But when he eventually made his way from Marion to Cambridge, Granger had visions of leaving his mark on Harvard football. His gridiron experiences in his first three years, though, left him frustrated. In his first year he saw action in most of the freshman squad's games, with the highlight coming in the season finale win over Yale.

In that game, he opened the scoring with a 12-yard TD run, paying the way for the Crimson's 22-16 victory.

As a sophomore, though, he saw only spot duty as the back-up to Jim Callinan. And last year, he spent the season on the bench watching Callinan become the only Harvard back to rush for more than 1,000 yards.

"Two years ago I had a taste of what it was like to play, and then to go through last year with hardly any playing time was really frustrating," he says.

But this season, Granger has stepped up to fill Callinan's position and the results have pleased both him and his coaches.

"I'm certainly happy with what's happened," says the fullback, who has scored three touchdowns and picked up 386 yards on 98 carries for a 39 average. "It's been a unique year; I've been playing a lot and our team's become really close. I'd say we're probably closer than any team since I've been here, and that's made it really special."

"He's had a good year," agrees Gleuck. "He's our leading rusher, he's developed into a fine pass receiver and he's become one of the top backs in the Ivy League."

During his first three years in a Crimson jersey, however, Granger says he spent a lot of time wondering why he played. "Even at the beginning of this season, I kept asking myself if it's been worth it," says the Economics major.

"I've spent a lot of time in football and I've given up a lot of other things in order to play. I couldn't figure our what satisfaction I was getting from it. But now, I've realized that I do love playing ball, just because the guys are great and it's a fabulous feeling when you're out there in front of everyone and you're able to help the team," he says.

Granger anticipates helping his team for the final time when he lines up against Yale Saturday. "I think every athlete dreams of scoring on the last play of the game or of breaking the long touchdown run," he explains. "Of course, I'd love to do that, but as long as I contribute to the team I'll be happy."

He also says that the incentive in The Game will be more than just Yale. "In the first place, I always wondered what made Yale so unique. The big thing for me will be that it's the last game I will ever play. That's all I need."