Cornell should have known better.

Even leading, 17-14, with less than three minutes to go in the game, the Big Red should have known better.

When he was forced to give up an intentional safety, making the score 17-16, Cornell coach Bob Blackman at least should have guessed.

Because Yale generally does not lose, at least not this year.

The Elis--now 8-0 on the year--did what everyone expected them to do Saturday, dumping Cornell, 23-17, in Ithaca. It's just that nobody expected Carm Cozza's gang to have such a difficult time doing it, since almost everybody--including Harvard--has been blowing Cornell out of stadiums across the East this autumn.

Boola Boola

But the Big Red proved feisty against the Bulldogs, and Yale needed a last-minute touchdown drive to remain unbeaten. An anemic 20-yd. punt following the intentional safety set up the Yale score, which came on a 16-yd. Joe Dufek-to-Curtis Grieve touchdown pass with 53 seconds left.

Dufek, replacing the injured John Rogan at quarterback, unloaded the toss on a crucial third and eight situation, and Grieve gathered in his tenth touchdown reception of the season to give Yale the win.

Running back Rich Diana plowed his way over the 1000 yard mark for the season, chalking up a 179 yard performance. The Bulldogs maintain a one-game lead over Dartmouth in the Ivy League race with Yale at 5-0 and Dartmouth at 4-1.

Yale faces Princeton next week, and Harvard in The Game the week after, while Dartmouth must still tussle with Brown and Penn. But Yale has virtually clinched the league title, since it crushed Dartmouth, 24-3, last week.

The Big Green stayed within nominal striking distance of the Elis, besting Columbia in New York, 21-7. Halfback Sean Maher took over when the brisk Manhattan winds made passing infeasible, crunching the line for 131 Dartmouth yards in 24 carries, while backfield mate Peter Lavery added 91 more.

In a meaningless non-conference game, Maine out-gunned Princeton, 55-44. Even with Princeton quarterback Bob Holly rushing for two touchdowns and passing for 433 yards and three t.d.s, the Tigers' famed non-defense couldn't stop the Black Bears, who amassed 403 yards on the ground.

The biggest surprise of the Ivy weekend probably came in Kingston, R.I., where Brown nipped a favored URI squad, 10-8, in a game billed as the Ocean State Classic.

Little Rhody

The Bruins eased out to a 10-0 halftime lead, and then hung on to beat the probable Yankee Conference champions. A late URI rally ended when Brown middle guard John Daniel intercepted a Dave Grimisch pass with 51 seconds left in the game.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Penn lost to Delaware, 40-6.