HOLY CROSS

2003 record: 1-11 (1-6 Patriot)

ANALYSIS: I’ve been fuming over Penn and Princeton’s decision to waste a valuable out-of-region trip on I-AA mid-major San Diego. Yet, San Diego managed to storm into Worcester and beat Holy Cross last weekend. Well, stormed might not be the correct term in this situation. Rather, it was more like San Diego showed up and Holy Cross tried repeatedly to give the Toreros the game. Crusader quarterback John O’Neil threw a pick early in the fourth that was returned for a touchdown to put San Diego up by 14.

After Holy Cross rallied to knot the score at 24, Crusader runningback Stephen Silva fumbled the ball at his own eight-yard line with just 1:24 remaining. The Toreros scored. Holy Cross returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards, but proceeded to call three unnecessary timeouts en route to the tying touchdown. This left San Diego enough time to drive for the game-winning score, a 26-yard pass to paydirt as time expired.

PREDICTION: The only Crusade that Holy Cross will need to concern itself with is the one to the buses, which will undoubtedly be left running during the game.

BROWN

2003 record: 5-5 (4-3 Ivy)

ANALYSIS: Junior runningback Nick Hartigan averaged 150 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards a game last year while scoring 15 touchdowns. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Brown’s most experienced returning quarterback registered nine completions all of last season, and its top wideout, Lonnie Hill, has decided to take the year off.

For Brown to have a chance it will need Hartigan to have a monster game against a Crimson defense that will stack the box with four defensive linemen, three linebackers, two safeties, eight members of the Harvard marching band and a couple of hobos from the Providence Amtrak station.

The Bears defense is strong enough to keep this game from getting ugly. It won’t. But theoretically it could. The Brown offense probably won’t be on the field long enough to allow the defense to walk from the sideline to the bench, resulting in a level of fatigue that smacks of a blowout.

PREDICTION: I’d be shocked if the only contest of which to speak in the fourth quarter wasn’t between disappointed Brown fans jostling for position toward the exits and their vehicles.

LAFAYETTE

2003 record: 5-6 (2-5 Patriot)