From the mutterings of the local football faithful, you would think that Colgate comes tomorrow bringing an Army surplus (old-style West Point varsity) team here.

It's true that the Red Raiders are undefeated, that they've beaten Cornell. Bu, for your consolation, they've only scored six--count 'em--touchdowns in three games. The Crimson, in fact, tallied more points against Washington alone than Colgate has against all comers.

And of those six touchdowns, Colgate's defensive team has scored four. Without quarterback Dick Lalla, the Raiders are woefully weak offensively.

Lalla, it must be noted, will be back tomorrow. And his fine T-passes could hurt Harvard.

Can his mere presence, however, revitalize an offense which could win only 13 to 0 over Buffalo (beaten the week before by less-than-mighty Cortland State Teachers, 41 to 0), or 13 to 7 against Rutgers (losers a week earlier to Princeton, 61 to 19)?

And how will Lalla manage to keep Colgate lucky? For no successful team can continue to rely on opportune end zone fumbles, 100-yard runbacks of enemy passes, and fortuitous pass-interference penalties. Yet that is the way Colgate has been winning.

Lefty Gomes used to say, "I'd rather be lucky than good." Another Lefty (James), Coach of Cornell, would agree. Although his team completely out played Colgate the Red Raiders utilized some of their famous good fortune, and won, 14 to 7.

Colgate's Reputation Zooms

Immediately, Colgate's reputation rose outrageously. People still thought of Cornell as being the mighty Big Red of Past years. The regrettable truth is that Cornell has little this year: the Ithaca school has lost all three games in 1952.

But still the local Red Raider scare persists. Vainly, the hopeful point to Colgate's luck. Futilely, they observe that Colgate has not played a single-wing-team in 15 games--a big advantage to the Crimson.

After so many years of waiting, though, people hereabouts just don't think the Crimson has a chance.

Well, it's true that Colgate can't be brushed off. But it can be beaten.