Throwback for Harvard, Princeton

The last time Harvard and Princeton faced each other boasting better records than the current matching 5-0 marks, Warren G. Harding was in the White House and Yankee Stadium was under construction. Princeton won that 1922 clash of 6-0 teams, 10-3, on its way to earning a share of the national title.

This year's game at Princeton Stadium doesn't have national title implications, but it could go a long way to deciding the Ivy League champion. Not that the 15th-ranked Crimson, winners of nine straight games, need any motivation. Harvard's last loss came at the hands of Princeton, 27-24, at Harvard Stadium last year.

``That's a game that still haunts me," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said.

This matchup pits the Ivy's top offense in Harvard (32.2 points and 423.6 yards of total offense per game) against the league's stingiest defense in 22d-ranked Princeton. The surprising Tigers are allowing a league-low 11.8 points and 250.4 yards of total offense per game despite a minus-4 turnover margin.

``I guess that's a credit to the great defense we have," Princeton coach Roger Hughes said. ``We're probably the consummate no-name defense. We don't have any superstars, but it seems like each week somebody steps up."

Hughes's no-name defense will have the unenviable task of trying to slow the Ivy League's biggest name, Clifton Dawson. The Crimson running back set the Ivy mark for rushing touchdowns last week (52) and is now just 401 yards shy of becoming the league's all-time leading rusher. Hughes said you can't just focus on Dawson: ``Their offense is a six-shooter, but it has eight bullets in it."

That offense will still be run by quarterback Chris Pizzotti, even though Liam O'Hagan's five-game suspension for an unspecified violation of team rules is up.

The game's key matchup could be on the other side of the ball, where Princeton's offensive line, which has five new starters, will have to ward off Harvard's defense to buy time for Jeff Terrell. The senior quarterback leads the Ivy League in total offense (250 yards per game), but he'll face a Crimson rush that leads Division 1-AA in sacks (29).

``It's not just a matter of stopping their offense, it's how the heck are we going to score some points," Hughes said. ``That's why I'm not getting much sleep at night."

Yale's Mike McLeod surpassed Dawson for the Ivy rushing lead with a career-high 204-yard performance on 40 carries last week in the Elis' 26-20 victory over Lehigh. He scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard dive in overtime. The sophomore from New Britain, Conn., has averaged 191.3 yards a game in his past three contests and is averaging 148.2 yards a contest, fourth-best in the country. He'll look to improve that when Yale (4-1, 2-0) hosts Penn (4-1, 2-0) Saturday in another key Ivy matchup.

However, McLeod was recently thrown for a loss off the field. He was arrested, along with Yale starting quarterback Matt Polhemus and three Yale hockey players, early Oct. 1 following a dispute at a New Haven eatery. Charges against all five athletes were dismissed last Friday. However, McLeod and Polhemus could still face discipline from Yale's Executive Committee, which adjudicates matters of undergraduate discipline. ``It's something we had to deal with as a team and those two as individuals are still dealing with, but I think last Friday was a big relief," Yale coach Jack Siedlecki said.

The frustration finally boiled over for Dartmouth (0-5, 0-2) last week following its 24-21 overtime loss to visiting Holy Cross, the Big Green's ninth straight defeat. Taking umbrage over Holy Cross's logo-stomping celebration, the Big Green got embroiled in a mini brawl with the Crusaders after the game, with punches thrown and players being kicked on the ground, according to Hanover (N.H.) Police Chief Nick Giaccone, who helped break up the melee. Hanover police are investigating the incident and charges are possible, but Giaccone said the fight was nothing compared with the battle royale that erupted between Miami and Florida International. ``This was more of a shoving match with some punches being thrown," Giaccone said. ``If I was to put it on a scale of 1 to 10, I would put Dartmouth as a 2 or a 3 and the Miami one as a 9 or a 10." . . . Dartmouth will try to show some fight on the field when it visits Columbia (3-2, 0-2) Saturday. Holy Cross (5-2, 2-0) returns to Patriot League action against Lafayette (2-4, 1-0) . . . UMass quarterback Liam Coen tied a school record by tossing five touchdown passes in the Minutemen's 35-0 whitewashing of Towson last Saturday. Coen, who has 13 TD passes against four interceptions, leads Division 1-AA in passing efficiency with a 188.5 rating. He will try to improve on that mark when sixth-ranked UMass (5-1, 3-0) plays host to Rhode Island (2-4, 0-3) Saturday at McGuirk Stadium . . . New Hampshire (5-1, 2-1) will try to get back on track when it visits Northeastern (2-4, 1-2). UNH lost its No. 1 ranking following a resounding 42-23 home loss to James Madison last week. After five weeks at No. 1, UNH dropped to seventh, while James Madison jumped to eighth.

Material from Associated Press and other newspapers was used in this report. Chris Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.