Putting on a football uniform for the Black Knights of West Point isn't all that different from playing for other schools that take the game seriously. Cadets don't see themselves as special warriors or defenders of the nation's martial pride. "In practice or on the field they just put on the helmets and play, nothing unusual about that," says Army coach Ed Cavanaugh.

In fact, not a whole lot of people outside of the mid-Hudson valley area care whether West Point reestablishes itself as a national power or stumbles through yet another losing campaign in a string of mediocre seasons. Asked recently about today's Army-Harvard rematch. Caspar W. Weinberger '38 commented that as Secretary of Defence, he "doesn't have time to follow the details of college sports," pertaining to the military academy or otherwise.

But for the 4000 cadets who spend 40 months drilling, saluting and studying at the Point, football weekends possess an unusual character, shared, perhaps, only by those at the other service academies.

The nature of cadet loyalty to their team lies somewhere between the all-out fanaticism of big-time college ball--"We're above that, "says one future officer--and the calculated indifference prevalent at Harvard.

Like students here, the cadets eagerly await each year's season within a season, when their version of Yalies--the midshipmen of Navy--sail in for the November finale. Unlike most in Cambridge, the men and women of West Point rely heavily on the regular rhythm of weekend confrontation merely to make it through the other six days. "It can get pretty gray here in the fall, pretty gloomy," says sophomore Daryl Smith, voicing a common sentiment.

So, in a most determined way, cadets root for their boys on the gridiron. When the opponent is Harvard, which beat Army in an upset last year, the mood becomes a bit insistent. "We took it pretty hard last year; it was in our face, and some people took two weeks to recover," Smith remembers. "But I'm not too worried about this year, cause I know we're gonna beat the hell out of you guys. That would just be good Army policy; we have no choice."

Arriving yesterday to oversee implementation of this policy were precisely 1330 cadets, plus the team, coaches and West Point brass. They'll be "forming up" at Soldiers Field this afternoon at 1300 Hours. There they will receive final instructions on mobilization and deployment before marching into the Stadium, where they will all stand, bellowing, for the entire game. The standing is required by regulation; noise is highly recommended by superiors.

"Our traditions enhance the particular image we want for the cadets, " West Point administrator Maj. Timothy Carnahan says. "There's a lot of dignity, but we want to win real bad, too, especially at Harvard this year."

Coach Cavanaugh insists he and his players won't be worrying about last October's 15-10 loss to the Crimson at Army's Michie Stadium. "We play each game for itself, and then look ahead," the second-year West Point strategist says, elucidating. "We're still a young team, but we've got more experience than in the past, and if a few big people come through, we'll be in any game."

More to the point. Harvard coach Joe Restic says the Black Knights "obviously have an edge" after the surprise of the 1980 season. "They'll be out for revenge, and we'll have a psychological thing to overcome."

Revenge is a word that slips easily into conversation about the Crimson Cadet rematch. Players and cadets who know players acknowledge the importance of West Point pride. "They"ll be fired up; that's for sure," says Harvard junior Shelby Calvert, who transferred here from Army just this year. "Cadets deeply respect Harvard for its academics, but not for athletics, and losing hurt a lot."

Though the loss may have been painful, the attitude of the Harvard fans will be remembered far longer than the dropped passes and broken tackles.

Not surprisingly, the chief troublemaker was the Harvard band, which performed one of its famous "this-may-not-be-humor-but-you'll-be-working-for-us-someday" half-time shows.

"You know, your band sucks," third-year cadet Joe Goetz says, though he reports that the Brown musical ensemble, which entertained during the Bruins; 23-17 loss to Army last week, is "even worse, really terrible."

Pursuing the topic of Ivy League bands, you can quickly identify another aspect of the average cadet's concern about today's game.