as varsity pivotman, and highly regarded by Crusader followers for his vicious tackling. The left guard is Hank Beaulieu, 196 pounds of muscular energy. His running mate on the other side of the line, Jim Reilly, weighs 189 pounds.

The Crusader backfield operates from he Chicago Bear version of the T-formation, which when executed properly, has no limits, as witness the recent massacre of the Green Bay Packers.

Now, it may be far-fetched to compare Holy Cross Coach Bill Osmanski's team with the Chicago Bears. It is not so farfetched when one remembers that Harvard Coach Art Valpey's Harvard team is trying to catch on to the Michigan single-wing attack.

Thus, the point we're driving at. Neither of the two teams can conceivably equal their prototypes. But either of the two teams can get closer to a carbon copy of the original. Therefore, somebody is going to lose, and somebody is going to gain tomorrow.

The announcement that Veto Kissell will play fullback is a break for the Purple. A 207-pound fullback, who made All-East last season, he is a strong, hard runner, and when sprung goes a long way. He also kicks off for the Purple.

Under the center is 190-pound Walter Brennan who has gained poise this year. He is a deft ball-handler and a smart quarterback.

Holy Cross's best passer is its 162-pound tailback Joe Byers. Besides being able to throw a football, he can kick the ball, as well as run with it. The 21-year-old sophomore played in the Orange Bowl in 1946, and scored on a 54-yard run.

The fastest man in the Holy Cross backfield is wingback Bobby Farrell. A varsity track man, he is considered a constant breakaway threat and is playing his second year of varsity ball.

Last year, the Holy Cross-Harvard game was notorious for the verbal fire-works through the week between Dick Harlow and Ox DaGrosa. Both ranted and raved about illegal plays that the other used. They eventually swore that the game would be played from concrete to concrete.

Finally, the game itself came, and it was one of those ho-hum affairs which saw little fire or enthusiasm from either team.

This week has been marked by the absence of such shenanigans. As a matter of fact, Coach Valpey attended a Holy Cross smoker last night as a guest of Coach Osmanski.

So it may be that two teams will play from concrete to concrete for a change today, and instead of ho-hums it will be hooray for somebody, the somebody that's hungriest for touchdowns.