The steering wheel is gone, the body has huge dents patched over with hasty repair jobs, and no one knows how much gas remains in the tank.

But one of the '83 Crimson's front tires, running back Mark Vignali, says the car's destination depends a lot on how the interior holds up.

"We just have to get it together and see what kind of character our team has," Vignali said yesterday.

Saturday's 28-12 collision with Dartmouth wrecked the steering wheel. No longer does the Crimson (now 1-1-1 in the league) have control over its Ivy destination. Two teams must blindside the Big Green to knock Dartmouth off the road to the league championship.

"It hurts," sparkplug Joe Azelby said of Saturday's setback. "But we're not going to throw in the towel."

Fellow linebacker Andy Nolan isn't throwing in any towels either, but no one knows for sure whether he'll be back on the field this year. Felled with a deep thigh bruise in the Maine scrimmage, Nolan played two downs against Columbia. Preparation for those two downs was enough for the bruise to calcify, as it did shortly after the game.

For awhile, he had difficulty walking. Now he can walk, but with only 85 percent mobility in his leg playing football is still very much out of the question. "I'm just going by what the doctor says," Nolan said yesterday. The doctor says he can't play until the leg is fully mobile. Even when that happens, returning to playing shape will take time.

Kevin Garvin stepped in to ensure that the Crimson kept firing on all cylinders, but the loss of Nolan robbed the gridders of two years' starting experience.

While possibly the biggest, Nolan is far from the only dent taken out of Joe Restic's battered vehicle. Defensive tackle Barry Ford spent Saturday working for the coaches, but on an unusual side of the sideline. Ford was analyzing blocking schemes, not neutralizing blockers.

"I was tackling a guy and I fell on his shoe and a lot of guys fell on me." Ford said of the way he bruised his abdomen in the UMass game. He'll probably return for Saturday's showdown with Princeton.

Cornerback John Dailey missed the Dartmouth game with fluid on his knee, and tackle Brent Clapacs sat out the second half. Things were even worse in the Army game, when five defensive starters didn't play.

Against Dartmouth it was the offense that was hurting. "This stage of the year, if you get injuries [to your rushers], you have to go on your passing game," Restic said Saturday.

The injuries to the runners materialized: the passing game didn't. Vignali couldn't practice on Monday or Tuesday because of a thigh bruise, a wingback Steve Ernst started at halfback. Fullback Robert Santiago pulled a hamstring against Cornell. Backup fullback Paul Sharon reinjured his hamstring at Cornell. Ernst had a fine game (102 yards on 21 carries). Nobody else did.

Sophomore quarterback Brian White would have seen a lot of action yesterday if not for a blood clot in his throwing arm. It was clear by Thursday he wouldn't play, Joe Restic said.

"To work out a game plan when you spend all week shuffling people, that's the hardest thing in the world," the Crimson coach added.

Santiago should return for Saturday's game with Princeton. Vignali carried seven times against Dartmouth and said he feels fine.

The body of the '83 Crimson is getting patched up. The Princeton game will be an important test drive.