The Dartmouth football team has lost three of its four games this fall. On the last two Saturdays, it blew leads of 12 and 17 points.

But that has little to do with the outcome of this afternoon's game at the Stadium.

The Big Green looked even worse a year ago. It had lost all of its first four contests before the Crimson's visit to Hanover. In fact, in none of the four seasons before this did Dartmouth take a winning record into the Harvard game.

Dartmouth beat Harvard in all four of those years.

The Hanoverians can be counted on to give their best effort of the season in this game every year--and that has a lot more to do with the outcome of today's game than the current stats, or Dartmouth's recent performances.

Harvard suffered its first Ivy loss of the year at the hands of the Green in 1980. '81 and '82. Last year's defeat was probably the most excruciating for the Crimson. Greeted with the most hostile New Hampshire weather imaginable, Harvard struggled to stay close with its third-string quarterback (the others were hurt), was burned on a 68-yard bomb for a TD (the longest pass in the 86-game history of the series) and finally lost, 14-12, when a two-point conversion attempt after a Crimson touchdown failed with three minutes left.

Dartmouth's chances of frustrating Harvard for the fifth consecutive year rest largely with two players, quarterback Frank Polsinello and split end Jack Daly. Thanks to that pair of seniors, the Green has been little short of sensational in the air. Polsinello has completed 57 of 88 passes (with two interceptions)--a 64.8 percentage--for 665 yards. Daly has hauled in 26 passes, averaging a 14.3-yard gain.

This won't be the first time someone tried to throw through the Harvard defense. Starting with its rigorous opening-day workout against Columbia, the Crimson defense against the pass has snagged seven interceptions. Mike Dixon leading the way with three.

22-Month Search

In the converse situation--when Harvard's passing against Dartmouth--the matchup won't be so thrilling. Troubles with the air attack--particularly concerning the buttery texture of several receivers' fingers--have been the bane of the Crimson offense. None of quarterback Chuck Colombo's five first-half passes against Cornell were caught last week: replacement Brian White, six-for-13, finally moved Harvard through the air in the last-minute rally that gained a 3-3 tie. Though the decision may have been tougher than usual, Crimson Coach Joe Restic decided to stick with the senior, Colombo, as his starter for today.

Even if Harvard hasn't improved its passing game, the Dartmouth secondary shouldn't prove to be one of its toughest opponents. Against the Big Green defense, opposing QBs have a 59.1 completion percentage--almost as good as Polsinello's. And Dartmouth has intercepted only one of the 93 passes thrown at it so far.

Of course, if there's a day this fall when those stats won't mean a thing, it might well be today. Today is the day when Dartmouth teams traditionally shake off their early slumps and suddenly become Ivy contenders.

THE NOTEBOOK: Crimson full back Robert Santiago will miss today's game sidelined by a pulled hamstirng suffered last Saturday...Center John Francis will miss a second game with his knee injury: San Jensen will start.