The Harvard question mark is partially solved by Saturday's shellacking at the hands of the Penn Quakers. At present the Crimson falls way short of greatness or even popular anticipation. But while the results of the Penn game were discouraging, prediction of successive losses is a cry far afield.

In the Press conference following the game, Coach Dick Harlow effectively summed up the situation by saying, "It was a question of a good, experienced team playing one with possibilities." Perhaps remembering the Cornell game a year ago and the subsequent success of a slow starting eleven, Dick and his staff refused to adopt a defeatist attitude.

Bates, Chicago Didn't Help

From the Penn locker room came the same general conclusion, when Rae Crowther said, "The experience gained at Yale last week helped a lot up here." And Crowther pointed out that Harvard's games with Bates and Chicago hadn't seasoned the Crimson at all, Saturday was the first time seven of the starting eleven had run up against really hard-hitting, aggressive opposition.

Harlow displayed his confidence in the team by denying any immediate lineup changes. Until yesterday it was feared that Harlow would be forced to make one switch in order to meet the loss of Burgy Ayres at center. But cheering news was released yesterday when the medical staff announced that Burgy had suffered only a muscle strain and not a dislocated shoulder or collarbone.

Burgy may be ready for action Saturday, but there is some doubt over the condition of Joe Koufman who had a recurrence of his old injury. Loren MacKinney, Henry Vander Eb, and Tom Grover received minor bumps, which shouldn't keep them out for long.

Penn Line Won Game

Although two of the Red and Blue tallies came on passes and only one by running, the difference in the teams lay in the two lines. The 200 pound Quaker front wall was immovable on the defense, and consistently outcharged its smaller and Crimson-shirted opponents.

MacKinney and Koufman play superb football in curbing and smashing the Penn attack at the ends. But the center of the line seemed to melt before the onslaught, led by Rainwater, Chizmadia, Keepsell and Connell.

The opposition was just too bulky, strong, and experienced. Vern Miller frequently fell prey to mousetraps, but looked better on the offense. Of the guards, Sargeant had a distinct edge on Lowry, but even Ernie was over-ridden largely due to a size handicap.

Ayres Removal Hurt

During the first period, Ayres from his backing-up post was able to stem much of Penn flux through the center of the Crimson front line. When Ayres was removed, the Quaker master-minds were able to work their strategy more effectively. The Crimson backs were pulled in through fear of long runs, and passes were tossed neatly over their heads.

Besides checking creditably the Penn attack on his side, Bill Coleman was one of the hardest hitting blockers on the field. Harlan Gustafson, who had more than his share of the glory, remarked after the game that he had never been blocked harder than by Coleman