Brzica should know. He is currently the Big Green's leading receiver, hauling in an average of eight of Fiedler's tosses per game.

Before last season, Brzica had never played wide receiver. Now, he's headed for first-team All-Ivy honors.

That says something about the quarterback. "He's done very well. He can get it to me anytime," Brzica says.

Fiedler is a classic dropback passer with mobility. He can also throw on the run and occasionally do bootlegs. Running, however, is not his strong point: on 40 carries this season, he has 67 yards.

But he's not asked to run. He's asked to pass. Coming into this weekend, Fiedler has completed 97 of 154 passes for 1424 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions in five games. (Those three INTs were in the first two weeks. He's given up nothing since then.)

Already, Fiedler has made his way into the Dartmouth record books: fourth in career passing yards (2,818), first in career touchdown passes (28), fourth in completions (218), fourth in total offense (3,121). He holds the record for most offense in a game (398 yards against Yale this year) and most passing yards in a game (419, also against Yale).

The Harvard team can't generate those kind of numbers.

With Fiedler on the fast track into the Dartmouth Hall of Fame, it's worth remembering that he started his sophomore year on the bench. After all, Brzica had just finished tearing up the Ancient Eight the year before.

But Fiedler was confident. He practiced hard. He knew he was better than Brzica. It would just be a matter of time.

"I knew that, coming off that year, it would be tough to come in right away," Fiedler said. "It was a tough decision for the coach. He had to start Matt. During practice, I realized that I had some talents that Matt...that I was a bit better than Matt, specifically at passing the ball."

The chance came early. Brzica took a pounding in the first game of the season (at Pennsylvania). He didn't practice during the next week, and he was ineffective in the Big Green's next game against Bucknell.

At halftime, then-Coach Buddy Teevens took out Brzica, put in Fiedler...and, well, let Brzica tell it: "Even though I tried, I was injured. [Fiedler] went in, did very well, and I just knew I had to find another position," Brzica said. "No hard feelings. I think if there were, he wouldn't be throwing to me."

No hard feelings. Just hard numbers that keep piling up.

The Fiedler Express. Watch it roll.

Fiedler's Statistics 1992  Comp.  Att.  Pct.  Yds  TD s  Int Penn  15  26  .577  203  5  2 at UNH  21  36  .583  276  2  1 Bucknell  18  27  .667  219  2   0 at H. Cross  23  34  .676  307  2  0 Yale  20  31  .645  419  4  0 Cornell  15  24  .625  231  1  3